PINK FLOYD DARK SIDE OF THE MOON A2/B2 1st PRESS Solid Blue (COMPLETE) SUPERB
£
1,559
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2,066
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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.
I recently purchased a stunning Pink Floyd collection where all the records and covers have been so well preserved by the previous owner. I am selling the majority of them during this auction.
Pink Floyd : The Dark Side Of The Moon A2/B2 1st Press + Posters & Stickers
This is one of the most stunning Dark Sides that I have ever listened to and as you can see it a genuine first pressing also! The clarity, depth and warmth of the audio on both sides is superb and there is only one very brief section of interference on 'Speak To Me' as detailed below. Apart from that the sonic quality is so impressive and only a couple of tracks have a minimal amount of non-intrusive static, it really is very quiet. The vast majority of this album plays 'as new' and that is no exaggeration. The vinyl is visually stunning and it has clearly not been overplayed judging by the audio and the spindle wear. It also can only have been played on 'high end' equipment which has helped it retain its original sonic quality. I cannot compliment the audio highly enough. Aside from the 4/5 seconds of interference on S1 the playback is STUNNING! There are so many highlights, too numerous to mention!
The iconic 'midnight blue' cover is in excellent condition with only minimal shelf wear and is one of the cleanest I have seen in a long time. It comes complete with the original posters which remain in superb condition and the two original stickers which have only minimal wear.
SHVL 804 // A-2 / B-2 // GH 1 / TD 3
The audio on S1 is Near Mint (Mint- for the majority / T1 G+ for 5 seconds / T4 intro Near Mint-)
The audio on S2 is Mint(-) (T2 intro Near Mint- / T5 'heartbeat' end section Ex)
The 'midnight blue' gatefold is a very strong Ex
The posters are Mint- and the stickers Ex+
The solid blue labels are Near Mint-
The original black inner is Ex+
Visual grading
The vinyl is in lovely condition and still has an immaculate glossy sheen. There are no marks or scratches and S2 just has some very faint contours caused by the poly-lined inner, a common occurrence. Believe me when I say they are very very faint! You only see them when you hold the vinyl in the light at a certain angle and obviously they have no affect on the audio. It is still in fantastic condition and S1 is absolutely stunning! I can only detect a small number of barely visible hairlines and this has to be one of the best Dark Sides I have seen and it is a genuine first press! The run out grooves are very clean and the solid blue labels have no marking and not very much spindle wear. The vinyl does have a minor 'lift' on one edge but it is not a warp and has no impact on the stylus or audio. There is a very slight lift when you play S1 and barely noticeable when you play S2. It is very minor and scarcely worth a mention. I just like to 100% accurate in my description.
Play grading
The 'heartbeat' intro on 'Speak To Me' plays with stunning clarity, in fact so clear you can even hear the first heartbeat! After about 50 seconds during the 'spoken' section there are 5 consecutive clicks which progressively get lighter. The remainder of the intro plays perfectly. The majority is Near Mint but yes there is a brief G+ section.
The segue into 'Breathe' is flawless and the opening instrumental is just as impressive, it plays with great precision and depth. The two verses then play as if they have hardly been played before, the clarity is exceptional. This is a Mint- version.
'On The Run' then plays with a warmth and depth that is off the chart! There is no interference and the 'sound' just resonates around the room with clinical precision. Audio does not get any better than this! The end 'crash' is a case in point - it is so powerful and has no distortion and again the clarity on the the 'running man' section is so 'clean'. I detected just one very light tick (you could easily miss it!) and you can hear each footstep and breath so clearly. I have no hesitation in grading this as Mint- it is stunning.
The clock intro on 'Time' is of the same impeccable standard - turn it up to max the overall 'sound' is so strong and clear! The metronome / instrumental section that follows is close to perfect with just a minimal amount of very light background static, it really is very quiet and hardly intrusive. The opening two verses are faultless and Gilmour's iconic solo is 'as new' with no background at all. The final two verses more than keep up this 'high end' standard and the entire track plays with no ticks, clicks or pops. I will grade the intro as Near Mint- and the rest as Mint-
'Breathe Reprise' again has that 'shop fresh' sound and plays to perfection. Mint-
The quiet piano intro on 'The Great Gig In The Sky' plays beautifully with just a hint of light static just before and during the 'spoken' section, again this is only minor. The first 'vocal' is STUNNING! It is so powerful with no distortion on the top end and the depth of the audio cannot be faulted either. The 'high octane' section is just fantastic! The 'quieter' final section then plays with wonderful clarity and barely any static. This is a superb version and again there are no ticks, clicks or pops and only a modicum of mega light static. The very quiet end section is so clean and precise and even the long final note / fade out has no 'background'. Near Mint is a fair assessment of the audio.
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The 'intro' on 'Money' plays with perfect clarity and the opening classic bass riff is just as good. The opening two verses have no interference and the iconic instrumental section then plays with phenomenal clarity and power. The sax solo is 'as new' and that pretty much sums up the entire instrumental! Each section plays with incredible sonic quality with no intrusion whatsoever. It is another one of those 'turn it up to max with no fear no fear of distortion' moments! Gilmour's solos are so strong! The definition and resonance of the audio throughout are breathtaking...again! The final verse and the 'spoken' end have no background either and a Mint- grade if fully deserved. To be honest it doesn't even warrant a minus it is that impressive!
The intro on 'Us And Them' just has a minimal touch of very light static and as the music starts the playback is nigh on perfect with barely any background. There is one static tick during the first sax section and then the first verse has a clarity of sound that cannot be faulted, I cannot praise it highly enough. The chorus is more than equal to it and it continues in the same precise way I am pleased to say. The vocal and instrumental sections play with sublime clarity and again this all points to a record that has been so well preserved down the years. So the intro is Near Mint- and the rest is worthy of a Mint- grade in my opinion. You won't find many better, the playback is superb!
'Any Colour You Like' plays with tremendous clarity, definition and power from start to finish with just one mega light tick that you may even miss it is that quiet. Another stunning Mint- track.
The intro on 'Brain Damage' has just one very light tick and the opening two verses then play with flawless precision. I keep bringing out the 'as new' statement but the first chorus is exactly that! The power and depth of the audio is STUNNING and it continues to play like it has never been on a turntable before! So often at this point this record will have some inner groove distortion but that is certainly not the case here, another sign it has only been lightly played. Mint- what a version!
The segue into 'Eclipse' is again perfect and from then on it plays with sublime sonic quality. The power of the audio here is just breathtakingly good - again there is no distortion and you just cannot fault the playback. There is some light static on the quiet 'heartbeat' ending but you can still hear the spoken part and every 'beat' very clearly and of course...there are no ticks, clicks or pops. This is Mint- with an Ex 'heartbeat' end section.
In summary this very collectable first pressing plays with superb audio on both sides with only minimal interference. Very minimal! The small number of clicks on the 'Speak To Me' intro is the only obvious interference and aside from that the clarity, definition and power of the audio is stunning. I think I may have said that once or twice in the grading! There is only a minimal amount of static on a couple of tracks and what there is is so quiet and hardly intrusive anyway. This has to be one of the finest A2/B2 first pressings I have ever sold and in conjunction with a very impressive the winning bidder will be very happy with their purchase I am sure. Pride of place in any collection!
The Gatefold & Inner Sleeve
The 'midnight blue' cover is in excellent condition with only minimal wear. The edges are close to perfect with only some faint rubbing on the bottom edge of the front cover. The spine is in superb shape with no real wear on the corners and only the bottom right corners have a little wear/creasing. The top right corner just has one small rub and the opening edge is very clean with hardly any handling wear. The front cover is in lovely condition with just a couple of minor 'white' marks near the bottom edge and a small number of tiny white specks. What is noticeable is how impressive it is around the edges - so often you see a number of creases but here there are only two very faint creases next to the spine. The back cover has only a small number of specks again and a little creasing by the lower left corner. The inside of the gatefold is in fantastic condition with no wear, just a handful of specks again that hardly deserve a mention, and for once the inner spine is in superb order. This is a fine example of this iconic cover.
The original poly-lined black inner is in excellent shape with no side splits, tears or marking and only minimal creasing. It has the Patent numbers and 'Made in Great Britain' printed in silver on one side.
The Posters & Stickers
With the first pressing the posters were either glossy or matt textured. The two here are glossy and are in superb condition with no tears or any splits along the creases. There are no marks on either side either. The two stickers are in excellent condition with only a little creasing. They both have 'Crack Back Patented' and 'FasPrint Permanent' on the back with the three brown diagonal lines also.
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 804 // A-2 / B-2 // GH 1 / TD 3
I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.
Any questions please feel free to ask
Please pay within 4 days of auction end
Recent Feedback
Very happy with this item, and special thanks for perfect packing!
Fabulous - like new. Fast dispatch, well packaged. 5* seller. Thank you
100% reliable seller. Fast shipping and great communication. A++++
Everything perfect as usual!! Item in pristine condition and quick delivery!
Top seller! Well packed record and great condition of item.
Fast, safe post, packing & comms. Ebay needs more sellers like this. Thank you.
Fantastic shipping, killer service, amazing seller, buy from him !!
Best seller! A++++ always great collectible items in perfect condition!
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.
THE ROYAL MAIL ONLY INSURE ITEMS UP TO THE VALUE OF £250 SO IF AN ITEM SELLS FOR MORE A COURIER SERVICE WILL BE USED (e.g. Parcelforce, DPD). AN EXTRA INSURANCE PREMIUM WILL BE REQUIRED BUT I WILL NOT KNOW THE EXACT AMOUNT UNTIL THE FINAL SALE PRICE IS KNOWN. HOWEVER, SOMETIMES I WILL ESTIMATE A COST AND THIS WILL BE STATED IN THE LISTING. PLEASE WAIT FOR THE INVOICE BEFORE MAKING ANY PAYMENT BUT IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE FEEL FREE TO GET IN TOUCH. MANY THANKS.
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!!
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
REST OF WORLD (Tracked - Max 2kg)
LPs/12" singles : £25.95 then £2.50 per extra
I AM MORE THAN HAPPY TO LEAVE FEEDBACK AFTER PAYMENT HAS BEEN MADE, NONE OF THIS WAITING BEFORE I RECEIVE FEEDBACK FROM YOU - I HAVE CONFIDENCE IN MY LISTINGS! IF YOU ARE NOT ENTIRELY HAPPY WITH YOUR PURCHASE PLEASE CONTACT ME BEFORE LEAVING FEEDBACK AND I WILL ALWAYS RESOLVE ANY PROBLEM, 100% GUARANTEED. IF YOU WOULD PREFER TO SEND THE ITEM BACK I WILL OF COURSE OF COURSE PAY THE RETURN SHIPPING COST IF I AM AT FAULT. I AM ONLY HUMAN AFTER ALL!
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