PINK FLOYD Piper Orig UK Blue Columbia Mono

	£		344
	$		456

Hi, I am Mike, I have been a music collector for over 30 years now. I always still try to offer 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 interested collector. You may notice I only submit one or two items a day for Ebay; time rarely allows more as I Play-Grade every record I offer (on a Rega 3 deck with Ortofon cartridge) - 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. 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. A ten pounds record that plays close to new is as important to the collector as a 250 pound record that plays less well. 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. I hope the item below is to your liking - any questions can be emailed and I will do my very best to answer you. Good luck.

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. 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. Item wants are always welcome - email me with anything needed, you never know - I may just have a copy in stock

Please read all the information carefully - these adverts take an age to compile properly - so it’s well worth a few minutes of your time to read the details thoroughly. I really cannot take any responsibility if any bidder fails to read any facts that are clearly stated in the advert.

Artist or Band: PINK FLOYD

Album Title: The Piper at the Gates of Dawn

Cat Number: SX 6157 Mono.

Label and Condition: Columbia original turquoise on black with silver text. Supreme examples of this most famous label and on a copy of this album they take even a higher significance. These would rank as the cleanest I have seen on this Floyd masterpiece and maybe even on any Columbia original record. Both are clean and have virtually no wear, spindle traces on side one are light+ and side two around moderate. These spindle traces are traces, not deep marks caused by a sharp spindle or heavy handling. They are the type that dont even show unless held to angled light. Side one has the KT embossed tax codes, these too are fresh and unflattened and still retain virtually all the original ink. This wears off easily and chip, even a few plays can make these become white and eventually erode. Both the K and T still stand proud and are very distinctive and unworn. There is just a tiny white on the base of the K at the very bottom about the size of a pin-prick. It may just show on the scan on a hi-resolution computer monitor. Wear around the centre hole, always very pronounced on this label with its matt black finish is almost non-existent and the record has a firm grip round my Rega spindle. This fine record, I know for certain has not been played for years, it came from a collector of fine quality and its been lovingly treated and stored. These labels are astonishingly clean and that is no mean find for a mono Piper (Please see labels for all the information needed, have you seen these better on this album?).

Country of Manufacture: Gt Britain.

Rarity: Rare, make no mistake about it, this is a very desirable early Pink Floyd mono album and its importance cannot be overstated. Any copy that approaches EX or better will be very special indeed. It did actually chart in the UK and peaked briefly at 6. In the US it made only round 135 and that has to be considered disappointing. Trashed copies do show up more, unfortunately there is always more of these around than fine copies that look and sound nice. (Please take another look at the cover and label pictures, they do not lie - compare against others you may have seen).

Original Year of Release: 1967

Matrix Nos: XAX 3419 -2 and XAX 3420 -1. The tiny pressing codes are 1M and 1G, these are sharp and distinct and I believe a 1G is as low as they get, this may indeed be a very first pressing.

Genre Type: Classic Psych/Rock

Brief Artist & Album Info: Without any doubt one of the most important and desirable mono albums to own, the sound is unique and its importance cannot be overstated. The mix and sound is incredible and very different to the stereo version. First press copies of this are now virtually extinct and finding any copy at all now is very difficult, finding one in EX condition or better is almost impossible. Most top copies of this one are locked away in valuable collections, many overseas never to be seen again in the UK. Before submitting this advert to the Net, I did a direct comparison of this album with the new Japanese stereo CD version, and although the CD sounds fine, it lacks the fine detail of this record, very noticeable on the very opening song, ‘Astronomy Dominé’, with the dialogue of the opening seconds only but a blurr on the CD whereas on the record its bold and more defined and far, far clearer. And this is pretty much the difference throughout, the record simply has more detail and sounds, just the way Norman Smith and band wanted it too. More details further down on the actual real condition and audio quality.

During the spring of 1967, while The Beatles were at Abbey Road finishing Sgt Pepper, Pink Floyd were upstairs recording an album that would have a similarly immeasurable effect on the development of psychedelic rock. Its name taken from the classic children’s book The Wind in the Willows (one of Syd Barrett’s favourite books), Piper at The Gates of Dawn was a child’s garden of acid, an album-length exposition on the effects of LSD on a troubled mind. One of the first ‘head’ albums, it was rumoured that the tracks contained sounds - conversations, even - that one could only hear while tripping. - This for sure is as essential an album as any to own: in mono its priceless and rare. Just holding the vintage cover alone give pleasure and that’s before you even hear the sensational record.

Cover Condition and Details: EX+++, its a single format, three massive flipbacks, file under popular pop groups on back, Printed and made by Ernest J. Day & Co Ltd, London (beware of later covers being offered as originals). The record comes in its original Emitex lined inner which is in very fine shape, its one of the heaviest and cleanest I’ve seen for a record like this. A neat split on the bottom edge which is hardly surprising really, this record is heavy. The greatest of all Psych covers, for me even greater than Sgt Pepper, I always prefer underground music to pop, taking nothing away from the Fab Four. This is a stunner and I was very tempted to put a Mint(-) on this (I feel sure many would), because in real terms I feel an available original in better condition will not be likely to show. This is astonishing and has a beauty you will not want to take your eyes off. Guaranteed no trimming or clever repairs.

Cover Lamination: Superb! this has a mirror-like shine and no peeling or dry areas. A few light, small creases that show little, no indentations and even surface marks are almost nil and no dull areas either. This is astonishingly fresh and minus the small creases would never be found better.

Cover Front: Attractive with deep rich colour, guaranteed untrimmed, the laminate ends a fraction short of the entry edge (right) but even this has survived the years well and looks real neat and clean. This has just so clean and beautiful with next to no wear, there is just a tiny chip on the bottom edge near the centre that just about shows on the front, this is real tiny and is the only real damage to this stunning cover.

Cover Back: This is remarkable, I really never, ever thought I would see an original EJD printed Piper back in this condition, its almost wear-free! The printed card inside the flipback frame is mint, nothing less. This is unrubbed, clean and has not even a hint of any ringwear whatsoever. This one has ‘This mono record has been produced... etc on the backs bottom right side. The three massive flipbacks are pure class too: no lifting or fraying and even more remarkably, crease-free. No dirty end-of-laminate lines either, just the bottom one has a small mark on the very edge tip (how minor can you get?). This back cover is pure connoisseur and serious collector territory and it will never be bettered easily.

Cover Edges/Corners: Top: unworn. Bottom: unworn. Record entry edge (right): virtually unworn, clean and sharp. Spine: Solid and square and unworn, all text is pristine under tight, uncracked laminate. Corners: All four show hardly any wear at all and are still nicely shaped, tiny crease on bottom left and I mean tiny. Summary: A magnificent cover with stunning psych band picture, if you find one better, well lucky you.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EX+, this gorgeous looking record is super clean and shiny, pressed on heavy vinyl and jet black. A copy that visually will blow away most mono copies of this (and probably most of this type). Just think of the abuse and crude equipment this could have been subjected too, well this copy has only been modestly played on all the evidence - to put this into perspective, please read my paragraph on mono vs stereo below.

Sound Quality: So how does this play? Well this plays close to its visual grading, even a mint looking mono record can catch out any buyer. Distortion and groove damage does not show visually - it simply has to be play-graded. The sound mix and quality is astonishing, it took me aback. This does have a few minor surface sounds in the odd place, but most tracks play without any, and if any is there, most is lost in the very loud mix. Side one plays very well indeed and side two, from memory, plays almost perfectly with breathtaking sound quality. This record retains fine dynamic sound and bags of detail. It does not jump or stick, pop or click, and this will last another 30 years if it’s cared for like it has been up to now. The sounds embedded in these priceless vintage grooves are still mightly impressive - when play-grading the music just took over - what landmark achievement this album is. This record plays with minimal distortion and any clipping to the hugely fragile high frequencies is as mild as it gets and is largely absent - remember this record was not really designed to be played on a modern, high-end stereo decks, and its a testament to its longevity and good care it can still produce such stunning fidelity on such a revealing deck. Syd sings about the planets as he passed them (Jupiter and Saturn) and their moons (Oberon, Miranda, Neptune, Titan - stars are frightening). This is a psych masterwork, listen out too for the final sounds on the end of ‘Bike’ these play with astonishing clarity and seem to have an extra oomph and extra sound that is lacking in all other mixes. The mono clarity is hugely impressive and easier to appreciate all what’s going on. Sound variation is scattered althrough this mix and of course both stereo and mono versions are essential for the real Floyd fan. As good as the Japanese CDs are, recently issued, nothing compares to the sound mix of this record - and its graded around EX minimum to Mint(-) for audio playback - most is nearer the middle to higher end. I feel this will please most collectors - even the connoisseur collector should think about this one, its not quite perfect, but let’s be realistic, will a better available copy show up. This is how this gem should be heard and nothing comes close, if clinical clarity with zero tolerance to any sound is wanted - stick to the small silver disc format, but for sure this record is a phenomenal experience.

Mono vs Stereo: Always a matter of opinion. For any serious collector where there is a choice e.g. Beatles, Stones, Hendrix etc. both are essential. True Stereo albums give great imagery and presence whereas mono albums usually are more dynamic, louder and present the detail more clearly. Mono albums are far harder to find in genuinely top playing condition. Most were heavily played, particularly the truly great bands and artists, often covered in mark and scratches, many severe and labels that were a mass of spindle marks. The majority were played on vintage and unsubtle decks with heavy tonearms and thick styli (often sapphire, not diamond, that chipped more easily) that rendered heavy wear in a very short time to many a fine classic record. Wear to the delicate groove walls, particularly the innermost tracks to the labels were most vulnerable where the tracking angle became more severe and the backdrag actually stripped the delicate groove walls. This resulted in surface noise and mild/moderate distortion or worse. These old decks tracked by sheer weight and little of any refined engineering. Next time you see such a deck at a local record fayre, feel the weight of the arm, it almost makes you wonder how any records survived at all. The point of this paragraph is emphasise that when a truly clean, lightly played and great sounding 60s mono album (or stereo come to that) is offered, treasure it, because for sure they are truly getting vary rare and precious - beware - demand only play-graded records.

Track Listing:Astronomy dominé; Lucifer Sam; Matilda mother; Flaming; Pow R. Toc H. Take up thy stethoscope and walk; Intersellar overdrive; The Gnome; Chapter 24; The Scarecrow; Bike.

Album Played For Grading: Yes.

Final Summary: Masterpiece and essential are often overused words (maybe I overuse them myself sometimes), but for this one they are truly justified. This landmark groundbreaking classic remains an ellusive item for many, well here is chance to own a strong all round copy. Its a copy modestly played, and plays well above the average. I would guess near mint copies will exist (maybe), even be offered rarely, but the prices would mean a second mortgage from many dealers and a king’s random could be expected. I am fussy, and I enjoyed this one immensely (and that’s probably an understatement). This is to be played at high volume and this copy is up to doing just that. The cover is a gem and just holding it gives pleasure - does a CD miniature really compare? (laugh). Copies are not common (never have been), prices are soaring, and this is in investment quality condition - it sure will never depreciate (unless overplayed, poorly stored or mistreated). Stoned or sober, any rock fan will adore this album, and even with some very (VERY) mild sound degrading in odd places, this will still blow you away. – Mike.

Payment Details please read carefully:

Buyer pays: (UK) £2.50 P&P , for first-class delivery with standard £28 insurance. Items that sell over £80 will be sent via Special Delivery as standard at no extra cost which are insured for £250.

Europe: £4. This is covered up to £28 insurance and would be sent 1st-class airmail. A recorded airmail service is now in place for Europe too: this means any item will be fully insured to its true value, No customs sticker is needed for Europe, so this is a worthwhile investment. This costs extra £5, the item is tracked and the item has to be signed for - I will use this service to Europe as standard for very expensive rare items e.g. records over £125 at no extra cost.

USA, Canada, Australia, Japan and other Far Eastern countries etc: £5.50. This is covered up to £28 insurance and would be sent 1st-class airmail. Please note I do not profit on postage (my packing standards are high and the package weighs a little more).

Extra insurance with recorded delivery is available too for non-Europe countries but will cost an extra £5 also, the item will be covered for up to £250 or even £500 insurance for some destinations - customs label prices will be kept low.

I accept cash for payments worldwide in UK Pounds Sterling, Euros or US Dollars - but this at the senders own risk. Please send registered and insured if this method is chosen. I cannot accept responsibility if any cash payments do not turn up. This system is very reliable and rarely goes astray. The same goes for any shipped uninsured item, I can only try to claim for any undelivered or damaged article at basic insurance levels if no enhanced insurance is requested and paid for (unless the value threshold is high enough for me insure as standard, see above) PLEASE NOTE: I will NOT use surface mail, its too slow, with a higher risk of loss and damage.

Overseas bidders please note conversion rates for Pounds to Dollars and Pounds to Euros will be charged at 1.7 to cover PayPal or cash conversion costs.

PLEASE NOTE: Any PayPal user can now pay me with UK Sterling if they wish with no need to convert to US dollars (although they still can if they wish to). Any instant PayPal transaction from anywhere in the world will mean the item will be sent immediately - it makes deals fast and very efficient.

Mailing Details: All records are sent in plastic covers with the record taken out of the sleeve and sent in professional mailers with FOUR stiffners for extra protection (if space allows). More expensive items are also inserted into a de-luxe heavy duty padded bag AS WELL to give that extra protection. I truly want ALL my items to arrive to their destination in the same condition they leave me.

Potential Bidders: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are timewasters. I now only accept PayPal, International money orders or cash from overseas bidders (UK Sterling, US dollars or Euros). Cash, cheques, postal orders and PayPal are fine from the UK. I allow maximum 3 days for communication and 7 days for payment to arrive - if this does not happen I will relist the item and may send negative feedback unless an explanation is given. Fast deals get great feedback from me. Any questions - please ask. Please keep watch on my Ebays, I have other interesting items coming very soon. Thanks for looking.

My Guarantee: As listening to every single record I offer all the way through is difficult timewise, can I make it clear 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. I still endeavour to play all the items in their entirity for grading if at all possible and is usually the case.

Its black and white and has Patents Appied for at the very bottom and Made and Printed in Great Britain. It has at the top in a sans serif type face: Add these outstanding LPs to your collection. Then: 16 pictures on both sides (32 total) which includes top left Both sides of Herman's Hermits across to Mrs mills Come to my Party, bottom left: The shadows greatest hits across to: Here come the misntrels (Black and white minstrels). Other side: at top EMI logo (both sides) followed by 'the greatest recording organisation in the world' (in script typeface) followed by top left: Ken Dodd Hits for now and always across to The Seekers Come the Day, bottom left: The sound of music across to Zoot Money Big Roll Band.

Other bands featured on this advert inner are: Beatles (2), Paul Jones, Singing Postman, Rolf Harris, The Wurzels, Cilla Black, Matt monro, The Yardbirds, Frank Ifield and The Hollies and more.

This inner is close to new apart from the neat split at the bottom as described.

Hope this helps the connoisseur collectors _ Mike.