The Beatles : Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 1/1 1st Mono Press

This first mono pressing plays with stunning audio for the vast majority with only one section of interference as detailed below.  The gatefold is in lovely condition and comes complete with the cut out and original inner.

Mono 1/1 first pressing on Yellow/Black label.  'The Gramophone Co. Ltd' etc printed around the perimeter edge and 'Sold in U.K. subject...' text also.

G & L laminated gatefold with thin spine

PMC 7027 // XEX 737 - 1 / XEX 738 - 1 // MAL 6 / MRM 7

The audio on S1 is Ex+ (Near Mint in many sections / final minute of track 6 & start of track 7 is VG)

The audio on S2 is Near Mint (Mint- for the majority)

The cover is Ex+

The cut out is Mint

The 'red fool' inner sleeve is VG-

The labels are Near Mint-

 Visual grading

  Overall this vinyl is very clean indeed for 50 years of age.  There are some faint hairlines with 2/3 on each side that are a little more obvious but it still retains a lovely glossy sheen.  There is one small scratch on S1 and whilst there is some spindle wear you can see that it has not been overplayed and the run out grooves remain very clean.  For a genuine first pressing I think this is visually very impressive.

Play grading

With hardly any lead in static you're immediately thinking this is going to play well and it does not disappoint!  The 'Sgt. Pepper's...' intro has only one faint click and then plays with wonderful clarity and no other interference whatsoever.  The seque into 'A Little Help From My Friends' is superb and this classic then plays nigh on perfectly with only a couple of very faint dust ticks towards the end.  It is certainly one of the cleanest versions I have heard in a long time.  'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds' has just a mild hint of static on the top end here and there but this is commonplace on the mono recordings when played through a stereo system and it is only very minor.  With only one faint click it plays very clearly and has high quality audio throughout.  The long fade out plays with stunning precision and no 'background' at all.  'It's Getting Better' plays extremely well with a minimal amount of light static on the top end but again this is common and totally non-intrusive.  I only mention this to be complete in my grading and as before if played through a mono set up it could easily be removed.  A wonderfully clear version nonetheless with no clicks or pops etc.  'Fixing A Hole' is absolutely stunning and has to be one of the most impressive versions I have ever heard.  The clarity and depth on offer here is sublime, incredible to think this vinly is 50 years old.  As an example of the clarity - the long fade out has no interference of any kind.  'She's Leaving Home' as always has some static distortion but still plays very clearly for the majority.  There are some light ticks/clicks for the final minute and whilst none of them are loud they are audible nonetheless.  There are also a few light ticks/clicks on '...Mr. Kite' during the first verse but the remainder plays very clearly with no other obvious interference and ends the side in impressive fashion.

'Within You Without You' on S2 plays with superb clarity and depth from the very first note and definitely grades as Near Mint if not better!  It has such a strong bass sound and it just plays 'as new' it is truly superb!  Rarely will you hear such definition on a genuine first pressing.  'When I'm Sixty-Four' also displays audio of great quality and has only a small number of very faint dust ticks on one brief section.  Very impressive clarity overall.  'Lovely Rita' is another 'high end' track which is a rarity as so often it has some distortion.  Not here!  With fantastic depth and definition this cannot fail but impress, this is not far from a Mint grading in my opinion.  This is audio as it should be heard!  'Good Morning Good Morning' plays to the same impeccable standard and again has no interference aside from a couple of faint ticks on the fade out.  The 'Sgt. Pepper's Reprise' is stunning from beginning to end.  The bass on the intro is so strong and the clarity on this opening section is just so good, wow!  There is nothing that interferes with the music and what is so impressive is that there is no distortion on the top end.  'A Day In The Life' begins in superlative fashion and quite honestly the intro plays 'as new'.  The first crescendo section has incredible power and no distortion and the entire track plays with stunning clarity throughout.  Any final track on any side often has some 'background' but there is hardly any here.  The long fade out has only a little light static, no clicks or pops, and provides a suitably stunning end to a classic album.

The Gatefold

This G & L laminated gatefold is one of the most impressive I have seen in a long time.  The edges have no shelf wear at all and the thin spine remains very clean with just the usual 'line' running down the centre caused by the opening of the gatefold.  The top two corners have a small amount of wear only but the bottom two are very clean indeed.  The opening edges have hardly any handling wear and are in superb shape.  The front cover is so clean with no marking and the laminate has no splits or lifting at all.  The back cover is in similar condition with only a couple of minor creases.  The inside of the gatefold is in fantastic condition with no marking and there is staining on the inner spine or flipbacks at all, you won't see cleaner!  A lovely gatefold with no damage to the laminate anywhere.

The Cut Out and Red 'fool' inner sleeve

The cut out is in fantastic condition and is 'as new'.  Sadly the red inner has seen better days and whilst it is very clean it does have two large splits and one smaller one.

The labels

The yellow/black Parlophone labels are in superb condition with no marking/writing and not a massive amount of spindle wear either.  Very clean examples.  There is no KT tax stamp on either label.

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

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Postage & Packaging

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