The Beatles : Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band 1/1 1st Stereo Press 1967

This first stereo pressing plays to a superb standard with no real interference.  There are no clicks or pops and the only 'background' really is a little static distortion during 'She's Leaving Home' but so much less than you so often find.  The clarity, depth, power and warmth of the audio on both sides is stunning and you would be hard pressed to find a better version.  Nearly all of the classic tracks play 'as new' and I cannot overstate just how impressive the sonic quality is.  A genuine classic and rarely found in this condition.  I am pleased to say the vinyl is visually stunning also.

The iconic cover is in great condition with only minimal wear on the spine but no damage and the original red 'Fools' inner is super clean with just one small split on the bottom edge.  The cut out insert card is in perfect condition.  A stunning 'package' overall.

PCS 7027 // YEX 637-1 / YEX 638-1 // AL 1 / OH 4

The audio on S1 ranges between Mint(-) (T6 ranges between Ex+ and Mint- / T7 Near Mint) 

The audio on S2 is Mint(-) (T6 Near Mint) 

The gatefold is Ex+

The labels are Near Mint

The red 'Fools' inner is Ex

The cut out insert is Mint

The vinyl is in superb condition and still has a lovely glossy sheen and no scratches.  Under a strong light I can only a few very faint hairlines that are obviously superficial and have no affect on the stunning audio!  S1 has one very small faint 'spot' on the final 3/4 grooves but again no impact on the audio.  The run out grooves are very clean and the yellow / black Parlophone labels have hardly any spindle wear and just one small thumbprint type mark on S2.  The KT tax code can easily be seen on S1.

Play grading  

The audience intro on 'Sgt. Pepper's...' could not 'play' any better and the opening vocal is just as strong and plays with great clarity and power.  It continues in the same precise way into the first chorus and there is no distortion on the top end.  The rest of this classic is of the same high end standard and it provides a superb Mint start to the album.

The segue into 'With A Little Help From My Friends' is faultless and the clarity on Starr's opening vocal is just stunning!  This sonic quality is maintained throughout and there is not one single negative.  Every vocal and instrumental section play 'as new' with unbelievable clarity and warmth.  I am confident in grading this as Mint also.

'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds' keeps up this fine start and plays with imperious quality from start to finish with no intrusion on the audio.  Once again the sonic quality has not been affected by the passage of time and there are no ticks, clicks, pops or static and even the fade out plays to perfection.  A classic psychedelic number that has to grade as Mint - this truly is audio of the highest calibre.

Harrison's familiar 'clang clang' intro on 'Getting Better' for once has no static distortion and McCartney's opening vocal is accompanied by his very deep bass sound, the depth of the audio here is so much stronger and clearer than on so many other stereo versions I have heard before.  It continues to play with exceptional clarity and definition through every verse and chorus with NO interference and again the fade out has no 'background'.  Mint

'Fixing A Hole' plays with sublime quality from start to finish with...no intrusion.  Again the clarity of sound is equal to that of an un-played and as stated it is patently obvious this record has hardly been played anyway based on the sonic quality and the fact that there is hardly any spindle wear.  Another Mint track.

You could arguably say that 'She's Leaving Home' is the first real test of this vinyl as it so often plays with a fair amount of static distortion as the audiophiles among us will know.  The intro and opening vocal play with perfect clarity and only on the second half is there is a minimal amount of static but I must stress it is very quiet and really does not intrude on the audio quality.  I think ranging between Ex+ and Mint- is a fair assessment of the audio but more of the latter!

There is one click in the dead wax but that is obviously before 'Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!' begins.  It then plays very clearly with no interference and there is certainly no obvious static distortion on Lennon's vocal here.  If there is any it is kept to an absolute minimum i.e. totally non-intrusive.  I'm probably doing myself by even putting it here, it is the final track after all!  The instrumental sections actually play with STUNNING clarity and the overall clarity of sound is very impressive.  I will say Near Mint but even that may be a little harsh.  A wonderful side of music for sure.

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The intro on 'Within You Without You' plays beautifully without any 'background' and the first vocal from Harrison's again pays testament to how well this vinyl has been preserved over the years.  Not one dust tick let alone anything more!  The next 'eastern' instrumental piece is just as impressive and it continues to play with exceptional clarity.  Each note is crystal clear and I cannot remember when I last heard one as pristine as this.  I often find this track has one tick or click at least but not here - this has to be the most 'complete' version I have ever heard and is Mint from the first note to the audience 'exit'.

The intro on 'When I'm Sixty-Four' is again so strong and deep and the opening vocal is very clear with only 3/4 barely audible dust ticks.  From then on it plays with great precision and no clicks, pops etc just a couple of mega light tick.  Once more the definition of the audio is first class and there is no 'muddiness' to the sound whatsoever.  This is vinyl so perhaps I shouldn't downgrade due to a couple of inconsequential ticks but Mint- it is :-)

'Lovely Rita' plays with amazing quality from the get go and of course...no interference.  The clarity is again the star of the show and Mint is again deserved.

The 'farmyard' intro on 'Good Morning, Good Morning' has only very minimal static distortion and the opening vocal plays with outstanding clarity and depth.  There's a lot 'going on' with this track and yet the original sonic quality is still there.  There is no distortion on any of Harrison's work and that is rare!  It plays with great power throughout and even the farmyard end sequence 'plays' perfectly.  Mint-

The classic intro on the 'Sgt. Pepper's...' reprise is STUNNING!  From the countdown, through the percussive section and then the 'heavy' bass section the audio is so powerful and deep.  Perhaps not quite as deep as the mono version but still damn good!  The vocal section is of the same high end standard and again I am so impressed by the sonic quality.  Mint

The segue into 'A Day In The Life' is flawless as is the acoustic section that follows and then Lennon's first vocal just has one very light tick (easily missed!).  It continues to play with wonderful precision through the next vocal - perhaps the mildest hint of static distortion on the vocal but again hardly worth a mention it is so minor.  As the music builds into the the first 'crescendo' section the audio is so powerful with barely any distortion and the up-tempo verse that follows is preceded by a couple of very light ticks - the vocal is then so clean and precise and the 'orchestral' section then plays with stunning quality.  The final verse is as close to perfect as could be and the final crescendo builds could hardly be any more impressive.  Wow!  Minimal static on the final 'crash' and then the long piano fade out has barely any of the static that you so often find.  Almost zero in fact.  As the needle runs off the 'nonsense' track then plays with great clarity also!  This classic track (aren't they all!) is Near Mint and rounds off this STUNNING album with superb audio.

In summary this first stereo pressing plays to such a high standard with no obvious intrusion as you can tell from my audio grading.  The clarity is sensational and did I mention there are no clicks or pops!  'She's Leaving Home' is not quite as perfect as the rest of S1 but it still plays so much clearly than many versions I have heard.  There are a number of highlights across the entire album, too many to mention really, but 'Within You Without You' is a real stand out for the reasons mentioned above.  Maybe not everyone's favourite but it just plays so well!  Basically a load of Mint tracks on this album!  It will add to any high end collection for sure.

The Gatefold, red 'Fool' Inner & Insert

The G&L laminated cover is in lovely condition with only very minimal shelf wear.  Only the top edge of the front cover has a 4cm 'mark' on it near the spine and the other edges are very clean with no wear.  The spine is still 100% legible and has just a small number of minor 'rubs' and is slightly compressed / creased.  That is about it really!  The rest of the cover is in superb condition!  The corners are in great shape with very little wear and the opening edges have hardly any handling wear either, just a couple of tiny 'crimps' on the first one.  The front cover is close to perfect and only has a handful of 'specks' next to the opening edge bottom right and one minor laminate crease.  The back cover is in great condition with no wear and the inside of the gatefold is so close to perfect with only minor compression of the inner spine in the centre and a couple of tiny 'nicks' next to the left edge.  The flipbacks are still 100% attached to the cover and the colouring throughout the entire cover is still as glossy and 'fresh' as it was 55 years ago!  A fine example of this iconic cover.

The red 'Fools' inner is in excellent condition with no side splits and just one small split on the bottom edge.  It has barely any marking and only minimal creasing.  The cut out insert is in perfect Mint condition.

Play tested on my Rega P2 Turntable / Denon PMA-520AE Amp / B&W 684 Speakers

This record has been cleaned on a Pro-Ject VC-S machine

PCS 7027 // YEX 637-1 / YEX 638-1 // AL 1 / OH 4

I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.

Any questions please feel free to ask

Please pay within 4 days of auction end

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