THE BEATLES - RUBBER SOUL
PLAYS TO A MINT MINUS GRADE
FACTORY SAMPLE - PROMO COPY
HAZEL YARWOOD -5/-5 PRESSING
MINT MINUS SLEEVE
FINAL UPGRADE EXAMPLE
This record came initially from an EMI employee who had it direct from the company, hence the Factory Sample labels
CATALOGUE: PARLOPHONE PMC 1267MATRIX:XEX 579-5 / 580-5MOTHERS/STAMPERS: 1 RL / 2 AGSOLD IN THE UK STATEMENT
Hazel Yarwood was a notable female cutting engineer at EMI, known for her work on the Rubber Soul album by The Beatles. She is credited with creating one of the best sounding pressings of the album, often referred to as the -5/-5 cut, which significantly improved the album s audio quality. This pressing was cut in January 1966 and is highly regarded for its balanced sound and outstanding dynamics, making it a sought-after item among collectors
THE RECORDS
THE LABELS
FACTORY SAMPLE STICKER FIRLY ADHERED TO SIDE TWO LABEL
ORIGINAL YELLOW AND BLACK MONO LABELS IN EXCEPTIONAL CONDITION. THE BLACK BASE COLOUR AND YELLOW LOGO S ARE BOTH UNRUBBED .THE COLOURS RUN UNINTERRUPTED INTO THE UNWORN SPINDLE HOLE, WHICH HAS JUST A SINGLE SMALL SPIDER LINE NEXT TO IT
THE VINYL
THE HEAVYWEIGHT DISC LOOKS SUPERB. IT HAS RETAINED ALL OF IT S ORIGINAL SHEEN.
IN DAYLIGHT THIS ALBUM LOOKS TOTALLY FLAWLESS
PLACED UNDER A MAGNIFYING LED HALO I SEE A FEW EMBEDDED DULL STREAK LINES ON SIDE TWO. THESE HAVE NO IMPACT WHATSOEVER ON THE AUDIO AND ARE NOT MAN MADE
THIS IS AN INCREDIBLE EXAMPLE OF THIS 60 YEAR OLD VINYL
PLAYING THE RECORD
THIS MONO ALBUM PLAYS MAGNIFICENTLY. THE FIRST AND MOST IMPORTANT THING TO TALK ABOUT IS THE COMPLETE CLARITY OF THE REPRODUCTION.
THIS -5/-5 CUT IS IN THE EYES AND EARS OF THOSE THAT MATTER,IS STATED AS FACT THAT THIS IS THE BEST CUT EXAMPLE EVER
THERE IS NOT ONE JOT OF DISTORTION ANYWHERE, AND THE SOUND IS AS CLEAR AND SHARP AS IT POSSIBLE COULD BE.
THE EARLY MONO BEATLES RECORDINGS WERE ALL JUST INCREDIBLE, AND THIS ONE IS EVEN BETTER
MANY MANY COPIES WERE PLAYED ON SYSTEMS THAT HAD A STYLUS THAT WAS TOO HEAVY OR WORN AND CAUSED INVISIBLE GROOVE WEAR. THIS WOULD ONLY BE SPOTTED OR SHOULD I SAY HEARD WHEN PLAYING THE ALUM AND WOULD TAKE THE FORM OF BEHIND THE MUSIC STATIC AND BE CONTINUOUS. THIS VINYL HAS NONE OF THAT
IN PARTICULAR THE TRACK MICHELLE IS OFTEN AUDIBLY IMPERFECT. THIS EXAMPLE HOWEVER PLAYS TO PERFECTION, AND WAS ONE OF THE REASONS THAT HAZEL YARWOOD WAS TASKED WITH IMPROVING THE CUT
THE RUN IN IS SILENT, THE LINKING GROOVES ARE SILENT, AND THE RUN OUT IS SILENT
NO BACKGROUND CRACKLE WHATSOEVER AT ANY POINT.
NO CLICKS, OR POPS EITHER
ALL I HEARD WAS A COUPLE OF MINUSCULE SPECKS OF VERY LOW LEVEL STATIC LIKE BACKGROUND IN A COUPLE OF SILENT PASSAGES, AND THAT S ALL
PLEASE TAKE A GOOD LONG LISTEN AND YOU BE THE JUDGE OF THE QUALITY OF THIS SUPERB DISC
I JUST HAVE TO GRADE THIS AUDIO MINT MINUS
THE SLEEVE
GARROD AND LOFTHOUSE PATENTS PENDING SLEEVE
LAMINATED FRONT, NON LAMINATED REAR WITH FLIPBACKS
THE FRONT SURFACE IS FLAT AND CLEAN, NO MARKS OR STAINS, NO LAMINATE PEEL, FLAKE OR EVEN LIFT
THE LAMINATE GLEAMS LIKE A POLISHED MIRROR
THERE ARE ABSOLUTELY NO LAMINATE PRESSURE LINES BY TO THE SPINE , NONE ALONG THE TOP EDGE. TWO MICROSCOPIC ONES ON THE BOTTOM EDGE AND NO THUMB LINES NEAR THE OPENING EDGE
THE FOUR CORNERS ARE SHARP AND SQUARE AND THERE IS NO RING WEAR OR RECORD SHAPE, OR EVEN RECORD IMPRESSION
THE TOP AND BOTTOM EDGES ARE FULLY LAMINATED AND ONLY HAVE A PIN PRICK OF RUB TO THE VERY TIP ENDS
THE SPINE IS ALSO MAGNIFICENT. ALL OF THE LAMINATE IS PRISTINE AND UNDAMAGED. EVEN THE TOP AND BOTTOM TIPS ARE UNWORN. EVERY LETTER OF THE TYPEFACE IS PERFECTLY LEGIBLE, AND THERE IS NO SQUASHING TO THE SPINE WHATSOEVER, IT S JUST PERFECT IN EVERY WAY
THE OPENING EDGE IS STILL VERY SHARP AND LIKE A LOT OF THESE COPIES HAS A TINY BIT OF ROUGHNESS TO THE TOP AREA
THE REAR SURFACE IS UNLAMINATED AND HAS REMAINED IN A SUPERB WHITE CONDITION. THERE IS NO RUBBING TO THE DELICATE BLACK AREAS, WHILST THE WHITE SURFACE ONLY SHOWS THE VERY LIGHTEST SHADE OF HANDLING TO THE OPENING EDGE
THE FLIPBACKS ARE PRISTINE, PERFECTLY ADHERED AND NO CRACKS
NO WRITING ANYWHERE
THE ORIGINAL ADVERTISING INNER SLEEVE IS TOP CONDITION. PERFECTLY FLAT AND TOTALLY UNDAMAGED. NO SEAM SPLITS, NO TOP EDGE WEAR, NO TEARS, AND NO WRINKLES. A FANTASTIC ORIGINAL INNER WITH ONLY A TRACE OF GLUE AGING IN THE BOTTOM CORNERS
I AM MORE THAN HAPPY TO GRADE THIS SLEEVE MINT MINUS
GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR BID IF YOU CHOSE TO GO FOR IT
GARRY
