Pink Floyd DARK SIDE OF THE MOON 'GRAM CO LABELS' A3/B2 UK EXCELLENT +/ NMINT -

	£		88
	$		116

PINK FLOYD - DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

IN MAGNIFICENT BARELY PLAYED CONDITION

THE VERY RARE A3/B2 1ST (SECOND) PRESS

GRAMOPHONE CO RIM WORDING!!!

COMPLETE WITH 2 POSTERS AND 2 STICKERS

• CATALOGUE:HARVEST SHVL 815
• MATRIX: SHVL815 A-3U / B-2U 
• MOTHERS/STAMPERS:2 GTM / 1 GRO
• VERY EARLY FIRST PRESS ONLY A2/B2 INDICATES THIS AS THERE WERE NO RELEASED -1 COPIES

INCREDIBLE FIND THIS ONE

AS I AM SURE YOU ARE ALL AWARE THE VERY VERY FIRST PRESS OF THIS ALBUM HAD THE SOLID BLUE TRIANGLE IN THE CENTRE OF THE LABEL, WHICH WAS VERY QUICKLY WITHDRAWN DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE SILVER TYPEFACE COULD NOT BE READ.

IT WAS REPLACED WITH THE OUTLINE LABEL, BUT OF COURSE THIS WAS ONE ONE THE BEST SELLING ALBUMS OF ALL TIME AND WAS MASS PRODUCED. MATRIX NUMBERS RUN UP TO -15 FOR REALLY LATE REISSUES

THERE WAS NO -1 MATRIX NUMBER UNLESS IT WAS ON A TEST PRESS, AND THEREFORE ALL OF THE SOLID BLUE TRIANGLES CAME WITH THE -2 MATRIX NUMBER. IT THEREFORE FOLLOWS THAT THE VERY FIRST BATCH OFF THE PRESS WITH THE NOW CORRECTED LABEL WOULD HAVE -3 MATRIX NUMBERS, AND ON THIS PARTICULAR COPY IT HAS -3 MATRICES ON SIDE A, BUT THE ORIGINAL -2 MATRIX ON SIDE B, MAKING THIS WITHOUT A DOUBT A FIRST PRESS FROM THE SECOND AND CORRECTED BATCH OF DARK SIDE OF THE MOON ALBUMS.

THIS I BELIEVE IS AS SCARCE A RECORD TO COLLECT AS IS THE -2 LIGHT BLUE PRESS

BEING SO CLOSE TO THE ORIGINAL 1ST PRESS IT HAS ALL THE HALLMARKS OF A FIRST ISSUE, NAMELY THE BLUE BLACK SLEEVE, SEALED AT THE LEFT EDGE, BUT I'LL EXPLAIN THAT FURTHER DOWN THE LISTING.

ALSO AND IMPORTANTLY ' THE GRAMOPHONE CO' RIM WORDING WHICH ONLY EVER APPEARED ON THE FIRST ISSUES BECAUSE IN 1973 EMI CHANGED THE RIM WORDING TO 'EMI RECORDS'

WHAT YOU DO HAVE HERE IS A STUNNING MINT MINUS COPY OF A VARY RARE ALBUM INDEED. PLAYED NO MORE THAN A HANDFUL OF TIMES SINCE 1973

THE RECORDS

THE LABELS

BOTH LABELS ARE IN PRISTINE CONDITION. THE BLUE BASE COLOUR IS RICH AND VIBRANT AND IS UNMARKED AND FULLY STRETCHES INTO THE UNWORN SPINDLE HOLE. THE BLACK TYPEFACE IS PERFECTLY LEGIBLE, AND A CLOSE EXAMINATION OF THE SPINDLE HOLE REVEALS BETWEEN 10-12 SPIDER LINES SHOWING THE LIMITED AMOUNT OF PLAY THIS LP HAS RECEIVED IN40 YEARS

THE VINYL

THIS VINYL GLEAMS LIKE NEW, AND HAS LOST NONE OF ITS ORIGINAL LUSTRE. IN DAY LIGHT IT IS VIRTUALLY FLAWLESS WITH JUST ONE NON SOUNDING HANDLING LONE VISIBLE OVER TRACK ONE SIDE TWO. UNDER INTENSE ILLUMINATION THERE ARE A COUPLE MORE PLUS SOME WISPY HAIRLINES, AND ONT TINY SCUFF ON THE RUN OUT TO SIDE ONE

PLAYING THE RECORD

I BELIEVE THAT IF YOU ARE GOING TO SPEND YOUR MONEY ON A FANTASTIC COLLECTIBLE VINYL, THAT YOU SHOULD BE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR WHAT YOU ARE BUYING. I HAVE THEREFORE INVESTED IN THE SOFTWARE THAT ALLOWS YOU TO DO JUST THAT.

I HAVE RECORDED THE ENTIRE ALBUM FROM START TO FINISH AS I DO WITH ALL MY LISTINGS AS I BELIEVE THAT BIDDERS WOULD LOVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO HEAR THE RECORD BEFORE LAYING A BID. THIS IS A SERVICE I AM DELIGHTED TO BE ABLE TO OFFER MY CUSTOMERS

THE LP PLAYS THROUGH BRILLIANTLY ON BOTH SIDES, AND I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO TAKE A GOOD LISTEN TO THE SOUNDBITES WHICH DEMONSTRATE JUST HOW FANTASTIC THIS LP SOUNDS.THE CLARITY OF THE STEREO REPRODUCTION IS PURE FIRST PRESS, AND EVERY NOTE CAN BE HEARD CRISPLY AND CLEANLY.

THERE IS NO DISTORTION ANYWHERE, MEANING THAT THE LIMITED PLAY THAT THE LP HAS RECEIVED WAS COMPLETED ON A SYSTEM THAT HAD A CORRECTLY WEIGHTED AND UNWORN STYLUS.

THERE IS NO HEAVY BACKGROUND CRACKLE AND NO LOUD CLICKS ANYWHERE

NO EMBEDDED VINYL NOISE, BUT YOU WILL HERE SOME VERY LIGHT STATIC LIKE BACKGROUND IN THE RUN IN'S, SOME OF THE LINKING GROOVES AND SOME OF THE MORE SILENT PASSAGES. IN ADDITION WHERE THE SMALL SCUFF IS AT THE END OF SIDE ONE THERE ARE A FEW ROTATIONAL BUT QUIETISH SCUFF NOISES RIGHT AT THE END OF THE SIDE

I DON'T BELIEVE I HEARD ANY MORE THAN A COUPLE OF TINY DUST POPS THROUGH THE ENTIRE PLAYTHROUGH

I AM MORE THAN HAPPY TO GRADE THIS VINYL EXCELLENT PLUS FOR SIDE ONE, AND NEAR MINT MINUS FOR SIDE TWO

DON'T TAKE MY WORD FOR IT THOUGH, TAKE A FULL LISTEN AND JUDGE IT FOR YOURSELF

THE SLEEVE

NON LAMINATED GARROD AND LOFTHOUSE GATEFOLD SLEEVE

THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE NIGHTMARE TO FIND IN ANYTHING LIKE A COLLECTIBLE CONDITION. USUALLY THE COLOURS ARE BADLY RUBBED AND THE CREASE LINES AROUND THE SPINE AND PERIMETER EDGES MAKE THE WHOLE THING LOOK SHABBY.

A FIRST PRESS OF THIS SLEEVE MUST NOT BE JET BLACK LIKE LATER ISSUES, BUT MUST BE A BLUE BLACK COLOUR, AND IN ADDITION THE FRONT LEFT OPENING EDGE MUST BE SEALED AND NOT OPEN LIKE THE LATER ISSUED SLEEVES

STARTING WITH THE FRONT SURFACE , THE FIRST THING TO SAY IS THAT THE COLOURS HAVE ALL BEEN VIRTUALLY RETAINED. THERE ARE SOME FLECKS OF WHITE SHOWING JUST TO THE LEFT OF THE PRISM, AND SOME VERY LIGHT SHADOWING OF GREYING AROUND THE BOTTOM HALF, BUT IN THE MAIN THIS HAS BEEN KEPT SHELF WEAR FREE.

THERE ARE NO HEAVY CREASES OR CREASE LINES ANYWHERE.

THERE ARE ZERO!!! SMALL LINES NEAR THE SPINE, NONE ALONG THE TOP EDGE, JUST ONE MINUSCULE ONE ON THE BOTTOM EDGE, AND NO THUMB LINES NEAR THE OPENING EDGE.

THE TOP EDGE IS VIRTUALLY FREE FROM ANY RUBBING WITH JUST THE RIGHT CORNER SHOWING A TINY PATCH OF WEAR. THE BOTTOM EDGE IS LIGHTLY RUBBED  IN PATCHES ALONG THE LENGTH, BUT STILL VERY PRESENTABLE

THE SPINE IS FLAT AND UNSQUASHED, AND THE COLOURS ARE ONLY MARRED BY A SMALL DING AT THE BOTTOM TIP WHERE THE COLOUR HAS ALSO BECOME SCUFFED. A FEW WHITE PIN PRICKS SHOWING ELSEWHERE ALONG THE SPINE, AND A LITTLE RUBBING TO THE TOP EDGE

THE OPENING EDGE IS STILL SHARP, WITH A LITTLE BURRING TO THE VERY BACK EDGE AT THE TOP, PLUS A COUPLE OF TINY THUMB NAIL NICKS

THE REAR SURFACE OF THIS GARROD AND LOFTHOUSE SLEEVE IS IN EVEN BETTER CONDITION THAT THE FRONT WITH JUST A VERY LIGHT SHADOW OF RECORD SHAPE.

OPENING THE GATEFOLD REVEALS A PAIR OF PRISTINE INNER PANELS

THE ORIGINAL BLACK POLY LINED INNER SLEEVE IS INCLUDED AND IS IN TOP CONDITION THE CORRECT PATENT NUMBERS APPEAR IN THE BOTTOM LEFT CORNER, AND MADE IN GREAT BRITAIN IN THE RIGHT. A FEW LIGHT WRINKLES ONLY

THE TWO POSTERS AND STICKERS ARE ALL IN PRISTINE CONDITION, WITH JUST SOME LIGHT MOTTLING ON THE REAR OF THE PYRAMID POSTER

HAPPY TO GRADE THIS SLEEVE EXCELLENT PLUS!!!!

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR BID IF YOU CHOSE TO GO FOR IT

GARRY