Meddle A7/B6

This early pressing was cut by Harry T. Moss, the mastering engineer for EMI, and during his work with 'The Beatles' he soon built a solid reputation as being the best at his craft.  His initials (HTM) are etched into the run out grooves on many vinyls including this one.  You can see why he was so well respected.  The clarity and depth of the music on any vinyl that has been well preserved (such as this one) is stunning and you can really hear the difference.

The audio plays with immaculate precision for the vast majority and the gatefold is also very impressive.

SHVL 795 // A - 7 / B - 6 // OO 2 / LD 2 - HTM etched on both sides

The audio on S1 is Near Mint / Mint- (track 1 intro is Ex+)

The audio on S2 is Ex+ (Mint- in many sections)

The gatefold is Ex+

The labels are Mint

The original inner sleeve is Ex-

Visual grading

The vinyl is in wonderful condition and has been only very lightly played judging by the mega small amount of spindle wear, just a couple of barely visible traces on each side.  The vinyl still has that fantastic glossy sheen of a new vinyl let alone one that is approaching 40 years old.  I cannot detect any hairlines and there are certainly no scratches.  It's a beauty!  The run out grooves are also supremely clean.

Play grading  

I just love these Harry T Moss cuts - the clarity and strength of the audio is stunning!  There is very little static on the 'One Of These Days' intro and what you can hear is very much in the background anyway.  It does not intrude on the 'listen' whatsoever and is certainly one of the cleanest intros I have heard in along time.  As soon as the bass cuts in the audio is super impressive!  With only a couple of 'ticks' you can hear each note so clearly and the definition is superb.  There is no muddiness to the sound and this is further exemplified the further into the track you get.  I really cannot stress enough just how fantastic it sounds!  You can see exactly why HTM is held in such high regard.  The first half plays incredibly well but the second half is absolutely stunning and grades as Mint the audio is that good.  The 'wind' fade out is nigh on perfect with barely any static.  The quality on 'A Pillow Of Winds' is sublime once again.  Sometimes you just cannot believe what you hearing and that is the case here!  3/4 barely audible dust ticks on the intro only this cannot fail but impress.  A truly stunning version from start to finish and the fade out is 100% perfect.  Both 'Fearless' and 'San Tropez' play with a depth and clarity that has to be described 'as new'.  I wish I could accurately convey in words just how impressive this audio is!  It is no exaggeration to say this plays better than the recent reissues - the clarity is such that you hear things that you do not hear on other pressings.  Wow this is audio of the highest order!  'Seamus' plays with wonderfully clear audio again although there is one pop near the end.  This may be a pressing fault because I cannot detect the reason for it - no scratches or 'specks' of any kind.  Apart from that this is a 'high version' of this quirky track.  A handful of mega light dust ticks only this ends the side in superb style.

'Echoes' always has some static/crackle on the intro and it is just a question of how much.  There is relatively little here and there are certainly no clicks or pops.  In my opinion it plays with what I would call light static.  I did hear one click just after the guitar begins and a few seconds of light crackle thereafter but once the vocal begins the audio plays very clearly indeed.  In fact the clarity is that of a vinyl hardly played.  The guitar solo that follows is breathtaking and can only be graded as Mint.  The long instrumental section after that is just perfect.  It plays with an incredible depth and the strong bass sound is stunning.  Up until the 'whale' section the audio is quite simply 'as new'.  The 'whale' piece then plays very clearly and with only light static here and there, nothing intrusive.  You always expect some 'background' during this quiet section but the clarity here is very impressive.  As you exit this section there are some light dust ticks but again this is just another example of how honestly I grade - I will always mention anything I hear however minor, and believe me it is minor!  As the music builds the clarity and strength of the audio is absolutely breathtaking, 100% superb!  There is then no distortion on the jangling guitar section which is a real rarity!  The crescendo to the final section is Mint and the vocal that follows is on a par with this.  The audio here is of a superlative standard, I have never heard better.  Of course there is still a fair bit of 'instrumental' to go and I can safely say it plays as Mint the clarity and sonic quality could not be any better.  The extended fade out plays perfectly with stunning precision - wow!  An incredible end to this classic.

In summary this early pressing plays to a 'high end' standard aside from one click and a modicum of light static.  What sets the HTM cuts apart from others is the sonic quality of the audio and also the depth.  They seem to play with greater 'volume' and as I say this helps with the clarity when you have a beautifully well preserved vinyl like this one.  The gatefold is also very clean and this would add to any collection.

The Gatefold

Despite being a later pressing this G&L cover is still fully textured albeit not as heavily textured as the first pressings.  It is in lovely condition with very little shelf wear.  The spine, which is so often badly worn, is fully intact here with only a couple of minor rubs and remains 100% legible.  The edges are also very clean and only the top edges have a very small amount of rubbing.  The corners are impressive with only the top right ones having a little creasing/rubbing.  The opening edge has no handling wear providing further evidence that the record has been hardly played.  The front and back cover are in pristine condition and the same can almost be said for the inside of the gatefold.  There is only one very faint mark but for a predominantly 'white' inside it is in fantastic condition.  Overall this is a lovely example of this gatefold and you won't find many better.

Inner sleeve

The plain white die-cut 'Important Notice' inner just has one very small side split and very little creasing.

The labels

The yellow/green Harvest labels are practically 'as new' with no marking/writing and barely any spindle wear.

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

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

SHVL 795 // A - 7 / B - 6 // OO 2 / LD 2 - HTM etched on both sides

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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