PINK FLOYD

THE DIVISION BELL

 PINK FLOYD  ''DIVISION BELL'' (ORIGINAL BLACK VINYL)   1st UK CAT NO. 8 28984 1 NEAR MINT 1st ISSUE UK PRINTED WIDE SPINE GATEFOLD!  NEAR MINT VINYL! BARELY PLAYED MORE THAN A HANDFULL OF TIMES LOOKS UNPLAYED IN MY OPINION!

Please note! When this album was released in 1994, the favoured format of the large majority of the music buying public was CD or Cassette with vinyl running a distant last- so the production of the original'Black vinyl' pressing was very limited, and consequently extreemely scarce today especially in this condition! The album has been re released in gimmicky coloured vinyl since, which frankly does not make the grade with audio enthusiasts, and  no substitute will ever compare favourably with the audio quality of the original first pressed vinyls!! Visually it is hard to see a blemish at all on the playing surface and looks as near as pristine in my opinion!! It is important to note that during this period of the mid 1990s that vinyl was deemed to be at the end of its life and was due to be phase out in favour of cd format and the quality of vinyl pressings in general were some what to be desired compared with earlier vinyl pressings, so my point is that it is easy to be critical about the audio on these mid 1990s pressings and allowances must be made for static,crackle and ticks heard especially during isolated quiet places during the play of this vinyl, and from my experience is common on these pressings. This album is from my personal collection and was purchased from new. I had only ever played this to record to tape and then stored in a case with the vinyl seperated from the sleeve and cover for protection. This is how I have always stored my records! The original 1st issue wide spined gatefold cover and lyric record sleeve still looks as good as the day that it was purchased. Very scarce in this condition and highly collectable ist UK pressing!! Visually this album looks almost as good as new condition in my personal opinion!

The Division Bell is the fourteenth and last studio album by English progressive rock group Pink Floyd. It was released in the United Kingdom (UK) by EMI Records in March 1994, and shortly after in the United States (US) by Columbia Records!.

Written mostly by guitarist David Gilmour and keyboardist Richard Wright, the album deals mostly with themes of communication. Recording took place in a number of locations, including the band's Britannia Row Studios, and Gilmour's houseboat, Astoria. The production team included Pink Floyd stalwarts such as producer Bob Ezrin, engineer Andy Jackson, and saxophonist Dick Parry. Gilmour's new wife, Polly Samson, co-wrote many of the album's lyrics, and Wright performed his first lead vocal on a Pink Floyd album since 1973's The Dark Side of the Moon!!

Much of the album deals with themes of communication—the idea that talking can solve more of life's problems. Songs such as "Poles Apart" and "Lost for Words" are occasionally interpreted as references to the long-standing estrangement between former band-member Roger Waters and Pink Floyd, though Gilmour has denied that the album is an allegory for the split. In 1994 he said: "People can invent and relate to a song in their personal ways, but it's a little late at this point for us to be conjuring Roger up." The general theme of communication is reflected in the choice of name for the album; The Division Bell was inspired by the division bell rung in the British parliament to indicate that a vote is to take place. Drummer Nick Mason expanded on this in 1994, when he said "it does have some meaning. It's about people making choices, yeahs or nays!!

With the aid of Gilmour's guitar technician, Phil Taylor, Carin managed to locate some of the band's older keyboards from the warehouse in which they had been stored, including a Farfisa organ. Some of the sounds sampled from these instruments were used on the tracks "Take It Back", and "Marooned".[28] Carin was joined on keyboards by Ezrin, Durga McBroom supplied backing vocals alongside Sam Brown, Carol Kenyan, Jackie Sheridan, and Rebecca Leigh-White.[29] Gilmour used several styles on the album. "What Do You Want from Me" is heavily influenced by Chicago blues, "Poles Apart" contains folksy overtones. Gilmour's heavily improvised guitar solos on "Marooned" used a Digitech Whammy pedal to pitch-shift the guitar notes over a full octave. On "Take It Back" he used an EBow (an electronic device which simulates the sound of a bow on the strings, on a Gibson J-200 guitar through an effects unit!!!

 To avoid competing against other album releases (as had happened with A Momentary Lapse) Pink Floyd set a deadline of April 1994, at which point they would begin a new tour. By January of that year however, the band still had not decided on a title for the album. The list of names being considered included Pow Wow and Down to Earth. At a dinner one night, writer Douglas Adams, spurred on by the promise of a £5,000 payment to his favourite charity, the Environmental Investigation Agency, suggested The Division Bell (used in the lyrics for "High Hopes"), and the name stuck. Long-time Floyd collaborator Storm Thorgerson provided the album artwork. He erected two large metal heads each the height of a double-decker bus in a field near Ely. The sculptures were positioned close together, and photographed in profile, to give the illusion that not only were they either facing or talking to each other, they also presented the viewer with a third face!.

 The sculptures were devised by Keith Breeden, and constructed by John Robertson. Ely Cathedral is visible on the horizon. The sculptures are now in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio!!.

 The album was released in the UK and US on CD, vinyl, and Compact Cassette, each with its own format and label-specific design. Two 7.5-metre (25 ft) stone sculptures were made by Aden Hynes[nb 4] for the cassette releases, and photographed in the same style as the metal heads. The artwork inside the CD lyric booklet revolves around a similar theme, with the image of the two heads formed by various other objects, such as newspapers ("A Great Day for Freedom"), coloured glass ("Poles Apart"), and boxing gloves ("Lost for Words"). Pages two and three portray a picture from the Chilean La Silla observatory. The album cover for The Division Bell was among the ten chosen by the Royal Mail for a set of "Classic Album Cover" postage stamps issued in January 2010!!!.

The Matrix

Side 1 ''8289841 A-1-2-1'' ('FLOYD A' Hand etched)

Side 2 ''8289841 B-2-1-1'' ('FLOYD B' Hand etched)

Side 1 ('TML X stamped) only 1st press

Side 2  ('TML X' Stamped) only 1st press

The vinyl

Visually it is hard to see a blemish at all on the playing surface and looks as near as pristine in my opinion, any marks that could possibly be seen would be sleeve removal only, to be honest I can't see any at all. In fact visually the vinyl looks like it has never been played in my opinion, there is no spidering or visual indications that I can see unbeleivable to find like this!!! (no) needle scratches. The vinyl was soon removed from the original sleeve when new, and stored seperately in a poly lined sleeve.   It is important to note that during this period of the mid 1990s that vinyl was deemed to be at the end of its life and was due to be faized out in favour of cd format and the quality of vinyl pressings were some what to be desired compared with earlier let's say 60s or early 70s vinyl pressings, so my point is that it is easy to be critical about the audio on these mid 1990s pressings and allowances must be made for light general static,crackle and ticks heard especially during quiet places during the play of this vinyl! It is also important to note that this vinyl has only ever had four or five plays ever, so I dought that it would be possible to find a better looking copy in this condition!

The Audio Quality

I have played the vinyl two times at very loud volume on a top system prior to listing! The first important thing to note is that this vinyl looks in unplayed condition in my opinion, in fact this has had no more than four or five plays ever from new! The actual audio quality is stunning throughout clean clear and very vibrant without any signs of distortion and no loud clicks or pops. It is important to note that an allowance must be made for some light static crackle\ticks evident during quiet places throughout the vinyl which is very common on these mid 1990s vinyls as previously described, but doesn't effect the main loud audio which is truly exceptional. I would class my self as highly critical, please look at my completed listings of records that I have sold of this calaber and you will see that I normally get it right!

Please note! This vinyl has been stored in a case laying dormant for over 20 years. A build up of dirt and dust in the grooves from laying dormant causes static crackle\ticks so a constant clean before each play would be highly recomended this would reduce any static and enhance the audio quality!

The Labels

These are the original Pink Floyd custom labels, in perfect condition. Amaizingly I can not see any spidering or any indications of play on this vinyl. You can still even see the plastic in the spindle hole!! Both sides as new condition!!

The record sleeve

This is the original 1st issue thin paper lyric record sleeve. In superbe condition without any splits or tares no real ringware so common on these thinner inners. It will be hard to find better!!

The cover

This is the original 1st issue wide spined importantly UK printed unlaminated gatefold cover! To be honest this still looks as good as the day that it was purchased!Inside the white paper part has handwrite by prevoius owner. This means 2" size! Very hard to fault! no ring ware, no splits or tares and no real ringware! In fact any imperfections you would have to scrutinise to notice any! The spine is lovely and square! This must grade at least excellent plus to near mint!! Almost as good as new in my opinion!    .

ATTENTION USA BUYERS !!!

SEE MY PAYMENT METHODS, NO 4 USD!!!

RECORD:   Near Mint

COVER:   Near Mint

Description of Grading: All records are visually graded. Grading indicates state of vinyl and cover, If I've listened to an LP, note will be made about sound quality. The following is a general overview about grades, subject to any above notations: MINT indicates pristine vinyl without any marks on surface. MINT MINUS may contain one or two very light surface marks from play or sleeve wear under light. If you are a real collector, you'll know that even a factory sealed LP will occasionally have some light sleeve or rub marks. Anything in the EX or VG category would contain more than two surface marks and have some other visible signs of hole or ring wear. Rarely do I offer something in the "G" state. If I do, it's usually a rare LP and priced accordingly. Values are assigned according to market availability and rarity, not a price guide. Thanks for looking, and happy buying!

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