PINK FLOYD, THE PIPER AT THE GATES OF DAWN, 1967 UK COLUMBIA 1st ISSUE

	£		304
	$		403

betsy50 store

Hello, my name is Nick (aka playgraderecords). I have been an avid record collector for many years, building up an extensive collection of mostly blues/rock, psych, progressive and classic rock albums from the mid sixties to early seventies period. I have decided to sell off a few choice albums in either the Fixed Price or Auction formats. These offerings represent the crème de la crème of my 35 years of record collecting and are of the highest quality. My grading is strict and any significant defects will be mentioned. You can rest assured that a record that I grade as MINT- will be both visually and aurally as fine a copy as you are ever likely to find (hopefully my feedback and 4.94/5.0 "item as described" rating will bear this out). My descriptions are concise and in accordance with the GRADINGS detailed below. I will not bore you with the unnecessary duplication of song lyrics, and self-respect will not allow the use of ridiculous words like "awesome, mega, hyper", etc., or endless exclamation marks. Customer satisfaction is of the highest importance to me. In the unlikely event that you are not entirely happy with an LP for any reason, I will refund you in full upon return without any hassle.

From my own personal collection it is my pleasure to offer an exceptional example of the debut studio album by PINK FLOYD titled “THE PIPER AT THE GATES OF DAWN”, Catalogue Number SX 6157. This is an ORIGINAL 1967 UK MONO 1st PRESSING on the BLUE/BLACK COLUMBIA RECORD LABEL, with a stunning 1st ISSUE E. J. DAY & CO. LTD. FRONT-LAMINATED FLIPBACK SLEEVE, which does not have the “File under POPULAR” text on the back cover. Complete with the correct EMI inner sleeve which advertises other Columbia/EMI albums of the period. [The vinyl matrix numbers and stampers are XAX 3419-2  1  R and XAX 3420-1  1 M which confirms this to be a very early pressing. The K/T tax code is embossed either side of the Side 1 spindle hole].

The sleeve is in EX condition with only very light signs of wear and a few minor creases. The vivid psychedelic colours of the front cover are unfaded and the lamination retains a beautiful reflective lustre. The back cover is exceptionally clean. There is a short bruise to the centre of the top edge caused by a knock from the record inside, but this is barely noticeable (see close-up photo). It really is a beautifully well-preserved example of this iconic psychedelic sleeve.      

The record is a solid mid-weight pressing which sits perfectly flat on the turntable. Side 1 is visually in VG+ condition (strictly graded), due to a small stylus mark at the start of track 1. Side 2 is visually EX. The blue/black Columbia labels are unmarked with only a modest number of spindle traces each side. There is minimal wear to the spindle hole indicating that the record has not been played many times. The record plays excellently throughout with barely any discernable deterioration in sound quality and virtually no unwanted noise at all. The sound quality is outstanding – immensely powerful and vibrant with very impressive bass. There are just a few little pops at the start of Side 1, which are only audible until the music kicks in. It is otherwise an extremely clean-playing copy. I think that it will be very difficult to find a better one!   

The EMI inner sleeve is in unmarked EX condition with no splits or tears and barely any creasing.

Overall this is a wonderful opportunity to acquire a superb and complete mono 1st press copy of Floyd’s debut psych masterpiece.

GRADINGS

The records that I offer for sale have been critically play-graded, at loud volume, on a Linn Sondek LP12 turntable fitted with a high end cartridge. My grading is strict and in accordance with the following descriptions:

·         MINT- Record is superb, almost like new, with just a few sleeve removal type surface marks and no deterioration in sound quality. Sleeve is near perfect in all respects.

·         EX Record is a top quality example, with just a few very light surface marks which do not sound, and barely any discernable deterioration in sound quality. Sleeve has slight wear and/or creasing.

·         VG Record has some visual surface marks, but still plays to a high standard without any major deterioration in sound quality – just a few clicks or light surface sound in places. Sleeve has normal wear and tear without any major defects but is still very presentable.

     All records can be expected to rotate sufficiently evenly on the turntable for there to be no effect whatsoever on the audio playback. Minor warps or dishing will not be mentioned as virtually all records display these features to some degree and no record is perfectly flat.

PACKAGING         

LPs are packaged with care and well protected to ensure that they arrive safely in the same condition as they leave me. Records are removed from both inner and outer sleeves in order to prevent seam-splits in transit.

INTERNATIONAL POSTAGE

LPs posted outside of the UK will only be sent International Signed-For with insurance at the following cost:   

Europe - £12.95

Worldwide - £17.50