PINK FLOYD Obscured by Clouds Orig with STICKERED COVER

	£		39
	$		52

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Artist or Band: PINK FLOYD

Album Title: Obscured By Clouds.

Producer(s): Pink Floyd.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Obscured by Clouds; When You’re In; Burning Bridges; The Gold it’s in the...; Wot’s... uh the Deal; Mudmen.

Side 2: Childhood’s End; Free Four; Stay; Absolutely Curtains.

Label/Format: Harvest – Early pressed example that still includes ‘The Gramophone Company Limited’ text next to the album title.

Label Conditions: Clean and attractive with only very light and faint spindle traces and no wear around the hole.

Cat Number: SHSP 4020.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Warps: Assume all records I offer have no warping of any significance and all tracking is easy and effortless and should play on all turntables and even ‘budget’ decks.

Weight of this Record: 138 grams. Much thicker and heavier than the EMI boxed examples. [These days, many modern Audiophile reissues are pressed on super-heavyweight 180 gram vinyl. Only a small percentage of ‘vintage vinyl’ was ever pressed this heavy. Records pressed in the 1960s averaged around 140 to 150 grams. Records pressed in the 1970s were usually lighter and averaged more around 115 – 125 grams. Some records pressed around 1973 were very thin and light due an oil crisis and shortage around this time. Some records were even issued on recycled vinyl from this period and sounded poor with crackle and surface noise evident from the very first play. If any record I buy is deemed ‘recycled’, I will never offer it, I have a very simple test to detect these records if I suspect this to be the case other than audible imperfection. Some records from this period were even pressed on other materials the most notable was ‘Dynaflex’, used by RCA around this time. Although inferior to vinyl, this at least mostly sounded reasonably acceptable but pressings on this material were wafer thin and flimsy. Beyond the 70s, records often became thinner and lighter still but most played fine but were never quite the quality as from the ‘Golden Era’]. (This was based on ‘average’ weights for 20 records from these eras. Later pressings were usually lighter still).

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Much rarer with the Grammophone text and especially with the promotional front cover sticker. This early cover is much-sort after by discerning Floyd collectors. Also included is the original Harvest promotional inner sleeve.

Original Year of Release: 1972

Matrix Nos: SHSP 4020 A-2 / SHSP 4020 B-2.

Stamper Codes: 1 (three dots) / 2 RD

The Band: David Gilmour – Guitar, vocals; Roger Waters – Bass, vocals; Rick Wright – Keyboards; Nick Mason – Drums, percussion.

Brief Info: Pink Floyd’s seventh album and one of their very best. This was music from the motion picture ‘La Vallée as the original cover sticker promotes. This itself is quite rare and only a tiny percentage of cover ever included it briefly. Including both vocal and instrumental tracks, all new and band written, this could just as easy be a Pink Floyd album with no reference to film music, there are NO dull filler tracks and Rick Wright’s haunting keyboards are still utilised fully. I still consider this to be a somewhat underrated album, but most Floyd fans love it.

Cover Grade and Format: EX++. It has the rounded corners, unlaminated of course with mildly ‘rustic’ textured surfaces. It was printed and made in England by Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd and was designed by Hipgnosis. It includes the rare and prized original promotional sticker (please see this in close-up).

Cover Front: A beautiful example with little to fault at all. Clean, fresh with minimal traces of creasing, scuffs or noteworthy rubbing. This can be somewhat ringwear prone too as this was made with fairly thin card, it has also avoided any sticker removal marks or damage. All the rounded corners are neat and show barely any wear. The odd faint surface mark if scrutinised under light. The rare sticker is immaculate and clearly never removed or tampered with in any way. This very early example front will prove near impossible to find better.

Cover Back: Practically the same again, just the odd light trace of edge rubbing just visible.

Top Edge: Very light patchy rub traces.

Bottom Edge: Light patchy rubbing.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp, no feathering. Record entered on this right edge.

Spine and Text: Solid, straight with barely any compression. A little light rubbing on the fragile tapered ends and slight rubbing to the word ‘Clouds’, but all other text is unworn.

Corners: These round corners again are not easy to find with perfect shape with no fraying. These have minimal traces of rubbing or burring and retain strong, neat definition.

Cover Summary: A very attractive original stickered example of this delicate 70’s cover, one that will prove difficult to find much better. This attractive item should please most collectors but not quite the perfectionists. However the stickered versions are at a premium and are far, far harder to find.

The Inner: This copy includes the original Harvest promotional inner that only came with the earliest pressings. This is a beauty and it well worthy of a Mint(-) grading. The original owner however did put the title and band on the top right which I personally think adds to this inner not diminish. It proves beyond doubt it’s the one that came with this album and not one that has been swapped over for a better one, a practice I prefer to avoid if at all possible. This retains its polylining and is clean and uncreased with all edges unsplit or torn. The bottom corners are vented in manufacture and there is just mild traces of glue darkening on the seams that few ever avoid.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EX+ at least with just a tiny few ultra fine and light surface trace marks just visible under light. A very fine visual copy that is super clean, shiny, intense black and very solidly pressed with above average weight for this title. A couple of small ‘shiny’ area can be seen when rotating on the deck, these are production blemishes as they are in the same position on both sides. They have NO effect on sound at all and could not even be seen until light catches on rotation. A copy modestly played on all the evidence and with very fine sound. Visually a super record that will please many collectors.

Album Played For Grading: Yes. [I play ALL records I offer before submitting to Ebay, also the record is played in its entirety unless clearly stated otherwise. I do NOT play snippetts or joining grooves to check for sound quality and quietness – I play from the beginning to end via clinically revealing B&W speakers that include the legendary tweeter from their awesome Nautilus range that reveals every blemish or miniscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This early-pressed example plays up to its high visual grading and most all above with very little to fault. This has totally distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is astonishing with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound – a typically Floyd hi-fi recording that will sound stunning on any worthy equipment. Any surface sounds are minimal, often this album has significant crackle especially on the quiet passages but this had little. Just a little low-level traces were just noted on the odd quiet passage but few will ever play dead silent. No significant pops or clicks were noted. Few examples will outperform this quality, early pressing significantly I feel sure. Practically nothing really spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful album. This copy will prove difficult to find significantly better and again can be warmly recommended.

Now one of the most established sellers on Ebay and still offering the finest and most accurately described and graded records I can find. I pride myself on offering a variety of genres to keep my site as interesting as possible. I will rarely offer any record that falls below a true Excellent grading, unless its of a certain rarity which will justify offering a lesser grade. I try, to the best of my ability to describe as accurately and as honesty as I can all items I offer for sale with all the relevant information I can think of to help any potential bidder and collector. You may notice I only submit records sparingly on Ebay - on average ONEADAY, a couple more at weekends if time permits, hence the name - time rarely allows for more as I Play-Grade virtually every record I offer in their entirety, not just bits to guess a grade - visuals alone do not always tell a true or full story. I will mention any defects or flaws no matter how small that I notice to be fair as possible to any interested collector – I am very fussy and my buyers have the right to be too. Every record I offer, whether it be a common or rare item deserves the same respect as far as I am concerned and will be treated the same - just because an item is rare does not always mean its good. I get just as much pleasure offering a relatively common record in stunning near mint condition as the real rare items. All the pictures I use for your guidance are taken with a digital camera or scanned - they are NOT improved, cleaned-up or made better looking than they are with camera trickery or enhancing with digital programmes. What you see is what you get and scanned labels will give a more accurate representation of the genuine colour than flash photography where light is variable. I cannot guarantee total accuracy for colours however but most will be very close. If any picture I take looks more flattering than the actual item for any reason, I will clearly state the fact in the advert and vice-versa. I hope the item below is to your liking - any questions can be emailed and I will do my very best to answer you. I am enthusiastic, and have a fair degree of knowledge about many genres and I promise quality items - bid with confidence - excellence comes as standard and so does Near Mint regularly. Please assume all records I offer have NO jumps, sticks, warps or writing on covers or labels unless clearly stated to the contrary. Thanks for your interest and Good luck – MIKE.

Deck: Linn LP12 with Ittok Mk IV arm and Ortofon Samba Moving Coil cartridge (tracks at 1.8 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional Moth vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too.

First-time, zero-rated bidders, who do not ask permission to bid, will be cancelled immediately and blocked – NO exceptions. For winning bidders who I consider excessively slow to make contact or submit payment, I will use my right to block future bids. If any bidder who wins in the final seconds is present to do so, surely they can at least email me to inform of intention and payment method? If swift or promp payment is a problem, please do not bid.

POSTING & PACKING: What You Get: To confirm to the strict Ebay rules on shipping, I must now send ALL my packets ‘Signed-For’ with NO exceptions. Both buyers and sellers want their packets to have a safer journey and this is not a bad thing.

I now offer the fastest possible posting, mostly the very next day after payment is received or within three days maximum (unless on holiday). All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT mailers) with the record(s) REMOVED from their main cover to avoid edge splits and placed within a brand new polylined inner. The record’s original inner will be included if available. The boxes are then reinforced with TWO VERY THICK stiffners for even extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will even be Double Boxed. The cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW heavy duty soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my Moth Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. Printed address labels are used for clarity as well as a sender label. You will NOT get tired, dull looking, dust infested records inside worn and foggy covers with tatty inners from this seller and that’s a promise and guarantee. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if at all possible but ‘Signed-For’ posting is NOT an option anymore. I do not profit on posting and offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 5,000+ items sold in over 8 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FOUR records per packet. I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included in the advert.

NOTE: First Time Bidders: I will cancel ALL first-time bidders with no feedbacks or excessive negatives who do not ask me if its OK to bid first – NO EXCEPTIONS.

Please Note: I will now offer any item to the runner-up after the mandatory Ebay 3 days if no contact is made by the winning bidder unless prior notice of any delay is given beforehand. The same applies if no payment is received within the mandatory 7 days so any bidder who has just lost out can still email me to reserve the item as priority second chance – it’s always worth asking.

SHIPPING COSTS & CONDITIONS – THESE comply with EBAY’S RULES - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY:

Posting & Packing: UK & CHANNEL ISLANDS all now sent via Recorded Delivery:

1 LP (First Class Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500).

Posting & Packing: ALL EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA including RUSSIA and nearby countries. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £8. (insurance optional extra £3).

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (any part); Australia; Canada; Japan and other Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £12. (insurance optional extra £3)

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders or direct payment into my bank account.

Potential Bidders: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are timewasters. A maximum 3 days for communication and 7 days for payment to arrive - if not I will relist the item or offer to the runner-up. Fast deals get great feedback from me. Any questions - please ask and thanks for looking.

My Guarantee: If any winning bidder is not satisfied with their purchase I will offer a complete refund minus the Posting and All Ebay costs as long as the item detail has been read and understood. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help.

SOME GENERAL GUIDES TO WEAR AND CONDITIONS TO HELP YOU DECIDE

My Use of Description Terminology: Surface Marks = Superficial, usually light marks, hairlines or light scuffs that rarely sound. Scratch = a needle mark that goes below the record’s surface, some will sound, some will not, my play-grade will inform. Original = a record that has been pressed with the first label design which does NOT neccessarily mean a very first pressed record. First Pressing = A record that I believe or know to be a genuine very first pressed record. I do not claim to always know for sure, and that’s why I state the stamper and matrix numbers if at all possible, for those who claim to know what they all mean, the information is there for the collector to decide. I prefer to use terms like ‘Early Copy’ rather than ‘First Pressing’ if I am not totally sure. Surface Sound = Mild, light sound, usually light crackle or similar. Distortion = Break up of the actual sound caused by groove wear or damage from a chipped stylus – the most undesirable form of unwanted sound, vintage mono records were the most prone to this happening but not exclusively so. The symptoms of distortion are high frequency clipping, moderate constant crackle or an echo type sound quality. Violin, piano and vocals are most prone to groove-wear distortion. Feathering = Fraying or softening of the entry edge of a cover. Covers with feathered entrance edges are more likely to have had the actual record inserted and removed more than a non-feathered, sharp-edged cover which are always far more attractive. Set Off, actually a printer’s term for dark ink leaving mild residue on pale or white ink when rested upon. e.g. when a gatefold cover has black ink closed against white, this can leave some black residue on the pale area – this is mostly unavoidable or course.

The Argument for Vinyl Original sound and mix (mono mixes are rarely available on CD), high quality sound on clean copies (played on a hi-end dedicated analogue system – breathtaking sound!), beautiful, large format covers, artwork, inserts and even full size posters etc; huge investment potential, and the pleasure of owning ‘the real thing’.