Animals A2/B2 (1st Press)

This genuine first pressing plays to an immaculate standard with only a few seconds of light interference on S2.  I have never seen a 'cleaner' A2/B2 press, visually it is just stunning.  The gatefold is in pristine condition, the likes of which I have never seen before - just look at the photos!  The lyric inner is also in superb order with no splits, how rare is that?!

SHVL 815 // A - 2U / B - 2U // TL 6 / TL 1

The audio on S1 is Mint-

The audio on S2 is Near Mint (Mint- for the vast majority / 5 seconds on track 2 is VG+)

The cover is Near Mint

The lyric inner is Near Mint

The labels are Mint-

This is a visually stunning example and it would be extremely difficult to find a first A2/B2 pressing as impressive as this.  It retains a beautiful glossy sheen and has hardly ever been played as there are only a couple of mega small wispy hairlines on each label.  It has been so well preserved and there are hardly any hairlines either so has not often been removed from its sleeve I would say.  There are only 2/3 faint hairlines on each side and there are no scratches to be seen.  It really is an incredible looking vinyl.  The run out grooves and labels are also extremely clean with no marking of any kind.

Play grading  

'Pigs On The Wing (Part One)' plays with immaculate clarity and easily grades as Mint- it is that good.  There is no intrusive 'background' of any kind, just 3/4 mega quiet dust ticks only.  This is as near to a perfect start that you will find on a genuine A2/B2 first pressing.

The intro on 'Dogs' is of the same sublime standard and this is a rarity as it is such a quiet acoustic opening.  This stunning clarity continues as the vocal begins and there are no clicks or pops and no static or crackle for that matter.  I play test every second and the first three verses do indeed play with impeccable Mint quality.  A real test of this vinyl is the first quiet section after the 'All alone and dying of cancer' line and I am pleased to say it passes with flying colours as we say in the UK!  A couple of barely audible dust ticks only this is audio at its very best and the guitar solo that follows plays with such strength and no distortion either.  The fourth verse is of the same immaculate standard and the long quiet instrumental section that follows is quite simply superb.  There is not even a single dust tick and all you can hear is pure Mint audio in all its glory, oh and some 'barking' also!!  The acoustic section and the next two verses do not disappoint and continue to play 'as new'.  I grade honestly as my feedback confirms so when I say 'as new' I mean it!  Likewise if there is even a faint dust tick I will mention it.  This is 'high end' audio without doubt and there is nothing to detract from the stunning quality of the audio.  As any Floyd fan knows the louder end section always has some distortion and it is just a matter of how much but it is kept to minimum here I am pleased to say.  I recently had an A1U test pressing of this album and that also had the same distortion on the final section.  Why they didn't fix it for the A2U first pressing is anyone's guess!

Again as any Floyd aficionado knows S2 for some reason rarely plays as well as S1 so we will see how it goes.  'Pigs (Three Different Ones)' begins very impressively with nigh on perfect audio.  There are a handful of mega quiet dust ticks but you have to be close to the speakers to hear them!  Once the vocal starts the audio is of the highest standard possible and there is no interference at all.  So far S2 is playing rather well!  The first verse easily qualifies as Mint and so does the second.  Remarkable as it sounds there is just no 'background' to be heard.  In the following instrumental section I did hear one faint static click near the beginning and from then on this long section could not be improved upon, it is immaculate.  The very quiet section just prior to the final vocal is absolutely stunning.  So quiet and yet there is no interference again.  This is another vinyl that has been so well preserved.  The final verse then plays 'as new' and the remainder of the track does not disappoint either.  As always I am running out of adjectives here!  The closing guitar solo is immense and performs without distortion, it is stunning.  The long fade out just has 3/4 mega light dust ticks.  

 The super quiet intro on 'Sheep' plays incredibly well with only a small number of dust ticks but it is only what you would expect to find on a vinyl of this age.  The clarity is very impressive and far better than most first pressings it has to be said.  Very soon the audio plays to perfection and it is only towards the end of this opening section that there is a few seconds of what can only be described as static hiss.  It is light but yes it can be heard, no clicks or pops though.  The first vocal is very powerful and plays faultlessly.  The audio is Mint here without doubt, I have never heard this section play any better.  After the second verse the quiet section plays beautifully with no interference and continues to play in the same way.  The audio on the following louder section is so dynamic, the power on a 'clean' vinyl such as this is phenomenal and rarely there is no distortion at all.  The remainder of the track is superb and the final verses are without fault and aside from that brief five second section this is the most impressive version of this track that I have heard in a long time.  The end guitar section is so strong and again there is very little distortion.  The long fade out plays with perfect precision.

'Pigs on The Wing P2' ends this album with very impressive clarity.  The acoustic intro plays superbly with only a handful of dust ticks and there is no static or crackle (or worse!) at all.  The audio is immaculate to the very end and this cannot be said too often for this track as it often is affected by a fair amount of interference.  Not on this version!  It ends this classic album with wonderful clarity.

In summary this first pressing is so close to being a final upgrade archive copy and it is only the few seconds of static on S2 that stops it from reaching that pinnacle.  In spite of that you will not get many A2/B2 pressings playing as well as this.  The clarity and sonic quality throughout is of a fantastically high standard and there is not one single click or pop.  A special mention for the gatefold also - I have never seen a cleaner more perfect looking one in all my years of selling.  It is pristine and the lyric inner is almost as good with no splits!

The Gatefold

This G & L gatefold is about as good as it gets!  They are so prone to wear and yet this one has been beautifully well preserved down the years and has barely any shelf wear.  It is stunning!  The edges are in superb order and only the bottom edge of the back cover has one mega tiny 'rub'.  The wide spine is in exemplary condition and has no marking and no corner wear either.  The right hand corners are also extremely clean with only the bare minimum of rubbing on the bottom corner of the back cover.  The opening edge has barely any handling wear but what makes this cover stand out is just how remarkably clean it is.  The front cover is pristine and has only one tiny crease line on the right hand edge and the back cover is the same with just one small crease next to the spine.  The inside of the gatefold is also in wonderful condition with only a minimal amount of white \spotting' around the edges but far less than any other copy I have seen.  This truly is a fantastic ''first press' cover and would please any avid Floyd fan.

Lyric sleeve

This is also near perfect and has no splits - how incredibly rare is that?!  It has the rounded corners as per the first pressings and it is a superb example of its kind.  It is so clean and 'new' looking and the edges have only a couple of tiny rubs and only 3/4 very small and faint creases.  Superb!

The labels

They are in pristine condition with no marking/writing and only a couple of tiny barely visible spindle lines.

Play tested on my Pro-Ject Essential III Turntable / B&W 684 Speakers

This record has been professionally cleaned on a Pro-Ject VC-S machine

SHVL 815 // A - 2U / B - 2U // TL 6 / TL 1

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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