The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn

(Stereo 1st press Blue/Black Columbia Labels G1/G1 stampers)

This is the holy grail of Pink Floyd albums!  The first stereo pressings were pressed in fewer numbers than the mono ones so are generally considered to be more collectable and it is also one of the first 300-500 pressed as it has the very rare G1 mother stamper on both sides.  Being a genuine first pressing it has no 'File Under Popular' in the flipback on the back cover.  These covers are so rarely found today. 

I have play tested this stunning vinyl and I can confirm that the audio plays with astonishing quality for the vast majority.  There is only one track with some interference and a full play grading is detailed below.

SCX 6157 // YAX 3419 - 1 / YAX 3420 - 1 // Stampers G1 / G1

The audio on S1 is Ex (Near Mint in some sections)

The audio on S2 is Ex (Near Mint in some sections / first minute of 'Chapter 24' is s VG/VG+)

The laminated cover is VG+

The labels are Near Mint-

The inner sleeve is Ex+

Visual grading

This mega rare vinyl is in lovely condition for 50 years old.  There is some spindle wear but not a great deal which partially explains why it plays so well.  It is worth noting the blue Columbia labels are extremely clean with no marking or writing and there is no wear around the spindle hole at all.  Considering its age the visual appearance of the vinyl is very impressive and it retains a glossy sheen.  Whilst there are a number of faint hairlines on each side, with a longer one on S1, there are most certainly not an excessive amount and it has been very well preserved over the decades.  There is only one very small fine scratch on S2 and this is detailed in the play grading below.  You expect some marking on such an iconic album of this age but for there to be only one very small scratch is a very good result!  I honestly do not think you will find many cleaner G1/G1 stereo pressings than this one, a real find.

Play grading  

Incredibly there is barely any lead in static on S1 and 'Astronomy Domine' then has only a couple of static sounds on the first couple of grooves.  It then proceeds to play with such clear audio I cannot stress how good it sounds!  There are no clicks or pops and definitely no skips or jumps and the clarity is just stunning.  The odd mega light dust tick but there is absolutely nothing that detracts from the 'high end' audio.  Just a little static on the fade out.  Rarely have I heard this classic play with such sublime sound and to think this is on a G1/G1 stereo pressing!

'Lucifer Sam' equals this dynamic start and has a depth and warmth of sound that you so rarely hear.  So often these first stereo pressings play with some distortion but here there is almost none.  Again there is no obvious 'background' and I would go so far to grade this track as Ex+ if not better for the vast majority!

The intro on 'Matilda Mother' plays with such stunning clarity you're thinking is this a 50 years old?!  The remainder plays in the same impeccable style with perhaps just a hint of distortion.  In saying that this is most probably due to the way the album produced and recorded.  It still plays with such richness and the fade out has barely any 'background'.  Absolutely stunning.

'Flaming' begins with only a minimal amount of static but it really is so much in the background as to be negligible.  It is still a superb start with no clicks or pops.  The sonic quality throughout is breathtaking and the clarity is just incredible.  A hint of distortion on this track maybe but in no way intrusive.  The quiet instrumental section before the last verse plays in immaculate fashion and this continues right to the end and there is then complete silence in the dead wax prior to the next track.

The audio throughout 'Pow R. Toc H' is of such stunning quality it is quite possibly the 'cleanest' I have ever heard on a first pressing let alone one with a G1/G1 stamper.  There are so many quiet sections on this instrumental piece and yet they all play with the same depth and quality of sound that is second to none.

'Take Up Thy Stethoscope And Walk' as any Floyd collector knows does play with some distortion but I am pleased to report there is relatively little here.  It is mainly on the middle instrumental section which, I hasten to add, still plays superbly and with great clarity.  Indeed the more I listen to it the more I am blown away by it!  Again there are no clicks or pops.  The ending is quite simply stunning.  I am running out of superlatives for this astounding vinyl!

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There is some lead in static on S2 and a little 'background' on the 'Interstellar Overdrive' intro but there certainly no clicks or pops.  This soon disappears after 5-10 seconds and then truly impresses with wonderful sound.  This classic does not disappoint.  There are not many quiet sections but the ones there are play with immense clarity again.  I have played this track twice just to get a true summation and again I am just astounded by the sonic quality.  The long middle section plays with such staggering quality I am transported back to the late 60s!  This is just audio of the highest calibre and the vast majority plays with Near Mint quality and I do not use that grading lightly.  I grade honestly as my feedback testifies and even during the very quiet passage about seven minutes in there is only a very light amount of static, barely audible and totally non-intrusive.  The ending just knocks your socks off ! it is just stunning.  The power is just incredible and even the fade out plays with near perfection.

'The Gnome' is another track that displays audio of the highest quality.  Again it plays so clearly and without any 'background'.  This is very close to being graded as Near Mint all the way through, just a little static towards the end.  It plays nigh on perfectly and is easily the best version I have ever heard on a blue Columbia first stereo pressing.

Now for the first 'real' interference on the album.  Due to a very fine scratch 'Chapter 24' does have a number of pops/clicks per revolution for the first minute.  This is a shame as the remainder plays very well with no other obvious interference although there is some distortion on the vocal.  Just to clarify many of the clicks are not that loud and do not interfere too much but I have to mention it to be complete in my grading obviously.  It remains a very enjoyable listen.

The intro on 'The Scarecrow' plays in superb style with no 'background' whatsoever.  The remainder of the track has exceptional audio also and the fade out is so clear you would think it was pressed this year!  Another stunning listen.

With barely any 'background' in the dead wax preceding 'Bike' this classic then ends the album with suitably impressive audio.  There is just a little distortion on the vocal (always the case on this track) but aside from that there is very little interference, just a minimal amount of static in the quiet section prior to the instrumental ending which then plays with supreme clarity.  

In summary this is a stunning very first G1/G1 first pressing of this classic album and if not for the interference on 'Chapter 24' this would grade as Ex / NM all the way through.  The dead wax between every track has barely any static and so many of the quiet sections have superlative audio with incredible clarity.  For an album that commonly has distortion there is relatively little here.  Rare is not a word I use regularly but this is without doubt a rarity.  Only 300 to 500 were pressed per stamper so it is clear to see just how rare this G1/G1 vinyl is which begs the question how many exist today and with this audio quality?  A stunning iconic album that will not disappoint the avid collector.  

Cover

The laminated E.J. Day cover is overall in very good condition.  There are some areas of wear but it is certainly not wrecked like so many you see.  The edges are actually very clean with no rubbing but they both have one area of wear in the centre.  The top edge has a 2cm section where the laminate has lifted from the cover but it is not a split.  The bottom edge does have one 4cm section where the record has worn through at some point but this really is the only area of concern on this iconic cover.  The thin pinched spine is extremely clean with no shelf wear and remains 100% perfectly legible, the corners have barely any rubbing also.  The opening edge has very little handling wear and only the top corner has some rubbing and a very small split.  The laminate on the front cover is in excellent shape with no splits or lifting just some creasing here and there.

As can be seen the back cover has been well preserved with very clean flipbacks.  They do not have too much of the staining that you so often see and there are no splits either.  There is very little creasing also, you can only see a couple of small creases on the spine flipback.  The back cover itself is in excellent order with no writing (a rarity!) but there is one small area of faint marking under the band names.  Overall though the back cover is pretty impressive and is certainly cleaner than so many you see today and as stated it has no 'File Under Popular' on the top flipback.

Inner sleeve

This may be a replacement sleeve as the first G1/G1 pressings had 'Herman's Hermits' and 'The Beatles - Revolver' advertised whereas this one has 'Sgt. Peppers' and 'Piper' on it.  The latter is known as the second inner sleeve so is still a very early one nonetheless and is seen with many of the Blue Columbia logo pressings.  It has no splits or marking and only a small amount of creasing and remains in excellent condition.

The labels

The famous Blue/Black Columbia labels are in exceptional condition with no marks or writing on them and are the cleanest I have ever seen on a first pressing.  There is a reasonable amount of spindle wear as mentioned but not an excessive amount and the "KT" tax stamp on the S1 label.

At the bottom of the label is "Made in Gt. Britain."

Text around the bottom edge of the label states..

Play tested on my Pro-Ject Essential III Turntable / B&W 684 Speakers

This record has been cleaned on a Pro-Ject VC-S cleaning machine

SCX 6157 // YAX 3419 - 1 / YAX 3420 - 1 // Stampers G1 / G1

I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.

Any questions please feel free to ask

Please pay within 4 days of auction end

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