Vinyl: The Beatles PLEASE PLEASE ME 1963 UK 1st Black & Gold Dick James NEAR MINT HEAR

THE BEATLES - PLEASE PLEASE ME

1963 GOLD & BLACK LABEL IN 'MONO'

VERY FIRST PRESS WITH DICK JAMES CREDITS

MAGNIFICENT NEAR MINT AUDIO PERFORMANCE

STUNNING CLOSE TO NEAR MINT SLEEVE

• CATALOGUE: PARLOPHONE PMC 1202
• MATRIX:XEX 421-1N / 422-1N
• MOTHERS/STAMPERS:1 L / 1 H
• TAX CODE : ZMT
• PARLOPHONE CO RIM WORDING - FIRST PRESS INDICATOR
• NO SOLD IN THE UK STATEMENT - FIRST PRESS INDICATOR
• SMALL 33 AND A THIRD ON THE LABEL
• DICK JAMES CREDITS
• CORRECT FIRST ISSUE ANGUS MCBEAN PLACEMENT

WELL FOLKS HERE IT IS, PROBABLY THE MOST SOUGHT AFTER ALBUM ON THE PLANET.

I CANNOT BEGIN TO TELL YOU HOW EXCITED I AM TO BE ABLE TO OFFERSUCH A SUPERB EXAMPLE OF THIS CLASSIC BEATLES ALBUM.

THE BEATLES PLEASE PLEASE ME BLACK AND GOLD WAS ISSUED ONLY IN THE MOST MINIMAL QUANTITIES IN MONO WITH THE DICK JAMES CREDITS, AND TO FIND A PRISTINE BLACK AND GOLD FIRST PRESS IS NEAR IMPOSSIBLE.

THE FIRST AND SECOND PRESSES WERE BOTH RELEASED ON THIS GOLD AND BLACK LABEL BECAUSE ON THE VERY FIRST ISSUE THERE WAS AN ERROR ON THE CREDITS, WHERE FOUR TRACKS WERE MISTAKENLY ACCREDITED TO THE DISC JAMES MUSIC CO, WHEREAS THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN CREDITED TO NORTHERN SONGS, THUS THE LABELS WERE REPRINTED WITH THIS NEW INFORMATION

WHAT WE HAVE HERE HOWEVER IS THE GENUINE VERY FIRST PRESS WITH THE LABEL ERRORS

ALL THAT REMAINS FOR ME TO SAY IS READ THE DETAILED DESCRIPTION BELOW, AND TAKE A GOOD LISTEN TO THE SOUNDBITES, AND THEN DECIDE IF YOU WANT TO BID ON A MOST SPECIAL COPY OF THIS ALBUM

THE RECORDS

THE LABELS

THE ORIGINAL BLACK AND GOLD LABELS ARE IN MAGNIFICENT CONDITION . THE JET BLACK BASE COLOUR IS RICH AND VIBRANT AND FULLY STRETCHES INTO THE UNWORN SPINDLE HOLE.I HAVE TAKEN SOME MACRO SHOTS OF THE SPINDLE HOLE SHOWING THE TAX CODE AND MORE IMPORTANTLY THE FACT THAT THERE ARE NO SPIDER LINES AROUND THE HOLE WHATSOEVER.

THE GOLD LOGO AND LETTERING IS PRISTINE, VERY EASILY RUBBED THIS PAIR OF LABELS ARE JUST SUBLIME.

IT IS VERY CLEAR THAT THIS ALBUM HAS BEEN HANDLED WITH THE UTMOST CARE AND CANNOT HAVE BEEN ON A TURNTABLE MORE THAN A COUPLE OF TIMES TO BE IN THIS INCREDIBLE CONDITION

THE VINYL

A STUNNING VINYL THAT HAS RETAINED EVERY BIT OF THE ORIGINAL SHEEN AND LUSTRE, AND LOOKS TOTALLY AS NEW. IN DAYLIGHT IT LOOKS ABSOLUTELY FLAWLESS AND EVEN WHEN PLACED UNDER A MAGNIFYING LED HALO THERE IS NOTHING MORE THAN A COUPLE OF TINY WISPY HAIRLINES WISIBLE. A STUNNING EXAMPLE

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 MONO FIRST PRESS PLAYS ABSOLUTELY MAGNIFICENTLY ALL THE WAY THROUGH BOTH SIDES. I AM JUST BLOWN AWAY BY THE SUPERB SOUND GENERATED BY THIS DISC

THIS IS WITHOUT A DOUBT A NEAR PRISTINE BEATLES MONO BLACK AND GOLD PLEASE PLEASE ME YOU ARE EVER LIKELY TO COME ACROSS.

I GUARANTEE THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO DISTORTION TO THE MAGNIFICENT MONO REPRODUCTION AT ANY POINT, NOT EVEN ON THE VULNERABLE 'ANNA' NOTHING IT'S JUST INCREDIBLE

THE LINKING GROOVES ARE EITHER SILENT OR NEAR SILENT.
THERE IS NO BACKGROUND CRACKLING WHATSOEVER,

THIS ALBUM HAS JUST NOT BEEN PLAYED MORE THAN A COUPLE OF TIMES IN MY OPINION. MAY BEATLES ALBUMS OF THIS ERA WERE EITHER PLAYED TO DEATH OR PLAYED WITH A STYLUS THAT WAS TOO HEAVY THUS CAUSING GROOVE WEAR. THERE IS NONE ON THIS SPECTACULAR EXAMPLE

THERE IS NO VINYL NOISE AND NO CLICKS AT ALL ANYWHERE.
NO POPS OR TICS AT ANY POINT THROUGH THE PLAY

ALL I HEARD DURING THE ENTIRE PLAYTHROUGH WERE A FEW TINY SPECKS OF THE LOWEST LEVEL STATIC LIKE BACKGROUND IN A FEW OF THE LINKING GROOVES AND THAT'S ONLY BECAUSE I SIT 2 FEET FROM MY SPEAKERS WHILST LISTENING. MOVING TO A NORMAL LISTENING DISTANCE AND I CAN'T HEAR ANYTHING

AS FOR GRADING THIS INCREDIBLE VINYL, WELL MY FIRST THOUGHT IS THAT THIS IS A 1963 PRESS THAT IS NEARLY 62 YEARS OLD, AND TO BE THIS QUIET ALL THE WAY THROUGH IS JUST IMPOSSIBLE, AND EVEN THOUGH THERE IS A COUPLE OF SPECKS OF STATIC , I CANNOT HELP BUT GRADE THIS NEAR MINT

BUT WHATEVER I SAY IT IS YOU THE PROSPECTIVE BIDDER THAT HAS TO MAKE THE FINAL DECISION, SO PLEASE DON'T TAKE MY WORD FOR IT, SIT BACK AND LISTEN IT AND YOU! BE THE JUDGE OF WHAT GREAT QUALITY SOUNDS LIKE

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

WHAT CAN I SAY ABOUT THIS SLEEVE? IT IS TRULY MAGNIFICENT, AND WOULD GRADE MINT MINUS IF NOT FOR ONE SMALL FLAW

STARTING WITH THE FRONT SURFACE. THE LAMINATE GLEAMS LIKE A POLISHED MIRROR AND THERE IS NOT ONE CREASE OR CREASE LINE ON IT ANYWHERE. AND ONLY THREE TINY SPINE PRESSURE LINES .ONE TINY ONE ON THE TOP EDGE AND NONE ON THE BOTTOM EDGE AND NO THUMB LINES ON THE OPENING EDGE

THREE OF THE FOUR CORNERS ARE ABSOLUTELY SQUARE ANDSHARP WHILST THE BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER TIP HAS THE BAREST PIN PRICK OF RUBBING TO IT

IT IS VERY CLEAR THE SLEEVE HAS BEEN KEPT BOLT UPRIGHT AND INSIDE A PLASTIC OUTER TO PROTECT IT FROM ANY HARM MAN MADE OR OTHERWISE

THE TOP EDGE HAS A SMALL SPECK OF RUB IN THE LEFT CORNER, AND IS OTHERWISE FULLY LAMINATED
THE BOTTOM EDGE IS ALSO AS GOOD AS IT GETS WITH A PIN PRICK OF RUB ON THE CORNER TIPS AND THE REST OF THE SURFACE BEING PRISTINE

THE SPINE IS PERFECT TOTALLY UNSQUASHED. ALL OF THE LAMINATE PERFECTLY INTACT, AND EVERY LETTER OF THE TYPEFACE PRISTINE! EVEN THE TOP AND BOTTOM TIPS ARE STILL 100% PROTECTED BY THE LAMINATE AND UNRUBBED

THE OPENING EDGE IS STILL RAZOR SHARP AND INCREDIBLY DOESN'T EVEN HAVE ANY THUMB NAIL NICKS ALONG THE EDGES, SHOWING YET AGAIN HOW METICULOUSLY THIS ALBUM HAS BEEN HANDLED AND CARED FOR

TURNING THE SLEEVE OVER REVEALS THE ONE FLAW I MENTIONED AT THE TOP. THE TOP FLIPBACK HAS BEEN REMOVED IN THE RIGHT CORNER. LIKE MANY OF THESE SLEEVES IT PROBABLY GOT CAUGHT ON SOMETHING. WHILST IT IS MISSING IT DOESN'T LOOK AWFUL.

THIS IS THE E.J DAY AND CO SLEEVE AS DENOTED ON THE BOTTOM FLIPBACK
THE WHITE SURFACE WHICH IS MOSTLY FOUND AGED AND BADLY HANDLED IS IN SUPER CONDITION. A MINIMAL AMOUNT OF HANDLING TO THE EDGES ONLY

THE ORIGINAL EMITEX RICE PAPER LINED INNER SLEEVE IS IN SUPERB ORIGINAL CONDITION. TOTALLY WHITE AS NEW AND UNSPLIT WITH JUST THE BAREST CREASE LINE ON THE BOTTOM ONE

I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO DOUBT IN MY MIND THAT THIS SLEEVE GRADES VERY CLOSE TO NEAR MINT

THIS WILL NEED TO SHIP WITH INSURANCE WHICH WILL COST ONLY 10% OF THE FINAL PRICE

MY BEST WISHES AND GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR BID IF YOU CHOSE TO GO FOR IT

IF YOU NEED MORE PICTURES..JUST ASK.

IF YOU NEED MORE DESCRIPTION... JUST ASK

GARRY