PINK FLOYD ANIMALS A2/B2 1st PRESS Great COVER/INNER & SUPERB AUDIO NM-/MINT-
£
116
$
154
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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 : Animals A2 / B2 1st Press
This first pressing plays with stunning quality and is up there with the best I have ever listened to. S2 so often does not play as well as S1 but it's not far off here. There is just one tiny scratch / mark but only results in minimal interference that is quiet and only lasts for 4 / 5 seconds. Aside from it plays with sublime clarity and S1 is absolutely superb! 'As new' kind of sums it up perfectly and there is no distortion on either side. The depth and resonance of the audio is another thing that stands out, it really is so strong and deep and this is clearly a vinyl that has not been played very much based on the impressive visual quality and the minimal spindle wear.
The cover is in superb condition with only minimal wear and the lyric inner (with rounded corner) rarely has no side splits! You do not often find both as good as this.
A genuine first press only has the A2 / B2 matrix and this is also one of the earliest as it has only a single stamper on each side. I haven't seen many of them before! The cover obviously has no barcode on the back either.
SHVL 815 // A - 2U / B - 2U // T 2 / M 3
The audio on S1 is Mint(-)
The audio on S2 is Near Mint (T2 Near Mint-)
The gatefold is a very strong Ex
The lyric inner is Ex+
The labels are Near Mint
Visual description
The vinyl is in lovely condition and still has a very impressive glossy sheen with no marking. There is one tiny scratch on S2 but as detailed below this results in only minimal interference. Aside from that it is very clean and I can only locate a small number of very faint hairlines. There is no groove wear and the labels are in great order with only minimal spindle wear.
Play grading
The run in on S1 is so quiet and then the acoustic 'Pigs On The Wing (Part One)' plays beautifully with no interference. I only noticed 3/4 barely audible dust ticks and the clarity of sound is so impressive. A Mint- start at the very least.
There is one click in the dead wax and then the acoustic intro on 'Dogs' plays perfectly. As it builds there is no drop in quality and Gilmour's opening vocal is equally as good. The next verse followed by Gilmour's first solo also be described 'as new' and the third verse is faultless. It continues to play with a sonic quality that is second to none and that is showcased perfectly by the next solo from Gilmour, stunning sound! In fact this entire instrumental second plays with incredible quality and I cannot find one single negative, the audio is just so clean and 'fresh' sounding. The fourth verse keeps up this fine standard with not one dust tick and the quiet section that begins with the repeated 'stone' line plays with STUNINING clarity with no intrusion whatsoever. This is a relatively quiet section so to find clarity such as this on a genuine first A2 / B2 press is a rarity and I cannot emphasise enough just how fantastic the audio is here! The depth of the audio is so impressive and the each note is kind of accentuated precisely because the vinyl is so clean. I'm not sure I have heard better! The segue into the next acoustic section is perfect and the last two verses are as strong as the previous ones! The next guitar solo is 'as new' and the final 'Who was...' section has to be heard to be believed! So often this section plays with a fair amount of distortion but the sonic quality here is so clean and precise and right to the final note it plays with STUNNING audio. A perfect fade out. This has to grade as Mint as I did not pick up any intrusion whatsoever, the clarity really is of the highest calibre. No need for a minus here and very possibly the finest version of this classic that I have ever had the pleasure in listening to.
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The quiet intro on 'Pigs (Three Different Ones)' plays perfectly without any background and Waters' opening vocal is just as impressive. What a start! Rare you could say because as many Floyd audiophiles will know S2 generally does not play as well as S1 even on a clean vinyl. I do have a relatively new Rega set up but the depth of sound here is superb and the clarity is just exceptional. The second verse plays to the same standard and the instrumental section then plays with such clean audio with only a couple of mega quiet ticks at the beginning. It builds so well and the sonic quality could not be improved upon, outstanding power and depth. As the volume decreases I did notice 3/4 insignificant static ticks but so quiet and totally non-intrusive - this is vinyl! The final vocal is faultless and the remainder plays with imperious quality. Gilmour's solo is so strong and there is no distortion on the top end and the long fade out is stunning. It's not often you find a Mint- version of this classic but we certainly have one here.
The intro on 'Sheep' plays with unbelievable clarity and again this is so rare. It often plays with static / crackle and yet I cannot fault the playback here, a small number of mega quiet dust ticks that is all and of course this is a very quiet intro! Now just before Mason comes in and the volume increases there are a small number of dull ticks / a couple of light clicks but this is very brief and is not what I would call obvious interference. Quiet 'background' for five seconds I would say. The opening vocal section is 'as new' and the next quiet passage is so clean with barely any static. As the volume increases the audio is phenomenal and then the 'Lord is my shepherd...' section has only minimal light static at the start but again this is quiet. The actual 'prayer' has no background and the final vocal plays with genuine quality. Gilmour's end piece for once has no distortion and to the end it plays so clearly and with no background on the final 'farmyard' section / fade out. I will grade this as Near Mint- because of that one section albeit minimal but this is easily one of the best examples of this classic that I have heard in a long time. 'Pigs On The Wing (Part Two)' is so close to perfect with only a couple of barely audible ticks just after the second line. For an acoustic number to play with such clarity on a first pressing is a rarity and there is no background static and no clicks or pops. A superb Mint- to end this often underrated album.
In summary this first pressing plays with sublime quality and S1 in particular is stunning. The often problematic S2 still plays extremely well and is so much better than practically all other S2s I have heard! It is only that one brief section during 'Sheep' that is a little intrusive but even then it is quiet, no loud clicks or pops at all. Aside from that the clarity, depth and resonance of the audio is up there in my top three. The sonic quality is so strong and you rarely find clarity such as this on an A2/B2 pressing. Not far off the perfect album! A stunning 'package' overall with a very clean cover and lyric inner also - will grace any high end collection.
The Gatefold & Lyric Inner
The cover is in excellent condition with only very minimal shelf wear and is so much cleaner than the vast majority you see today. The top edges have very little rubbing and the bottom edges just a bit more but nothing excessive. The wide spine is in superb shape with only a handful of minor rubs and the corners are very clean all round. The opening edge is pristine. The front cover is in fantastic condition with none of the fading / spotting around the edges and has just the one small crease next to the spine. The back cover is just as impressive really with only a couple of minor 'spots' and one very small corner crease bottom left which you can see on the front cover also bottom right but it is very faint. The inside of the gatefold is very clean with only minimal (very minimal!) spotting around the edges and two minor corner crease bottom left and right. I sort of think this rests between Ex and Ex+ so I will a very strong Ex just to be on the safe side!
The lyric inner is in superb shape and for once has no splits. It has just a small number of minor creases and a few small rubs around the edges. There is no marking and the thumb notch is so clean with no creasing.
Play tested on my Rega P2 Turntable / Denon PMA-520AE Amp / B&W 684 Speakers
This record has been professionally cleaned on a Pro-Ject VC-S machine
SHVL 815 // A - 2U / B - 2U // T 2 / M 3
I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.
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Postage & Packaging
I NOW ONLY SEND ITEMS WORLDWIDE VIA TRACKED SHIPPING. THIS PROVIDES 'PEACE OF MIND' IN CASE OF LOSS OR DAMAGE. ALL COSTS ARE SHOWN BELOW AND COMBINED POSTAGE IS ALWAYS OFFERED. ANY OVER-PAYMENT WILL ALWAYS BE REFUNDED BACK TO THE BUYER.
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ALL VINYLS ARE PACKAGED IN STRONG CUSTOM MADE OVER-SIZED MAILERS WITH EXTRA CARDBOARD PROTECTION. THEY ARE PUT IN SEPARATE POLY-LINED INNERS OUTSIDE OF THE COVER SO AS TO AVOID SEAM SPLITS. THEY ARE ALSO PLACED INSIDE A PVC SLEEVE TO PROVIDE EXTRA PROTECTION. I PRIDE MYSELF ON MY HIGH QUALITY PACKAGING AS MY FEEDBACK TESTIFIES AND IF ANY CUSTOMER HAS ANY SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS I WILL ALWAYS ENDEAVOUR TO HELP.
I ONLY USE HIGH QUALITY MAILERS AND THESE COST ME £1.00 EACH. I WILL OFTEN USE 3 OR 4 CARDBOARD STIFFENERS AND THESE COST AT LEAST £0.15 EACH AND THEN THERE IS THE COST OF THE POLY-LINED INNER AND PVC SLEEVE TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT. IT ALL ADDS UP! NOT FORGETTING EBAY TAKING 10% OF THE SHIPPING FEE ALSO!!
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price rating
Yardbirds - OVER UNDER SIDEWAYS DOWN 7" 45 ITA 1966 EX/EX= / $ 45 
