Help; The Beatles; Parlophone PCS 3071; stereo

	£		22
	$		29

Help!

The Beatles

Parlophone Stereo PCS 3071

This record is from my personal collection of vinyl bought new between the 1950s and the 1980s. They have been played on a Garrard AT6 deck until 1970 and from then on a Thorens TD 160 deck. In my description I will attempt to follow 'Record Collector' grading for the vinyl and I promise not to indulge in purple prose, multi-coloured exotic fonts and exclamation mark diarrhoea. Nor will I make wild claims of rarity or value, it's you, the good bidders of ebay, who decide these things. I guarded my vinyl fanatically, and have ex-friends to prove it! I will attempt to mention all the points that prevent the record being described as mint. Good luck to you in your bidding and I hope my old vinyl ends up in a good home where it will continue to be cherished! All records are cleaned and listened to carefully before being graded and put on ebay.

The Record

Parlophone Stereo PCS 3071; 1965

Matrix: YEX 168 - 1; YEX 169 - 1

Stamper:  1 R and 3 O

Appearance: Apart from a few light surface lines this lp, including the lables, is immaculate.

Playing Test: The lp sits flat and plays flat with no detectable movement of the head, and it plays through with no hops, skips or snuffles. There is a background crackle which is noticeable in the run-in and run-out and between tracks. The crackle is inaudible when the music starts apart from occasionally being just audible during quiet patches. I would guess this lp is sounding as good now as when it was new, hence the grading.

Grading: I would rate this lp as EX 

Note on listening test: in addition to the pre-sale clean the record is cleaned with a carbon fibre brush before being played. The rig used for listening is the trusty Thorens deck with a Shure M75ED type 2 cartridge, an Arcam Alpha 8 amplifier and Sennheiser HD 455 headphones. The cartridge stylus is cleaned before playing each side. The volume is set quite high, but not ear-bleedingly so!

The Tracks

Side 1: Help!; The Night Before; You've Got To Hide Your Love Away; I Need You; Another Girl; You're Going To Lose That Girl; Ticket To Ride

Side 2: Act Naturally; It's Only Love; You Like Me Too Much; Tell Me What You See; I've Just Seen A Face; Yesterday; Dizzy Miss Lizzy

The Sleeve

Front of the triple flipback sleeve: darkened a little round the edges, outer ring wear barely visible except near opening edge, a few small crinkles in the laminate but not noticeable, otherwise the front is clean, clear, bright and shiny

Rear of sleeve: flip-overs undamaged, darkened near edges, some minor staining, a small rough patch near right hand edge, number written top right corner, initials bottom left, both ball point

Grading: I would grade the sleeve as VG+

The Inner Sleeve

The inner sleeve (the original) is a little darkened and slightly crumpled to the four corners but otherwise is in excellent condition. This sleeve will be included in the package but the record will be shipped in a new plain white sleeve.

Payment and Shipping

Preferred payment is through Paypal but UK buyers may pay by cheque or Postal Order if they don't mind the delay while the cheque is cleared. Non-UK buyers MUST use Paypal.

The record will be cleaned before packing then shipped in a new inner sleeve, outside the outer sleeve, and in a strong mailer reinforced with extra card. If you want extra postal services (such as recorded delivery or insurance cover) then ask for a quote: whatever you are prepared to pay for you may have. Any item selling for more than £15 will be sent within the UK by "recorded signed for" First Class mail at no extra charge.

Description

I have done my best to describe what I see and hear accurately, and to make a grading based on this. If you think I have done this unfairly when you receive the item, then do please email me.

Questions

Please email me via ebay if you have any questions and I'll do my best to answer them.

A Warning

Finally, please do not bid if you are not serious about paying. I expect payment, or at least communication, within 7 days of a successful bid. I have a zero tolerance policy on time-wasters and will report non-payment 8 days after closure of bidding.