PINK FLOYD The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn 1967 UK 1st press MONO SX 6157 VG+

	£		243
	$		322

PINK FLOYD - THE PIPER AT THE GATES OF DAWN

An increasingly rare and sought after very 1st UK MONO pressing of this 1967 prog rock classic on the black & blue Columbia label, SX 6157

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1  XAX 3419 - 2 with stampers "1" and "0" at 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock respectively 

Side 2  XAX 3420 - 1 with stampers "1" and "0" at 9.30 o'clock and 2.30 o'clock respectively

 The appearance of the thick, heavy duty vinyl is excellent. Completely flat and when viewed in normal daylight still retaining it's original jet black glossy sheen with just a few small and very light scuff marks just noticeable on side 1. In normal daylight the appearance of the side 2 vinyl is excellent+ with no obvious marks at all. Under a bright light, and when tilted at the right angle, there are a few more small scuffs which come into view on side 1 along with some wispy hairlines all of which are surface only and non-feelable, except for one 0.5cm hairline on track 1 which I can just feel when running my finger across it, but even though I can feel it (only just) it appears to have no negative impact upon the audio quality. Under a bright light a few wispy hairlines come into view on side 2 but these are negligible. In summary I would grade the condition of the vinyl as very good for side 1 and excellent for side 2, though the appearance is excellent for each side. Very impressive considering this record's 51 year antiquity! 

The original 1st pressing labels are excellent-. These are the 1st pressing back Columbia labels with silver text, and a blue "Columbia Records Magic Notes Trademark" at the top, and a blue "Columbia" in the center - each hallmarks of a very first pressing, as is track 1 on side 2 which reads across one line only (including all writing credits) - if the artist credits extend to a second line it is a repress. The labels are unmarked apart from just a few faint spindle trails adjacent to the centre hole on each side. Note the "K" and "T" tax codes on the side 2 label (again indicative of a very 1st pressing). Unfortunately the name and address sticker on the side 1 label prevents me from grading each label as excellent...I am sure that, with care, this label could be removed but label removal is not my forte so I will leave that to somebody else!

The iconic front side laminated Ernest J. DAY outer sleeve is very good+.  All edges remain impressively firm with no scuffing apart from a noticeable 2.5cm scuff mark at the centre of the bottom edge. Similarly the spine is rigid with no creasing and all writing perfectly legible. No fraying on the opening edges, no scuffs or rubbing, and the corners remain well defined right angles with minimal rubbingbut there is a 1cm split on the bottom edge located right at the bottom right hand corner. The reverse side is excellent with no doodles or unwanted writing and the flip backs remain excellent and fully functional. There is some minor laminate surface creasing on the front side but this is minor, and I believe that there was once a sellotape strip located down the side of the front and back opening edges since there is a light residue strip along the opening edge on the reverse side and some minor evidence of the same along the side of the front opening edge. The colouring on the front side remains rich and vibrant and perfectly clear - lovely! The top right part of the flip back is blank. It does NOT read "File under POPULAR : Pop Groups" the absence of which is yet a further characteristic of very first pressings.

Finally, the quality of the audio is very good+. To be more precise the audio quality ranges from very good to truly excellent, with impressive clarity and tone even on the higher frequencies and at higher volume. There is some occasional, very light background crackle but even when it does occur is non-intrusive and really is barely noticeable. I noticed no clicks, pops, skips or any suchlike unwanted blemishes during playback...just great mono quality on every track. What a fab listen this record still is! 

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

1. ASTRONOMY DOMINE

2. LUCIFER SAM

3. MATILDA MOTHER

4. FLAMING

5. POW R. TOC H

6. TAKE UP THY STETHOSCOPE AND WALK

Side 2 :

1. INTERSTELLAR OVERDRIVE

2. THE GNOME

3. CHAPTER 24

4. THE SCARECROW

5. BIKE

Comes with original "E.M.I. RECORDS" inner which unfortunately has a 12 cm split on one side but no tears and just some very light, sporadic age discolouration and creasing. Note that I always post the record in a new plain white inner sleeve in order to protect the original.

In summary a solid very good+ copy of this rare and highly sought after 1967 UK 1st press prog rock classic, worthy of gracing any serious record collection and only continuing to gain in value. 

 If you require any further information, including photos, then let me know and I'll do my best to oblige. 

If this record interests you then take a look at my other 60's & 70's classic vinyl listings.

A bit about myself : I have been collecting vinyl for more than 48 years and have amassed a huge collection covering a varied genre, but mostly of 1960's and 70's origin. Most of my records were originally bought by myself for my own collection, but during the past 30 years I have embellished my collection by buying records from a variety of sources : friends/acquaintances, car boot sales, auctions, and even through putting up a "vinyl wanted" notice in my wife's shop! I never intended selling any of my records but I am now retired and a combination of space requirements (caused partly by duplication) and a need to help fund my retirement has prompted me to "rationalise" my record collection and sell many of my much loved gems. My only wish is that they go to good homes.

My ebay feedback speaks for itself so rest assured that you are buying from a trusted seller and in the very unlikely event that you are unhappy with your purchase just e-mail me and I'll sort out the problem. I offer a "no quibble" refund policy. 

On the subject of postage, I take great care in the packaging of all items, using a proper vinyl cardboard mailer along with at least two cardboard stiffeners. I take great care in separating the record from the outer sleeve in order to help prevent sleeve damage in transit and I always insert the vinyl, outer sleeve and inner into a clear plastic sleeve, thus adding further protection. 

For this item postage & packaging will be Royal Mail 1st class, tracked and signed for  : 

UK £5.00, continental Europe £10.00, and Rest of the World £14.00. 

 I do discount post & packaging costs for multiple purchases. I do NOT profit from postage.

Good luck with your bidding! Richard

NOTE : My vinyl descriptions comply with the official Record Collector vinyl grading guidelines :

Mint

The records itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items, such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.

Excellent

The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and /or creasing.

Very Good

The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

Good

The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discolouration, etc.

Fair

The record is still just playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents are torn, stained and/or defaced

Poor

The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents are badly damaged or partly missing.

Bad

The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection-filler