A Hard Day's Night (3N/3N)

The first mono pressing has highly impressive audio and the cover is in superb condition, one of the best I have ever seen.

Mono 3N/3N first pressing on Yellow/Black label.  'The Parlophone Co. Ltd' etc printed around the perimeter edge.  'Recording first published 1964' and 'Sold in U.K. subject to resale price conditions' plus song titles on S2 are written on four lines.

Mid-sized 'Mono' on front of G&L cover.

Parlophone PMC 1230

The audio on S1 is Ex+ (Near Mint in some sections)

The audio on S2 is Ex++ (Near Mint in many sections)

The cover is Ex+

The inner sleeve is Ex

The labels are Ex+ & Near Mint-

 Visual grading

  This vinyl is in stunning condition for its 50+ years and has obviously been very carefully handled and not actually played a great deal.  There are a very small number of mega faint sleeve removal hairlines and it has to be one of the cleanest first pressings I have ever seen.  It really is superb, a fantastic example for a first pressing.  There are no scratches and it retains a lovely glossy sheen.

Play grading

With almost no lead in static on S1 'A Hard Days Night' has audio of an exceptional standard.  There is a little static on literally the first extended guitar note but thereafter the track plays with great clarity and no 'background'.  'I Should Have Known Better' again plays so clearly and there are no negatives.  No clicks, pops etc the track has wonderful clarity and no distortion on the top level.  There is no interference on the fade out either which is so rare for a 54 year old vinyl.  You can hear a little background static here and there on 'If I Fell' but it certainly does not interfere with the clarity of the recording.  The remaining tracks equally impress and again there are no clicks, pops or jumps.  'And I Love Her' plays with great precision and depth for such a quiet song and has only a minimal amount of light static in the background, hardly noticeable really.  There is a little distortion on 'Tell Me Why' and 'Can't Buy Me Love' and this is probably because they are louder tracks being played through a stereo system.  The fact that they are the final tracks on the side is another reason i.e. the grooves are often pressed closer together in order to 'fit' them onto the side.   However, they still play very clearly with no other issues and again no clicks, pops etc.

'Any Time At All' on S2 has super impressive audio and displays great clarity and depth.  What is particularly obvious here is how the strong the bass is in the mix.  Near perfect sound with no distortion.  'I'll Cry Instead' is another highlight and plays with supreme quality and no 'background'.  'Things We Said Today' is another sublime listen and thus far every track on this side grades as Near Mint such is the standard here.  The next two tracks display excellent clarity and power, being louder tracks, but again have a little distortion on the top level due to the aforementioned reasons.  'I'll Be Back' ends this classic album in fine style with extremely clear audio and no obvious 'background', just a little distortion.

In summary this 3N/3N first pressing plays with great depth and clarity and how many 54 year old records have no clicks or pops?!  There is also near complete silence between every track which gives a good indication of the quality of the vinyl.  With only some light distortion here and there, which could perhaps be eradicated if played through a mono system, this is one of the cleanest first pressings I have heard in a long time and will not disappoint. 

Cover

This G & L laminated cover is in superb condition for its age and is one of the cleanest 'first press' ones I have ever seen.  The edges and thin spine have hardly any shelf wear and there is only a minimal amount of corner wear, a little more on the bottom right corner perhaps.  The opening edge is also in great shape with almost no handling wear.  The laminate has no splits or lifting and remains very clean indeed.  The front and back covers are in superb condition it would be difficult to find better!  The white back cover is obviously the one that can be easily marked but this one has no marking and is visually stunning.  The flipbacks are also in fantastic condition and have none of the staining that is so often seen.  There are only a couple of very minor marks on the right flipback near the spine.  Overall this is a wonderful example of this iconic cover.

Inner sleeve

This doesn't have an Emitex sleeve but this one does look equally as old and may well be the original.  It is poly-lined and has no splits or tears, just some light creasing and fading.

The labels

The yellow/black Parlophone labels are very clean with writing and not a great amount of spindle wear, just a little more on S2.  There is a very small circle mark on S1 next to the £ trademark where there was once a small sticker perhaps.  There is no tax code on this particular edition.

Play tested on my Pro-Ject Essential III Turntable / B&W 684 Speakers

I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.

Any questions please feel free to ask

Please pay within 4 days of auction end

Recent Feedback

Very happy with this item, and special thanks for perfect packing!

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Postage & Packaging

I SHIP WORLDWIDE BUT WHEN SHIPPING ITEMS TO ITALY, RUSSIA AND SOUTH AMERICA I WILL ONLY SEND THEM "TRACKED/SIGNED FOR" AND THIS COSTS AN ADDITIONAL £6.00. PLEASE WAIT FOR THE INVOICE. WHEN ITEMS EXCEED A SALE PRICE OF £50.00 AND ARE TO BE SENT INTERNATIONALLY EXTRA INSURANCE IS NECESSARY AND COSTS AN EXTRA £2.50.  PLEASE ONLY BID IF YOU AGREE WITH THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS.

COMBINED POSTAGE IS ALWAYS OFFERED WHEN MORE THAN ONE ITEM IS WON.

ALL VINYLS ARE PACKAGED IN STRONG CUSTOM MADE OVER-SIZED MAILERS WITH EXTRA CARDBOARD PROTECTION. THEY ARE PLACED IN SEPARATE POLY-LINED INNERS OUTSIDE THE COVER IN ORDER TO AVOID SEAM SPLITS IN THE POST. EVERYTHING IS THEN PLACED INSIDE A PVC SLEEVE TO PROVIDE EXTRA PROTECTION. I PRIDE MYSELF ON MY HIGH QUALITY PACKAGING AS MY FEEDBACK TESTIFIES AND IF ANY CUSTOMER HAS ANY SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS I WILL ALWAYS ENDEAVOUR TO HELP.

UK Postage Rates (Second Class)

LPs/12" singles : £4.95 (recorded) then £0.75 per extra item 

7" singles / CDs : £1.95 then £0.35 per extra

EUROPE 

LPs/12" singles : £7.95 then £1.25 per extra 

7" singles / CDs : £4.95 then £0.95 per extra 

REST OF WORLD  

LPs/12" singles : £11.95 then £1.75 per extra

7" singles / CDs : £5.95 then £0.95 per extra

I WILL LEAVE FEEDBACK ONCE IT HAS BEEN LEFT FOR ME. THIS IS SO I KNOW THE ITEM HAS BEEN RECEIVED SAFELY AND THAT YOU ARE HAPPY WITH IT. IF YOU ARE NOT ENTIRELY HAPPY WITH YOUR PURCHASE PLEASE CONTACT ME BEFORE LEAVING FEEDBACK AND I WILL ALWAYS RESOLVE ANY PROBLEM, 100% GUARANTEED.  I WILL ALSO PAY THE RETURN POSTAGE COST IF I AM AT FAULT - yes this can happen as I am only human!!

In the coming weeks and months I will be selling plenty of Queen, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Beatles, Genesis and Marillion items so please keep a look out!  Many thanks.  Please look at my other items on now!