The Beatles - With The Beatles
I am pleased to offer for sale this truly superb, archival quality example of The Beatles 2nd studio album, With the Beatles.
The vinyl is an extremely rare Decca contract pressing identifiable by the groove approximately 5cm from the spindle hole on both of the labels. Due to the somewhat unexpected demand for With The Beatles LPs, in the run up for Christmas in 1963 EMI asked Decca to press some additional copies. Although exact numbers are not known, today this is a variant that is almost impossible to find in any condition and is virtually unheard of in such superb condition.
In the early 1960s the teenage audience that bought Beatles records were not as careful as they might have been when handling LPs. They were taken to parties, kept outside of inner sleeves, left on counter tops, and, the worst culprit of all, played with a poor quality stylus. As a consequence, although there were literally thousands of copies sold, finding clean and original copies of the Beatles early catalogue in mono is extremely difficult.
This particular copy is a fantastic example all round. Visually the labels and vinyl surface are excellent, the audio is absolutely beautiful listen yourself below and the sleeve is as good as I have seen. As such, it represents a great opportunity to add that final upgrade copy to your collection.
Album Details:
Serial number: PMC 1206
Matrix number: XEX 447 - 7N / XEX 448 - 7N
Stamper codes: 10 11 / 27
Tax Codes: KT
Vinyl Weight: 170g
As with all Decca contract pressings the vinyl has -7N / -7N matrix numbers. These aren t the first pressing plates produced by EMI but they are the first and only pressing plates used by Decca.
The black labels with yellow Parlophone logo and silver text are are the first variant and only variant used by Decca. Earlier labels used by EMI contain mistakes not present on these labels.
This front side laminated Garrod Lofthouse sleeve is the first variant as is evident from the large sized solid MONO aural indicator text printed to the front side, a square spine and flip-backs to the reverse. In addition, the first variant mistakenly titles T3 S2 as: You Really Gotta Hold On Me .
The album is complete with the original polythene lined die-cut Emitex protect your records inner sleeve.
Condition Report:
The condition report provided below is given as a guide only. I include high-quality, comprehensive photographs as well as a complete audio recording in my listings to enable you to make an informed decision on the condition of this record yourself.
Disc: EXCELLENT
Labels: MINT -
The labels are clean and retain rich, vibrant colours. No spindle trails can be seen around each unworn centre hole.
Visual: EXCELLENT
The vinyl retains superb deep gloss playing surfaces. In bright daylight two or three light surface marks can be seen to either side. None can be felt and I would not describe any as a scratch . Underneath the glare of a halogen desk lamp a handful of barely visible wispy paper hairlines usually present due to the record going in and out of the inner sleeve can be seen alongside an iridescent rainbow shine. Splendid
Sound Quality: EXCELLENT
Please note: the eBay app does not facilitate playback. Please use the internet site to enjoy the audio clips.
Side 1:
Side 2:
As can be heard in the recordings, the record sounds great. The lead ins are quiet. During tracks only the only the unavoidable sound of the rotating stylus can be heard. There are 2 pops that can be heard during playback: 1 pop during T1 S1, It Won t Be Long , and 1 pop on T4 S1, Don t Bother Me . I cannot see any visible marks so I assume these are point defects from a dropped stylus.
Sleeve: MINT -
The sleeve is in fantastic condition. Both sides are bright and clean. The laminate the original lustre. The cover art is vibrant. The rear is a brilliant white. The spine is without wear. The top and bottom edges are without wear. The corners are fantastic Very difficult to find a better copy.
Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT
The original inner sleeve is in great condition. It is very clean and displays only mild creasing.
Additional Details:
Before the audio test, the vinyl was cleaned first by an Okki Nokki vacuum cleaner and then an Audio Desk ultrasonic cleaner.
After cleaning, the vinyl was placed inside a brand new mobile fidelity anti-static inner sleeve.
The vinyl will be packaged outside of the sleeve, both of which are stored inside an archival quality polypropylene outer sleeve.
The record will be sent via an insured courier in a padded vinyl mailer.
Please see my other listings for more Beatles rarities.
Bidders with less than ten feedback please get in touch before bidding otherwise your bid will be removed.
