Pink Floyd PIPER AT THE GATES OF DAWN UK MONO '67 blue/black Columbia SX 6157 VG

	£		128
	$		170

PINK FLOYD original UK 1967 12" LP pressing THE PIPER AT THE GATES OF DAWN

UK 1967 blue/black Columbia MONO SX 6157

Matrix Numbers : Side 1  XAX 3419 - 2 Stampers "1" and "T" at 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock respectively   Side 2  XAX 3420 - 1 Stampers "1" and  "GD" at 10 o'clock and 3.30pm respectively

This really is a hugely rare and sought after original MONO pressing with "Sold in U.K." text on each label. Both outer sleeve and vinyl are in overall excellent and very good condition respectively and the quality of the audio is impressive (though not perfect). Further details below...

The Ernest J. Day flipback outer sleeve is in excellent condition, with the front laminate completely intact, and no scuffing or blemish of any sort on the edges, apart from a 2cm surface split right on the very edge - you have to look twice to notice it. The spine is rigid and suffers only from a single laminate crease right at the middle which protrudes horizontally for 1.5cm. There are four laminate-only creasings, again surface only, in the middle towards the right hand side but, again, you need to look twice, and in the correct light, to notice them. There is no cardboard creasing at all. There is some very faint ringwear in evidence towards the top and bottom of the front side laminate but you have to look twice to notice it and there is nothing to detract from the vibrancy of the colours and overall stunning effect of the sleeve design.The reverse flipback is excellent - each of the flipbacks are in A1 condition with no tears, rips, or sticking blemishes. Each of the corners are pretty much perfectly intact also with barely no scuffing at all.

Both sides of the thick, heavy vinyl have retained most of their original gloss and sheen though on side 1 there are some hairlines which are just visible when held up to a bright light along with two more noticeable scratches : one is surface only crossing the latter half of track 1 and the first half of track 2, and the second (which is more noticeable and just "feelable") crosses track 2 and a third of the way across track 3. There is another noticeable (but not "feelable") hairline also across track 2. On side 2 there are a few surface scratches - nothing deep rooted and none of which are "feelable" but they are clearly visible under a bright light. The overall appearance of both side of the vinyl remains impressive despite the aforementioned moderate only blemishes. 

The overall quality of the audio is good-very good only. On side 1 there is a single skip on track 1 and four audible clicks on track 5. On side 2 there is some momentary fuzz just before the start of the 1st track and a single skip about one minute into the same track. There is also some clicking towards the end of the final track on side 2, and some mild distortion on most of the tracks (both sides) along with some occasional faint, background crackle. During the quieter parts of each track there is little to no distortion or crackle. Not perfect audio by any means but still highly pleasurable to listen to, and considering that this piece of rare vinyl is 45 years old it is remarkable that the overall quality of the audio is this good : put it onto the turntable, turn up the volume, and enjoy music which was light years ahead of it's time!

Each label is excellent with the "K" and "T" tax codes clearly in evidence on side 1. There are a number of light spindle marks around the centre holes but no unwanted writing or other nasty blemishes.

The track listing is :

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

The inner sleeve is fully functional though it does suffer slightly from some very light age discolouration and has a a diagonal crease across the top right hand corner.

I have no hesitation whatsoever in grading the overall condition of this offering as a strong "Very Good". It's not mint but I know that you would have to have search long and hard to find a better copy (if such a mint copy exists at all). The uniqueness of this record cannot be overstated : a "must" for any true Pink Floyd/progressive rock/vinyl collector. Play it loud and enjoy it or, better still, frame it and impress your friends and watch the value of this progressive rock gem rocket!

A bit about myself : I have been collecting UK vinyl for over 40 years and have a huge collection. A combination of space requirements and a need to help fund my retirement has prompted me to "rationalise" my record collection and sell some of my much loved gems. 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 questions asked" refund policy. If you require any further information, including photos, then let me know and I'll do my best to oblige. There is NO RESERVE on this item, by the way. Richard

Descriptions of any records I sell comply with the Rare Record Price Guide grading guidelines :

Mint

Description: The record 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

Description: 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

Description: 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

Description: 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, discoloration, etc.

Fair 

Description: 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 will be torn, stained and/or defaced.

Poor

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

Bad

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