BEATLES-Please Please Me-UK orig EX/NMint-

	£		240
	$		318

Beatles-Please Please Me

PMC 1202 MONO release

1963 UK issue Y/B Parlophone label format

Decca contract Pressing with incredibly rare labels

Hardly ever seen and very very scarce!!!

VERY LIGHTLY PLAYED and VERY CAREFULLY HANDLED!!!To the naked eye, almost blemish free!!!Surfaces are beautiful with only a very few light surface marks .How rare is that for  HUGE selling Beatles record produced in 1963!!!One of the best copies that you are ever likely to see if you are lucky enough to win this auction!

Why is the label different from other pressings of this record?

During the production of this HUGE best selling Beatles album,there was so much heavy demand that other EMI recording companies were called upon to help with the massive sales surge!  Other record companies were used to press only a limited number of copies to meet the sheer volume of sales. This is one of them.

EMI was forced to contract even their rival Decca to produce a very small number of records for them.

This very special record is a very scarce Decca contract pressing valued at hundreds of pounds in the Rare Records Collectors Catalogue 2006.These records can be identified by a ridge 15 mms from the label’s rim. They are nowadays EXTREMELY RARE and command very high prices! This is the first that I have ever seen!! A truly magnificent specimen!

Info :The Beatles FIRST official L.P. release.

 For the ONLY time, the mono version was issued 6 weeks BEFORE the stereo version. This album contained the "A" and "B" sides of their first two singles, plus 10 new songs ALL recorded in one incredible session at Abbey Road. The session cost just £400 and lasted 16 hours. The album took exactly 6 months to pass the sales figure of 250,000, and went on to sell over half-a-million in the U.K. with world sales of almost two million. It still holds the record for the longest continuous stay at number 1 The cover photo was taken at EMI's Manchester Sq. headquarters by Angus McBean, and the sleeve notes are by Tony Barrow. Whilst trying to think of catchy names for their first album release, George Martin offered the title, "Off The Beatle Track", but this was bypassed.

Sleeve

Never seen such a clean copy.Will not find better!! Most got torn, damaged, written on…A lot are seen as dirty, stained and disfigured. This one is the best I have seen to date. Front cover is almost perfect. One vertical crease towards spinal edge. Two corners slightly scuffed. feathering quite light on opening edge. Colours strong and bold. Beautiful front cover with large mono  in perfect print, top right corner. Single flipback sleeve in solid excellent condition and a pleasure to view. So rare to find in this condition.Not much discoloration on reverse which is most unusual. Quite clean with no writing or damage. Quite remarkable compared to the majority. Almost impossible to find in this condition.

Labels

What can I say. These are staggering .One of the rarest a collector would wish to acquire. Very different to the normal labels. A very clearly defined ridge 15 mm from outer edge in a perfect concentric format. A DECCA contract pressing.Yellow/black Parlophone labels with “Recording first published”and to make these labels even more special/unique, NO “sold in the UK” text,which is common to many.Label synonomous to a fourth press. This is when the demand for their first album went through the roof. Made in Gt. Britain with Dick James Music credits. Silver printed letters unfaded. NO lifting. NO peeling. In beautiful excellent condition. NO fading and the best feature to me,NO spindle wear which was so common on these heavily played Beatles’ albums. The central hole is perfect with only a few light spindle marks detected. The rare Decca pressing gives these labels a staggering appearance, the concentric circular indentation in perfect symmetry to the outer perimeter of the label. This label is mega special as these Beatles albums were very heavily played ,leaving many with very ugly markings which show up big time on these matt jet black labels.Both labels on this record have very light spiderlines and very few at that!!SO rare on a Beatles record.Awesome!

Vinyl

Highly polished, mirror like surfaces with a stunning appearance.The sheen is very similar to mint vinyl!!!No dulling of the surfaces.Carefully handled and quite lightly played. How rare is that? Under ordinary conditions, the visual grading is excellent again. Surfaces are beautiful with very light surface marks. One side actually looks near perfect with hardly a blemish. If angled under a strong halogen several hairlines etc. will be detected. A thick, heavy chunky press and what a feel to this vinyl. This one really gives you a buzz and is a delight to hold and to view.

Matrices

XEX 422-1N

XEX 421-1N

Additional stampers 0 1 2

                                    0 1

The above numbers are viewed at 9 o’clock from the matrix. NO stampers at 3 o’clock which confirms that this is a very scarce contract pressing indeed. A genuine DECCA  pressing on a BEATLES record. How cool is that?

Audio

Side 1

Staggering sound quality for a record of 42 years old. What a vintage vinyl.NEAR silent grooves!!!NO crackles!!!NEAR PERFECT aural delivery!!!!!Incredible sound.Beautiful tones with a razor sharp edge. NO distortion and NO surface noise prevalent!A joy to hear and exciting for collectors.SO RARE!! SO beautiful!! SO SCARCE!!!Don’t worry. I made sure that I didn’t breathe on the vinyl.

Side 2

Very slight surface noise during the first track but heard in the distance and does not last too long.As soon as music begins, the channels are crystal and near silent grooves prevail for the majority of this side.Sensational sound quality.Never heard a Beatles album with such a phenomenal sound quality.Remarkable aural delivery!!To have such an excellent audio on a very rare pressing puts the icing on an already very rich cake indeed.

Summary

A monumental collectors’ item, without a doubt. What a pressing on one of the most  sought after  Beatles’ releases!! “Please Please Me”-their very first album release, with demand reaching unprecedented heights, which resulted in this very rare gem of a vinyl. True investment quality. Very very scarce pressing of one of the best selling Beatles albums. One of the earliest and most famous of Beatles records .Only a very limited number produced as a Decca contract pressing and this record is in a truly remarkable condition. Will not come across another like this for a very long time-possibly never again! Good luck if you try to bid for this very scarce record.

Do bear in mind that only a very few were produced in this way,and these type of records have become extremely rare and highly sought after,commanding high prices owing to their scarcity.

In unbelievable condition and an absolutely stunning copy!!

Shipping

UK-£6.50-special delivery

Europe-£6.00 without insurance

USA/Japan-£7.95 without insurance