PINK FLOYD Obscured By Clouds RARER ORIG UK 1972 EX+ LP with RARE PROMO STICKER.

	£		82
	$		109

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World in Quality, Safe Packing.

Postage: UK £4.75 (£1 per extra record). Europe (including Russia) £12.50 (£2 per extra record). Rest of World (including ALL parts of the USA) £16.50 (£3 per extra record). All boxes signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes that offer virtually no protection at all – in fact I think these things should be banned as records WILL arrived damaged in them at some time. More details on my packing nearer the end of the listing.

Posting to Russia: Yes, I do post to Russia. But delivery can take up to 4 to 6 weeks from the UK. So please be patient. I will submit a tracking number to the winning bidder, and when the packet arrives there it can be followed online using the Russian post website.

ALSO: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment to keep things moving – cash-flow is important to any small business. I will always keep my P&P prices as low as possible, and even after yet another Royal Mail price hike from April this year, I have NOT raised my prices and will never compromise on solid, safe packing that is invariably heavier than most you will get. My P&P offers probably the best value-for-money for vinyl records available, and I even will pay for full insurance on any record that sells for over £100 at NO extra cost – that is UK and abroad. Also I aim to post the very same day after payment is received. You WILL see the difference when my packet arrives.

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 includes ‘The Gramophone Company Limited’ text next to the album title and similarly, on the rim. Later pressings changed this rim text to EMI credits. These have matt, smooth surfaces.

Label Conditions: Generally clean and attractive with just a little light dulling on side two as seen under angled light. Spindle marks on side one on the lighter side of moderate and only light on side two. These show very little unless again angled viewed under light. Rest assured, this superb early pressing plays beautifully with hardly anything unwanted.

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: 135 grams. A very good weight for this title and period.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Moderate in theory but clean copies that play this well and include a lovely, little worn rounded corner cover are far less easy to find. This one being extra-special and considerably rarer as it has the prized and sort-after ‘La Vallée’ promotional sticker on the front. When these first hit the shops, EMI clearly thought there was not enough information to buyers about what this album was or who even made it. But these stickers were strictly limited and many buyers of the time even removed them, hence they are seldom seen or offered. This one still in superb condition as my close-up picture shows.

Original Year of Release: 1972

Matrix Nos: SHSP 4020 A-1 / SHSP 4020 B-1 [very large pronounced punched types]

Stamper Codes: 2 0G / 2 MT

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 for me anyway, one of their finest. I have never felt this album ever gets the credit it truly deserves. This was music from the motion picture ‘La Vallée. 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 wonderfully haunting keyboards are still utilised fully. Here a superb example with audiophile quality sound from an early heavier-pressed record. It just seems to offer that little bit extra compared to even slightly later copies – owners of top-quality hi-fi’s will know exactly what I mean. Also the quite rare stickered cover has far less wear than most with all the main surfaces impressive and little-worn. Even the Harvest lined promotional inner is in superb condition. So a truly complete example and it will take some beating.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(+): an unlaminated single format with rough textured surfaces and the rounded corners. This has a very matt finish and the texturing rougher than later ones, also the colour of the graphics are a little darker. Printed and made in England by Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd and was designed by Hipgnosis. The front includes the rare ‘La Vallée’ promotional factory sticker that does not surface often. Also includes the Harvest promotional inner sleeve.

Cover Front & Back: A difficult cover that is prone to just about all wear possibility. Both front and back look very impressive with hardly any rubbing at all – any tiny traces near the very edges that few will ever avoid, but here, probably the least I have seen for years on such an early example. Deep rich unfaded colour and the surfaces devoid of speckle to the rougher feeling surfaces. No creasing or ringwear, both major pluses. If all this was not enough, the rare promo ‘La Vallée’ sticker is superb, this being the first I have had for a long time. Totally unpicked and never removed, this adds such character to this famous cover, and as most fail to have it with only limited runs ever including it, they are highly prized by Pink Floyd connoisseur and specialist collectors. Being honest, I am a little loathe to let this one go, hence I break my usual protocol and put a higher opening bid on this.

Top Edge: Lovely and straight with any rubbing little, fine and light.

Bottom Edge: Again straight with just some patchy rubbing that is so hard to avoid on this delicate cover. This the only reason it was not graded still higher.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, mostly sharp with any thickening or burring only little and light as seen viewed end-on. Record entered on this right edge that is guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced in any way.

Spine and Text: Solid, straight, quite thin with any compression mild. Minimal wear again and the fragile text is fully present and unworn and even well centred.

Corners: These round corners are all undamaged with any thickening, rubbing or burring light. So often these thicken considerably, get bent and feather. Any blemishes are very small indeed and being honest, almost as good as they get from a 1972-made example.

Cover Summary: An impressive very early example of this somewhat delicate 1970’s cover, one that will prove very difficult to find better. This attractive item, especially so with the prized sticker, should please many, if not most collectors. Indeed it will have strong upgrade potential for many I am sure.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(++): and again, arguably undergraded as such. A superb early Harvest promotional inner that retains it’s polylining. Barely any creasing and all edges unsplit with no repairs. Just a little seam adhesive darkening that few will ever avoid as a bare minimum, this has aged little and has a near perfect look for it’s age. Being honest, even this will prove hard to find better.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+): a very fine visual copy that is very clean with fine shine and solidly pressed. A copy modestly played on all the evidence with any surface marks few and light with no sound and this is one of the cleanest pressings of this quite difficult album I have heard for awhile. Visually a super record that should please many collectors again.

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 snippets 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 Pink Floyd classic plays even above its high visual grading with hardly anything to fault. A record usually much thinner made and often less than a wonderful pressing, this heavier example offers superb, totally distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear. Sound quality is impressively high 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 barely even registered, in fact this is one of the best-pressed copies of this Floyd gem I have heard for some time, often this can crackle especially on the quiet passages, but this has little unwanted. An A-1/B-1 pressing with the utmost detail, dynamics and punch only the earliest examples ever really include, and as soon as this started playing, I knew it was quite special. Few available examples will match or outperform this quality pressing I feel sure. No pressing noises or distortions, all the vocals and music sharp and focused, even the difficult ending of ‘Absolutely Curtains’ has little surface sound, and most fans will know this is a difficult area that concludes this album with its native chanting. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful album – again somewhat reluctant to let it go, but keeping everything is not an option. The sound punchy, precise and sharp – a total delight really. This copy will prove very difficult to find significantly better and again can be strongly 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/Hercules/Cirkus with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Rondo Red moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with Terrarium Black terminated cable). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional VPI-17 vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too. Pictures taken with a Nikon D5000 SLR Digital Camera.

PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET.

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, often the very next day after payment is received or within two to three days maximum (unless on holiday). I only use FIRST-CLASS Mail. The record’s cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my new VPI-17 Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. 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. All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT Mailers, these do not offer any real protection). The record(s) are 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 at least TWO, ULTRA THICK stiffeners for maximum extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffeners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will even be Double Boxed if deemed necessary and possible. When larger boxes are used, the thick record and stiffener ‘sandwich’ is then thickly embedded into bubble-wrap to bulk out the record inside the box to centre the item inside to reduce the risk of damage still further. Printed address labels are used for clarity as well as a sender label. 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 the cost of this lavish packing is NOT even charged for, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners and bubble wrap make a near impregnable fortress for safe shipping and this is used inland and overseas for ALL my records, not just the rare and expensive. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than one in two thousand+ based on over 10,000+ items sold in over 12 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. The only damage rate acceptable for this seller is ZERO and I think my packets will offer just that. It would take a vicious postman or postal service to damage these for sure. Even one of these stiffeners cannot be bent by hand, so what chance 2 inside a box? Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FIVE records per box (one double can sometimes be included subject to total weight). All postage costs are below and at the top of the listing.

NOTE: First Time Bidders: Please ask me first.

PLEASE NOTE: I now exercise my right to open a dispute after the Ebay rule of FOUR days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the, again after the mandatory FOUR days and then offer the item to the runner-up or relist. The non-payer will also be blocked from my Ebay site and they take the Ebay consequences (a strike or removal from the system). Small businesses need prompt payment to trade and these strict rules WILL be applied.

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] = £4.75

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £8. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £2 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£50 maximum]) = £12.50 (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3). Add £3 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); South America; New Zealand; 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 [£50 maximum]) = £16.50 (£17.50 for double sets). Add £3 per extra LP. (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an 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: I will cancel any bids I feel are time-wasters. 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. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer, so read the item description carefully. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help. Thank You.

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 necessarily 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’.