PINK FLOYD "Wish You Were Here" UK 1st ISSUE BLACK WRAP

	£		175
	$		232

  PINK FLOYD "Wish You Were Here" UK 1st ISSUE BLACK WRAP COMPLETE w/RARE SIDE OPENING INNER & POSTCARD, A1/B3
PINK FLOYD
Wish You Were Here

ORIGINAL UK HARVEST (SHVL 814) FIRST PRESSING (September 1975) OF PINK FLOYD'S OUTSTANDING "Wish You Were Here" LP, COMPLETE IN ITS ORIGINAL BLACK SHRINK-WRAP WITH THE 'WISH YOU WERE HERE' ROBOT HANDSHAKE STICKER, THE ORIGINAL FIRST ISSUE 'CUT CORNER' INNER SLEEVE (WHICH IS THE RARE SIDE OPENING VARIANT) AND THE FIRST ISSUE SERRATED EDGE GLOSSY POSTCARD

AN EXCELLENT COPY OF THIS MUCH SOUGHT AFTER *COMPLETE* FIRST PRESSING WHICH SOUNDS ABSOLUTELY SENSATIONAL - BEAUTIFUL DEEP, RICH AND WARM AUDIO

THIS IS THE EARLIEST AVAILABLE PRESSING OF THIS LP AND A FEW FEATURES ARE WORTHY OF NOTE:
* THE A1/B3 MATRIX IS THE LOWEST EVER ISSUED
* THE BLACK WRAP IS MUCH THICKER AND MORE ROBUST THAN ON LATER COPIES
* THE SLEEVE HAS THE CHARACTERISTIC 'PINCHED' SPINE WHICH THE LATER ISSUES DO NOT HAVE (this is clearly visible beneath the tight wrap on the corners - please see close-up photographs)
* THE INNER SLEEVE HAS SQUARE CUT CORNERS UNLIKE THE LATER ONES WHICH ARE ROUNDED AND IT IS ALSO THE RARE SIDE OPENING VARIANT (I have only ever seen one of these before)

NOTE ON THE AUDIO REPRODUCTION OF WYWH: In my experience this LP, along with The Wall and The Final Cut is probably one of the most problematic Pink Floyd LPs with regards to the audio quality
I have found that even mint looking copies of this LP can play with lots of excessive clicking, surface noise and even distortion (with the first solo guitar break on "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" being especially problematic in this regard)
Many, many copies of this album have passed through my hands over the years and I know how difficult it is to find a decent copy which will play with the minimum of issues, especially on higher-end systems. I am therefore pleased to report that this is an EXCELLENT example which extremely well throughout (please see detailed audio assessment below)

MATRIX NUMBERS: SHVL 814 A-1 / SHVL 814 B-3 (all machine stamped)
MOTHERS/STAMPERS: 2/MP and 1/MH

Track Listing:
Side 1: Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Part One) / Welcome To The Machine
Side 2: Have A Cigar / Wish You Were Here / Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Part Two)

LABELS: The Harvest Picture labels are clean, bright and unmarked with just a (very) few light spindle traces
VINYL Visual: Both surfaces retain their original deep glossy sheen but under a bright light there are numerous light brush hairlines (caused by movement of the record inside its unkind thick card inner sleeve) these however have no major audio consequence (see below)
VINYL Audio: Outstanding audio in every respect which covers a amazing dynamic range with all frequencies bright and clear - beautifully rich, warm, crystal clear and incredibly detailed sound. As I mentioned earlier this can be a very problematic LP regarding the audio quality but on playback at a loud volume (which is how I always listen to my LPs prior to listing and it's always a great pleasure to return to this stunning work) this copy plays extremely well and to a high standard with no groove-wear and no distortion. There is however, some light 'ticking', most evident on the run-ins and some (certainly not all) of the quieter sections - but this was nothing I found either too major or at all intrusive and I did listen to this copy at a very loud volume. Overall, I would say that this is a very nice example indeed - there are no scratches and the aforementioned 'ticks' are not continuous, are mostly background and they did not spoil my listening pleasure at all - this copy I could personally very happily live with. Very critically graded as EXCELLENT for audio
SLEEVE: The cover still retains the original black shrink wrapping with the WYWH sticker (which is clean and unrubbed). As I am sure you are aware this wrapping is very delicate and easily damaged but this one is in great condition with a glass-like sheen. It has obviously been kept inside a protective sleeve all its life as the edges of the black plastic are factory-fresh and completely unworn. Apart from the usual withdrawal at the opening edge the wrap covers all of the sleeve with no holes, rips or tears. The wrap looks like it has never been taken off the cover so underneath the sleeve should be perfect. As the first issued sleeve the spine is 'pinched' at the top and bottom - clearly visible beneath the tight wrap. One of the finest examples of this black wrapped cover I have seen - EXCELLENT+
INNER SLEEVE: The original first issue inner with square cut corners and 9" opening thumb notch has the rare variation of opening at the side rather than the top and apart from a small (2 cm) split to one of the edges it's clean and unmarked with none of the 'foxing' spots which commonly affect this inner. I would critically grade this as VERY GOOD but apart from the small split it deserves a higher grading. The LP is now housed - and will be posted in - a new inner to prevent anymore 'knifing' damage to the original during transit
POSTCARD: The original, serrated edge, glossy postcard is NEAR MINT - clean and bright with just one light (and barely noticeable) crease on the top edge

PLEASE HAVE A LOOK AT MY PICTURES - I USUALLY TAKE QUITE A FEW SO YOU CAN GET A CLEAR INDICATION OF EVERY DETAIL OF THE ITEM
I HAVE UPLOADED AS MANY AS I CAN BUT I WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO SUPPLY ANY ADDITIONAL PHOTOS ON REQUEST
THIS REALLY IS AN EXCELLENT COPY - A *COMPLETE* EARLIEST UK FIRST PRESSING IN ITS ORIGINAL BLACK SHRINK-WRAP WITH THE ORIGINAL FIRST PRESS SERRATED EDGE GLOSSY POSTCARD AND RARE VARIANT SIDE OPENING SQUARE-CUT INNER - GREAT STUFF
AS WITH ALL MY RECORDS THIS HAS A LOW START PRICE AND NO RESERVE
PLEASE CHECK OUT MY OTHER AUCTIONS FOR MORE RARE AND COLLECTABLE VINYL
AND PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO CONTACT ME WITH ANY QUERIES YOU MAY HAVE
THANKS FOR LOOKING, CHEERS

PLEASE REFER TO MY 'ABOUT ME' PAGE FOR MORE DETAILED INFO ON MY PLAY-GRADING, EQUIPMENT USED, P&P etc

POST & PACKING
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REDUCED POSTAGE FOR MULTIPLE ITEMS (EACH ADDITIONAL LP: £2.00)
I will combine postage for items purchased within any 10 day period. However, at the end of each 10 day period, all outstanding items will need to be paid for in full and will be posted to you. Any items purchased after payment will be included in the next 10 period. I am continually adding new items which may be of interest to you and it is impractical for me to allow payment to be postponed indefinitely in the expectation that you might wish to bid on future items. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation
Guarantee: I endeavour to be as accurate and honest as possible when describing the condition of any LP but of course if you feel that I am mistaken and the description is inaccurate I will offer a complete, no quibble refund (through Paypal) upon return of the item.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to a recent spate of bidders with no feedback not paying for records I must insist that all bidders with 0 feedback contact me first before bidding to confirm their genuine intention to buy the record otherwise their bid will be cancelled and they will be blocked. Sorry to sound so authoritarian but non payers are a real waste of not only my time but genuine eBayers

ALL RECORDS ARE PROFESSIONALLY CLEANED BEFORE DISPATCH AND PACKAGED WITH THE VINYL OUTSIDE OF THE SLEEVE TO PREVENT ANY 'KNIFING' DURING TRANSIT.
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