PINK FLOYD Dark Side Of The Moon A3/B2 2nd PRESS (Complete) Great COVER & AUDIO
£
165
$
219
£ 165
Sold For
Jun 23, 2024
Sold Date
Jun 13, 2024
Start Date
20
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 : The Dark Side Of The Moon A-3 / B-2 2nd Press + Posters & Stickers 1973
This very collectable second pressing plays with stunning audio with only two brief sections of interference which is not loud as detailed below. The rest of the album is incredible, it's not often you find sonic quality like it on such an early pressing, on any pressing! The clarity, depth, power and warmth of the audio is out of the world if you'll forgive the pun and S2 could not play any better. The highlights are too numerous to mention really but the versions of 'Us And Them', 'Brain Damage' and 'Eclipse' are up there with best I have ever heard. The vast majority of S1 also plays with exceptional clarity - the opening track alone is stunning in its own right! The vinyl is also very clean, it has been so well preserved, and clearly has hardly been played during the last 51 years.
The cover (with no sticker as per the first / early pressings) is in excellent condition with only very minimal wear and has retained its original shape, structure and 'look' so well. The two posters are very clean with no holes, rips or tears and the two stickers are basically 'as new'. The inner sleeve is also in excellent order with only light creasing.
SHVL 804 // A-3 / B-2 // GTT 5 / GMD 4
The audio on S1 is Mint(-) (T2 Near Mint- / T3 running man section mainly VG / T6 VG for 5 seconds)
The audio on S2 is Mint(-)
The gatefold is a very strong Ex
The posters are Ex+ / Near Mint
The stickers are Mint-
The inner sleeve is Ex
The labels are Near Mint
Visual description
The vinyl is in lovely condition and still has a stunning glossy sheen with no marks or scratches. Under a bright light I can only see a small number of ultra faint sleeve removal hairlines and there is nothing that stands out. S1 one has one those tiny white 'specks' that refuses to move! It is barely visible. The labels are superb with barely any spindle wear.
Play grading
The heartbeat intro on 'Speak To Me' is superb! So often it plays with a fair amount of static or worse and yet the clarity here is incredible! A couple of very light dust ticks at the start that is all. As it progresses the audio is so clear and deep - the 'spoken' section and Torry 'climax' can only be described 'as new'. This may well be the cleanest version of this intro that I have ever heard, not bad for an A3/B2 pressing! I honestly think Mint is deserved here.
The segue into 'Breathe' is perfect and the only intrusion on this classic intro is one light click about 30 seconds in due to that embedded tiny white 'speck'. Aside from there is literally no other background. The two verses from Gilmour play with stunning precision and Near Mint- seems fair as the click is by no means loud and the rest of the track is faultless.
'On The Run' plays with phenomenal clarity, depth and warmth for the vast majority. It is 'as new' up to and including the 'crash' at the end. The 'running man' section is perfect at the start and then has some intermittent static ticks and a click. It's not constant and the audio is still clear of any other background. This end section I will grade as VG but the actual instrumental is Mint for sure.
The clocks segue into 'Time' is perfect with no distortion and then the entire metronome intro plays with STUNNING clarity, a rarity I would say. No ticks, clicks or pops and just half a second of barely audible static. Gilmour's opening vocal has no intrusion and Wright's first vocal is just as clean and precise. The mid solo is so strong and dynamic and again there is no distortion. It continues to play with imperious quality through the next vocal section. Quite possibly the most 'complete' version I have ever heard, it has to grade as Mint
'Breathe Reprise' keeps up this fine standard and plays with wonderful clarity from start to finish, there is not even one dust tick let alone anything more. Mint
The gentle piano intro on 'The Great Gig In The Sky' begins perfectly but after 15 seconds there are 5 light static ticks which are not too intrusive. The 'spoken' section has no background and then Torry's opening vocal is incredible! Every 'section' plays with such power but the high octane passage is just on another level. Perfect audio. As the volume decreases there is no let up in quality and her quieter vocal plays with stunning precision also. Right through to the end you would not believe how clean the audio is, there is no background at all. The brief section near the beginning is VG and the rest is Mint as it just could not play any better.
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The cash register / bass intro on 'Money' has no background and the first two verses then play with a clarity lifted straight from '73! The iconic instrumental starting with the sax solo plays with such quality and again there is zero interference. This is a section that has to be played loud and the audio does not suffer for it. The power and depth of the audio is sensational! There is are no negatives, just pure Mint audio throughout. Gilmour's solos especially play with such a dynamic quality and 'as new' pretty much sums up the entire track as the final vocal / spoken end section have no background either. Mint
The intro on 'Us And Them' plays very clearly with only a couple of very light statics, so close to perfect. As Mason and co join in the standard does not drop and the first sax section plays beautifully with a genuine sense of depth and warmth on the music. The opening vocal is flawless with not even a dust tick and the first 'chorus' has no interference. Turn it up to max the Mint audio just washes over you! It continues to play with STUNNING clarity and separation i.e. you can hear each note perfectly and there is nothing, just nothing getting in the way of the audio. This is a track that is often affected by static etc but that is not the case here. I honestly cannot remember when I last heard this classic play with a sonic quality comparable to this. The high octane section following the next sax solo is absolutely breath-taking! There is no distortion and the final verses / chorus is just as strong and clear. No more needs to be said this is audio sent from the audio Gods (!) and Mint- is a true representation of the music. Wow what a version! 'Any Colour You Like' is of the same high end standard with just one very light tick about 20 or so seconds in. Once again the power, depth and warmth is prevalent through every section and the clarity cannot be faulted either. Mint-
The segue into 'Brain Damage' is perfect and the intro is 'as new'. Water's opening vocal has no interference and as the volume increases the playback is superb! Listening to the first 'chorus' you understand why the production values of this album are so highly regarded, the sonic quality is incredible! From then on it plays as you would want it to - with genuine precision through every section. This is Mint from the first note to the last. Another classic but hey aren't they all!
Another segue and another perfect handover. The intro on 'Eclipse' is STUNNING and this level is consistent throughout this classic finale to the album. I played it to 11 ha ha and for once there is no distortion on the top end. The clarity, definition and power is exceptional and the heartbeat ending plays so clearly with only two light ticks. This outro so often plays with static but there is none here. 99.9% is Mint but I will grade as Mint- due to the minor ticks at the end. In essence though this is the definitive version. A stunning conclusion.
In summary this seconds pressing plays to such a high standard and S2 in particular is as close to Mint from start to finish that you will find. S1 is not far behind with only two brief sections of background - the rest of the side is easily comparable to S2. As stated the power, depth and warmth of the audio is up there with the best I have ever heard but it's the separation / definition that is so impressive also - each note is so clear and distinct and you lose none of the original sonic quality. Not quite a final upgrade but it's not far from it. This is one superb album!
The Gatefold, Posters & Sticker & Inner Sleeve
The iconic G & L cover is in excellent condition with only light wear. It is the lighter black version and as per the first / early pressings has no sticker on the front cover. The top edges have hardly any rubbing and the bottom edges just have a little in the centre and by the right hand corners, nothing excessive though. The spine is so clean with only very minimal wear on the corners and the other corners have only light wear. The opening edge has only minimal handling wear. The front cover has barely any marking and has only a couple of minor creases next to the spine and a minor touch of rubbing next to the right edge. The back cover is even better with only small creases next to the spine and a small faint score mark in the top right corner. The inside of the gatefold is immaculate and has none of the fading / spotting around the edges that you so often see. A superb example and one of the best 'early' covers I have seen.
The glossy posters are in great condition with no pinholes in the corners and no marking on the surface. The band poster does however some faint spotting on the reverse side. The two Crack Back stickers are in fantastic shape with no marking or creasing at all.
The plain white inner is in excellent shape with no side splits or marking and only minimal creasing.
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 804 // A-3 / B-2 // GTT 5 / GMD 4
I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.
Any questions please feel free to ask
Please pay within 4 days of auction end
Recent Feedback
THIS IS WHAT A SELLER SHOULD BE LIKE ON HIGH END VINYL! Exactly as described if not better ! I could not be a happier customer .. well packed for international flight .. and shipped and received very fast .. No worries here this guy is the topsGREAT AS DESCRIBED BEST SELLR OF ALL THE UK PEOPLE AND I HAVE BOUGHT FROM ALL OF THEM
Beautiful record as described, fast safe delivery, top seller. Cheers Steve.
Another fantastic LP from this seller - condition exactly as shown and the audio as described! Fast delivery, vinyl properly and carefully packed. Very highly recommended A++++
Another stunning LP from this very reliable and helpful seller.
Very quick delivery. Album exactly as described. Excellent packaging. Once again all perfect. Thanks!!!
Great item and seller (no.1), many thanks from ITALY !!!!!!!!!!!
Fantastic! Record as Described! Excellent Packaging and Fast Overseas Shipping!
One of the best on Ebay!
Another amazing record from this exceptional seller. Absolutely delighted!
Great seller and great vinyl record, professionally packaged. I’m very satisfied with my purchase and will certainly buy again!
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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