PINK FLOYD - Meddle - RARER UK Orig 1971 Harvest N/M LP

	£		147
	$		195

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

font color=blue>Artist or Band: PINK FLOYD

Album Title: Meddle.

Producer(s): Pink Floyd.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: One of These Days; A Pillow of Winds; Fearless; San Tropez; Seamus.

Side 2: Echoes.

Label/Format: Harvest – original format with the ‘The Gramophone Co Ltd’ text.

Label Conditions: Both superb with just a couple of very faint spindle marks. Super clean and fresh examples, clearly little handled or likely played. This came from a high-class collection with just one discerning owner who cherished his collection, this actual record is up there with the very best ‘Meddles’ I have seen or heard – and most collector’s will know just how difficult this one is.

Cat Number: SHVL 795.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Warps: Assume all records I offer have no warping of any significance and all tracking is easy and effortless and should play on all turntables and even ‘budget’ decks.

Weight of this Record: 141 grams. One of the heaviest pressings of this album I have ever held. [These days, many modern Audiophile reissues are pressed on super-heavyweight 180 gram vinyl. Only a small percentage of ‘vintage vinyl’ was ever pressed this heavy. Records pressed in the 1960s averaged around 140 to 150 grams. Records pressed in the 1970s were usually lighter and averaged more around 115 – 125 grams. Some records pressed around 1973 were very thin and light due an oil crisis and shortage around this time. Some records were even issued on recycled vinyl from this period and sounded poor with crackle and surface noise evident from the very first play. If any record I buy is deemed ‘recycled’, I will never offer it, I have a very simple test to detect these records if I suspect this to be the case other than audible imperfection. Some records from this period were even pressed on other materials the most notable was ‘Dynaflex’, used by RCA around this time. Although inferior to vinyl, this at least mostly sounded reasonably acceptable but pressings on this material were wafer thin and flimsy. Beyond the 70s, records often became thinner and lighter still but most played fine but were never quite the quality as from the ‘Golden Era’]. (This was based on ‘average’ weights for 20 records from these eras. Later pressings were usually lighter still).

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity and Pressing Differences: A relatively common record, but let’s be clear about any copy of Meddle. I rank this album as one of the most difficult to find on vinyl that will play really well. I clearly remember my trip to my local record shop in the early 70s, I was still at school, I bought this album and had to take it back to the shop three times in a desperate bid to find a copy that did not crackle - this was a notorious ‘variable’ pressing even from the very early days and still today, finding a clean-playing example (from whatever era of pressing) is very difficult. Many collectors and friends tell me same story and it’s often a case of damage limitation. This album has long quiet passages including the long fade-in intro to ‘Echoes’ and ‘One of These Days’ and I am convinced few vinyl copies will ever play absolutely ‘silent’. This record gives a fantastic account itself and plays with quiet, enjoyable and clean sound with little unwanted. No pressings sounds or irritating crackle that ruins those delicate passages. Any surface sound present on this one is minuscule and faint and no pops or clicks were noted, in short: an exceptional early-pressed copy and barely even played. No vintage unsympathetic equipment has been inflicted on this one. The earlier copies of this title have ‘The Gramophone Co Ltd’ text in the label rims, later examples had this replaced with EMI text. The covers vary immensely too, maybe not a first glance but the texturing is very different. The main difference is the originals had texturing on all surfaces including the inside of the gatefold, later copies had smooth insides. Also the early versions include the Harvest promotional inner which is here is in superb condition. The record includes the A-1U / B-1U matrixes, most have far later ones with higher numbers. The covers wear badly and are often seen in very worn conditions. This one has a little edge rubbing but so few of the earlier ones will avoid it. For those seeking a clean sounding, early, heavier pressed, hardly played copy of this wonderful title with a really clean, little worn cover, well it’s here and this should please many, if not most collectors. Such copies are quite rare, please do not underestimate.

Original Year of Release: 1971

Matrix Nos: SHVL 795 A-1U and SHVL 795 B-1U

Stamper Codes: 2 GR / 1 GR

Brief Artist & Album Info: Most interested Floyd, Harvest and prog collectors will know all about this classic album already, suffice to say, its a delicately beautiful record in all departments. Very quiet intros to both sides, very quiet passages in the sublime ‘Echoes’, this record takes no prisoners in hiding blemishes and defects, so a clean pressed album is one to treasure – but they are very hard to find especially the first format examples that have avoided heavy use or played on unworthy equipment. This is a far less commercial pre-’Dark Side of the Moon’ Pink Floyd, the era I personally prefer, but this band made few unworthy albums. A haunting and mesmerising prog classic that has not dated and still sounds as captivating as it did back in the early 70s. This ‘Gramophone’ rim example plays beautifully with any surface sounds faint, very few and most plays with fantastic sound of audiophile quality, this too on an LP12 that hides nothing. My play-grade was a pleasure and a genuine thrill, so few will deliver the desired pressing standards wanted. The detail and clarity from a heavier pressed early example is unbeatable, and when a really clean, unspoilt copy surfaces these days, it’s something to treasure, they are immensely difficult to find and few of this quality are made available now. Also for good measure it has a fine, fully textured cover and a super-clean Harvest promo inner that only came with the early ones. Most are seen inside plain white inners. and this one is guaranteed the original that came with this copy. One of these days, more of these will come along, but don’t count on it - a full play-grade is mandatory on this album, if not, it will be a total lottery and disappointment is a near certainty.

Original Year of Release: 1971.

Cover Grade and Format: EX. Am unlaminated, gatefold format and textured on all surfaces. One of the most fragile and wear-prone covers within the Pink Floyd catalogue and even with the rock-genre. The soft card texturing makes this highly wear-prone, most seen are badly rubbed and ringworn, often with sticker damages. This one is in fine condition, not perfect with some edge rubs, but the main faces look really attractive. It was printed and made in England by Garrod & Lofthouse.

Cover Front: Little to fault bar some some very slight rubbing on the extreme edges, mostly on the bottom ‘resting’ edge. This is very clean, fresh and attractive with barely a crease or mark to be seen and no sticker marks. The colour remains strong with no grubbiness – these surfaces prone to fading – this front sets a high standard.

Cover Back: The back is similar again with just a little more light rubbing near the edges and corners. The lack of ringwear is always bonus on this unforgiving cover.

Cover Inner Gatefold: This inside is textured also, most are flat, the textured middle version is more elusive. This has little to fault: the odd tiny edge chip and faint mark only.

Top Edges: Light rubbing on back, little on the front.

Bottom Edges: Less than moderate rubbing on the front, mainly light on the back, more near right corner area. Being the storage edge, few escape some rubbing to the soft, unforgiving surfaces.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with little wear and no feathering, guaranteed untrimmed. Record entered on right outside back edge.

Spine and Text: Solid and straight spine with minimal compression and folded square. The right edges meet up perfectly together and parallel too. All text is present with no wear to the characters, never take this for granted on this obvioulsy delicate spine. There is a little rubbing and a few small chips on the hinge folds but far less than many I have seen. Many Meddle spines I have seen have been totally eroded in some cases and its not unusual to see threadbare surfaces with no design or text left intact at all.

Corners: The corner tips have rubbed, most on the bottom of the spine, but in context, modestly for this one. The odd small tip crease too, fine shape is generally retained.

Cover Summary: A immensely solid and good looking all round example of this very delicate early 70’s cover, one that will prove difficult to find significantly better as an original. The later examples are a little easier to find in top conditions but even these are challenging. The later examples are slightly ‘firmer’ and less wear-prone. This strong item should please many collectors but not the perfectionists.

The Harvest Promotional Inner: EX++ and downgraded from Mint(-) because of some mild gum darkening and mild age toning. Lovely to see this famous old inner so well preserved and looking (for me) just right for a nearly 40-year-old inner, just enough evidence to remind of this fact. No splits or tears (the bottom corners were vented in manufacture). the polylining still firmly intact. There are no noteworthy creases or even ruffles and this is the actual inner that came with the record. Having such a lovely neat inner is always a great sign the record has been very little used or even handled.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: A prized Mint(-) Gramophone rim example. A superb visual copy that’s super clean, shiny, intense black and very solidly pressed, later pressings were usually thin and flimsy. This looks really lovely and quite exceptional given the popularity of this title, most are well played. Barely a noteworthy mark or blemish to two supremely clean and little used playing surfaces, this one is hardly even run-in by vinyl standards. One hardly even played which is always a huge bonus for this fragile title – a fact almost as rare as a very clean pressing. Visually a super record that should please most-all collectors.

Album Played For Grading: Yes. [I play ALL records I offer before submitting to Ebay, also the record is played in its entirety unless clearly stated otherwise. I do NOT play snippetts or joining grooves to check for sound quality and quietness – I play from the beginning to end via clinically revealing B&W speakers that include the legendary tweeter from their awesome Nautilus range that reveals every blemish or miniscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This super looking record plays beautifully with practically nothing to fault. Silence for all is a near impossibility, but truly this one plays with fantastic clean sound with very little unwanted at all. The format is against it and this was rarely one of the most wonderful of pressings anyway – let’s simply say it was ‘variable’. Over time, I have often found the later pressings to sometimes play better than the early ones, which were possibly more rushed – variable is the word. As stated, three new copies years ago played with crackle and significant urface sound, I just gave up and put up with it, I was told it was likely all would be the same and it seems many fans of a similar age to myself had the same issues. This lovely copy, right from the outset, plays supremely quiet for the most part and those near impossible intros sound super with little extraneous surface sounds. Any traces are as light and few as I have ever heard and such pressings are rare – fact. A copy I really enjoyed listening to it without having to cringe at a loud pop or click or annoying regular crackle – these are more the norm and they irritate. It would take a brave individual or a fool to say any copy of Meddle on vinyl will play to CD silence levels for its entirety, it’s a near impossibility unless it had been pressed on Decca or similar high quality vinyl labels – Harvest records were generally good, but never quite that good. This record is so very quiet in so many places, the odd fragment that hits the stylus has nowhere to hide with long passages of quietness or near silence. I am sure most vinyl lovers will understand what I am talking about and trying to explain. What is immensely important, this has strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a very wide dynamic range and very detailed and intense sound and bags of details hidden in these (totally) unworn grooves. For an immense change, nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wondeful vintage Floyd classic – certainly up there with their very best ever. I have almost come to expect some gentle surface blemishes from this title and this gave hardly any of note – if silence is demanded, well the CD version will give you that. But if the original dynamics and flawless production of the original production is to enjoyed, this early vinyl record is the only way it will still give it to you. This much rarer early pressed example will prove very difficult to find significantly better, this is an outstanding record and one I can strongly recommend.

Now one of the most established sellers on Ebay and still offering the finest and most accurately described and graded records I can find. I pride myself on offering a variety of genres to keep my site as interesting as possible. I will rarely offer any record that falls below a true Excellent grading, unless its of a certain rarity which will justify offering a lesser grade. I try, to the best of my ability to describe as accurately and as honesty as I can all items I offer for sale with all the relevant information I can think of to help any potential bidder and collector. You may notice I only submit records sparingly on Ebay - on average ONEADAY, a couple more at weekends if time permits, hence the name - time rarely allows for more as I Play-Grade virtually every record I offer in their entirety, not just bits to guess a grade - visuals alone do not always tell a true or full story. I will mention any defects or flaws no matter how small that I notice to be fair as possible to any interested collector – I am very fussy and my buyers have the right to be too. Every record I offer, whether it be a common or rare item deserves the same respect as far as I am concerned and will be treated the same - just because an item is rare does not always mean its good. I get just as much pleasure offering a relatively common record in stunning near mint condition as the real rare items. All the pictures I use for your guidance are taken with a digital camera or scanned - they are NOT improved, cleaned-up or made better looking than they are with camera trickery or enhancing with digital programmes. What you see is what you get and scanned labels will give a more accurate representation of the genuine colour than flash photography where light is variable. I cannot guarantee total accuracy for colours however but most will be very close. If any picture I take looks more flattering than the actual item for any reason, I will clearly state the fact in the advert and vice-versa. I hope the item below is to your liking - any questions can be emailed and I will do my very best to answer you. I am enthusiastic, and have a fair degree of knowledge about many genres and I promise quality items - bid with confidence - excellence comes as standard and so does Near Mint regularly. Please assume all records I offer have NO jumps, sticks, warps or writing on covers or labels unless clearly stated to the contrary. Thanks for your interest and Good luck – MIKE.

Deck: Linn LP12 with Ittok Mk IV arm and Ortofon Samba Moving Coil cartridge (tracks at 1.8 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional Moth vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too.

First-time, zero-rated bidders, who do not ask permission to bid, will be cancelled immediately and blocked – NO exceptions. For winning bidders who I consider excessively slow to make contact or submit payment, I will use my right to block future bids. If any bidder who wins in the final seconds is present to do so, surely they can at least email me to inform of intention and payment method? If swift or promp payment is a problem, please do not bid.

POSTING & PACKING: What You Get: To confirm to the strict Ebay rules on shipping, I must now send ALL my packets ‘Signed-For’ with NO exceptions. Both buyers and sellers want their packets to have a safer journey and this is not a bad thing.

I now offer the fastest possible posting, mostly the very next day after payment is received or within three days maximum (unless on holiday). All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT mailers) with the record(s) REMOVED from their main cover to avoid edge splits and placed within a brand new polylined inner. The record’s original inner will be included if available. The boxes are then reinforced with TWO VERY THICK stiffners for even extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will even be Double Boxed. The cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW heavy duty soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my Moth Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. Printed address labels are used for clarity as well as a sender label. You will NOT get tired, dull looking, dust infested records inside worn and foggy covers with tatty inners from this seller and that’s a promise and guarantee. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if at all possible but ‘Signed-For’ posting is NOT an option anymore. I do not profit on posting and offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 5,000+ items sold in over 8 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FOUR records per packet. I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included in the advert.

NOTE: First Time Bidders: I will cancel ALL first-time bidders with no feedbacks or excessive negatives who do not ask me if its OK to bid first – NO EXCEPTIONS.

Please Note: I will now offer any item to the runner-up after the mandatory Ebay 3 days if no contact is made by the winning bidder unless prior notice of any delay is given beforehand. The same applies if no payment is received within the mandatory 7 days so any bidder who has just lost out can still email me to reserve the item as priority second chance – it’s always worth asking.

SHIPPING COSTS & CONDITIONS – THESE comply with EBAY’S RULES - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY:

Posting & Packing: UK & CHANNEL ISLANDS all now sent via Recorded Delivery:

1 LP (SECOND Class Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = FREE. This is the new Ebay rule. HOWEVER I STRONGLY URGE UK WINNERS TO PAY THE £3 FOR THE FIRST-CLASS SERVICE AS THE PACKETS WILL ARRIVE MUCH FASTER AND SAFER.

1 LP (FIRST-CLASS Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £3.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500).

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £8. (insurance optional extra £3).

NOTE: I NO LONGER SEND TO THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION. ANY BIDS WILL BE IGNORED.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (any part); Australia; Canada; Japan and other Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £12. (insurance optional extra £3)

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders or direct payment into my bank account.

Potential Bidders: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are timewasters. A maximum 3 days for communication and 7 days for payment to arrive - if not I will relist the item or offer to the runner-up. Fast deals get great feedback from me. Any questions - please ask and thanks for looking.

My Guarantee: If any winning bidder is not satisfied with their purchase I will offer a complete refund minus the Posting and All Ebay costs as long as the item detail has been read and understood. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help.

SOME GENERAL GUIDES TO WEAR AND CONDITIONS TO HELP YOU DECIDE

My Use of Description Terminology: Surface Marks = Superficial, usually light marks, hairlines or light scuffs that rarely sound. Scratch = a needle mark that goes below the record’s surface, some will sound, some will not, my play-grade will inform. Original = a record that has been pressed with the first label design which does NOT neccessarily mean a very first pressed record. First Pressing = A record that I believe or know to be a genuine very first pressed record. I do not claim to always know for sure, and that’s why I state the stamper and matrix numbers if at all possible, for those who claim to know what they all mean, the information is there for the collector to decide. I prefer to use terms like ‘Early Copy’ rather than ‘First Pressing’ if I am not totally sure. Surface Sound = Mild, light sound, usually light crackle or similar. Distortion = Break up of the actual sound caused by groove wear or damage from a chipped stylus – the most undesirable form of unwanted sound, vintage mono records were the most prone to this happening but not exclusively so. The symptoms of distortion are high frequency clipping, moderate constant crackle or an echo type sound quality. Violin, piano and vocals are most prone to groove-wear distortion. Feathering = Fraying or softening of the entry edge of a cover. Covers with feathered entrance edges are more likely to have had the actual record inserted and removed more than a non-feathered, sharp-edged cover which are always far more attractive. Set Off, actually a printer’s term for dark ink leaving mild residue on pale or white ink when rested upon. e.g. when a gatefold cover has black ink closed against white, this can leave some black residue on the pale area – this is mostly unavoidable or course.

The Argument for Vinyl Original sound and mix (mono mixes are rarely available on CD), high quality sound on clean copies (played on a hi-end dedicated analogue system – breathtaking sound!), beautiful, large format covers, artwork, inserts and even full size posters etc; huge investment potential, and the pleasure of owning ‘the real thing’.