THE BEATLES Help Orig UK 65 EX++ LP, RARE MT Tax Codes

	£		72
	$		95

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Artist or Band: THE BEATLES

Album Title: Help!

Producer(s): George Martin.

TRACK LIST:

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.

Label/Format: Parlophone – First edition format (I wont use the word ‘press’ as this record was pressed many times). It has the earliest text: ‘Sold in the UK...’, The Gramophone Co Ltd. This one also includes the much rarer ‘M T” tax codes on side one. These embossed letters, when present, and they are not always, are in most cases ‘K T’. These two fragile and fine characters are totally unworn and retain all their ink with no flattening or wear at all. So-much-so, they may not be too easy to even see on my label scan.

Label Conditions: This pair have to be seen to be believed: with any of the tiny few spindle marks fine and faint. This immediately has to be put into context. Beatles were, and still are the world’s most popular group. The people from the 1960s who purchased them did so to play them, hence a massive percentage of existing copies were certainly just that. All collectors know just how ‘hammered’ these were on Dansettes and other similar record players of the era. Most suffered accordingly with audio quality badly diminished and often now unlistenable, especially when played on high-end stereo equipment for which these single mode records were never really designed for. The mono pressings usually suffered most as these pressings were more often purchased by those who owned mono equipment. Stating the obvious?, well maybe. To find a mono copy of ‘Help’ in barely played condition is a major rarity, and I know for certain this record has hardly left the sleeve. It will be more than apparent to any winning bidder this is the case. Most of these labels are seen with heavy, matted spindle marks, often penetrating and removing the surface ink and the hole actually enlarged by constant placing around steel spindles that eat into the record hole rims. This record’s labels are simply incredible with very few spindle marks at all and no scuffs or even fingermarks. The difference such a hardly played copy makes to the audio reproduction of the music is beyond comparison, more on that further down. With near immaculate playing surfaces and a record I would think has been played no more than two or three times, this is what makes the difference. Few copies of this and similar mono albums can withstand high-end equipment without wretched sound, often with major distortion, crackle, pops and clicks. I simply will not offer such copies.

Cat Number: PMC 1255.

Mode / Speed: Mono / 33.3 rpm.

Warps: Assume all records I offer have no warping of any significance and all tracking is easy and effortless and should play on all turntables and even ‘budget’ decks.

Weight of this Record: 155 grams. This is a very good weight for any standard record but not untypical for Beatles’ records of this era.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Few Beatles albums are ‘rare’ and this is no exception, but finding them in near top playing and visual conditions is a different story, especially in mono. The world’s most popular band’s titles were usually played into submission on heavy-armed mono record players, often with worn out stylus that stripped and destroyed their delicate grooves. Most were sapphire tipped, they wore out fast and regularly chipped which wrote off all records played with them afterwards. They were rarely aligned and tracked in excess of 10 grams and often substantially more, often with added weight to track stacked singles – yes true. So many of the earliest copies sound terrible these days especially when played on modern clinical equipment. I don’t offer Beatles titles that often simply because of that, I will only offer clean copies that play well and these are far more difficult to find. Who wants to listen to worn out, noisy, crackly distorted sound with a host of pops and clicks? NO WAY! So when I do offer a Beatles title, be assured it will sound nice. If it fails to please me, why would it please any potential buyer? Perfection is tough ask from mono records way over 40 years old, but strong clean sound with minimal surface sound is possible and it’s worth the wait. This example is a visual beauty, it belonged to a very fussy owner. Of the 14 songs on offer, I would say 12 play little short of perfection. ‘I’ve Seen a Face’ has the faintest hint of ultra brief crackle, but sneeze and you will miss it. ‘Yesterday’, is arguably the toughest Beatles song to track and play perfectly on this or any other of their albums. Very, very few will not have some surface noise or crackle especially on the vocals. This copy has barely any at all but just a couple of three milli-second crackles were detected, and that is not a bad return for this totally unforgiving song that is massively intolerant any over-use or abuse. It will take an extraordinary example to better this overall wonderful example. What is certain, this owner barely played this record, a very rare exception to the rule and that being no understatement. Far fewer copies of this record included the rarer ‘M T’ tax codes and try finding the actual record’s cover better too. Truly, this pure white stunner could almost pass for new and that is NO exaggeration. Even the fragile tracing paper style lined inner is in fantastic condition. In terms of Beatles regular issues, finding one quite like this is rare. That using the word ‘rare’ correctly, because most were played these into oblivion. I rarely even look at Beatles records at fairs because I know exactly what to expect. Wornout, grubby and scratched records that have clearly been played dozens of times on god knows what – or reissues. And covers yellowed, nicotine stained, written on with damaged flipbacks, creases and split edges – we have all seen them. What a joy to see this stunning record so clean, it truly does come close to reminding of new with sound of very near equal merit. One that could prove a massive upgrade for many and this one does pass the LP12 test, with only ultimately few and the briefest of sound blemishes. If mastertape pristine perfection is mandatory from this record, the search for the near impossible can continue, but this really is one of the toughest Beatles albums to find like that and only the near impossible to please collector will not like this beauty.

Original Year of Release: 1965

Matrix Nos: XEX 549-2 / XEX 550-2

Stamper Codes: 4 8 RPT / 5 AGT [clearly not the earliest ever pressed, but these were pressed multitudes of times].

Brief Info: Most collectors and fans will know this album well, suffice to say it was their fifth record and including 14 wonderful pop songs with several used in their second feature film of the same name. I prefer to concentrate on conditions: briefly, a superb visual record that looks and plays beautifully with any sound blemishes very few and ultra brief on the songs mentioned above and few ‘Yesterdays’ will ever play perfectly. A mono copy that easily meets my criteria for offering with a cover that is simply gorgeous.

Cover Grade and Format: Can I really even comtemplate grading a cover this age Mint? Well yes but nothing for is ever truly ‘perfect’, so I will grade Mint(-), but this sets a standard few will even get close to. A single format with front laminate, this wraps around the closed edges on to three rear external flipbacks. This has the first printing outline mono near the top right corner on the front and the ‘Patents pending’ text on the imprint on the bottom rear flipback. Printed and made in England by Garrod & Lofthouse and includes it’s original tracing paper styled lined inner.

Lamination & Front: My best ‘Help!’ cover ever, this truly does remind of new and gives next to no clues on it’s vast age. Blemishes?, well as they say, almost to few to mention. One miniature half moon surface crease trace and a couple of very fine surface marks. An ultra faint semi-semi thumb crease barely registers and only under light and one pin-prick sized dot which I am certain is a microscopic manufacture ink mark under the laminate. Mentioning such trivia as this dot is almost detail taken to paranoid levels, but I know the serious Beatles’ collector want top-draw covers. The whiteness has to be seen to be fully appreciated, not even a hint of any yellowing or darkening and the famous artwork is enjoyed to the absolute maximum under ultra clean, fresh and crystal clear laminate. Even under light, there is barely any fine hairlines to be seen and this stunning, fully adhered laminate looks almost sprayed on. The right edge sees the laminate end close to flush, hence minimal exposed strip to darken, but no chance of that on this one anyway. I did direct comparison on this cover to two others I have in stock, the gap on Starr’s lower left hand is pretty close to the right edge which initially I thought suspicious. But I guarantee no trimming has been made here, the definitive proof is a) the cover is exactly the same finished size as my other two and b) the gap on Harrison’s right hand is bigger against the spine than my others to compensate. Again under light, there is no friction rubs or dulling at all and this sleeve has been cover protected all it’s existence. I can hardly stop looking at this while I am typing (yes I can touch type). The difference is immediately apparent, this front just oozes class and for those who do want to be reminded of new, well this merits a 9.95 from these eyes, outstanding in all respects.

Cover Back: I said above nothing for is ever ‘perfect’, well if any indeed ever is, this back has to be it. I could list every element of this back stating what it hasn’t got, but I will make this simple for the reader and myself. This back is immaculate, little-short of pristine as made back in the mid-60s. I have never seen a better Beatles’ back cover than this I feel certain, if the front gets a 9.95, this back merits a 9.99. The missing 0.05 for something these 52-year-old eyes may have missed, but with several careful close looks, it’s probably unlikely. I add just for good measure because this could indeed be unique for anyway, all three flipbacks have not even one hairline surface crease, yes true, not even ONE!!

Top Edge: Here lies the only real wear on this cover, a Mint(-) would have applied bar what appears to be a surface crack to the central third of this top edge. Record cases are notorious for harming edges and I have seen this happen before. They offer great protection overall but care has to be taken on the edges when close the lids. Anyway, marked down to EX for this blemish that’s largely out of sight, who wants to look at an edge with the rest of the cover looking this nice?

Top & Bottom Edges: Both wear-free and looking superb.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with any burr traces minimal. Barely any wear and no feathering, the record enters on this edge.

Spine and Text: Again in superb condition and as white as when made. Solid, quite straight with any compression very mild indeed – a light trace near the very centre being critical. All text is perfect and unworn under the solid and uncracked laminate. My fingertip test on all closed edges reveals not a single scuff or even hairline crease. Simply amazing.

Corners: All four immaculate and as pointed and unworn as new, not even a hairline tip crease to be seen.

Cover Summary: Well for sure, this is one I will not forget in a hurry. Can a mid-60s cover really look too new? Well everyone will have an opinion, but for those who really do want them almost as new, they will be hard pressed to find one a great deal better than this. A ‘Help!’ cover for the most discerning connoisseur collector for sure.

The Inner: Firstly, this inner is guaranteed the original, not a mix-and-match and the same goes for the record and cover. I prefer to keep all the pieces together as purchased. In this case, there was no need to even comtemplate any other option anyway. This has the tracing paper style lining which is pristine with immaculate window circles. This has aged little and retains a very fine slightly off-white colour with no hard creasing at all. Slight crinkle which is normal on these style inners and even the recessed top opening is immaculate. One edge seam had dried and come apart a little, so I very carefully applied a mere smear of PVA to seal it back together, I think that more than acceptable so make all edges secure and solid. I think this ultra fragile inner more than deserves an EX++ grading at the very least.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: This truly remarkable record has to be graded EX++ and practically Mint(-), anything below would not begin to explain just what a beautiful piece this is. One very light surface mark on side one anything else are just ultra fine surface traces that just catch angled light, and yes, we are talking about a mid-60s Beatles mono record. For all the reasons mentioned above, this is a remarkable find and will simply show up others for what they are – used and often (very) abused. This has simply been stashed away and forgotten about, I am certain this has not seen light-of-day for decades. A superb visual copy that is super clean, shiny, intense black and heavily pressed. A copy possibly, and likely played just two or three times including my play-grade, this really does look lovely Two incredibly clean playing surfaces that set the benchmark for others to try and emulate – a record that looks as astonishing as the cover. Visually a mono record that defies it’s age and popularity.

Album Played For Grading: Yes. [I play ALL records I offer before submitting to Ebay, also the record is played in its entirety unless clearly stated otherwise. I do NOT play snippets or joining grooves to check for sound quality and quietness – I play from the beginning to end via clinically revealing B&W speakers that include the legendary tweeter from their awesome Nautilus range that reveals every blemish or miniscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This beautiful Parlophone record plays up to its high visual grading with very little nothing to fault. A bold statement I know, but true. I have mentioned the tiny sound blemishes in my ‘Rarity’ paragraph and do not wish keep repeating myself, so if you have skipped it, please scroll back up. This is another masterclass of production from George Martin. Every Beatles album on Parlophone has a ‘crucial’ and ‘difficult’ track, one that is the benchmark to judge the rest of the album. On ‘Help’ it’s always ‘Yesterday’. A song of great intensity with vocal and strings and it lies towards the inner part of the record where the tracking angle becomes more critical. Here is where those old mono pickups inflict maximum damage, hence so few copies will ever play this crucial and delicate song well. In most cases it will crackle and break up, Paul’s voice becomes unfocused and clips. In more severe cases of groove wear (which are far from uncommon), actually go into distortion. This is an unforgiving song and very few copies of this album will play it even close to perfectly. But of course from new they all did (or should have, even if only briefly after a piledriver blunt needle did its worst). Well this copy plays this critical song very well indeed with just a couple or three mega brief sounds. McCartney’s vocal is sharp and precise and lacking that clipping and crackle that few ever will. Many have constant surface noise all through this difficult song. A Linn Sondek takes no prisoners in revealing all – good and bad – and there is little ‘bad’ on this record believe me. As I stated above, 12 of 14 songs play as close to perfect as vinyl ever will, any unwanted sounds on the other two are mega brief and few. I am positive the tiny sounds present are in the actual pressing. Remember, Beatles’ records were mass-produced with the manufactures hardly being able to keep up supply for demand, so the odd invisible imperfection was hardly unusual. No pops or clicks were noted and overall, this is a very fine pressing. Even after a very few plays will the sound begin to deteriorate if played on less than worthy equipment, this has simply not happened on this copy and there lies the difference. This record has fantastic sound overall with immense detail and reality and will last almost indefintely if played with a modern lightweight stylus. I honestly think it’s near impossible to wear out a record when played on modern equipment with such light tracking weights. Clean grooves and a regular changed pickup means a super long life for even often played records. Few copies will match or outperform this heavyweight pressing significantly I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has barely been played and was caringly stored, with a cover like this, that cannot be in any dispute. Practically nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful vintage record. This record will prove immensely difficult (something of an understatement I feel) to find better and can be strongly recommended. A near dream-piece copy for the discerning Beatles’ collector, if however the minor blink-of-an-eye sounds mentioned on ‘Yesterday’ are an issue, do not bid.

End Piece: With a stunning cover and a hardly played record, this is an exceptional copy in all respects. Not quite pristine sound for it’s entirety, but little short, most realistic collectors will realise this will take some beating. On that basis it’s a copy I can strongly recommend, it’s one I feel I will rarely, if ever see better.

Now one of the most established sellers on Ebay and still offering the finest and most accurately described and graded records I can find. I pride myself on offering a variety of genres to keep my site as interesting as possible. I will rarely offer any record that falls below a true Excellent grading, unless its of a certain rarity which will justify offering a lesser grade. I try, to the best of my ability to describe as accurately and as honesty as I can all items I offer for sale with all the relevant information I can think of to help any potential bidder and collector. You may notice I only submit records sparingly on Ebay - on average ONEADAY, a couple more at weekends if time permits, hence the name - time rarely allows for more as I Play-Grade virtually every record I offer in their entirety, not just bits to guess a grade - visuals alone do not always tell a true or full story. I will mention any defects or flaws no matter how small that I notice to be fair as possible to any interested collector – I am very fussy and my buyers have the right to be too. Every record I offer, whether it be a common or rare item deserves the same respect as far as I am concerned and will be treated the same - just because an item is rare does not always mean its good. I get just as much pleasure offering a relatively common record in stunning near mint condition as the real rare items. All the pictures I use for your guidance are taken with a digital camera or scanned - they are NOT improved, cleaned-up or made better looking than they are with camera trickery or enhancing with digital programmes. What you see is what you get and scanned labels will give a more accurate representation of the genuine colour than flash photography where light is variable. I cannot guarantee total accuracy for colours however but most will be very close. If any picture I take looks more flattering than the actual item for any reason, I will clearly state the fact in the advert and vice-versa. I hope the item below is to your liking - any questions can be emailed and I will do my very best to answer you. I am enthusiastic, and have a fair degree of knowledge about many genres and I promise quality items - bid with confidence - excellence comes as standard and so does Near Mint regularly. Please assume all records I offer have NO jumps, sticks, warps or writing on covers or labels unless clearly stated to the contrary. Thanks for your interest and Good luck – MIKE.

Deck: Linn LP12/Hercules/Cirkus with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Rondo Red moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with QED Silver terminated cable). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional Moth vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too.

First-time, zero-rated bidders, who do not ask permission to bid, will be cancelled immediately and blocked – NO exceptions. For winning bidders who I consider excessively slow to make contact or submit payment, I will use my right to block future bids. If any bidder who wins in the final seconds is present to do so, surely they can at least email me to inform of intention and payment method? If swift or promp payment is a problem, please do not bid.

PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET - PLEASE SEE MY TYPICAL PACKING BOX PICTURE.

What You Get: To confirm to the strict Ebay rules on shipping, I must now send ALL my packets ‘Signed-For’ with NO exceptions. Both buyers and sellers want their packets to have a safer journey and this is not a bad thing.

I now offer the fastest possible posting, often the very next day after payment is received or within two to three days maximum (unless on holiday). I only use FIRST-CLASS Mail. The record’s cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my Moth Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. You will NOT get tired, dull looking, dust infested records inside worn and foggy covers with tatty inners from this seller and that’s a promise and guarantee. All records are posted in professional thick boxes (NOT Mailers or Cruciforms, these do not offer maximum protection). The record(s) REMOVED from their main cover to avoid edge splits and placed within a brand new polylined inner. The record’s original inner will be included if available. The boxes are then reinforced with THREE or EVEN FOUR ULTRA THICK stiffeners for maximum extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffeners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will even be Double Boxed if deemed necessary and possible. The thick record and stiffener ‘sandwich’ is then thickly embedded into bubble-wrap to bulk out the record inside the box to centre the item inside to reduce the risk of damage still further. Printed address labels are used for clarity as well as a sender label. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if at all possible but ‘Signed-For’ posting is NOT an option anymore. Please see my picture of a typical finished box packet that will now be used on ALL transactions as from now. I do not profit on posting and the cost of this lavish packing is NOT even charged for, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. These boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffners and bubble wrap make a near impregnable fortress for safe shipping and this is used inland and overseas for ALL my records, not just the rare and expensive. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than one in two thousand based on over 6,000+ items sold in over 8 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. The only damage rate acceptable for this seller is ZERO and I think my packets will offer just that. It would take a vicious postman or postal service to damage these for sure. Even one of these stiffners cannot be bent by hand, so what chance 3 or 4 inside a box? Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FOUR records per box (one double can sometimes be included subject to total weight). I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included here and on ALL of my adverts. Details below:

NOTE: First Time Bidders: I will cancel ALL first-time bidders with no feedbacks or excessive negatives who do not ask me if its OK to bid first – NO EXCEPTIONS.

Please Note: I will now offer any item to the runner-up after the mandatory Ebay 3 days if no contact is made by the winning bidder unless prior notice of any delay is given beforehand. The same applies if no payment is received within the mandatory 7 days so any bidder who has just lost out can still email me to reserve the item as priority second chance – it’s always worth asking.

SHIPPING COSTS & CONDITIONS – THESE comply with EBAY’S RULES - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY:

Posting & Packing: UK & CHANNEL ISLANDS all now sent via Recorded Delivery:

1 LP (FIRST-CLASS Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £2 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£40 maximum]) = £9. (insurance optional extra £3). Add £2.50 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); Australia; Canada; Japan and other Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £13. Add £4 per extra LP. (insurance optional extra £3)

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders or direct payment into my bank account.

Potential Bidders: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are timewasters. A maximum 3 days for communication and 7 days for payment to arrive - if not I will relist the item or offer to the runner-up. Fast deals get great feedback from me. Any questions - please ask and thanks for looking.

My Guarantee: If any winning bidder is not satisfied with their purchase I will offer a complete refund. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer, so read the item description carefully. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help. Thank You.

SOME GENERAL GUIDES TO WEAR AND CONDITIONS TO HELP YOU DECIDE

My Use of Description Terminology: Surface Marks = Superficial, usually light marks, hairlines or light scuffs that rarely sound. Scratch = a needle mark that goes below the record’s surface, some will sound, some will not, my play-grade will inform. Original = a record that has been pressed with the first label design which does NOT neccessarily mean a very first pressed record. First Pressing = A record that I believe or know to be a genuine very first pressed record. I do not claim to always know for sure, and that’s why I state the stamper and matrix numbers if at all possible, for those who claim to know what they all mean, the information is there for the collector to decide. I prefer to use terms like ‘Early Copy’ rather than ‘First Pressing’ if I am not totally sure. Surface Sound = Mild, light sound, usually light crackle or similar. Distortion = Break up of the actual sound caused by groove wear or damage from a chipped stylus – the most undesirable form of unwanted sound, vintage mono records were the most prone to this happening but not exclusively so. The symptoms of distortion are high frequency clipping, moderate constant crackle or an echo type sound quality. Violin, piano and vocals are most prone to groove-wear distortion. Feathering = Fraying or softening of the entry edge of a cover. Covers with feathered entrance edges are more likely to have had the actual record inserted and removed more than a non-feathered, sharp-edged cover which are always far more attractive. Set Off, actually a printer’s term for dark ink leaving mild residue on pale or white ink when rested upon. e.g. when a gatefold cover has black ink closed against white, this can leave some black residue on the pale area – this is mostly unavoidable or course.

The Argument for Vinyl Original sound and mix (mono mixes are rarely available on CD), high quality sound on clean copies (played on a hi-end dedicated analogue system – breathtaking sound!), beautiful, large format covers, artwork, inserts and even full size posters etc; huge investment potential, and the pleasure of owning ‘the real thing’.