PINK FLOYD, Dark Side Of The Moon (1973 HARVEST N.MINT)

	£		19
	$		25

This is an immaculately cared for and complete original 1970’s issue of Pink Floyd’s classic ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’. Of course an album that has sold something like 45million copies in all formats can’t really be described as rare, but the thing about this one is that it is complete as originally sold 4 decades ago, that is with both poster inserts, both sticker inserts and the original sticker on the albums front. Not just that but the whole record and package is Near Mint; now that is something that is happening less and less these days so don’t miss out...

Year of release: 1973

Label: Harvest

Catalogue No: SHVL 804

Matrix No’s: SHVL 804 A-5 / SHVL 804 B-5

Country of Manufacture: England 

Mode: Stereo

RECORD CONDITION

Labels: NEAR MINT

This is the outline prism label which was issued in the original year of release 1973, contrary to some suggestions I’ve seen on eBay claiming that the only ’73 firsts are the filled prism label; this is simply not the case. Completely clean and unmarked with spindle areas display the kind of wear that is commonly associated with a record that has only ever been played seven or eight times at most; a really minimal amount of wear; incredible to see on a classic album of this age!

Visual: NEAR MINT

Both sides of the record display a brilliant clean gloss, there are no bad issues to report here visually. The only points to be made are some very light and totally non-sounding paper scuffs visible under strong light. This is a very well cared for record that clearly has been handled with care and only played a small amount; strange for such a classic album that so often turns up on the second hand market totally worn out so a great find indeed!

Play: NEAR MINT

As the needle runs through the opening groove and you hear that famous heartbeat intro the sound is completely clear and free of any background noise at all. This is a standard of audio clarity that is maintained all the way through both sides of the record. There are no problems to report at all, no needle sticking or skipping, no nasty pops or distortion and anything that did occur in the way of the odd isolated non-intrusive pop was nothing more than you’d find on any vinyl record even when brand new! This remains the ultimate format on which to listen to this classic album so don’t miss out!

COVER CONDITION

Gatefold sleeve with one side opening & original sticker on front: NEAR MINT

The whole of this classic cover is in the most wonderful ‘like new’ shape, the one previous owner had kept it all in a heavy-duty protective PVC sleeve and this care shows through today. There are only the tiniest amount of creases, no nasty folds, no ring-wear other than the faintest circular impression on the rear visible under light. There’s also no feathering on the side opening and the edges and spine are completely smooth and un-scuffed. All in all, pretty damn perfect!

2 Posters & 2 Stickers: NEAR MINT

ABOUT PINK FLOYD - ‘DARK SIDE OF THE MOON’

Recorded between June 1972 and January 1973 at Abbey Road Studios in London, the albums was released as part of a gatefold package with 2 posters and 2 stickers on 10th March 1973. The album would subsequently remain in the charts longer than any album in history, chalking up a stay of 741 weeks between 1973 and 1988. The CD generation would keep it’s sales moving up and yet, despite being twice remastered, original vinyl pressings such as the one listed here complete with it’s inserts as originally sold remains the most sought after format for serious collectors.

Often regarded as one of the greatest albums ever, it gestated out of the bands feeling that they should put together a piece based on one unifying theme with simpler lyrics that would strike a chord with the listener. They produced several pieces designed to be played as a whole and premiered them a full year before the albums eventual release calling the show ‘Dark Side Of The Moon: A Piece For Assorted Lunatics’. Receiving acclaim even at this stage for the ambition of their artistry, the proposed album did briefly have it’s name changed to ‘Eclipse’ when it emerged that the band Medicine Head already had an album called ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’. However, that album did very little commercially and so Pink Floyd reclaimed the name for their own masterpiece.

POSTAGE & PACKING

UK:

Basic option – FREE / Recorded Delivery (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!) £3.50

EUROPE:

Basic airmail - £4.00 / Insured delivery £8.00

REST OF WORLD:

Basic airmail - £7.00 / Insured delivery £12.00

We will always ensure that our records will be well packed in a secure manner. We do everything we can to provide a safe delivery and ensure that your records arrive in the same condition that they left us in. We use professionally packed heavy-duty mailers. We are also happy to accommodate pick up in person.

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

If you are unhappy with your purchase, for any reason, we are not going to get into a long dispute with you about the items merits. We offer a no nonsense money back promise including postage upon return of the item. Obviously we do ask that you raise any issues within 7 days of delivery. Just get in touch, we can work it out.

GRADING

‘Record Collector Magazine’ have for years promoted a grading system that has been accepted as the all round standard amongst dealers and collectors. We too use that system but just in case anyone’s not sure here’s my basic interpretation:

MINT: Only ever used if a record is totally un-played and therefore can be classed as brand new. Even if a record has only had one play it can no longer be Mint.

NEAR MINT: This grading applies to a record that has no visible faults and no lessening in sound quality. Other than perhaps a little dust and in some cases the lightest of totally non-sounding paper scuffs visible under strong light, vinyl graded Nr.Mint will be extremely well cared for. Sleeves graded Nr.Mint will have no damage and only the vaguest suggestion of any handling or use.

EXCELLENT: Records graded thus will essentially be in a very well cared for condition and play without any problems. Excellent records have been used but they will have been well looked after and the worst you can expect with the audio will be the odd light pop or click and perhaps a little bit of light background noise in a couple of places, but certainly nothing that will spoil your enjoyment of the music. Covers graded Excellent have no damage or defacement to the artwork , their evidence of handling will only be in minor details like a few faint creases, tiny edge scuffs or a small amount of writing or sticker residue but certainly no serious damage.

VERY GOOD: Records graded VG will be totally satisfactory to all but those looking for total perfection. They will be used but still fully playable and only show the kind of wear you would expect to find on a second hand record that has had a few plays. The odd light scratch may be evident as well as general spindle wear and paper scuffs but nothing to cause any overall problems with your enjoyment of the record. Basically, be realistic in what you’d expect a used record to look and sound like and you won’t have any disappointments with a record that is graded Very Good. Covers graded VG may show a bit of general wear or scuffing around the edges, there could be some light ring-wear, a few creases and perhaps a little bit of writing (1960’s record owners seemed to always write their name somewhere on the sleeve) but they will still be fully intact and certainly not abused in any way.

GOOD: Vinyl graded as Good should be approached with a little more caution, as most dealers will tell you in record collecting terms ‘good’ means ‘bad’! We try and keep our items above this standard, however Good does have some saving graces and is not the lowest grading vinyl can be given. A record graded thus will still be just about playable although it will clearly have been played a lot by previous owners. You can also expect light scratches and definitely some surface noise. Covers graded as Good will be just about holding it together although you will inevitable find plenty of creases, maybe a few rips and seam splits as well as possibly chunks missing, writing or stains and indeed any other kind of defacement that it’s possible to find on record sleeves without them being totally destroyed.

FAIR: Don’t bother bidding!

NB. There may be occasions when we add a + or a – to a grading. The reason for this is fairly self explanatory but essentially, if something is VG+ that means it is a seriously strong example of that particular grading and potentially worth a higher grade. Please also remember that there are variables within all of these gradings (for example, it is not impossible for a Nr.Mint sleeve to have a tiny bit of writing present) but we’ll always endeavour to mention any especially relevant points within the bulk of the main description text