PINK FLOYD WISH YOU WERE HERE A1/B3 1st PRESS GREAT SHRINK COVER & SUPERB AUDIO
£
379
$
502
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Description
I will declare a lower amount on the customs form for all countries so as to avoid/decrease high import charges. However, in the case of the EU all purchases are subject to VAT which eBay collect at point of sale. No shipping to Russia currently.
Pink Floyd : Wish You Were Here A-1 / B-3 1st Press
This first pressing plays with stunning quality and has been so well preserved down the years. The clarity of sound is incredible and especially on the classic 'Shine On...' on S1. The lead in is a good sign of the audio that follows - crystal clear with literally no intrusion. The radiophonic sections on S2 so often play with a fair of static etc but here they are so clean with very little background, very rare for a genuine first press. The only 'real' background is some light static at the beginning and end of the second track and a little more static on the 'wind' intro to 'Shine On...' on S2. The clarity, depth and warmth of the audio is so impressive and this is easily one of the finest A1/B3 first pressings I have ever had the pleasure in listening to. The vinyl is in lovely condition also with just one barely visible spindle trace on the S2 label - it has clearly hardly ever been played in my opinion.
The cover is in superb condition and the vast majority is still enclosed within the original shrink-wrap which remains in great order with no tears or splits. The lyric inner is super clean and the postcard is practically 'as new'.
A genuine first press has the A1/B3 matrix and the lyric inner is cut on three corners only. 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond Part 5' on the S1 label is credited to Waters-Gilmour-Wright, later versions have Waters only.
SHVL 814 // A - 1 / B - 3 // GPM 3 / GPR 2
The audio on S1 is Mint(-) (T1 ranges between Near Mint+ & Mint- / T2 intro & outro Ex+)
The audio on S2 is Near Mint- (T1 Mint- / T3 'wind' intro Ex-)
The cover is Near Mint-
The labels are Mint-
The lyric inner is Ex+
The postcard is Mint-
Visual description
The vinyl is in superb condition and still has a very impressive glossy sheen with no marks or scratches. Under a bright light I can only see a small number of faint hairlines and a couple of tiny 'specks' on S2. There is no groove wear or 'clouding' and it is clear this vinyl has hardly been played. The labels are practically 'as new' as they are unmarked and have only one tiny barely visible spindle trace on the S2 label. Stunning!
Play grading
The slow build up intro on 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Part One)' is absolutely STUNNING and even the super quiet first 10-15 seconds have not even a single dust tick! It continues to play with unbelievable clarity and this entire two minute plus classic intro from Wright plays with a precision you so rarely find today. A couple of barely audible dust ticks that is all - I cannot emphasise enough just how immaculate the audio and this continues into Gilmour's first work I am delighted to say. As this section ends the segue into Gilmour's next 'solo' has a couple of minor static ticks that are not intrusive in any way and as Mason comes in the audio is 'as new' and it continues to play with a clarity that is second to none. This is how this needs to be heard - you only get this warmth and depth from vinyl, no other medium replicates it. There is some very light static around the 6.45 mark for a short time but this is so so quiet and does not intrude on the overall sonic quality. Remember I mention any type of background however minor just so you know exactly what you are bidding on. Gilmour's next solo is faultless - this entire introduction comes in at 8.45 and to say it plays beautifully is an understatement! The first verse / chorus has only a couple of minor statics at the beginning and thereafter plays with stunning precision and... no background. The second vocal section has only a couple of non-intrusive statics - believe me they are so quiet and really do not deserve a mention. The 'sax' section then plays with exceptional clarity, depth and power and with no intrusion of any kind aside from some very minimal light static on the fade out. This truly is a STUNNING version of this all time classic and a grading of between Near Mint+ and Mint is an honest appraisal of the audio but certainly a lot more of the latter!
The segue into 'Welcome To The Machine' has only very light intermittent static but this does not last long and you can still hear the 'industrial' intro very clearly indeed. As it really 'kicks in' the clarity is 'as new' and there is only minimal light static just prior to the first vocal. The opening verse then plays perfectly with wonderful clarity and definition and the mid instrumental also plays with sublime quality and zero interference. Again the sonic quality is on another level and there is nothing that detracts from the 'as new' sound. No background, no distortion. The second vocal is of the same high end standard and the final instrumental completes this classic with audio that is as clean as it was when first released. In saying that there is just the lightest of static on the 'industrial' end section and even less on the 'audience' section. A measure of the clarity though is how clear the double soft 'pop' and 'cough' is on the final groove and I'm pleased to say you can hear it perfectly here. I will grade the intro and outro as Ex+ but everything in between is Mint without a doubt.
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The intro on 'Have A Cigar' is perfect apart from a couple of mega quiet dust ticks and Waters' opening vocal plays with outstanding clarity and no background. The instrumental 'bridge' is equal to that and the second verse plays with stunning clarity also. Gilmour's end solo / instrumental is flawless and the radiophonic end section plays so clearly with barely any of the static that you so often associate with it. This section regularly plays with a lot of static on the A1/B3 first pressings but there is barely any here, almost zero! This track has to grade as Mint- at the very least.
The spoken 'intro' on the classic 'Wish You Were Here' stands out because once again there is no obvious static and how rare is that?! The radiophonic section is very clean with just one static tick and the bare minimum of light static and just to repeat myself there is so much less static than usual, the playback is superb! The iconic acoustic guitar section plays with great clarity and is amongst the cleanest I have ever heard and the opening two verses have only a couple of very quiet background ticks and as the volume increases the playback is stunning. The clarity and depth of the audio is so impressive and the brief instrumental section plays with wonderful quality also. The first chorus is 'as new' and the remainder does not disappoint either, I 'picked up' only 3/4 mega light ticks. I believe Near Mint- is fair here. The 'wind' segue into 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Part 2)' often plays with quite a bit of static as collectors will know but there is only a minimal amount here with just a tad more just prior to the music coming in. As Wright comes in the clarity is so close to perfect and from then on it plays with STUNNING quality and no intrusion. Gilmour's work here is phenomenal it cannot be faulted in any way. The clarity and depth of sound is breath-taking - no ticks, no background - the playback is fantastic! The power of the audio cannot be underestimated and there is no distortion on the top end. As the volume decreases there is no background and then the one and only vocal section plays beautifully with only a couple of very quiet statics. The 'handover' into the long instrumental piece for once has no intrusion and the next section then plays very clearly with just a hint of light static for a few seconds but so quiet and totally non-intrusive. It continues to play with with incredible sonic quality and the segue into the next 'part' is so clean with just one minor static tick. This final section plays with wonderful clarity and warmth, a couple of minor ticks only, and then the long fade out is so clean with only minimal static. If the intro is Ex- then the rest has to grade as Near Mint- the sonic quality is of a very high standard for sure.
In summary this very collectable album plays with superb audio across both sides and is easily one of the finest A1/B3 first pressings I have ever listened to. S1 is just stunning and 'Shine On...' in particular plays with sensational clarity and warmth and no actual interference basically. Just listening to the first few seconds makes you think this is a record that has been so well looked after over the last 48 years and only sparingly played. S2 is very impressive also and you really notice how clean the radiophonic sections are, the clarity of sound is definitely much better than what you normally find. Yes there is a little static on the 'Shine On...Pt 2' intro but that does not take away from what is a STUNNING album. Together with a super clean 'shrink-wrapped' cover this will add to any collection.
The Cover, Lyric Inner & Postcard
As you can see the 'shrink' still encases the majority of the cover and for once it is not ripped in a number of places. It is one of the cleanest 'shrinks' I have ever seen! It often tightens the cover but there is very little waviness here and I am sure with the record inside it will be even better. The right hand corners and opening edge are very clean with barely any wear and I can only see one faint 'spot' on the part of the cover that I can see. The edges and corners enclosed by the 'shrink' are in superb condition with no tears or 'knocks' and the spine obviously remains very strong indeed. The 'shrink' just has one tiny scuff next to the sticker and the sticker itself is in great shape with no marking or wear. A stunning example overall.
The lyric inner, with the three cut corners, is in lovely condition with no side splits and barely any creasing. It just has a couple of very faint print 'marks' and a four tiny white scuffs on the diving man picture. The postcard has the serrated edges and is practically as good 'as new'.
Play tested on my Rega P2 with Rega Carbon Cart / Denon PMA-520AE Amp / B&W 684 Speakers
This record has been professionally cleaned on a Pro-Ject VC-S machine
SHVL 814 // A - 1 / B - 3 // GPM 3 / GPR 2
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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Postage & Packaging
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