Pink Floyd

The Dark Side Of The Moon

1973 Original UK (Solid Blue Triangle)  Complete & all Original

 All contents are verified as Original to the UK First issue.

Much of the contents are unique to the UK First issue

I guarantee that all the contents are Original to this sleeve - no swaps or replacements.

Condition

General Overview - visual

The Vinyl record is (and spins) perfectly flat, is spotlessly clean, has superb shine, and the music, the gaps, and the deadwax are clearly defined, visually on the vinyl surfaces. The labels look like new. The centre hole is round and unworn - the general overview of the vinyl record, sitting on the turntable, or in your hands, and without critical close inspection, is that it pretty much looks like new.

Critical Close Inspection - visual

A Side   - On a critical close inspection - there is One sounding light scratch that causes a series of ticks in the heartbeat section of Breathe (see playback description). There is also a tiny superficial mark, and One light needle trace across "On The Run" (these are non sounding marks, "On The Run" plays NM)

On close inspection, and viewed on an angle with good light, there are some light traces of spindle marks around the hole in the centre of the label, they are very few, central, and very light. Vinyl visual - EX+ Labels -  NM    - see pics

B Side  - On a critical close inspection - there are 3 light needle traces and there is one light sounding scratch located on "Us and Them" (see playback description).

On close inspection, and viewed on an angle with good light, there are some light traces of spindle marks around the hole in the centre of the label, they are very few, central, and very light. Vinyl visual -  EX   Labels -  NM    - see pics

General Overview - Audio

Play-Tested on Bang and Olufsen Beogram 4002 with MMC6000 cartridge / Quad tip Stylus with Boran cantaliever

The background audio on this vinyl record is silent, with no fuzz or crackle, there are a small handful of small background moments, but nothing constant, there are  a small amount of light singular snaps of background, but they are not frequent, and situated predominantly in the most quiet areas and in the deadwax.

There are approx 1400 revolutions on this record.

Including all areas of deadwax, all quiet areas and background speaking, I calculate that less than 8% (100) of the revolutions are not perfect, None of the imperfections are significant, they are very light tics, or an occasional random nanosecond of a faint snap in the background. The tics are from 2 light scratches that are described in full, later in this listing.

If we can now assume that the playback on this record is 92% of the revolutions are Mint, and the remaining 8% of the revolutions play with tick or a pop, then I will now describe the remaining 8%.

Vinyl playback play testing Pink Floyd is not a job, it is pure pleasure.

A side    Gently lower the needle into the outer edge of the deadwax, and the deadwax lead in is silent...The previously mentioned scratch starts to gently sound just before the heartbeat starts, and will play with this singular tick on each revolution until 10 seconds before the womans screaming and the music starts proper, so the scratch only effects the lead in intro to the song, and is well over Ten seconds before the proper music starts, then plays NM right up until the start of "Time", where there are 4 of the lightest singular nanoseconds of pops in the quiet area before the clocks....then NM until the quiet start of The Great Gig, where there are another 10 light, singular, random pops in the quiet talking area at the start, and then NM to the end of Side One... The imperfections are predominantly in the quietest areas, and they are singular imperfections that are "there and gone" in an instant...if you lined them all up one after another, it would not even equate to 1 second of crackle. The imperfections are situated mostly in the quietest areas, but audio wise, these areas are crystal clear.  -  The background and talking in these quiet areas is remarkable, and the complete lack of fuzz in these areas really do make these light singular imperfections stand out as quite minor, especially if you consider that any record that has fuzz and / or crackle can bury this very fine detail.. there may be a small amount of light sparsely spread singular ticks or pops, but the audio is still crystal clear around them.. there is no fuzz or crackle anywhere on this record, only  singular brief moments of imperfection. Side One audio - VG   (Mint Audio - 92% of the revolutions)

B side Gently lower the needle into the outer edge of the deadwax, and the lead in is silent... Cash register and start is clean as a whistle, plays NM through to the end of track One, where there is some talking prior to the start of "Us and Them"

About half way through the talking there is just the faintest of light ticks. This is where the previously mentioned scratch begins, and causes a sequence of light ticks, it starts as faint as you can get, and gently builds to a sequence of 12 genuine ticks, and then fades away again. It finishes a few moments after the first note on the saxophone is played.

The entire event covers One minute, and it is not ugly, as even the 12 loudest ones are not very loud, the audio around the ticks is perfect, and combined with the fact that the first minute of Us and Them is a slow build, the scratch is over just as the "song proper" starts.

The record then plays NM through to the end

If you run a transient noise elimination circuit, then it may be worth noting that when I play this through my own KLH Transient Noise Eliminator, (TNE 7000A) - it eliminates about 1/4 of these light imperfections completely, reduces about 1/4  to near nothing, and leaves about 1/2 slightly reduced.

Play grade by track

Every item is unique to the UK first issue, (the inner bag was also used on some 2nd issues) Matte paper stickers - wide border matte posters - Midnight Blue / sealed closed with a flap, gatefold sleeve - A2 B2 Solid Blue Triangle vinyl record

Sleeve - VG+ Original Midnight Blue sleeve with Purple Hype sticker, with the left hand opening of the Gatefold being sealed closed by a flap - This sleeve variant, (with the flap sealed gatefold), is unique to the 1st issue, all other issues are either glued shut with no flap, or left open. This flap variant is Midnight Blue (it is hard to tell, but when placed next to a Black one, it is obvious -  that is why I have taken a picture of it next to a Black UK first issue. - no writing, splits, rips or tears, light shelf wear - See the pics.

 
Inner Sleeve - EX

Die-cut black poly-lined inner sleeve with patent numbers and "Made in Great Britain" in silver at the bottom.

Posters - EX

Both posters are matte finish with wide borders, which are the easiest to identify as original as they are unique to the 1st issue.  Both posters are unused and EX to NM,  I do not like to unfold any of my posters, as it weakens the folds, but you have my word that every piece of this issue is original, and from this issue when it was purchased in 1973.

Stickers - EX
Both stickers are original matte finish, paper type,

1a)  A brown/dark blue/yellow/green self-adhesive sticker with Dark Side of the Moon graphics. Matte. The backing paper is tan with 45 degree angled diagonal stripes of dark brown from the top to bottom, and "FasPrint Permanent," and "Crack Back Patented." on the paper. There is no catalog number on the sticker.

1b) A yellow/sky blue/green self-adhesive sticker with Dark Side of the Moon graphics. Matte. The backing paper is tan with 45 degree angled diagonal stripes of dark brown from the top to bottom, and "FasPrint Permanent," and "Crack Back Patented." on the paper. There is no catalog number on the sticker.

In summary, I would say that I am compelled by my own guidelines, to grade this as VG, but this is right at the top of that grade, -  it plays over 90% Mint, the Two scratches sound only in the Two most musically absent areas on the record, there are large areas of Mint playback, and the background is clean.

Timings (side 1 / side 2): 18:30 / 22:48

A few words about condition.

A few words about postage.

A heavy Gatefold issue, with inserts, so impossible to pack securely under 500 grams.

Within Australia, the best value for multiple purchases is a 5KG satchel, where as many as 15 to 20 LPs can be posted for $22.00 registered post. (well packed in a box, inside the satchel)

My Policies on postage are simple.