PINK FLOYD DARK SIDE OF THE MOON A3/B3 Very Early PRESS (COMPLETE) SUPERB AUDIO
£
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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 : The Dark Side Of The Moon A-3 / B-3 Very Early Press
This very early pressing plays with exceptional audio for the vast majority. The clarity, depth and power is so impressive and for once there is no distortion. The only issue is a small radial scratch near the end of S1 which does cause some interference but is only brief. The scratch is only minor and visually is not obvious at all. Otherwise this classic album is almost 'as new' - a minor amount of static at the beginning of 'Money' and some very light ticks on the 'Us And Them' intro but nothing that is intrusive. I have to say though apart from that brief section on 'Great Gig...' the rest of S1 is absolutely stunning!
The gatefold is in excellent condition with only minimal wear and the posters are also in excellent order with just a small pinhole in each corner. The stickers are practically 'as new'.
This is known as a third issue with only the third matrix - only A2/B2 and A3/B2 came before and this one has EMI Records Ltd etc... around the top of the label rim.
SHVL 804 // A-3 / B-3 // AOO 3 / GRR 2 3
The audio on S1 is Mint(-) (T1 Near Mint / T6 G one brief section near the end)
The audio on S2 is Mint(-) (T1 intro Ex+ / T2 intro (briefly) Ex)
The gatefold is Ex
The labels are Near Mint
The inner sleeve is Ex-
The posters are Ex and the stickers are Near Mint
Visual description
The vinyl is in great condition and still has a lovely glossy sheen. The only negative is one small faint radial scratch near the end of S1 that results in a little interference as described below. There are no other markings and only a small number of very faint hairlines. The run out grooves are very clean as are the labels which have next to no spindle wear and just very minor fading which you can only see when you hold it at a certain angle.
Play grading
The classic intro on 'Speak To Me' is so close to perfect with only a couple of minor static ticks at the beginning. You can hear each 'beat' so clearly and they resonate so well. Great clarity here. As it builds the audio is 'as new' so overall I will grade as Near Mint even if the majority is better than that!
The segue into 'Breathe' is faultless and the opening instrumental plays like it has never been played before! Gilmour's first vocal is just as impressive and it progresses in exactly the same way. The very early pressings are renown for their high end audio and on such a clean vinyl like this one the sonic quality is even further enhanced. From start to finish it plays with STUNNING precision and Mint is the only grade I can give.
'On The Run' then plays with exceptional clarity and depth and again there is no interference to be heard, not even a solitary dust tick. The clarity is phenomenal! An example of this is the deep heartbeat that runs through the second half - you can so easily hear it and there is just nothing that detracts from the audio. The 'crash' and 'running man' could not play any better and of course this final section is so quiet and yet there is no background at all. This is a fantastic Mint version in every way, no need for a minus here.
The segue into 'Time' again has no background and then the chiming clocks section is so clean and powerful with no distortion. The metronome section is just as impressive and once more I am left speechless at the incredible depth and clarity on offer here. Wow! The first verse and chorus both play with sublime quality and Gilmour's first solo is 'as new' without a doubt. There is no static or distortion the playback cannot be faulted. The next verse / chorus are of the same calibre and I have hesitation in grading this all time classic as Mint such is the quality of the music.
'Breathe Reprise' more than keeps up this exemplary standard with no intrusion whatsoever. No dust ticks, ticks, clicks, pops or static it is Mint in every way.
The gentle piano intro on 'The Great Gig In The Sky' plays so clearly with no background static and only 3/4 mega light dust ticks. It really does play beautifully and Torry's opening 'vocal' plays with outstanding power and depth as you might expect by now. The sonic quality is as good as it ever was and the high octane section is STUNNING! Incredible power and no distortion either. The next quieter vocal plays with great precision for the majority although sadly there are three momentary scrape type sounds and another much quieter one halfway through. This is intrusive and rather frustrating as the rest of the side is about as close to perfect that you find! The final section plays as per the rest of track - with stunning clarity. So...the vast majority plays to a Mint- standard but for that one brief section I think G is a fair assessment of the audio.
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'Money' has only minimal static on the intro and once the iconic bass comes in the audio is superb. The first verse has no interference and the second has only a couple of dust ticks. The instrumental section, starting with the sax solo, plays with a clarity and power that is second to none and Gilmour's solo keeps up the standard. The remainder plays with the same level of intensity and the final vocal has no intrusion. The intro is Ex+ but the rest has to grade as Mint it is that strong.
The segue into 'Us And Them' has no background and then the first part just has some light ticks that are not intrusive. As the music comes in the music is very clean with only a few minor background ticks again but again this does not intrude on the quality of the 'listen'. The sax section is 'as new' and Gilmour's opening vocal plays beautifully with no interference. The second 'verse' has a couple of dust ticks only and the first chorus plays with stunning quality and no distortion. The next verse is so clean with just the one tick (not a click!) and next chorus is as good as the first. The remainder plays with sublime quality I am pleased to say - I cannot overstate just how well this classic plays - the clarity, power and depth is high end indeed. So often it suffers because of static I find but this is a super clean version that grades as Ex on the intro and then Mint- from then onwards. 'Any Colour You Like' plays with unrivalled quality from the first note to the last without any background. An easy one to grade this is Mint in every way.
The intro on 'Brain Damage' plays perfectly as does the first vocal. It continues to play as you would want it to with stunning power and depth and...no interference. The sonic quality here is just off the chart superb! It plays with great depth and resonance and the high octane choruses have no distortion which is a rarity. A Mint version for sure.
'Eclipse' then plays with phenomenal power and again there is no distortion at all. The clarity is equal to that of an unplayed record and I cannot find one negative. Ok there is a little static on the quiet 'heartbeat' ending but having played it three times now it has decreased significantly - the stylus providing it's usual self-cleaning exercise. On the fourth listen barely any! A Mint- end to this iconic album.
In summary this early pressing plays to a very high standard apart from that one brief section towards the end of S1. Aside from that the clarity, depth, power and warmth of the audio is up there with the best I have heard - just a minor amount of static at the start of S2 and some very light ticks on the 'Us And Them' but nothing intrusive. The rest of the album is just breathtaking! As you listen to 'Speak To Me' you are already struck by the clarity on offer and it does not diminish...until that brief section on 'Great Gig...' Apart from the clarity what really does stand out is the total lack of distortion on either side and especially on 'Brain Damage' and 'Eclipse' which are often prone to it, the sonic quality here is superb. Overall a fine example of this classic album.
The Gatefold, Inner Sleeve, Posters & Stickers
This lighter black cover is in excellent condition with only minimal wear. The edges have hardly any rubbing and the bottom edges do have a little more wear but certainly no damage. The spine is very clean with just three small rubs in the centre and some tiny specks and the corners have very little wear. The right hand corners are in pretty good shape with only minimal wear and the opening edge has only the bare minimum of handling wear, nothing obvious. The front cover is extremely clean with only a couple of minor blemishes near the bottom edge and the original sticker can be seen top right which remains in perfect condition. The back cover is just as impressive with just a handful of small creases around the edges. The inside of the gatefold is in lovely condition with just two mega faint 'lines' in the lower left corner and a small number of the usual tiny specks, hardly classifies as wear really! A fine example overall and better than so many you see!
The original plain white die cut inner just has some age related fading around the edges and some creasing here and there. There are no side splits or tears.
The two posters are in excellent condition with only a small pinhole in each corner and a couple of very faint marks. There are no splits or tears. The reverse side on each have some fading just from being 'out in the air' but nothing to worry about though. The stickers are in superb shape and both have red lettering on the back, one with PERMANENT and the other with TACKYTIE - PERMANENT.
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 804 // A-3 / B-3 // AOO 3 / GRR 2 3
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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