THE BEATLES - PLEASE PLEASE ME
1963 1ST YELLOW AND BLACK PRESS IN STEREO
THE IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND RARITY WITH THE GOLD LABEL 33 1/3RD
THE AUDIO ON THIS GRADES AS CLOSE TO MINT AS POSSIBLE
EVERY NOW AND THEN A RECORD SURFACES THAT HAS NO RIGHT TO EXIST. THIS IS ONE SUCH ALBUM. AN ABSOLUTELY PRISTINE STEREO COPY OF THE BEATLES PLEASE PLEASE ME ONE OF THE RAREST BEATLES ALBUMS ON THE PLANET
THIS COPY JUST HAS TO BE HARDER TO FIND THAN THE BLACK AND GOLD LABEL BECAUSE THEY ONLY TURN UP PERHAPS ONE COPY EVERY YEAR OR TWO, WHERAS THE GOLD AND BLACK LABEL APPEARS FAR MORE OFTEN.
SO WHY SHOULD THIS BE?
WELL FOR THOSE THAT DONT KNOW, THE GOLD AND BLACK LABEL FIRST APPEARED FOR THE ONE AND ONLY TIME ON THE BEATLES DEBUT ALBUM. THERE WERE TWO VERSIONS OF IT, KNOWN AS THE FIRST PRESS AND THE SECOND PRESS, BOTH ARE EQUALLY AS RARE AND THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS THAT THE FIRST PRESS HAD SONGS INCORRECTLY CREDITED TO DICK JAMES, WHERAS IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN NORTHERN SONGS.
PARLOPHONE SHORTLY AFTER THE ORIGINAL RELEASE DECIDED TO CHANGE THE LABELS TO THE MORE COMMON YELLOW AND BLACK AND THUS APPEARED A VERY SHORT LIVED 3RD PRESS 1ST YELLOW AND BLACK THIS WAS ALSO QUICKLY CHANGED BECAUSE THE RECORDING FIRST PUBLISHED TEXT AT 9 0 CLOCK ON THE LABEL WAS OMITTED IN ERROR.
THE 4TH PRESS IS THE ONE THAT SITS IN MOST PEROPLES COLLECTIONS.
ANYWAY BACK TO THE SHORT LIVED 3RD PRESS. A VERY LIMITED RUN OF THIS LABEL APPEARED WITH AN EXTRA 33 1/3 ON IT. THE PARLOPHONE YELLOW AND BLACK LABELS ALL HAVE A LARGE 33 1/3 ABOVE THE YELLOW PARLOPHONE TEXT, BUT THIS 1ST BATCH CAME OUT WITH THE GOLD AND BLACK LABEL S 33 1/3 A VERY SMALL ONE NEXT TO THE CATALOGUE NUMBER AT 9 O CLOCK. THERE WAS NO NEED FOR TWO NUMBERS AND SO THIS WAS IMMEDIATELY CHANGED TO A COPY THAT JUST HAD THE LARGE NUMBERS.
IT IS RECOGNISED THAT THE COPY WITH BOTH 33 1/3RDS WAS ISSUED IN SUCH SMALL NUMBERS AND IN PARTICULAR THE STEREO COPY. THERE CANNOT HAVE BEEN MORE THAN A HANDFUL IN EXISTANCE
HERE THEN IS AN ABSOLUTELY SUPERB EXAMPLE OF THIS ALBUM, ARGUABLY THE RAREST BEATLES ALBUM IN EXISTANCE.
AN OPPORTUNITY TO COLLECT AN ALBUM THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO OBTAIN
THE RECORD
THE LABELS
THE ORIGINAL YELLOW AND BLACK LABELS ARE IN MAGIFICENT CONDITION . THE JET BLACK BASE COLOUR IS RICH AND VIBRANT AND FULLY STRETCHES INTO THE UNWORN SPINDLE HOLE.IT IS DEEP IN COLOUR AND LOOKS SUPERB
THE SILVER TYPEFACE IS PERFECTLY LEGIBLE AND UNRUBBED. THE YELLOW LOGO IS IN THE SAME EXCEPTIONAL CONDITION. I COUNT 1-2 TINY SPIDER LINES CLOSE TO THE SPINDLE HOLE.
THE VINYL
A TOP CONDITION VINYL THAT HAS RETAINED EVERY BIT OF THE ORIGINAL SHEEN, AND LOOKS TOTALLY AS NEW. THERE IS NOT ONE MARK ON IT ANYWHERE OTHER THAN A MINUSCULE DULL AND TOTALLY NON SOUNDING MARK ON THE TRACK BOYS SEE PICS , AND EVEN UNDERA MAGNIFYING LED HALO THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO SEE. JUST A COUPLE OF THE SMALLEST AND WISPIEST HAIRLINES
THE TEST PLAY
I BELIEVE THAT IF YOU ARE GOING TO SPEND YOUR MONEY ON A FANTASTIC COLLECTIBLE VINYL, THAT YOU SHOULD BE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR WHAT YOU ARE BUYING.
THIS STEREO RECORD PLAYS THROUGH AS IF IT HAD JUST BEEN PUT ONTO A TURNTABLE FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER. THE FIRST THING THAT IS APPARENT IS THE INCREDIBLE STEREO MIX. A CLARITY OF SOUND THAT YOU ONLY EVER GOT ON THESE EARLIEST OF BEATLES PRESSINGS.
THIS IS WITHOUT A DOUBT THE CLEANEST BEATLES STEREO PLEASE PLEASE ME YOU ARE EVER LIKELY TO COME ACCROSS. I GUARANTEE THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO DISTORTION TO THE MAGNIFICENT STEREO REPRODUCTION AT ANY POINT, NOT EVEN ON THE VULNERABLE ANNA NOTHING IT S JUST INCREDIBLE
THE LINKING GROOVES ARE SILENT OR A COUPLE NEAR SILENT.
THERE IS NO BACKGROUND CRACKLING WHATSOEVER, ANYWHERE ON ANY TRACK OR ANY OF THE LINKING GROOVES. EVEN THE RUN OUT IS SILENT
THERE ARE NO CLICKS OR POPS OR TICS
AN ABSOLUTELY MAGNIFICENT AUDIO PERFORMANCE AND IT JUST HAS TO GRADE MINT
OR VERY VERY CLOSE TO IT
BUT DON T JUST TAKE MY WORD FOR IT, MAKE YOURSELF A CUP OF TEA AND SIT BACK AND LISTEN TO THIS INCREDIBLE AUDIO
BEST HEARD ON A PC WITH ATTACHED SPEAKER SYSTEM
THE SLEEVE
FIRSTLY A WORD ABOUT IDENTIFYING THE VERY EARLY SLEEVES THAT HAD TO GO WITH THE EARLY ISSUE VINYLS.
THE FRONT COVER PICTURE WAS A PHOTO TAKEN BY ANGUS MCBEAN WHO S NAME APPEARS AT THE BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER OF THE SLEEVE. BUT ONLY ON THE VERY FIRST ISSUE SLEEVES DOES THE P FROM PHOTO APPEAR DIRECTLY UNDERNEATH THE LETTER S FROM THE WORD SONGS SEE PICTURE ALL LATER ISSUES THIS ANGUS MCBEAN TEXT IS MOVED FURTHER LEFT DIRECTLY UNDER THE LETTER G FROM THE WORD SONGS. THATS HOW TO TELL IF A SLEEVE HAS BEEN SWAPPED FOR A BETTER ONE
STARTING WITH THE FRONT SURFACE. THE LAMINATE GLEAMS LIKE A POLISHED MIRROR AND THERE IS JUST ONE VERY LIGHT CREASE LINE OVER THE BOTTOM LEFT CORNER
OTHER THAN THAT JUST ONE PRESSURE LINE ON THE SPINE. TWO ON THE TOP EDGE, FOUR ON THE BOTTOM EDGE AND NO THUMB LINES BY THE OPENING EDGE
NO RING WEAR OR RECORD SHAPE
THE COLOURS ARE IMMACULATE NO RUBBING OR FADING
THE TOP CORNERS ARE SHARP AND SQUARE. THE BOTTOM LEFT HAS A TINY DING AND THE BOTTOM RIGHT TIP A DOT OF RUB
THE TOP EDGE IS IN PRISTINE CONDITION. FULLY LAMINATED
THE BOTTOM EDGE HAS A VERY TINY SCUFF JUST TO THE RIGHT OF CENTRE AND A PIN PRICK OF RUB TO THE RIGHT CORNER TIP
THE SPINE IS TOTALLY UNSQUASHED. ALL OF THE LAMINATE PERFETLY INTACT, AND EVERY LETTER OF THE TYPEFACE PRISTINE A DOT OF RUB ON THE BOTTOM END
THE OPENING EDGE IS STILL RAZOR SHARP WITH JUST A COUPLE OF TINY THUMB NAIL NICKS TO SHOW WHERE THE VINYL WAS REMOVED A COUPLE OF TIMES
TURNING THE SLEEVE OVER REVEALS THAT AT SOME POINT THE ORIGINAL OWNER HAS TRIED TO PROTECT THE WHITE SURFACE WITH A PASTIC COVER. THIS COVER HAS LONG SINCE BEEN REMOVED AND HAS LEFT SOME TAPE RESIDUE. THE MOST OBVIOUS BEING ALONG THE OPENING EDGE AND IN THE TWO RIGHT CORNERS
EVERY LETTER OF THE TYPEFACE IS PERFECT. AND THE FLIPBACKS WHICH ARE ALWAYS DAMAGED SOMEWHERE ARE ON THIS COPY ONLY HAVA A COUPLE OF PRESSURE LINES ON THE BOTTOM ONE AND A MINUSCULE NICK ON THE TOP ONE
THIS IS THE E.J DAY AND CO SLEEVE AS DENOTED ON THE BOTTOM FLIPBACK
THE WHITE SURFACE HAS YELLOWED SLIGHTLY NEAR THE OPENING EDGE, BUT THE REST OF THE SURFACE HAS RETAINED MOST OF THE ORIGINAL WHITENESS
THE ORIGINAL EMITEX RICE PAPER LINED INNER SLEEVE IS IN SUPERB ORIGINAL CONDITION. STILL VERY WHITE. UNSPLIT SEAMS AND ONLY A COUPLE OF LIGHT CREASE LINES
