PINK FLOYD THE WALL A2/B3/A1/B3 1st PRESS MINT- STUNNING Audio / AMAZING Cover
£
169
$
224
£ 169
Sold For
Jan 22, 2017
Sold Date
Jan 12, 2017
Start Date
£ 10
Start price
23
Number Of Bids
Great Britain
Country Of Seller
eBay
Auctioned at
Favourite Auctions
To save auctions to your favourites, please login
If you don't have an account, please register
Description
The Wall A-2U / B-3U / A-1U / B-3U (very early first pressing)
On offer here is one of the earliest known pressings of this classic album. It is rare to find 'The Wall' with an A-1U matrix and especially in this incredible condition. The clarity of the audio is stunning and I do not think I have heard better. For 99% of this classic album it plays with audio that is 'like new'. A bold statement to make but one I am confident in saying. The gatefold and lyric inners are also practically as new.
SHDW 411 // A-2U / B-3U // A-1U / B-3U
Side One is Mint-
Side Two is Mint-
Side Three is Mint-
Side Four is Mint
The gatefold cover is Near Mint-
The lyric inners are Mint The labels are Mint-
Visual grading
This copy of 'The Wall' is in pristine condition and I have never seen vinyls of a first pressing in such beautiful condition. It is obvious they have only been lightly played as there is no spindle wear whatsoever on Sides One and Four and only a little on Sides Two and Three. Under a strong bright light there are no hairlines and obviously no scratches and to say they have a stunning like new glossy sheen is an understatement! As my play grading confirms they both play practically as new also. This is without doubt a genuine final upgrade archive copy.
Play grading
Side One plays with immaculate quality. With complete silence on the run in grooves you just know it is going to play with high end audio. 'In The Flesh' then proceeds to play with what I can only describe as Mint audio. 'The Thin Ice' plays with the same quality with only one faint click right at the end. I cannot put into words how good the audio is! For such an early first pressing the clarity is just stunning and rarely have I heard better. There was one very quiet crackle type sound on 'The Happiest Days Of Our Lives' that lasted for half a second! The intro to 'Mother' is just incredible - no static, dust ticks just pure Mint audio. This quality continues practically to the end, there is just a minor amount of static literally in the last two seconds. Overall though this side plays like new. Absolutely breathtaking!
'Goodbye Blue Sky' on Side Two plays beautifully for such a quiet track. 'Empty Spaces' and 'Young Lust' play with a very light amount of intermittent static but is so much in the background that it does not intrude at all. The clarity and richness of the sound is still first class. There are so many quiet sections and they all play so well, a great example of this is the intro to 'One Of My Turns' which has impeccable sound. This is repeated on 'Don't Leave Me Now' where there is almost no static. I'm running out of superlatives for the amazing audio on this LP! The remainder of the side plays with sheer perfection. 'Goodbye Cruel World' ends the side with Mint audio, I have quite simply never heard better.
I guess I'm at the risk of repeating myself here! This is very possibly the best version of 'Hey You' I have heard and the same can be said for 'Is There Anybody Out There'. There is no static, no clicks, no nothing! This side plays like new but (shock horror!) I did hear one faint click towards the end of 'Nobody Home'. Apart from that the track is Mint. The remainder of the side also plays to the same standard and 'Comfortably Numb' is stunning and without doubt on a par with the best I have heard. A little distortion on the guitar solo section (perhaps more due to my system) but an immaculate version nonetheless.
Side Four is absolutely incredible and if anything it plays better than the previous three sides if that is at all possible! The odd light dust tick (which you will even get with new vinyl) but this is immaculate audio at its best. The quiet sections again play impeccably well, 'Stop' being a prime example of this. The very quiet 'Outside The Wall' ends the LP with first class audio that cannot be improved upon and the quality once again is just stunning. A Mint ending to a classic album. Wow!
In summary I don't think I have heard a better 'The Wall' than this and I have heard many. To think this is a 2/3/1/3 first pressing makes it a genuine final upgrade copy. For there to be only 2/3 clicks across all four sides and no crackle, just the lightest of non-intrusive static is amazing. The audio is immaculate and I think would be nigh on impossible to improve upon. I grade honestly as my feedback testifies and any Floyd fan would be ecstatic to have this this is their collection. A rarity also to find a gatefold that matches the audio.
Gatefold cover
This original G & L gatefold cover is in pristine condition and rarely have I seen better. They are notoriously difficult to keep clean due to their 'whiteness' but this one has been maintained superbly well and only lightly handled. There are no real negatives to mention! The edges and wide spine are like new and have no rubbing at all and even the corners are untouched. There is only minor discolouration in a handful of places but it is only very faint. There are no obvious marks, just a couple of tiny specks, and no ringwear which is just so rare for this gatefold. If I'm being ultra-critical there is just the lightest of handling wear on the opening edges but in all honesty this is in my top 3 of 'The Wall' gatefolds I have ever seen. The inside is also in supreme condition. You would be hard pressed to find a better one.
As per the early pressings the gatefold is cream coloured and the bricks are not aligned correctly at the bottom of the cover. The band members are not listed on the inside and there is no bar code on the back cover.
Lyric inners
The cardboard lyric inners (with rounded corners as per the early pressings) are in stunning condition with no splits or markings - very rare! They are like new.
Labels
They are in near perfect condition with only a little spindle wear on Side Two and Three.
Play tested on my Technics SL-J110R turntable system
SHDW 411 // A-2U / B-3U // A-1U / B-3U
Any questions please feel free to ask
Please pay within 4 days of auction end
I SHIP WORLDWIDE BUT WHEN SHIPPING ITEMS TO ITALY, RUSSIA AND SOUTH AMERICA I WILL ONLY SEND THEM "TRACKED/SIGNED FOR" AS TOO MANY ITEMS GO MISSING AND THIS COSTS AN ADDITIONAL £6.00. PLEASE ONLY BID IF YOU AGREE WITH THIS.
COMBINED POSTAGE IS ALWAYS OFFERED WHEN MORE THAN ONE ITEM IS WON.
ALL VINYLS ARE PACKED IN PROFESSIONAL MAILERS WITH CARDBOARD STIFFENERS. THEY ARE ALSO PLACED IN SEPARATE SLEEVES AND PLACED OUTSIDE THE COVER TO AVOID SEAM SPLITS IN THE POST.
I WILL LEAVE FEEDBACK AS SOON AS I RECEIVE FEEDBACK - SO I KNOW THE ITEM WAS RECEIVED SAFELY AND THAT YOU ARE HAPPY WITH IT. IF YOU ARE NOT ENTIRELY HAPPY WITH YOUR PURCHASE PLEASE CONTACT ME BEFORE LEAVING FEEDBACK AND I WILL ALWAYS RESOLVE ANY PROBLEM, 100% GUARANTEED. I WILL ALSO PAY THE RETURN POSTAGE COST IF I AM AT FAULT - yes this can happen as I am only human!!
In the coming weeks and months I will be putting plenty of Queen, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Genesis and Marillion items on the site so please keep a look out! Many thanks. Please look at my other items on now!
FOR ITEMS SENT OVERSEAS I WOULD SERIOUSLY RECOMMEND "TRACKED/SIGNED FOR" ESPECIALLY FOR ITEMS SELLING OVER £40.00. IT PROTECTS US BOTH IF ITEMS GET LOST OR DAMAGED IN THE POST AND COSTS AND EXTRA £6.00 SO PLEASE JUST ASK IF YOU WOULD PREFER THIS.UK POSTAGE RATES (SECOND CLASS)
LPs/12" singles : £4.95 (recorded) then £0.75 per extra item
7" singles / CDs : £1.95 then £0.35 per extra
EUROPE
LPs/12" singles : £7.95 then £1.25 per extra
7" singles / CDs : £3.95 then £0.95 per extra
REST OF WORLD
LPs/12" singles : £10.95 then £1.75 per extra
7" singles / CDs : £4.95 then £0.95 per extra
price rating
