PINK FLOYD Animals A-2U/B-2U Contract PRESS Ex COVER & Superb EX+/NM- AUDIO
£
102
$
135
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Description
I will declare a lower amount on the customs form for all countries so as to avoid/decrease high import charges. However, in the case of the EU all purchases are subject to VAT which eBay collect at point of sale. No shipping to Russia currently.
Pink Floyd : Animals A-2U / B-2U Contract Press
This Orlake pressing plays to a very high standard with only minimal background. There are no clicks or pops and perhaps a grade of just Ex+ is a little harsh for S1 because the vast majority does plays with genuine quality. There is only minimal static in a couple of sections and a small number of light statics. Rarely for this LP S2 is even better and that might have something to do with Orlake Records pressing this one. The clarity of sound is superb on this side and it has very little background.
The G & L cover is so often affected by surface rub etc but this one is the cleanest one I have seen in quite a long time. The only obvious wear is some creasing in the bottom right corner which you can see on the back cover also. The lyric inner is exceptionally clean but does have two side splits.
This record has the second deep groove on the labels which denotes it as contracted Orlake pressing. The A-2U / B-2U pressing is the first press matrix but as its produced by Orlake Records is it still a first pressing? I'm not sure - Discogs says it's a second issue but was pressed at the same time as the EMI ones.
SHVL 815 // A-2U 4 --- B-2U 9
The audio on S1 is Ex+ (but with many Near Mint sections)
The audio on S2 is Near Mint-
The G & L cover is Ex
The lyric inner is VG+
The labels are Mint- / Near Mint
Visual description
The vinyl is in excellent condition and still has a strong glossy look with no marks or scratches. Under a bright light I can only see a few faint hairlines on S1 and even less on S2. There is no groove or surface wear and the run out grooves are very clean also. The labels are near perfect with only a couple of spindle traces on S2.
Play grading
The acoustic intro on 'Pigs On The Wing 1' plays very clearly with only a handful of very quiet static 'moments' and this continues into the first vocal for a few seconds also. Believe me though it is very very quiet! The rest of the vocal plays with superb clarity so overall I will grade this track as Ex+ although the majority of the vocal section is perfect.
The intro on 'Dogs' is close to perfect with only a couple of minor statics and the opening two verses plays with exceptional clarity and warmth. Gilmour's first solo is flawless and the third verse has no background either. The next instrumental is stunning and again there is nothing to detract from the audio not even a solitary dust tick. The following quieter section (with the dogs in the background!) has only a couple of barely audible statics and Gilmour's next solo section is 'as new'. This Orlake pressing is certainly very strong sonically, the definition and resonance of the audio is very impressive. The fourth verse has only a couple of minor statics and the repeated 'Stone...' instrumental plays with superb clarity for the vast majority, there are only a few quiet static sounds once per revolution in the middle. The next verse has some light statics but they are hardly intrusive and the final verse has no interference. It continues in a similar fashion through the next instrumental and then the final Who was... vocal plays very clearly with only a minimal amount of the inner groove distortion that you always find, it is unavoidable because it's always there on every first / early pressings! It's still a clean and powerful finish. Again an overall grade of Ex+ is fair but as I often say many sections are stronger than that.
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The intro on 'Pigs (three Different Ones)' plays very clearly with only minimal light static and one light dull tick. Waters' opening vocal section is superb with no intrusion and the second is close to that with only a couple of minor statics. The instrumental then plays with stunning clarity and depth, it has to be one of the cleanest I have ever heard. It builds with impeccable quality and I have to say I've never heard the pig 'snorts' before! That's a measure of the clarity here. The quieter section that follows has only a little static and one light static tick and the third and final verse plays with great clarity once again as does the closing instrumental with Gilmour in full flow as usual, superb sound. A perfect fade out also. This time I'm going to say Near Mint- is deserved here.
The segue into 'Sheep' is so clean with only a handful of very quiet statics and then the intro plays with sublime clarity, there is no intrusive background - hardly any background! The first verse is faultless, the clarity and power is 'as new', and the second verse is just as impressive. The first section of the following instrumental is relatively quiet and the audio is so clean and clinical. The louder section is stunning and the next quieter passage again plays with exceptional clarity - a genuine rarity! The Lord is my shepherd... 'vocal' has just one tick and the following 'powerful' vocal / end instrumental has no interference and only a minimal amount of inner groove distortion. The long fade out plays perfectly. Another Near Mint- track in my opinion.
The 'sheep' segue into 'Pigs On The Wing (Part Two)' for once plays with stunning clarity and the vocal is of the same high end standard. There is perhaps just a hint of vocal distortion but it's so so minimal and one light tick on the fade out so yep I will say Near Mint- again.
The Gatefold & Lyric Inner
The G & L cover is in excellent condition with only a little wear. The edges have minimal rubbing and the spine is still as wide as ever with no real wear, just a couple of rub 'spots' on the corners. Only the bottom right hand corners have slight wear and the opening edge is pristine. The front cover is extremely clean and we all know how rare that is! It has none of the fading / surface around the edges and all you can see is a few tiny white specks by the bottom edge and some light creasing in the bottom right corner. The back cover is similar but with a more obvious crease 'mark' in the lower left corner. The inside of the gatefold is unmarked but again you can see a little creasing in the bottom two corners. Overall though this is a fine example of this iconic.
The lyric inner is in very good condition but with two splits albeit clean ones. Rarely it has no bottom edge split! There is just one tiny rub here. It's a shame about the side splits because what is very noticeable is how clean and crease free it is and at first glance it looks superb! The top edge and thumb notch is perfect.
SHVL 815 // A-2U 4 --- B-2U 9
Play tested on my Rega P2 with Rega Carbon Cart / Denon PMA-520AE Amp / B&W 684 Speakers
This record has been professionally cleaned on my Pro-Ject VC-S machine
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
I will only send items items worldwide via tracked shipping. This provides 'peace of mind' in case of loss or damage. The shipping costs are shown below and combined shipping is always offered. Any over-payment will always be refunded.
The Royal Mail only insure up to a value of £250 so if an item sells for more it may be wise to use a courier service (e.g. Parcelforce or DPD). An extra insurance premium will be required but I will not know the exact amount until the final sale price is known. Because of this I will sometimes have to estimate the cost and this will be shown in the listing. Please wait for the invoice before making payment and if you have any questions please feel free to ask. Many thanks.
All vinyls are packaged in strong over-sized custom made mailers with plenty of extra cardboard protection. They are placed inside separate poly-lined inners outside the cover so as to avoid seam splits in transit and then placed inside a PVC sleeve to provide even more protection. I pride myself on my high quality packaging as my feed confirms and if any customer has any specific requirements I am more than happy to help.
The mailers I use cost £1.00 each and I will use anything between 3-5 cardboard stiffeners which cost approx £0.18 each. There is also the cost of the poly-lined inner and PVC sleeve to consider, it all adds up! Not forgetting that eBay take 10% of the shipping fee also!!
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