PINK FLOYD Saucerful…Rare Orig 68 UK stereo

	£		132
	$		175

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: A Saucerful of Secrets

Cat Number: SCX 6258 Stereo.

Label and Condition: Columbia Black, turquoise logos and silver text. The Gramophone Co Ltd, Made in Gt Britain and Sold in UK etc all on the labels. (Please see label scans for all information needed). Beautiful clean examples that show only light+ spindle traces, nothing heavy or deep. Side two has the embossed tax codes near the centre hole, these are KTJ. They still stand proud, the K is slight less so. All three still are black indicating to me this record has only been lightly played. These fragile tax codes with the thin delicate letters are the first things to show any wear on the labels with the ink being easily removed and the letters becoming worn and eventually fading away altogether on excessively played records. These two labels look simply gorgeous.

Country of Manufacture: Gt Britain

Rarity: Fast becoming a rare item now, even stereo copies are in as much demand as mono versions and just as hard to find as originals. Along with Piper, this stunning Columbia rarity is one of the most desirable and coveted Pink Floyd albums.

Original Year of Release: 1968

Matrix Nos: YAX 3633-1 and YAX 3634-1. The tiny pressing numbers are 1 (DG) and 1 (O), this looks like a very early pressing.

Genre Type: Progressive/Psych/Rock (the back cover states on the top right flipback, File under POPULAR : Pop Groups) mmmmmm

Brief Artist & Album Info: Pink Floyd’s follow up to the groundbreaking Piper at the Gates of Dawn a classic in its own right. Saucerful for me is even better - many PF fans will beg to differ on this view. It features two of the band’s finest songs being the title track and the astonishing classic ‘Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun’ with one of most haunting keyboard lines ever recorded - this is classic space psych that was rarely equalled. The Floyd were wierd in those early days, too wierd maybe for the US listeners - it failed to even chart there - it made only Number 9 in the UK. It was the last PF album to feature the legendary founder member Syd Barrett, but only includes one of his songs, the magnificent ‘Jugband Blues’. Unable to cope with the pressures of success and excess and inconsistent live performances, he was replaced by Dave Gilmour and this band remained together for many years. Hearing this album live in 1967 must have been quite an experience. Nobody else was doing music quite like this and this album nostalgically is up there with the very best, keeping alive those heady days of experimental music and substances. Play-grading this vintage gem and glorious copy was total thrill, I have to confess this is my first experience of hearing Saucerful as an original. The sound is astonishing: quite brilliant in fact and superior to any other versions I have heard. The detail and production embedded in these vintage grooves took me aback - okay not up the sublime heights say of Dark Side of the Moon but this one clearly shows the difference between a clean original compared to thinly pressed and inferior later pressings. This is a beautiful item - one for the connoisseur. How often do clean copies of this appear now? This copy all round will please most collectors I feel sure. As stated earlier, even the stereo copies have all but disappeared now, and this particular album is wonderful in stereo - please read the section on mono vs stereo below.

Cover Condition and Details: EX++, laminated front, three massive flipbacks on back. Design and photos by Hipgnosis. Printed and made by Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd. Patents pending. A super cover fully justifying this high grade at least because for sure I have seen a few shocking examples of this and these types offered over the years (and still fetching top prices). Featuring the beautiful psych artwork on the front and the equally artistic b/w collage on the back, this still for me ranks as one the classic 60s rock covers. Finding one that still looks this good is a monumental bonus - its not quite perfect, but try finding a better example easily. Any wear is very light and its true freshness is still very apparent - dont forget this was issued in 1968!

Cover Lamination: Very clean and retains a deep shine. No peeling or dry areas - all is still very solid and attractive. A couple of tiny light scuff traces near the left spine edge if being critical, but these hardly show atop the very deep rich colour ink that lies below. No nasty indentations and only light surface traces again only visible under angled light. This is lovely 60s laminate that would be hard to find better.

Cover Front: Really beautiful and unworn. Gorgeous rich colour artwork that makes this really attractive. A couple of fairly light creases near the right top that show little with normal viewing. These two light creases/tiny light scuffs infact are just about the only ‘wear’ on this sensational cover - now does this not tell you how nice this one is?

Cover Back: Truly magnificent, being black and white (mainly black) and unprotected you will not find this better. There is no rubbing or ringwear, the black ink is still rich black, not faded or rubbed - this is remarkable and too good for words. The three huge delicate flipbacks have nothing more than the odd light crease, most being the faint hairline types. All are still securely stuck down and unlifted or freyed, even the rounded edges are neat, almost pristine. The end laminate lines are clean and neat too. No creasing (odd hairline maybe) to the main back which is super clean too and unmarked. Realistically I cannot imagine seeing this cover back much better.

Cover Edges/Corners: Top: unworn. Bottom: unworn. Record entry edge (right): quite neat with only a hint of minor feathering. Spine: Solid and square and unworn, all text is pristine under the uncracked laminate - spine text is ‘Pinkfloyd’. Corners: All four show just tiny wear and are still nicely shaped, couple have white tips, but still look fine. Summary: A top all round example of this scarce original 60’s cover, one that would prove hard to find much better. This super item should please most collectors.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EX+, clean and shiny and pressed on very heavy vinyl. Nothing worse than light surface marks, mostly the very tiny light ones only seen under bright angled light simply caused by removing from a non-lined inner, may he odd fine hairline too. These are all superficial and produce no sound, little stands out. A wonderful record, some 35 years old now, these types when found are rarely even found this clean. Even by the late 60s when mono records were still very much available, many stereo records were still often played on poor decks, this visually appears little played, the clean record and labels more than emphasise this.

Sound Quality A superb record with wonderful rich sound - but far the best and only way to hear this album for the purist. As good as the latest Japanese CD versions are, they still lack the detail and quality sound produced by this record. Any 60s recording will be superior via its original format even if there is the odd light tick or sound. Luckily this has few of those, the audio quality is wonderful. No distortion or sound degrading at all, this copy has clearly been well looked after with modest use. The stereo imagery, giving that essential psych feel is almost breathtaking, a fine production by Norman Smith. Watching a PF album spinning on your deck with that classic Columbia logo in full view almost sends a shiver down the spine alone - and that’s before the music even starts.

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, but classic early stereo versions are catching up fast. 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 thery are truly getting vary rare and precious - beware - demand only play-graded records.

Track Listing:Let there be more light; Remember a day; Set the controls for the heart of the sun; Corporal Clegg; A saucerful of secrets; See-Saw; Jugband blues.

Album Played For Grading: Yes.

Final Summary: For sure one of the scarcest items I have yet offered via Ebay. A lovely item to own by one of the most famous and collectable UK bands of all time. Make no mistake early PF are scarce, they were not selling in huge numbers like the Harvest era material. A true vintage copy of this one in this condition will not show up often - just holding this copy gives pleasure. I can make no apology again for my minimum selling price for this gem - it again cost me plenty, but on the rare occasion they do become available they have to be grabbed - and fast - you get no second chances with these, they are in huge demand and available copies almost extinct.I feel sure this hugely important album, an embyro in the development of PF, will please even the serious vinyl collectors out there, maybe the connoisseur too who demand only close to the very best. Lie back and enjoy this one and ‘Remember a Day’... – 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 detinations - 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 intesting 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.