THE BEATLES Sgt Pepper UK 67 STEREO LP, Inner, Insert .

	£		57
	$		76

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Postage: UK £4.25. Europe £12. Rest of World £16. ALL signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes.

NOTE: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment. I try to keep my P&P prices as low as possible after the very significant Royal Mail price increases and will never compromise on solid, safe packing.

Artist or Band: THE BEATLES

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

Producer(s): George Martin.

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 – please see my labels scans for the details needed.

Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh and attractive with only very light, very few and faint spindle marks and no wear around the hole that still has a snug fit on my Linn spindle. Any handling traces are ultra faint and on very revealing dark, matt labels, this is very unusual. One of the most popular records in recording history, few will survive with such clear evidence of being little used.

Cat Number: PCS 7027.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 150 grams. A very impressive weight for this one, most I have had previously average around 135 to 140 grams.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Very few Beatles standard albums are rare and this is not a hard one to find. Stereo copies may be a little more difficult than mono I suppose but hardly difficult. The main factor is the condition: this album sold in vast numbers, but most were played almost to destruction on heavy tracking vintage record players. So often the beautiful sound ruined by groove wear, scratched and grubby, dulled surfaces. Finding one very little played and offering wonderful clean sound is far harder. This copy plays with SUPERB sound and one of the tiny few I have heard where the ultra critical ‘She’s Leaving Home’ actually plays almost perfectly. Most have inherent surface noise and crackle with the vocals often breaking up and clipping – this often severe. This is master tape quiet in terms of unwanted crackle and surface noise on this most unforgiving song – and what a difference this makes to the whole album. Two labels with hardly any spindle marks and for certain, this very impressive copy has hardly been played. Copies that play this well can almost be deemed rare as so few will these days.

Original Year of Release: 1967

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

Stamper Codes: 2 GMP / 33 0MG. These may appear high, but remember the sheer number of these that were pressed.

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 or often. 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 and it’s rarity, I do not wish to repeat myself (too often anyway). Basically what is here is a standard issue ‘Sgt Pepper’, no scarcer wide spines, or very early mother and stamper codes. But what is does have is very few ‘miles’ on the clock. 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 seem that bit more intolerant of over-use and abuse from heavy tracking record players. Ones 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’. 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 were 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’ with SUPERB sound with practically nothing unwanted at all, quite possibly the best ever for these ears – so few ever will ever sound this clean and crisp. I can hardly reiterate enough this is an exception rather than the rule, if you don’t believe me, 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 will be. ‘A Day in the Life’ plays just as well – in fact there is little to fault on the whole album, the odd sporadic light click is almost impossible to avoid, but that is vinyl. What is crucial to me is the lack of noise and distortion – I hate groove wear and any loss of clarity in the frequency range and this has lost nothing. A very impressive ‘standard’ issue Pepper and for those simply wanting to hear this groundbreaking masterpiece in it’s full stereo glory, it’s here. This very impressive record simply excelled on my revealing equipment and takes you directly into the recording studio itself – nothing else to add.

Cover Grade and Format: NEAR EXCELLENT: a fully laminated gatefold format with two external flipbacks on the top edges of the centrefold – these were later removed on subsequent issues. This has the correct PCS 7027 Stereo cover number. Printed and made by Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd. Includes psych inner sleeve and insert sheet.

Laminate – Front & Back: Overall, this cover remains attractive but has some light wear and blemishes. The laminate retains fine shine, clarity and a fine degree of freshness. There is no lifting or heavy creases, but it does have some a few fairly light half moons mostly on the back. These have only modest visibility with normal viewing. Some mild dulling near the top edges and some quite gentle rim impression on the back which has minimal traces of dulling. There is a fairly small crease on the bottom right back corner and a rub on the front bottom right. Under light on the back, some press marks, but these are invisible with normal viewing. What gives this a higher degree of attractiveness is the ultra bright and vivid colour of the artwork. Some ‘Pepper’ artwork can be more dull and less colourful, especially on the front, but not the case here. So both front and back have moderately light issues, but still a lovely looking cover.

Cover Inner Gatefold: The inside gatefold is simply lovely, the only blemish is a fairly mild surface crease near the bottom right corner area. It has a gentle creak when opening and retaining a gentle ‘spring’ e.g. not floppy. It cannot be opened fully as the centrefold laminate is still very tight and intact with minimal traces of cracking. Shiny clear laminate with two totally undamaged flipbacks that have not stuck or pulled.

Top & Bottom Edges: All four very neat and quite straight, two or three tiny surface chips only and all laminate solid and smooth.

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

Spine and Text: This cover has the standard more round and narrow spine. They are more prone to wear and often shed their laminate protection. This one has retained almost all with minimal flaking or cracking. The text is inverted compared to most covers and the text shows minimal traces of wear with just a little chipping here and there. The bottom corner has a smallish stain. Overall, solid and straight with minimal compression and folded squarely. This means the edges are almost flush and parallel which makes a big difference to overall neatness – a factor I always consider important. Both folds are neat and also retain their laminate. Always a difficult spine and notoriously known for being scruffing, tatty and grubby. This one above average.

Corners: The most of any corner wear is on the front bottom right which has a moderate rub. A crease on the back bottom left with a stain that only shows on the white spine. That apart, the corners have only tiny tip rubs and the majority retain fine to very fine shape.

Cover Summary: A very fine example – there will be better out there for sure – but equally there will be many far, far worse. A very attractive one with more positives than negatives and it will please many collectors but not the highly discerning.

The Inner Sleeve: NEAR EXCELLENT: 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. It has the ‘Made in Great Britain’ and ‘Patents Applied For’ text and is in very fine condition. Generally clean with any ageing modest. The main issue is some creasing near the bottom edge and on one corner. Any marks are few and the majority of the area has avoided creasing. Any discolouration modestly light and all edges are unsplit with no repairs. This very unusual to say the least as this was never lined and the records invariably heavy.

The Insert: PRACTICALLY MINT: clean, attractive with no creasing or burring, all edges crisp and sharp – it looks as new as any ever will. Also this has the slightly rarer much darker shade of green and is guaranteed original.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT: with normal viewing this looks even better with both playing surfaces being clean, shiny and intense black. Heavily pressed as you would expect and very modestly played. Viewed more critically under bright angled light, a few mild surface marks are evident but all but, this being a very small mark on side one, have no sound whatsoever and purely light and superficial. The very small mark on side emits 5 or 6 light ticks, 3 being ultra faint and hardly detectable in fact. There is little else to fault soundwise on this very impressive record. With most seen played to near destruction with deep penetrating scratches, grubby dulled surfaces rife with fingermarks and ugly labels plastered with spindle gouges and marks. This is light years away from anything like that and I will never offer such rubbish. The proof of this copy is not just it’s impressive looks, but the magnificent sound quality. For that, this sets the bar very high indeed and will take some beating. Overall, this record will 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 snippetts 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: Any collector needing a quality pressed stereo copy of this record will want one that not only looks good, but sounds good too – this copy has fantastic overall sound with very little to fault at all. This one plays even above it’s high visual grading with strong distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear. Sound quality is astonishing with a massive dynamic range and very detailed sound, another George Martin masterpiece of production. This record has barely any unwanted sounds and I am one who thinks vinyl can rarely ever play ‘dead silent’ in it’s entirity, and any popular records of this era and that come anywhere close are truly exceptional. Especially so with Beatles classics that were usually played into submission. Few copies will match or better this I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp and remains fully focused with breathtaking sound. The detail and sounds locked into these vintage, wear-free grooves is astonishing. This remains one of the most important albums ever issued and sounds very different to the mono version – both being essential. An album of amazing depth with complex sounds and quite stunning stereo imagery that still astounds even today. The impossibly critical ‘She’s Leaving Home’ plays superbly and devoid of that irritating crackle and clipping most seem to inherit. This being my benchmark song on the album. I usually find if this critical and unforgiving track plays well, the entire album usually does too, which was the case here. Any stresses to those critical high frequencies being minuscule and insignificant, this record has nigh-on audiophile sound. Believe me, I have heard this album that will make most listeners cringe, with echo, noise and distortion on the vocals, which is all too common. I have actually had conversation with several dealer friends who truly believe this noise was on the master tape and all have noise. Well not so – if proof were ever needed, listen to this copy. ‘She’s Leaving Home’ will rarely, if ever be heard like this, it is totally devoid of any unwanted noises or background sounds – no crackle, no clipping or echo to the vocals or strings at all. What causes the unwanted sounds is either groovewear or in-ground debris. Nothing can be done about groovewear of course, but dust and grime can be removed by a professional quality record cleaner such as my VPI. I will rarely touch any Beatles album that I cannot hear before I buy to offer, its just too risky. We all know what these old records were usually played on and the horrendous results. Ultra faint surface sound is just about acceptable – (but only just), but copies with more I simply refuse to offer – if they don’t please me why would they please others? I have rarely, if ever heard these songs, including the difficult two, sound better. The odd tiny sporadic light click was noted, but how many of these will ever play ‘silent’?, let’s be honest. Nothing of any note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this landmark album. A copy that will prove immensely difficult to find significantly better for quality sound. Any tiny sound blemishes (of which there are barely any) 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). Focused in it’s entirety with jaw-dropping detail and dynamics, this leads directly into the recording studio itself and does it maximum justice.

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, especially for the audio quality. Only one in many will withstand being played to near perfection on an LP12 or other similar high-end turntable. This can be played loud and enjoyed to the nearest maximum. It gave me that rare tingle factor that only the great recordings ever can with the most incredible detail and dynamics possible. The odd tiny reminder you are listening to a 45-year-old record, but I have no personal issues with that. Few will better this – a very impressive standard issue copy – ENJOY!

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 Terrarium Black 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. Pictures taken with a Nikon D5000 SLR Digital Camera.

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 stiffeners 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 8,000+ items sold in over 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 2 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). All postage costs are below and at the top of the listing.

NOTE: First Time Bidders: Please as me first.

PLEASE NOTE: I now exercise my right to open a dispute after the Ebay rule of FOUR days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the, again after the mandatory FOUR days and then offer the item to the runner-up or relist. The non-payer will also be blocked from my Ebay site and they take the Ebay consequences (a strike or removal from the system). Small businesses need prompt payment to trade and these strict rules WILL be applied.

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] = £4.25

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £8. (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 [£50 maximum]) = £12 (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3). Add £3 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 [£50 maximum]) = £16 (£17 for double sets). Add £3 per extra LP. (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an 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: 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’.