BEATLES HELP 1965 UK 1st Press MONO PMC 1255 LP impressive vinyl + audio, EX-

	£		56
	$		74

The BEATLES - HELP!

A very nice condition & highly presentable copy of this increasingly hard to find and sought after 1965 UK very 1st press Beatles classic on the yellow & black Parlophone label, 

MONO PMC 1255

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1    XEX 549 - 2  with stampers "4 C" and "A L M" at 9 o'clock and 2.30 o'clock respectively 

Side 2    XEX 550 - 2  with stampers "1 6" and "A H P" at 8 o'clock and 2 o'clock respectively

GRADINGS :

RECORD (Visual Grade / Aural Grade) :  Very Good plus (VG+) / very good plus (VG+)  Completely flat and heavy vinyl with lovely jet black sheen on both sides. Glossy in normal daylight and it is only with close scrutiny under a bright light that a few fine hairlines and a couple of light scuff marks come into view on each side, and on side 1 some further very faint surface scuffing - nothing feelable and all appearing to be superficial, except for a 2cm hairline on the final track of side 2, a 1cm portion of which is just - and only just - feelable and does result in some extremely mild clicking on this track only.

LABELS : Excellent overall with the silver text, matt black background, and yellow Parlophone writing and logo all beautifully intact. Just a few faint spindle trails on each label, and on the side 1 label a small and very light mark where (presumably) there was once a sticker. Note the embossed "K" and "T" tax codes on the side 1 label - another indicator of UK 1st pressings along with the "THE GRAMOPHONE..." & "SOLD IN UK..." label texts, and the -2/-2 matrix numbering.

OUTER SLEEVE : Excellent+ (EX+) : Garrod & Lofthouse front side laminated with reverse side flipbacks, with no cardboard creasing, firm edges with no scuffing (remarkable!); corners remain perfectly defined right angles with no rubbing. There is a single 1cm horizontal surface crease adjacent and perpendicular to the spine on the front side (negligible) and the spine itself is in near perfect condition with all text remaining perfectly intact. The opening edges are rigid with no fraying, and the reverse side is in similarly outstanding condition with the three flipbacks in great shape. Lovely art work, photos and text all perfectly intact, and no unwanted writing or doodles and barely any age discolouration. Amazing, simply amazing!! The original shop price of "32/=" (that means 32 shillings which in today's currency is £1.60!!) remains faintly written in pencil towards the top right corner on the right side - it will easily rub off but I have left it there because Ifeel that it only adds to the charm and authenticity of this 55 year old antiquity!

INNER SLEEVE : Original "USE EMITEX" and "MADE IN ENGLAND" poly-lined, die-cut inner sleeve with no rips or tears, no seam splits, barely any discolouration and just a little mild creasing in the top left corner. Brilliant!. NOTE that I will place the record into a plain white inner sleeve (and separate from the outer sleeve) in order to protect the original inner sleeve during posting.

AUDIO QUALITY : To be precise I should say that side 1 is excellent (EX) and side 2 is very good plus (VG+).  Great tone and clarity throughout and the side 1 mono audio quality is especially impressive. No repeats, jumps, sticks or intrusive clicking. You may come across the very occasional light and mild click, and at the very beginning of each side there is just the hint of some very mild background crackle (this soon disappears), and (as mentioned above) on the final track of side 2 there is some very mild background rotational clicking (you will have to put your ear to the speaker to hear some of this clicking) but there is nothing here to in any way significantly impinge upon the overall impressive MONO audio quality, with every track making for a great listen.

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

1. HELP

2. THE NIGHT BEFORE

3. YOU'VE GOT TO HIDE YOUR LOVE AWAY

4. I NEED YOU

5. ANOTHER GIRL

6. YOU'RE GOING TO LOSE THAT GIRL

7. TICKET TO RIDE

Side 2 :

1. ACT NATURALLY

2. IT'S ONLY LOVE

3. YOU LIKE ME TOO MUCH

4. TELL ME WHAT YOU SEE

5. I'VE JUST SEEN A FACE

6. YESTERDAY

7. DIZZY MISS LIZZY

In summary a very nice condition and highly presentable copy (the condition of the original outer sleeve is truly amazing) of this increasingly hard to find 1965 first UK press Beatles classic - a worthy addition to 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 thick 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 UK £3.00, Royal Mail 1st class signed for; continental Europe £10 and Rest of the World £14, Royal Mail 1st class international Airmail, tracked and signed for.

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

Good luck with your bidding!

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