THE BEATLES Sgt Pepper RARER UK 67 Mono with WIDE SPINE

	£		133
	$		176

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Artist or Band: THE BEATLES

Album Title: Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Producer(s): George Martin.

A Special Note About This Copy and It’s Rarity: As I always state, most Beatles standard issue albums are not rare, far from it, but there are some exceptions. All their albums sold in vast numbers, pressing plants could hardly keep up with demand – some even contracted out to other manufacturers. Finding clean, lightly played copies that still play well are a different matter however. So many were played into submission, trashed even, so when a very clean copy that has clearly hardly ever been played comes along it’s more of an exception. This landmark issue in the history of popular music sold in colossal amounts and still does even today. It’s popularity and importance within its genre cannot be overstated. What makes this complete mono copy rarer is the cover spine. Most ‘standard issues included a thinner spine that creased badly when opened, most shed their laminate exposing the surface which invariably grubbies and rubs. It is not understatement to state most are seen in less than pleasing conditions. This example has the near legendary ‘Wide Spine’ cover which is nearly twice the thickness of the regular one. Constructed very differently and if treated carefully, is capable of longevity. Alas, many ended up being crushed of flattened, but this one has withstood the test-of-time well, and is still very erect and uncrushed (please see my close-up picture of the text area). Still very solid and NOT rammed back into shape, no need too, it’s naturally uncompressed and upright and very firm. Any minor compression traces near the very ends that barely any will avoid totally. The tell-tale evidence of forcing back to shape is cracking of the laminate on the spine folds, here all is smooth and unsplit, almost as made, and any spine pushed back into shape for good looks will only be temporary, they will again flatten quickly. The record itself appears very little played and that is very unusual in-itself, the unbanded playing surfaces looks really lovely and with no scratches and any surface marks ultra find and faint. Few mono records of this huge popularity will avoid minor surface blemishes at the very least and overall, sound quality is very high. Regarded by many as the greatest ever mono recording, finding a copy that will play ‘perfectly’ is a massive challenge. The song ‘She’s Leaving Home’ is always the most difficult song on the album. Few will ever play it without some crackle or clipping. A track that is massively intolerant of old mono stylus and just two or three plays will make this impossibly fragile track degrade. If anyone has a mono copy of this record that will play it to perfection, well treasure it, because few ever will. This copy plays the song mostly very well but does have some mild traces of crackle – this being played on a very critically revealing LP12 – the record not really designed to be played on such equipment. As an experiment, I disconnected one of my speakers to sample this album as nature intended it to be heard. Most amplifiers have a balance function to make this easy, my minimilist Naim has so such feature. The result was absolutely wonderful, any minor crackle which invariably comes from one channel when played in ‘stereo’, is lost. Leaving a simply stunning experience of ‘Pepper’ - a plain fact, a mono record is really best enjoyed via one channel as it was intended. Obviously, most will enjoy their records on stereo kit these days, but this single channel listening to any mono record is more than worthwhile. Back to rarity, well it just leaves the psych inner, that in this case is in very strong condition and unspilt, that is somewhat unusual too and the cut-out card insert. This one has the rarer deep green finish, most seen are the paler and very different looking green. So a more unusual ‘Wide Spine’ mono, complete ‘Pepper’, lightly played and looking lovely. Such copies can with more justice be deemed rarer than usual.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band; With a Little Help From My Friends; Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds; Getting Better; Fixing a Hole; She’s Leaving Home; Being For the Benefit of Mr Kite.

Side 2: Within You Without You; When I’m Sixty-Four; Lovely Rita; Good Morning Good Morning; Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise); A Day in the Life.

Label/Format: Parlophone – Yellow and Black format. Text and detail includes: ‘Sold in UK Subject to Resale’ etc, ‘The Gramophone Co Ltd’ etc, ‘Made in Gt Britain’. Also the embossed ‘KT’ tax codes are included on side one this unbanded mono copy.

Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh, attractive and deep black. Spindle marks are very light/light and show little. The ‘K T’ embossed tax codes on side one are practically perfect with no flattening or any rub traces minuscule. These are so unworn in fact, even seeing them is not so easy. These two fine letters are delicate and invariably wear badly, so another indicator of a copy little played. Both look very modestly handled with very few traces of fingermarks which will show up all too easily and near impossible to remove once applied. It remains a snug fit on my Linn spindle with any ‘give’ minute. These two early Parlophone labels will be very difficult to find better on an early early mono copy of this landmark Beatles album. Most are seen with swathes of spindle marks, scuffs and grubbiness caused by years of less than careful handling and use. There lies the difference.

Cat Number: PMC 7027.

Mode / Speed: Mono / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 144 grams. A very good and typical solid weight for this one.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Original Year of Release: 1967

Matrix Nos: XEX 637-1 / XEX 638-1

Mother & Stamper Codes: 2 GPL / 2 HT [not the lowest I have ever seen, but remember this record sold more in mono and was pressed in vast numbers.

Brief Artist & Album Info: Any music lover, collector and Beatles fan will know most all there is to know already and almost certainly will know more than me anyway regarding fine details. What I think is far more important is to make clear what is actually here on offer and the visual and playing conditions, because simply I do not offer albums of this magnitude lightly. A copy of ‘Pepper’ has to be a minimum of excellent for me to offer. I have already outlined above what this copy is all about. It includes the massively collectable and sort-after wide spine that was not manufactured in anything like the numbers of the ‘standard’ narrow spine, and certainly not for very long. Most examples have the thinner, more rounded spine that never wear well. This has to be seen to be fully appreciated – this being the connoisseur’s choice. Whenever I manage to get a copy of Sgt Pepper the first ‘Test’ track I play is ‘She’s Leaving Home’, only very rarely will this song play anything like well with distortion and breakup being almost the norm. As I have stated many times before, Beatles albums always have at least one ‘critical track’ that nearly always gives problems. On Rubber Soul it’s ‘Michelle’, on Revolver it’s ‘In My Life’ and ‘Got to Get You Into My Life’, on Help! it’s ‘Yesterday’, on For Sale its ‘Mr Moonlight’ on With the Beatles it’s ‘Money’ - on this album it’s ‘She’s Leaving Home’ and sometimes the final song, ‘A Day in the Life’ can sometimes suffer too. I can only assume the groove patterns on these tracks were such they clipped and damaged more easily along with the fact they are tracks nearer the centre which became more critical to the tracking angle. Let’s be honest, how many people using Dansettes or similar record players, actually took the time to check and align the stylus? This copy plays the near impossible ‘She’s Leaving Home’ well, but not perfectly with a little crackle noticed when playing both both speakers connected. If you doubt how hard this song is, try listening to your own copy, is it totally noise-free, distortion-free, devoid of pops or clicks and all high frequencies sharp and clear? If it is, treasure it because few ever will be, especially in mono. With many record players tracking in excess of 10+ grams back in the 1960s, it’s no small wonder this fragile song got worn – this too with just a tiny number of plays. As a guide, just one play on a mono Dansette could be the equal of around 20 or more plays on a modern lightweight machine (this being a very conservative estimate too). All visual evidence suggests that has received very few plays and most-all of this groundbreaking album plays superbly with incredible sound. The cover and contents are very impressive too and this example sets itself a high standard.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT: this has the PMC 7027 Mono cover number (as it should). This is a fully laminated gatefold format that was printed and made by Garrod & Lofthouse. It includes the much rarer ‘Wide Spine’ format and is complete with psych inner and card insert.

Laminate – Front & Back: Both sides look clean and with good freshness and shine. With almost total full adhesion, any tiny traces of lifting near a couple of cornertips that have small creases. Most of any small creases are near the edges and surface marks are few and fine, any few present seen under light. Slight record impression but practically no rubbing around the record’s shape, any general friction rubs or dulling being modestly light, only really seen under angled light on the back. The famous artwork is still richly coloured and looks pleasing under laminate with so few issues. Now a 44-year-old album, a think old enough to earned the right to have a few minor marks or creases, but overall, this gives few clues to age. Not quite perfect enough for the highly discerning specialist or connoisseur collector, but most fans needing a wide spine edition will enjoy it I feel sure.

Cover Inner Gatefold: The inside gatefold is simply stunning. With such a wide spine, the hinge parts are very vulnerable to wear and damage, but not on this one. Even the laminate on the hinge is fully uncracked with no roughness to the fingertip, incredible to say the least. The top flipbacks are pristine with NO sticking together of the laminate ends that so often pull the surfaces. This is NOT a Fourth Proof cover in case anyone wants to know, this has the standard style flipback lamination and no inside text. Even more unusually, the laminate on the actual spine hinge folds is crisp and intact, just one small surface crack only. Most will crack and split all the way down and even shed the laminate, not the case here. So fresh indeed, I could not fully open the copy to lie it flat for my inside picture, to do so, would have risked breaking the intact laminate and that was a risk too far. These famous ‘Pepper’ portraits will rarely be seen much better.

Top & Bottom Edges: Totally unworn up to the cornertips, full laminate intact and strong. Both pairs nicely straight too.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean and sharp with any burr traces or thickening very small and minor, there is no feathering and both guaranteed untrimmed. Record enters on either edge as both are open which is totally correct.

Spine and Text: EIGHT m/m wide, almost double the standard cover spine width. This spine has the greatest significance for the specialist collector. Visually more attractive than the more rounded spine, rarer and less-often seen (especially looking this nice). Both have perilous dispositions: the thin spine often sheds its laminate as it cracks and dries, exposing the text which fades and rubs, these often look tatty with wear rife. This massive spine looks very different, being made 90 degrees upright and very erect. Clearly this is prone to flattening and crushing and few of these will survive looking somewhere close to as made as this one does. Any minor surface creasing or fine compression near the ends only (this being fairly critical too). The wider spine gives the cover a more classy look and really is ‘better’. Still, bolt upright with no weakening of the folds whatsoever, ultra clean with fresh clear laminate and all text as made as my close up picture shows. Special note to the spine folds: these have no splits and are very crisp, just one tiny chip near the bottom (but look hard). Overall, very nice indeed.

Corners: Small tip rubs and a little creasing to the spine tops, this immensely difficult to avoid totally. As lovely as the spine is, it’s only thin card and prone to all forms of damage as outlined above. Keeping ends like this pristine for all these years is a huge task and few will ever be these days All here retain very fine shape and overall definition remains sound and high.

Cover Summary: A really solid Excellent example of this rarer ‘pepper’ cover variant. Still prized and sort-after as most seen are standard narrow round format ones. With so little wear and any blemishes small, it will please most collectors, but for those seeking absolute perfection, the wait continues.

The Inner: EXCELLENT: and possibly undergraded at that. Made with very thin and unforgiving paper, most of these are split on all seam edges, badly creased, torn, rubbed or missing altogether – some even have substantial ringwear. This is a lovely example that is totally unsplit and has NO repairs. The ultra fragile, shaped top entrance edge is near pristine, crisp with no burring or tears. This has the ‘Made in Great Britain’ and ‘Patents Applied For’ text and is a classy inner with flipback construction. This famous psych design seldom will be seen much better than this and even the seams are rock solid and unlifted or creased. Minimal glue darkening on the edges and less than slight record rim impression that no ‘used’ example will ever avoid. Any creases are few, fine and light. The only reason for not grading higher is light traces of tone spots but sufficiently few and light to not really detract from this fine and unusually intact inner.

The Insert: Practically Mint: clean, attractive with no creasing (bar one microscopic trace on one cornertip) or burring, all edges crisp and sharp – it looks as new as any ever will. This has the rarer much darker green shade, most are seen paler.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT: this being critical and finding a much less marked or played mono unbanded copy will not prove as easy as you may think. Very clean with a lovely sheen, intense black with deep and wide grooves, this still looks quite impressive. Few ‘Peppers’ will look this clean and fresh these days, looking closely at the ultra clean grooves reveals the complex jagged information that lies embedded within them – this is a breathtaking recording and this one retains immense sound. Collectors will know what most copies of this, and similar aged Beatles items will look like these days. Often seen more grey and dulled with a maze of fingermarks and deep sounding scratches (or worse, , often severe distortion and invisible groovewear). One slip or jolt or drop from an unforgiving heavy vintage arm could have put a ‘terminal’ furrow or crater on this record – we have all seen them at sometime. As stated, this copy has avoided any abuse or accidents . A few light surface marks seen under is almost the least that can realistically be expected on any popular mono record that has been played a few times. Let’s be honest, how many actually bought this album and did not play it all? This copy is still impressive visually and I feel certain very modestly and little played, a view reinforced by general high audio quality my play-grade revealed. Visually a super record that should please many, if not most collectors.

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 minuscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: Overall, this copy has fantastic overall sound with little to fault. For most of it’s entirety it plays even above it’s high visual grading with strong clear sound. Sound quality is astonishing with a massive dynamic range and very detailed sound, another George Martin masterpiece of production. With Beatles classics that were usually played into submission, few mono copies will play a great deal better I feel sure. The mono production is dynamic and detailed, many regard it as the best mono record ever. This remains one of the most important albums ever issued and sounds very different to the stereo version – both being essential. An album of amazing depth with complex sound that still astounds even today. The impossibly critical ‘She’s Leaving Home’ plays well but has some mildish crackle traces at times. Far less than so many I have heard, but avoiding it totally is an immensely difficult ask. Any stresses to those critical high frequencies being light, but some is present. Believe me, I have heard this album that will make most listeners cringe, with echo, noise and break up on the vocals all so common. This, where present, so often blamed on static, well it seems strange why static only would affect one track while the rest plays okay. If any record is so impregnated with static, it’s best avoided or dumped. I will rarely touch any Beatles album that I cannot hear before I buy to offer, it’s just too risky. We all know what these old records were usually played on and the horrendous results. A little faint surface sound is just about acceptable – just enough to remind the listener what they are actually listening to – a 44-year-old mono record – if they don’t please me why would they please others? If clinical silence is mandatory, well the digital format offers just that, but nothing betters the sound of the original vinyl, even with minor sound blemishes. very little here spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this landmark album. A copy that will prove difficult to find significantly better for visual and quality sound. Any tiny sound blemishes (of which there are few) are simply brushed aside by the breathtaking clean sound and on a highly revealing, clinical turntable that this reveals all the good (as well as the bad). Certainly one I can strongly recommend, but if absolute silence is demanded, well not quite – any doubts, do not bid.

End Piece: To sum up: ‘Sgt Pepper’ is not even remotely rare in mono or stereo, it sold millions. I have found both formats pretty easy to find if needed. It’s the conditions that make the difference for most. But this one, as stated above, is a little different with the much more elusive wide spine cover. A very fine all-round copy in excellent condition, read and view and decide for yourself.

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 VPI-17 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.

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 new VPI-17 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 boxes (NOT Mailers, these do not offer any real protection). The record(s) are 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 at least TWO, 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. When larger boxes are used, 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. 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. The 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 7,000+ items sold in nearly 10 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 stiffeners 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 FIVE 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); South America; New Zealand; 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 time-wasters. 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 necessarily 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’.