PINK FLOYD Wish You Were Here 1st UK A1 B3 LP Vinyl Record + Shrink + Postcard

	A$		300
	$		199

Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
First Day Issue. September 15th 1975

Original 1975 UK First Issue.        SHVL 814

• Matrix / Runout (Variant 1 - Stamped A):  SHVL 814 A-1        PP 2  (66th)
  
• Matrix / Runout (Variant 1 - Stamped B):  SHVL 814 B-3        AT 1  (39th)
  

There are some clear indicators for the earliest possible copies of the original UK issue of this highly sought after Pink Floyd Masterpiece.

This copy has them all

Original Pinched Spine, Gate-fold Cover.    (Near Mint)
The spine is the original pinched type, covered in shrink-wrap, but the pinches are feel-able on the outside and visible inside of the sleeve. (you can also make it out by looking at the shrink..you can faintly see the difference in spine width

If you use the magnification, you can see how good the sleeve under the shrink-wrap is.
The exposed White parts of the sleeve are bright, clean and sharp.
You can also see that the square and sharp edges are clearly defined under the shrink

Buying issues in shrink can be dangerous if the sleeve has been swapped with a later issue in shrink... Make sure the spine is pinched when seeking an early pressing in shrink.
Because original shrink wrapped sleeves are so rare,  it is often the shrink wrap that is the most valuable part of the issue - make sure you get it right.



Original Black Translucent Shrink-wrap
(Excellent)
With the original robot handshake sticker in place, and all in fantastic condition.
The original translucent Black shrink is in fantastic condition, with only 2 small holes on one edge. (See pics)
The top of the shrink-wrap has been carefully cut with a sharp blade, and has only receded about 15mm or half an inch... Shrink-wrap like this is especially rare on an original pinched spine cover. 


Original Postcard 
(Excellent)
Original UK jagged edge postcard, with SHVL-814 Catalog number.


Original and Rare Side Opening Heavy Card, Die-cut Inner Sleeve.
(Near Mint)
The side opening inner sleeves were only issued on the very earliest pressings, the inner sleeve opens from the side, not the top, as is usual on 99.9% or more of the UK  first issues.
It is heavy card, has die cut corners like true, early first issues, and is in magnificent Near Mint condition.

Original A1/B3 flat, shiny
(Excellent)    Both Labels    (Near Mint)

This full matrix was not listed before I sent the details to Vernon Fitch at the Pink Floyd archives. It has since added it to the list a year or two ago, and this record currently sits at number six of the listed matrix codes.

Only very light faults, no skips or jumps or anything that disturbs the needle.
Visually the surfaces are excellent.
 There is no continuous noise, and the audio is consistently clean and brilliant, which is so rare on this issue.
The surface faults are light and singular -  barely audible, faint ticks.
The areas that the very light pickups effect are some small areas of the quietest parts of Shine On 1-5, and a small part of the windy noise between WYWH and Shine On 6-9
The background and deadwax is whisper quiet... when you drop the needle into the run in area, you will be greeted with silence on both sides.
This record does not suffer from the constant light noise many copies have, and this issue is well known for... the audio is crystal clear and constantly clean in the background.
There are no skips or jumps, or anything even remotely close to causing one.

I cannot stress enough how good this record sounds, it is visually stunning and the audio is magnificent. The crystal clear sound, and complete lack of background fuzz really is a really tough find, but a couple of very faint lines are being lightly picked up by the stylus in some parts of the quietest areas of Shine On 1 - 5, and in some of the windy area right after Wish You Were Here.

The matrix is a very early one....  Day of issue
The fact that the closest related Matrix to the original master is an A1 B3, and the stamper codes on Side One are PP (66), means that this copy lies somewhere between the 19,800th copy (if they pressed 300 records per stamper) To the 33,500th copy (if  500 were pressed per stamper)
That is the most reliable way to interpret this issue, but every other indicator around this record screams first issue.,,, Day of issue
The added bonus is that the stamper codes on side Two are even lower than side one! *AT or 39th.
It is not often you will see both sides with such low stamper codes.
This album was a notoriously problematic issue, as are many records with large areas of low modulation, and the chances of this record being pressed beyond 500 records per stamper, are nil.

The problematic records for this issue are most likely to be the vinyl records that were pressed well into the stampers life, as the stampers with low modulation music (quiet) were the most likely to have a short stamper life, or have the stamper actually break.
The low volume sound quality depleted a lot faster than the areas of higher volume music.

Understanding this issue can be confusing, as there were several matrix combinations used on the day of issue.
Unlike many issues, the matrix numbers are not the only indicator for when it was released, but are still relevant in determining the relationship to the Master.
This Vinyl record is a direct and first relation to the original Master.
Every part of the packaging around the vinyl, is as early as can be possibly determined.

This was one of the most highly anticipated albums ever in the history of Rock.
It was the follow up album to the phenomenal "Dark Side Of The Moon"
Pre-sales and day of issue sales for "Wish You Were Here" were going to be huge... They were.

In Britain, EMI had over 250,000 advance sales, and it went straight to number one on the first day.
Demand was so high that EMI informed retailers that only 50 per cent of their orders would be fulfilled... limited to approx 125,000 on the first day, and an equally massive waiting list.
Buying one "off the shelf" was close to impossible in the first few weeks.

In the USA, Columbia were trying to deal with a phenomenal 900 000 pre sales...Columbia USA's first record deal with Pink Floyd... not a bad problem to inherit.
I bet Capitol Records were a little annoyed!

It is a common theory, that the side opening inner sleeves were only used on the day of issue pressings, and that they changed to top opening inner sleeves after the first day, or not long after.
This theory is backed up by the fact that you will find the side opening inner on a small amount of A1/B3, A1/B5, and even some A1/B7s.- and early stamper codes on these issues with the side opening inner sleeve are normal.
Because of the high demand, they had several matrix combinations for the day of issue, and further released the same combinations after the day of issue, in top opening inner sleeves.

A1 B3, low Stamper codes, pinched spine sleeve in original black shrink-wrap, side opening inner sleeve and a serrated edge postcard.

Top Dog

I have allowed up to 1KG packed.
At this weight it will be well and truly over-packed.
I can pack down to 500grams, and still pack well... the choice is yours.
I would go the extra packaging to be sure.


Please check out my other listings, as I am letting go a significant part of my own record collection, (lots of Floyd) and some fantastic Pink Floyd memorabilia.

You will find it all here

http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/arry_kewl/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=

A fair bit more yet to list, including more rarities from Pink Floyd - like

A rare PF11 UK (First XI Vinyl Box set)  with both DSOTM and WYWH Picture Discs...

A rare pressing of the first ever record by "The Pink Floyd"
Arnold Layne (UK 1967) with an R (2nd) stamper code. (one of the first 500 - 2000 Pink Floyd vinyl records pressed - ever, anywhere)

       Coming soon.

Packaging

Part of the Warner Bros. studio complex in California, where the cover image was photographed Mono Lake in California

Wish You Were Here was sold in one of the more elaborate packages to accompany a Pink Floyd album. Storm Thorgerson had accompanied the band on their 1974 tour, and had given serious thought to the meaning of the lyrics, eventually deciding that the songs were, in general, concerned with "unfulfilled presence", rather than Barrett's illness.[35] This theme of absence was reflected in the ideas produced by his long hours spent brainstorming with the band. Thorgerson had noted that Roxy Music's Country Life was sold in an opaque green cellophane sleeve – censoring the cover image – and he copied the idea, concealing the artwork for Wish You Were Here in a dark-coloured shrink-wrap (making the album art "absent"). The concept behind "Welcome to the Machine" and "Have a Cigar" suggested the use of a handshake (an often empty gesture), and George Hardie designed a sticker containing the album's logo of two mechanical hands engaged in a handshake, to be placed on the opaque sleeve (the mechanical handshake logo would also appear on the labels of the vinyl album this time in a black and blue background). The album's cover image was inspired by the idea that people tend to conceal their true feelings, for fear of "getting burned", and thus two businessmen were pictured shaking hands, one man on fire. "Getting burned" was also a common phrase in the music industry, used often by artists denied royalty payments. Two stuntmen were used (Ronnie Rondell and Danny Rogers), one dressed in a fire-retardant suit covered by a business suit. His head was protected by a hood, underneath a wig. The photograph was taken at the Warner Bros. studios in Los Angeles.[36][37] Initially the wind was blowing in the wrong direction, and the flames were forced into Rondell's face, burning his moustache. The two stuntmen changed positions, and the image was later reversed.[38]

The album's back cover depicts a faceless "Floyd salesman", in Thorgerson's words, "selling his soul" in the desert (shot in the Yuma Desert in California). The absence of wrists and ankles signifies his presence as an "empty suit". The inner sleeve shows a veil concealing a nude woman in a windswept Norfolk grove, and a splash-less diver at Mono Lake – titled Monosee on the liner notes – in California (again emphasising the theme of absence).[36][37]

The decision to shroud the cover in black plastic was not popular with the band's US record company, Columbia Records, who insisted that it be changed (they were overruled). EMI were less concerned; 
The band were reportedly extremely happy with the end product, and when presented with a pre-production mockup, they accepted it with a spontaneous round of applause.

Matrix Information: (side 1 / side 2)
1) SHVL 814 A-1 GD 2 / SHVL 814 B-3 A 1 (both stamped)
2) SHVL 814 A-1 OM 2 / SHVL 814 B-3 G 1 (both stamped) [IS1, 117g]
3) SHVL 814 A-1 OR 1 / SHVL 814 B-3 P 1 (both stamped)
4) SHVL 814 A-1 OH 2 / SHVL 814 B-3 AT 1 (both stamped) [IS1, 120g]
5) SHVL 814 A-1 PR 2 / SHVL 814 B-3 GT 1 (both stamped)
6) SHVL 814 A-1 PP 2 / SHVL 814 B-3 AT 1 (both stamped)
7) SHVL 814 A-1 HD 2 / SHVL 814 B-3 O 1 (both stamped)
8) SHVL 814 A-1 HM 3 / SHVL 814 B-3 OA 4 (both stamped) [IS1, P1]
9) SHVL 814 A-1 HP 2 / SHVL 814 B-3 GL 2 (both stamped) [IS2]
10) SHVL 814 A-1 LD 2 / SHVL 814 B-3 MO 1 (both stamped) [IS1]
11) SHVL 814 A-1 LG 3 / SHVL 814 B-3 MP 1 (both stamped)
12) SHVL 814 A-1 LM 2 / SHVL 814 B-3 LO 2 (both stamped)
13) SHVL 814 A-1 TP 3 / SHVL 814 B-3 GDG 4 (both stamped) [IS1, 137g]
14) SHVL 814 A-1 GGH 2 / SHVL 814 B-3 LA 1 (both stamped)
15) SHVL 814 A-1 GGL 3 / SHVL 814 B-3 GGP 2 (both stamped)
16) SHVL 814 A-1 GRA 3 / SHVL 814 B-3 GRG 1 (both stamped)
17) SHVL 814 A-1 GAA 3 / SHVL 814 B-3 GRM 2 (both stamped)
18) SHVL 814 A-1 GOH 2 / SHVL 814 B-3 GMG 1 (both stamped)
19) SHVL 814 A-1 GOL 2 / SHVL 814 B-3 GMM 2 (both stamped) [IS2]
20) SHVL 814 A-1 GPP 2 / SHVL 814 B-3 LT 2 (both stamped) [IS2]
21) SHVL 814 A-1 GHA 5 / SHVL 814 B-3 HR 1 (both stamped) [IS2]
22) SHVL 814 A-1 GTO 2 / SHVL 814 B-3 GLP 1 (both stamped)
23) SHVL 814 A-1 RRG 3 / SHVL 814 B-3 GPT 2 (both stamped) [IS2]
24) SHVL 814 A-1 RRR 3 / SHVL 814 B-3 GTR 2 (both stamped)
25) SHVL 814 A-1 RRL 2 / SHVL 814 B-3 RDH 2 (both stamped) [IS2]
26) SHVL 814 A-1 RMO 2 / SHVL 814 B-3 GHP 2 (both stamped)
27) SHVL 814 A-1 RPA 2 / SHVL 814 B-3 GTL 2 (both stamped) [IS2]
28) SHVL 814 A-1 RPA 2 / SHVL 814 B-3 RGM 2 (both stamped)
29) SHVL 814 A-1 RPM 4 / SHVL 814 B-5 GT 3 (both stamped)
30) SHVL 814 A-1 RTC 4 / SHVL 814 B-5 GP 3 HTM (both stamped)
31) SHVL 814 A-1 ADR 4 / SHVL 814 B-5 HO 3 HTM (both stamped) [IS1]
32) SHVL 814 A-1 AOP 4 / SHVL 814 B-5 TM 2 HTM (both stamped) [IS2] (factory sample sticker)
33) SHVL 814 A-1 AOD 4 / SHVL 814 B-5 LL 2 HTM (both stamped)
34) SHVL 814 A-1 ATP 4 / SHVL 814 B-5 GMO 3 HTM (both stamped) [IS2, 141g]
35) SHVL 814 A-1 MLA 4 / SHVL 814 B-5 RRM 7 (both stamped) [HTM]
36) SHVL 814 A-1 ODO 7 / SHVL 814 B-7 GH 1 HTM (both stamped, except HTM written) [IS2]
37) SHVL 814 A-4 OTA 2 HTM / SHVL 814 B-9 R 1 HTM (both stamped, except HTM written) [IS2]
38) SHVL 814 A-1 PGR 8 / SHVL 814 B-9 RP 2 (both stamped)
39) SHVL 814 A-1 PGO 7 / SHVL 814 B-7 7R HTM (both stamped, except HTM written) [IS2]
40) SHVL 814 A-1 PLH 0 / SHVL 814 B-10 HT 2 (both stamped)
41) SHVL 814 A-1 PTM 8 / SHVL 814 B-10 GGR 2 (both stamped)
42) SHVL 814 A-1 HRM 0 / SHVL 814 B-10 GRA 4 HTM (both, stamped except HTM written)
43) SHVL 814 A-1 HAH 1 / SHVL 814 B-10 LP 2 HTM (both, stamped except HTM written)
44) SHVL 814 A-1 HOG 2 / SHVL 814 B-3 GHG 1 (both stamped) (white label)
45) SHVL 814 A-1 LTO 4 / SHVL 814 B-7 L| 1 HTM (both stamped, except HTM written)
46) SHVL 814 A-4 OLH 1 HTM / SHVL 814 B-7 GGL 12 HTM (both stamped, except HTM written)
47) SHVL 814 A-4 PDH 1 HTM / SHVL 814 B-7 TPL 12 HTM (both stamped, except HTM written) [IS2]
48) SHVL 814 A-4 PAL HTM / SHVL 814 B-9 V 1.1 HTM (both stamped, except HTM written)
49) SHVL 814 A-4 HAM 2 HTM / SHVL 814 B-10 GRO 4 (both stamped, except HTM written)
50) SHVL 814 A-4 HAL 2 HTM / SHVL 814 B-10 GRL 4 (both stamped, except HTM written)
51) SHVL 814 A-4 HOA 1 HTM / SHVL 814 B-10 GGA 4 (both stamped, except HTM written)
52) SHVL 814 A-4 HLD HTM / SHVL 814 B-11 GHA HTM (both stamped, except HTM written)
53) SHVL 814 A-4 HLG HTM / SHVL 814 B-11 GDT HTM (both stamped, except HTM written)
54) SHVL 814 A-4 LAH 1 HTM / SHVL 814 B-12 GHH 1 HTM (both stamped, except HTM written)
55) SHVL 814 A-4 HTM / SHVL 814 B-13 22535 255 HTM (both stamped, except HTM written)
56) SHVL 814 A-4 / SHVL 814 B-13 (both stamped) [HTM]
57) SHVL 814 A-6 4 / SHVL 814 B-14 3 (both stamped) [HTM]
58) SHVL 814 A-6 45 1 / SHVL 814 A-6 45 1 (both stamped) [HTM]
59) SHVL 814 A-6 4 20 HTM / SHVL 814 B-14 4 5 HTM (both stamped, except HTM written) [P1]
Release Date: September 15, 1975