BEATLES ABBEY ROAD 1969 UK -2/-1 1st press PCS 7088 truly impressive VINYL+AUDIO

	£		88
	$		117

THE BEATLES - ABBEY ROAD

Now a highly sought after and increasingly hard to come by (especially in condition as brilliant as this) 1969 UK first pressing of this Beatles classic, on the APPLE record label, STEREO PCS 7088. Gorgeous!

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1   YEX 749 - 2 with stampers "7" and "G0A" at 6 o'clock and 12 o'clock respectively

Side 1   YEX 750 - 1 with stampers "4" and "GMG" at 8.30 o'clock and 2.30 o'clock respectively

These are the earliest UK pressing matrix numbers for this LP record.

The overall appearance and condition of the heavy duty vinyl is excellent plus (EX+). The vinyl is completely flat and in normal daylight comes across as near perfect with a gleaming jet black sheen and looking beautiful! With closer scrutiny under a bright light some wispy hairlines and very light paper scuff marks do come into view on each side of the vinyl - some are more obvious than others but all are superficial, surface only and non-feelable. The exception to this is a single very light 8mm scratch on side 1 (again, only noticeable under a bright light and even then you will need to look hard to identify it) which begins at the end of "Octopus's Garden" and finishes at the beginning of "I Want You" - a very small part of this light scratch is just (and only just) feelable and results in x3 mild clicks during the interlude between these two tracks. It is clear that this record has had far less than it's fair share of plays over the years, borne out by both it's brilliant overall condition and truly impressive audio quality (see below). But because of this very small scratch blemish I feel that I can only grade the overall condition of the vinyl as excellent.

The condition of the labels is a solid excellent (EX). All text and colouring and the full apple on side 1 and the sliced apple on side 2 remain vibrant, clear and perfectly intact. The labels have the "An E.M.I. Recording" text on two lines and small "33 1/3" text moved to the left side, the Publishing year is printed with a small ? symbol, and the side 2  label does not have "Her Majesty" credits : each of these attributes are true 1st pressing identifiers. The only marks are a few very, very light spindle trails on each label adjacent to the centre hole, and x2 tiny "nicks" on the side 1 label just below the text "STEREO" (see photo)...if it wasn't for these blemishes (seems too strong a word) I would grade the condition of the labels as excellent plus.

The front and back laminated Garrod & Lofthouse outer sleeve is in truly wonderful, excellent plus (EX+) condition. Hard to fault, actually with all edges remaining rigid with (amazingly!) no scuffing at all, and that includes the spine where there are no marks and all text is totally intact and fully legible. Note the appearance of the drain on the bottom front edge and the absence of "HER MAJESTY" on the side 2 song credits - again, 1st pressing identifiers.There are a few 0.5cm very light, surface laminate creases adjacent and perpendicular to the spine on each side but these are very trivial and, these apart, I find it impossible to fault the condition of this sleeve - remarkable considering it's 50 year antiquity. The corners remain perfectly defined right angles with no rubbing and the opening sides are firm with no fraying or feathering. The richness of the colouring and clarity of the text are as impressive as the day this record was first bought. Gorgeous, and timeless!!

Finally, the quality of the audio is overall excellent+ (EX+). No skips, jumps, repeats, nasty clicks or intrusive background crackle...just those aforementioned x3 mild clicks during the interlude of "Octopus's Garden" and "I Want You" on side 1 and the very occasional nano-second of static (negligible), with every track making for a great listen in brilliant STEREO audio, with wonderful tone and clarity even at higher frequencies and higher volume. Enjoy!

Side 1 :

1. COME TOGETHER

2. SOMETHING

3. MAXWELL'S SILVER HAMMER

4. OH! DARLING

5. OCTOPUS'S GARDEN

6. I WANT YOU (She's So Heavy)

Side 2 :

1. HERE COMES THE SUN

2. BECAUSE

3. YOU NEVER GIVE ME YOUR MONEY

4. SUN KING

5. MEAN MR MUSTARD

6. POLYTHENE PAM

7. SHE CAME IN THROUGH THE BATHROOM WINDOW

8. GOLDEN SLUMBERS

9. CARRY THAT WEIGHT

10. THE END

11. HER MAJESTY (not mentioned on either the sleeve or the side 2 label)

Comes complete with original, excellent condition poly-lined plain white inner with "PATENT No...." and "MADE IN GREAT BRITAIN" horizontal text, with no tears or splits and remaining 100% fully functional. Excellent!  Note that I always post the record(s) in a new plain white inner sleeve(s) in order to protect the original(s).

In summary a highly collectible copy of this increasingly rare and sought after 1969 UK very first pressing Beatles classic, a "must" for any serious Beatles vinyl collection and only continuing to gain in value.

 If you require any further information, including photos, then let me know and I'll do my best to oblige. 

If this record interests you then take a look at my other 60's & 70's classic vinyl listings.

A bit about myself : I have been collecting vinyl for more than 49 years and have amassed a huge collection covering a varied genre, but mostly of 1960's and 70's origin. Most of my records were originally bought by myself for my own collection, but during the past 30 years I have embellished my collection by buying records from a variety of sources : friends/acquaintances, car boot sales, auctions, and even through putting up a "vinyl wanted" notice in my wife's shop! I am now retired and take great delight in being able to spend more time scouring the country and attending boot sales and auctions in the hope of unearthing more vinyl gems...I am 64 years of age now and am still discovering bands and music of the 60's and 70's that I have never come across before. Wonderful! Richard

My ebay feedback speaks for itself so rest assured that you are buying from a trusted seller and in the very unlikely event that you are unhappy with your purchase just e-mail me and I'll sort out the problem. I offer a "no quibble" refund policy. 

On the subject of postage, I take great care in the packaging of all items, using a proper vinyl thick cardboard crucifix style mailer along with at least two cardboard stiffeners. I take great care in separating the record from the outer sleeve in order to help prevent sleeve damage in transit and I always insert the vinyl, outer sleeve and inner into a clear plastic sleeve, thus adding further protection. 

For this item postage & packaging will be Royal Mail 1st class signed for  : UK £4.00; 

and Royal Mail 1st class tracked and signed for continental Europe £11, and Rest of the World £15. 

 I do discount post & packaging costs for multiple purchases. I do NOT profit from postage.

Good luck with your bidding! Richard

NOTE : My vinyl descriptions comply with the official Record Collector vinyl grading guidelines :

Mint

The records itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items, such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.

Excellent

The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and /or creasing.

Very Good

The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

Good

The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discolouration, etc.

Fair

The record is still just playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents are torn, stained and/or defaced

Poor

The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents are badly damaged or partly missing.

Bad

The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection-filler