Pink Floyd - Piper At The Gates Of Dawn - Stereo Rare Vinyl LP - First UK Press

	£		205
	$		272

Pink Floyd – Piper At The Gates Of Dawn – Vinyl LP – Very Rare First Press Stereo - No "File Under Popular"

Record Collector Rating: Vinyl = Fair to Good, Cover = Very Good

This is a 1967 1st UK stereo vinyl pressing of Pink Floyd's debut album. It is on the black & blue Columbia label SX6157 with the very first known matrix numbers YAX 3419-1 and YAX 3420-1.

I can guarantee this being original since I bought it myself on advance order pre-release almost 50 years ago! (after becoming a fan through hearing the single Arnold Lane).

I am not a dealer but one thing I have learnt from researching this LP is that some of the adverts are claiming to be first issue but have the “File Under Popular” wording on the back cover top right which the experts say was only found on later issues. My record does not have this. Also some on sale do not have the correct matrix numbers for the very first issue (dash 1 after the 3419/3420). The YAX part of the number I believe denotes a stereo issue whereas XAX was found on mono.

However although the cover is in pretty good condition for its age, the vinyl has quite a lot of scuff marks and surface scratches on it. I have tried to show these in the pictures but it is difficult due to  dust and reflections I have played the record through and there are no jumps, but there some background crackle most noticeable on the quieter parts, and a the odd clicks in places due to some scratches.

I am not sure the white cover insert is the original. The outer cover itself is original and has been protected in a sleeve so has fared well. Note that the back cover has my name written in black ink at the top left which for privacy I have edited out in the photo (blue band). In addition to the above comments on the vinyl, I have noted the following for particular tracks:

All Tracks: Some background crackle most noticeable on quieter sections.

Astronomy Domine: noticeable crackling at the start but less so as it moves into the louder section.

Matilda Mother: Distortion on first few bars then OK.

Pow R Toc H: Some distortion at mid-track - click from scratch.

All my records on sale are from my personal collection that I originally purchased from new at record shops. I am not a dealer and do the best I can to accurately list items and tend to err on the cautious side with any ratings. I post all records in purpose-made reinforced record packaging.

I have used the record collectors grading system in rating the condition of this record described as follows:

Mint: 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.

Excellent: The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening of 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 will be badly damaged or partly missing.

Poor: 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: The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection fille