PINK FLOYD Animals A2/B2 Original 1st PRESS 1977 Great COVER & Incredible AUDIO
£
326
$
431
£ 326
Sold For
Jun 23, 2024
Sold Date
Jun 13, 2024
Start Date
9
Number Of Bids
Great Britain
Country Of Seller
eBay
Auctioned at
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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 A-2U / B-2U 1st Press
This first pressing plays with stunning quality and is up there with the best I have ever heard. There are no clicks or pops, no obvious intrusion at all. There is only very minimal background, namely some light static on S2 for a few seconds, but there is nothing that stands out. The clarity, depth and warmth of the audio is so impressive and whilst you can tell it has been played a few times it was clearly always handled very carefully thus retaining its original sonic quality. I have graded 'Dogs' as ranging between Near Mint and Mint but even that may be a little harsh! It really is a superb listen. What also strikes you is just how clean S2, the clarity of sound is so much better than what you usually find. A stunning album!
The cover is has been very well preserved and remains in great condition, it has retained its original shape and structure perfectly. The lyric inner (with rounded corners) is in superb order also with no bottom edge split for once!
SHVL 815 // A - 2U / B - 2U // LR 8 / GDG 1
The audio on S1 is Mint(-) (T2 ranges between Near Mint and Mint-)
The audio on S2 is Mint(-) (T2 Ex+ briefly during the opening instrumental)
The gatefold is a very strong Ex
The lyric inner is Near Mint-
The labels are Near Mint-
Visual description
The vinyl is in great condition and still has a lovely glossy sheen with no marks or scratches. All I can see under a bright are a few very faint sleeve removal hairlines which clearly have zero impact on the audio. There is no groove or surface wear and the labels are very clean with only some spindle wear.
Play grading
The run in on S1 has no background and then 'Pigs On The Wing (Part One)' plays so clearly with only a couple of very quiet statics on the acoustic intro. The one verse then plays perfectly with no intrusion and Mint- is richly deserved. It rarely plays with a clarity like this.
The intro on 'Dogs' plays with sublime clarity and Gilmour's opening two verse are 'as new', the clarity of sound is exceptional and his first guitar solo is on the same level. The next verse is just as impressive and the following instrumental is phenomenal. There is literally no background and it just could not play any better. There are a couple of mega light statics during the quieter 'dog barking' section right at the start and just a hint of barely audible static but it really is so so quiet and hardly worth a mention. The next solo from Gilmour is faultless and the fourth verse again plays with incredible clarity with only a couple of minor statics. The repeated 'stone' section is so close to perfect with just one very quiet background tick - this long instrumental passage is so quiet and yet it plays with STUNNING precision. The next acoustic section has no background either and the final two verses again show just how well this vinyl has been preserved. The playback is so clean with nothing getting in the way of the audio and the same applies to the final guitar solo. The concluding 'Who was...' section so often plays with a fair amount of distortion and if there is any here it is kept to an absolute minimum. The audio is very clean and plays with great power and the fade out has no background either. A stunning version in so many ways and I would say ranging between Near Mint and Mint is fair but with a lot more of the latter! It is one of the finest versions I have ever heard.
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The intro on 'Pigs (Three Different Ones)' is extremely clean with only a couple of light statics at the very start. More or less perfect basically. Waters' opening vocal is flawless with not even a single dust tick and it continues in the same precise way. The second verse is just as impressive and the following instrumental also plays with impeccable quality. It's at this point that the A2/B2 first pressings often play with some background but that is certainly not the case here. I'm pleased to say this entire instrumental plays with stunning quality and it's only when the volume decreases that you 'pick up' just a hint of very quiet static but so so much less than usual. It is so minor and I only mention it to be 'complete' with my grading - probably shooting myself in the foot by doing so! The final vocal has no interference and Gilmour's end solo could not play any better. This is a fantastic version and cannot remember when I heard it play with such strong sonic quality. The long fade out has only the lightest of static at the very end and overall this 11+ minute classic deserves a Mint- grading in my opinion.
The opening 'farmyard' section on 'Sheep' plays beautifully and only after 30 seconds or so is there some light background static during the next instrumental passage. It has disappeared even before Mason comes in and the opening vocal section then plays to perfection. Great clarity and depth once more. The next quiet section then plays with amazing clarity which is a genuine rarity for this pressing. As it builds out of this section the playback is 'as new' - so powerful again. The intro to the 'Lord is my shepherd...' section has only minimal static for 3/4 seconds and the actual 'prayer' then plays so clearly with no intrusion - you don't need me to tell you how rare that is! Waters' final vocal section has no background and Gilmour's end solo plays with tremendous power and definition and with none of the distortion on the top end that you so often find. The long fade out / 'farmyard section' is stunning with no background of any kind. This is one of the most 'complete' versions I have EVER heard I cannot praise it highly enough. I would grade part of the opening instrumental as Ex+ but for the rest of this classic I think Mint- is fair, it truly is a superb version. The acoustic intro on on 'Pigs On The Wing (Part Two)' is 'as new' and the one and only verse plays perfectly with no interference. From start to finish the audio is 'crystal clear' and it is a genuine rarity for this for this acoustic number to play with such clarity on a first pressing, it is Mint- at the very least. What an album!
In summary this first pressing plays to a standard so rarely found today and I genuinely mean that. S1 is STUNNING but in a sense it's S2 that stands out because it is so often 'problematic' I find but this is one of the finest S2s I have heard in many a year. That isn't sales 'speak' that is my honest belief! I listen to every track in full so as to provide the 'complete' grade and I do think it would be difficult to find a 'cleaner' version than this A2/B2 pressing. The clarity, depth, definition and power of the audio is phenomenal and in hand with a very impressive cover and inner this would add to any high end collection.
The Gatefold & Lyric Inner
The G & L cover is in great condition with only minimal shelf wear. In fact the only 'real' wear is on the top edges where there is some rubbing but by no means an excessive amount. Aside from that it is superb and this is of course a cover that lends itself to a lot of spotting / fading mainly due to it not being laminated. The bottom edges are very clean with hardly any rubbing and the wide spine is in superb shape with only minimal wear on the corners. It remains 'fully' wide with no compression. The other corners are very clean with only light wear and the opening edge is as close to perfect as could be. The front cover is stunning with none of the spotting etc as stated around the edges and the back cover is very impressive with only a few minor 'specks' bottom left, a small amount of wear in the bottom left corner and some light rubbing near the top edge. The inside of the gatefold is very clean with just some light spotting around the edges and for once the inner spine is undamaged and has no obvious creasing at all. Overall a fine example of this iconic cover.
The lyric inner is generally found with a split on the bottom edge but not this one! The edges here are super clean with only a couple of minor rubs / specks. S1 has two very small faint creases and S2 has a couple of faint scores and one tiny rub on the thumb notch. A superb example.
Play tested on my Rega P2 with AT-VM95EN Cart / 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 // LR 8 / GDG 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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Postage & Packaging
I will only send items items worldwide via tracked shipping. This provides 'peace of mind' in case of loss or damage. The shipping costs are shown below and combined shipping is always offered. Any over-payment will always be refunded.
The Royal Mail only insure up to a value of £250 so if an item sells for more it may be wise to use a courier service (e.g. Parcelforce or DPD). An extra insurance premium will be required but I will not know the exact amount until the final sale price is known. Because of this I will sometimes have to estimate the cost and this will be shown in the listing. Please wait for the invoice before making payment and if you have any questions please feel free to ask. Many thanks.
All vinyls are packaged in strong over-sized custom made mailers with plenty of extra cardboard protection. They are placed inside separate poly-lined inners outside the cover so as to avoid seam splits in transit and then placed inside a PVC sleeve to provide even more protection. I pride myself on my high quality packaging as my feed confirms and if any customer has any specific requirements I am more than happy to help.
The mailers I use cost £1.00 each and I will use anything between 3-5 cardboard stiffeners which cost approx £0.18 each. There is also the cost of the poly-lined inner and PVC sleeve to consider, it all adds up! Not forgetting that eBay take 10% of the shipping fee also!!
UK Postage Rates (First Class Recorded - Max 2kg)
LPs/12" singles : £5.95 up to 1kg then £1.00 per extra item
EUROPE (Tracked - Max 2kg)
LPs/12" singles : £15.95 then £2.00 per extra
USA (Tracked - Max 2kg)
LPs/12" singles : £24.95 then £2.50 per extra
REST OF WORLD (Tracked - Max 2kg)
LPs/12" singles : £21.95 then £2.50 per extra
If you are not entirely happy with your purchase please contact me before leaving feedback and I will always resolve any issue, 100% guaranteed. If you would prefer to send the item back I will also pay the return shipping cost if I am at fault, I am only human after all!!
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