PINK FLOYD Dark Side Of The Moon UK LP 1st Press MINT-

	£		377
	$		499

PINK FLOYD - DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

THIS IS THE PRESSING THAT ALL COLLECTORS WANT

WARNING!!!!

IT'S EASY TO GET CARRIED AWAY BY THE SIGHT OF THE BLUE TRIANGLE BECAUSE THIS IS WITHOUT QUESTION THE FIRST PRESSING, BUT FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO KNOW MORE, AND THE DANGERS INVOLVED WHEN BUYING DSOM FIRST PRESS THEN READ ON.

SO FIRST OF ALL WHY CHANGE THE DESIGN, BECAUSE VIRTUALLY ALL OF THE COPIES YOU WILL SEE HAVE JUST A BLUE OUTLINE TRIANGLE, AND NOT A SOLID BLUE ONE LIKE THIS. WELL THE TRUTH IS VERY SIMPLE. ONCE THE ORIGINAL PRESSES WERE MADE UP AND READY TO SHIP IT WAS DECIDED THAT NO ONE COULD READ THE TRACK LIST ON THE LABEL BECAUSE THE LIST WAS IN SILVER WRITING AND THE LIGHT BLUE TRIANGLE MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO READ THE LIST, AND THEREFORE IT WAS HASTILY CHANGED TO THE MORE FAMILIAR OUTLINE VERSION, SO THE REALITY IS THAT VERY FEW FIRST PRESSES MADE IT OUT ONTO THE MARKET, MAKING IT VERY SOUGHT AFTER

SECONDLY BECAUSE DSOM HAS A NON LAMINATED SLEEVE IT WAS EASILY DAMAGED AND SOILED, AND HAS BEEN  SUBJECTED TO SWAPPING IN ORDER TO ENHANCE THE FIRST PRESS WITH A LATER PRESS SLEEVE. NOT REALLY A PROBLEM IF THE SLEEVES ARE THE SAME, BUT ALAS THEY ARE NOT, AND HEREIN LIES THE DANGER WHEN BUYING A FIRST PRESS.

A TRUE FIRST PRESS SLEEVE IS ACTUALLY A DIFFERENT COLOUR TO THE LATER PRESSES. THE FIRST PRESS SLEEVE IS A BLUE-BLACK COLOUR WHILE THE LATER PRESSES ARE BLACK. I HAVE ENCLOSED A PICTURE OF BOTH SLEEVES TO SHOW YOU HOW SIMILAR THEY ARE BUT AT THE SAME TIME HAVE AN OBVIOUS DIFFERENCE, AND SOMETIMES ON IT'S OWN WITHOUT ANYTHING TO COMPARE IT TO YOU COULD EASILY BE FOOLED.

SECONDLY AND  EVEN IF YOU ARE HOLDING A BLACK SLEEVE THAT IS PRETENDING TO BE A FIRST PRESS YOU CAN TELL BY LOOKING AT THE LEFT HAND SIDE OT THE GATEFOLD ONCE IT IS OPENED UP (THE FRONT SURFACE OF THE SLEEVE)

ON A GENUINE FIRST PRESS THIS SLEEVE IS SEALED ON THIS SIDE. NOT JUST STUCK TOGETHER WITH GLUE , BUT THERE IS ACTUALLY A FLAP TUCKED INSIDE THE OPENING AND THEN SEALED. SO IF YOU SLEEVE HAS OPENINGS ON BOTH SIDE IT IS NOT A FIRST PRESS, AND HAS BEEN SWAPPED FOR SURE

SO HAVING SAID ALL THAT HERE IS A GENUINE 1ST PRESS WITH ALL OF THE CORRECT MARKINGS AND INDICATORS. IT IS ALSO IN THE MOST MAGNIFICENT CONDITION, AND I HAVE GRADED THE VINYL AS MINT MINUS BECAUSE IT ABSOLUTELY IS, BUT I GET AHEAD OF MYSELF.

• CATALOGUE: SHVL 804
• MATRIX NUMBERS: SHVL804-A2 / B2

THE SLEEVE

THE PROPER BLUE BLACK SLEEVE IN SUPERB CONDITION. STILL HAS THE ORIGINAL STICKER ATTACHED TO THE FRONT. THE FRONT SURFACE IS VERY VERY CLEAN AND CREASE FREE. THERE ARE A COUPLE OF LINES NEAR THE SPINE BUT THIS IS USUAL ON ANY SLEEVE. IMPRESSIVELY THERE IS NO RING WEAR WHICH USUALLY PLAGUES THIS COVER. THE TOP AND BOTTOM EDGES HAVE ONLY A SLIGHT AMOUNT OF SHELF WEAR, WHILST THE SPINE IS VERY FLAT AND CLEAN WITH ONLY THE VERY TIP AT THE BOTTOM HAVING COLOUR LOSS. THE FRONT EDGE IS PERFECTLY SEALED AS I HAVE DESCRIBED IN THE WARNING NOTE ABOVE.

THE REAR SURFACE IS PERFECT IN EVERY WAY, AND IT IS WORTH MENTIONING AT THIS STAGE THAT ANOTHER PROBLEM THIS SLEEVE HAS IS APART FROM RINGWEAR IT SUFFERS BADLY FROM COLOUR LOSS DUE TO ITS NON LAMINATED STATE, BUT HERE WE HAVE A SLEEVE THAT HAS NOT LOST ANY COLOUR AT ALL.

OPENING THE GATEFOLD REVEALS THE PERFECT INNER IMAGES ON A PERFECT COLOUR LOSS FREE BACKGROUND.

THE OPENING EDGE WHERE THE LP IS REMOVED ID IN RAZOR SHARP CONDITION AND SHOWS HOW FEW TIMES THE DISC HAS BEEN OUT OF THE SLEEVE

THE INSERTS

THE 2 POSTERS HAVE BEEN UNFOLDED BY ME FOR I BELIEVE ONLY THE SECOND TIME IN THE 33 YEARS THEY HAVE BEEN IN THE SLEEVE. ALSO THE STICKERS ARE PRISTINE, AND HERE IS AN ANOMALY: THERE ARE USUALLY ONLY TWO STICKERS WITH THIS LP, BUT HERE WE HAVE 3 DIFFERENT ONES ALL DEFINITELY WITH THE CORRECT LOGO'S ON THEM. HOWEVER ONE OF THEM IS ON AN UNPERFORATED SHEET AND THEREFORE CONTAINS TWO STICKERS CLEARLY A FACTORY OVERSIGHT, AND A SI MENTIONED ALL THREE HAVE DIFFERENT COLOURINGS ON THEM MAKING THIS A VERY UNIQUE SET INDEED

FINALLY BEFORE I GET TO THE RECORD THE BLACK INNER SLEEVE IS THE CORRECT ORIGINAL POLY LINED ISSUE AND IS IN TOP CONDITION, NO TEARS OR SPLITS

THE LABELS

WELL AS YOU CAN SEE IT IS THE ORIGINAL PRESS, BUT WHAT YOU CAN'T SEE IS THAT THERE ARE BUT 2-3 SMALL SPIDER LINES WHICH INDICATE THAT THE LP HAS HAD ONLY THAT MANY PLAYS IN ITS 33 YEARS. NO SPINDLE HOLE WEAR, AND NO STAINS OR WRITING ON THE LABELS AT ALL. PERFECT IN EVERY WAY

THE VINYL

HAS RETAINED ALL OF THE ORIGINAL SHEEN, AS YOU WOULD EXPECT FOR AN ALBUM THAT HAS HAD SO FEW PLAYS. UNDER NORMAL LIGHT THERE IS NOT A MARK TO BE SEEN ANYWHERE ON THE VINYL, AND ONLY WHEN OFFERED UP TO INTENSE ILLUMINATION AM I ABLE TO SPOT A FEW VERY VERY LIGHT WISPY HAIRLINES. IT IS TRULY A MAGNIFICENT DISC

THE PERFORMANCE

THIS IS THE REAL TEST BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY QUIET PASSAGES ON THIS ALBUM THAT IT JUST HAS TO BE NOISE FREE IN ORDER FOR YOU TO REALLY WANT TO ADD IT TO YOUR COLLECTION, AND PAY THE MONEY THAT IT IS WORTH. GENTLY LOWERING THE STYLUS I CAN REPORT THAT THE RUN IN IS SILENT, AND AS THE INTRO TO SPEAK TO ME STARTS IT IS CLEAR THAT THIS IS INDEED GOING TO BE A VERY SPECIAL PIECE OF VINYL. I MIGHT SAY AT THIS POINT THAT THE STEREO PERFORMANCE IS JUST MAGNIFICENT, AND THIS IS WHOLLY DOWN TO THE STUNNING PRODUCTION.

THE DISC DELIVERS THE MOST AWESOME NOISE FREE PERFORMANCE, AND EVEN THE LINKING GROOVES DO NOT LET IT DOWN WITH ANY CRACKLING AT ALL. EVERY TRACK DELIVERS THE SAME STUNNING SOUND WITHOUT ANY IRRITATION TO THE LISTENER

EVERY VINYL HAS SOME NOISE AND IF I AM BEING ULTRA PICKY I HAVE TO SAY THAT THERE WAS THE VERY ODD BIT OF LIGHT STATIC, BUT THAT'S ALL. THIS IS WITHOUT A DOUBT THE BEST COPY OF THIS FIRST PRESSING THAT I HAVE EVER HAD THE PLEASURE OF LISTENING TO AND I HAVE SOLD ABOUT 6 COPIES OF THIS OVER THE YEARS.

I AM PERFECTLY HAPPY TO GRADE THIS MINT MINUS

, AND IN MY OPINION IS ONE THAT WOULD NEVER NEED UPGRADING.

A VERY HIGH GRADE COLLECTIBLE INDEED