Iron Maiden : Piece Of Mind A-1U / B-1U 1st Press

This first pressing plays to a standard that you just so rarely find today.  The sonic quality is so impressive and the clarity is just exceptional.  There is no interference and the vinyl is visually stunning also.

The gatefold has only very minimal shelf wear and remains in excellent condition as does the original inner.

EMA 800 // A - 1U / B - 1U // Utopia etched on S2 run out groove

The audio on S1 is Mint(-)

The audio on S2 is Mint(-)

The cover is a very strong Ex

The labels are Mint-

The inner sleeve is Near Mint

Visual grading

The vinyl really is in lovely condition and still has an immaculate jet-black glossy sheen.  There are no marks or scratches and only a small number of very minor sleeve removal hairlines.  There is a very small area on each side of light hairlines but they have no affect on the stunning audio and they are certainly not easy to find!  There is only minimal spindle wear and the run out grooves are super clean also.

Play grading

'Where Eagles Dare' plays with immense power and definition from the very first note and continues in the same rip-roaring manner!  The sonic quality is stunning - Dickinson's 'high octane' vocals and the music have no distortion and this easily qualifies as Mint from start to finish.  What a start!

The intro on 'Revelations' is 'as new' and the first verse is of the same standard.  From then on there is nothing to fault and again the clarity and depth of the audio is sublime - this record has obviously not been over-played.  I cannot emphasise enough just how well it plays and even the momentary silences have no 'background'.  There are a couple of minor ticks (very quiet!) on the final 'It is you' line but Mint- is still more than deserved.

'Flight Of Icarus' is Mint from start to finish with no ticks, clicks or pops and there is no underlying static either.  Just pure perfect audio - as good as it sounded back in '83!

'Die With Your Boots On' plays with stunning power and depth once more.  There is no interference and if there is any inner groove distortion it is so minor as to be totally insignificant.  You can still turn this up to maximum, the clarity and power is not affected in any way and I am confident in grading this as Mint - such an impressive end to the side.

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'The Trooper' has only a hint of barely audible static for the first second or two and then plays to the same immaculate standard as was prevalent on S1.  Each note is so precise and the clarity could not be any better.  Mint

The quiet intro on 'Still Life' plays beautifully with only a handful of barely audible dust ticks and the first verse has no 'background' either.  As the tempo increases the audio does not diminish and every section is 'as new' from that point on.  Again I cannot overstate just how good the audio is and Mint- is a fair assessment.

In true Maiden style 'Quest For Fire' plays with unrivalled power from the first note and Mint is again richly deserved.  There is no need to elaborate further :-)

'Sun And Steel' is of the same standard - you have to remember this album is now 37 years old and yet has suffered no audio deterioration and that is so obvious when you listen to this track.  There is literally no 'background', just pure Mint audio from beginning to end.  Wow what a version!

The quiet intro on 'To Tame A Land' does not have a single dust tick let alone anything more and as that familiar Maiden sound kicks the audio is so powerful!  This truly is stunning and it goes without saying that I have never heard a better version.  The vocals are so strong and the 'high octane' instrumental section then plays with such precision.  The quieter end section just has one very light tick and rounds off this classic with great clarity.  Perhaps Mint is deserved but I will grade as Mint- just to be safe.  A fantastic version to end this near perfect album.

In summary this first pressing is as near to perfect as is possible.  There is no interference on either side - not one click or pop and it plays with a clarity that is so rare to find today.  When you see how 'clean' the vinyl is it is not surprising and this is certainly a record that has only had very few 'spins'.  A FINAL UPGRADE for sure and any Maiden fan would be as impressed by the audio as I am!  Inn essence there is just nothing to fault.

The Gatefold

The cover is in excellent condition with only very little shelf wear.  The wear is limited to the edges mainly and even then they do not have that much 'rubbing'.  The wide spine is in great order with only a couple of minor white marks and a little wear at the top.  This is the only corner with any obvious wear, the other three are very clean and the opening edge has no handling wear at all.  The front cover is very clean with only some of the usual faint creases around the edges and a couple of small white marks top left.  The back cover is very similar.  The inside of the gatefold is immaculate with only a minimal touch of fading top right.  A very strong example overall with no major wear.

The Inner Sleeve

The die-cut EMI inner is in great condition with no side splits or marking and barely any creasing.

The Labels

They are in superb condition with no marking or writing and only a couple of very faint spindle traces on each side.

Play tested on my Pro-Ject Essential III Turntable / B&W 684 Speakers

This record has been cleaned on a Pro-Ject VC-S machine

EMA 800 // A - 1U / B - 1U // Utopia etched on S2 run out groove

I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.

Any questions please feel free to ask

Please pay within 4 days of auction end

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Postage & Packaging

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