PINK FLOYD Arnold Layne FR EP 1967 Original ESRF 1857 Interstellar Overdrive VG+

	£		360
	$		477

PINK FLOYD - ARNOLD LAYNE / CANDY AND A CURRANT BUN / INTERSTELLAR OVERDRIVE

A very nice copy of this extremely rare and highly sought after 1967 French original, very first pressing prog/psych Floyd classic, on the COLUMBIA label, ESRF 1857

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1  7TCA 10350  21 and M3 252951

Side 2  7TCA 10351  21 and M3 252952 

The appearance of the flat 7 inch vinyl is excellent plus (EX+) for side 1. Gleaming vinyl with jet black lacquering and in normal daylight comes across as near perfect and barely played. It is only with close scrutiny under a bright light that I could identify just a few small wispy hairlines on side 1 - all purely superficial and certainly nothing feelable or below the surface. The condition of side 2 is similar except for x3 obvious pencil thin scuff marks which are visible in normal daylight, but nonetheless are non-feelable and appear not to be below the surface, although x5 mild clicks at the end of Interstellar Overdrive suggest and some noticeable crackle when the stylus passes over the scuffs means that playback is affected (no skips or jumps). The glossy nature of this record, on both sides of the vinyl, and the overall excellent appearance and condition (apart from the aforementioned three scuff marks on side 2) suggest that this record has been sparingly played. Because of the side 2 scuffs, however, I can only rate the overall condition as very good plus (VG+).

The labels are excellent plus (EX+). Beautiful, original orange smooth textured labels with no unwanted writing or marks, and the COLUMBIA logos, on both the side 1 and side 2 labels, perfectly intact, as is all of the black text. The original three-pronged plastic centre remains perfectly intact...each label really is hard to fault.

The front side laminated outer sleeve is in excellent minus (EX-) condition. Each edge is firm with no scuffing and the corners remain nicely defined right angles with barely any rubbing at all. On the front side there is no laminate lifting or creasing and the colours remain vibrant and clear, with just the hint of some very, very mild ringwear when the sleeve is tilted to the right angle in a bright light. Excellent. The reverse side suffers from some very mild age discolouration, a small (and very light) stain mark towards the bottom left corner, and there are some initials written in blue ink towards the bottom right corner. But the flipbacks are perfect, all text is fully intact and perfectly legible, and the reverse side remains highly presentable. Very nice overall.

Finally, the quality of the audio is again very good plus (VG+) overall. No skips, no jumps, no repeats, and great tone and clarity. On side 1 there is some occasional, very light background crackle which although noticeable does little to diminish the overall excellent audio quality. On side 2 the background crackle is a little more obvious and a little more frequent and, as already stated, seems to synchronise with the stylus passing over the aforementioned x3 scuff marks. Nonetheless, this EP still makes for a great listen and does, of course, contain a unique version of Interstellar Overdrive which is nowhere else to be found in the Pink Floyd catalogue - it's part of what makes this particular EP so scarce and sought after. In summary, not audio perfection by any means but a solid very good overall and, I suspect, a professional clean would improve the audio quality even further.

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

1. Arnold Layne

2. CANDY AND A CURRANT BUN

Side 2 :

INTERSTELLAR OVERDRIVE

Note that I always post the record in a new plain white inner sleeve in order to protect the original.

In summary an overall VG+, highly presentable and sought after copy of this very rare 1967 French 1st pressing Floyd prog classic - worthy of gracing any vinyl collection and only continuing to gain in value.

 If you require any further information, including photos, then let me know and I'll do my best to oblige. 

If this record interests you then take a look at my other 60's & 70's classic vinyl listings.

A bit about myself : I have been collecting vinyl for almost 50 years and have amassed a huge collection covering a varied genre, but mostly of 1960's and 70's origin. Most of my records were originally bought by myself for my own collection, but during the past 30 years I have embellished my collection by buying records from a variety of sources : friends/acquaintances, car boot sales, auctions, and even through putting up a "vinyl wanted" notice in my wife's shop! I am now retired and take great delight in being able to spend more time scouring the country and attending boot sales and auctions in the hope of unearthing more vinyl gems...I am 64 years of age now and am still discovering bands and music of the 60's and 70's that I have never come across before. Wonderful! Richard

My ebay feedback speaks for itself so rest assured that you are buying from a trusted seller and in the very unlikely event that you are unhappy with your purchase just e-mail me and I'll sort out the problem. I offer a "no quibble" refund policy. 

On the subject of postage, I take great care in the packaging of all items, using a proper vinyl thick cardboard "crucifix" style mailer along with at least two thick cardboard stiffeners. I take great care in separating the record from the outer sleeve in order to help prevent sleeve damage in transit and I always insert the vinyl, outer sleeve and inner into a clear plastic sleeve, thus adding further protection. 

For this item postage & packaging will be UK £3.00, Royal Mail special delivery; continental Europe £6 and Rest of the World £10, Royal Mail 1st class tracked and signed for. 

 I DO discount post & packaging costs for multiple purchases. I do NOT profit from postage.

Good luck with your bidding!

NOTE : My vinyl descriptions comply with the official Record Collector vinyl grading guidelines :

Mint

The records itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items, such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.

Excellent

The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and /or creasing.

Very Good

The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

Good

The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discolouration, etc.

Fair

The record is still just playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents are torn, stained and/or defaced

Poor

The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents are badly damaged or partly missing.

Bad

The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection-filler