THE BEATLES White Album 1968 UK 1st Press MONO PMC 7067/68 TOP OPENING NO EMI EX

	£		620
	$		822

THE BEATLES - THE WHITE ALBUM

A truly impressive condition copy, with gleaming vinyl and wonderful mono audio reproduction, of this highly sought after 1968 very 1st UK press Beatles classic, with earliest 1/1/1/1 vinyl matrix numbers on the highly collectable "non-EMI" APPLE record label, MONO, PMC 7067-8

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1    XEX 709 - 1 with stampers "1" and "HR" at 7 o'clock and 1 o'clock respectively

Side 2     XEX 710 - 1 with stampers "3" and "HH" at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock respectively

Side 3    XEX 711 - 1 with stampers "1" and "HR" at 7 o'clock and 1 o'clock respectively

Side 4     XEX 712 - 1 with stampers "3" and "HH" at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock respectively

The vinyl is in a solid very good plus (VG++) condition (bordering on excellent) - glossy, nice and weighty, and totally flat with each side displaying a beautiful jet black sheen and in normal daylight coming across as in near perfect condition; and it is only with close scrutiny under a bright light that just a few extremely fine paper scuffs come into view on each side, along with a single 1-2 slightly more obvious very light scuff marks on each of sides 3 and 4 - all non-feelable, strictly surface only and purely superficial (as borne out by the outstanding audio quality) - tried to display the sides 3 and 4 very light line scuffs in a photograph but they are each so faint that I couldn't get them to show up! To be specific, I would grade the appearance of disc 1 as excellent and disc 2 as very good plus, but the audio quality as excellent for both. Clearly this double LP has been underplayed and it is hard to believe that these vinyls are now 53 years old!

The condition of each label is excellent plus (EX). Beautiful labels with black text upon the smooth 1st press dark green background all in perfect condition with just a few very, very light and small spindle trails on each. Note the absence of the "An E.M.I. Recording" text - a characteristic of very early pressings.

The condition of the outside laminated gatefold sleeve is excellent (EX). Top opening, beautifully glossy, no cardboard creasing, firm edges with no scuffing, well defined right angled corners with minimal rubbing on each, except for the top spine end corner where the scuffing is slightly more pronounced. The spine itself is firm with all text remaining nicely intact though there is some spine laminate lifting/breakage. On the front side there is some very light vertical surface creasing towards the right edge and just a couple of light tiny nicks towards the bottom edge. The embossed "the BEATLES" text remains perfectly intact, ring wear is virtually non existent (just a couple of hints of ring wear on the front side if you view the gatefold at the right angle in a bright light), the top opening edges remain firm with no fraying, and the inside of the gatefold is beautiful...hard to fault, in fact, with the side flip-backs in near perfect order and no obvious marks anywhere. Not often that you come across a first pressing gatefold of this groundbreaking album in such impressive condition as this. Note the low number of 0052963, adding even more to the collectability of this particular copy.

The original poster is also in a solid excellent (EX) condition - nicely folded with perfectly defined folds, no pin holes, blue tac residue, creases, rips, tears, or splits and the colouring and picture definition are "as new", as is all of the lyric text on the reverse side. Great!

And the same can be said for the original x4 original Beatles photos and blank "spacer" (not later inferior quality reissue ones) - no creasing or age discolouration, and no pin holes or blue tac residue. Brilliant!

The quality of the mono audio is excellent (EX). Mostly stunning in fact, with great tone and clarity throughout, even at higher volume and on higher frequencies. There are no skips, jumps, repeats, sticks, or interference and I found it difficult to detect any background crackle either (perhaps the faintest hint of a little crackle during a couple of the interludes - negligible, with even the run-in's and run-outs playing almost silently).  Tremendous audio quality with every track still (even after all of these years) making for a great listen.

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

1. BACK IN THE U.S.S.R.

2. DEAR PRUDENCE

3. GLASS ONION

4. OB-LA-DI, OB-LA-DA

5. WILD HONEY PIE

6. THE CONTINUING STORY OF BUNGALOW BILL

7. WHILE MY GUITAR GENTLY WEEPS

8. HAPPINESS IS A WARM GUN

Side 2 :

1. MARTHA MY DEAR

2. I'M SO TIRED

3. BLACKBIRD

4. PIGGIES

5. ROCKY RACCOON

6. DON'T PASS ME BY

7. WHY DON'T WE DO IT IN THE ROAD

8. I WILL

9. JULIA

Side 3 :

1. BIRTHDAY

2. YER BLUES

3. MOTHER NATURE'S SON

4. EVERYBODY'S GOT SOMWTHING TO HIDE EXCEPT FOR ME AND MY MONKEY

5. SEXY SADIE

6. HELTER SKELTER

7. LONG LONG LONG

Side 4 :

1. REVOLUTION 1

2. HONEY PIE

3. SAVOY TRUFFLE

4. CRY BABY CRY

5. REVOLUTION 9

6. GOOD NIGHT

Comes with original die cut black inner sleeves one of which is in excellent condition with no rips, tears, seam splits, or fraying and the other does have a little fraying on the top edge and a 6cm seam split in the middle of each of the side edges. Note that I always use a new, plain white replacement inner sleeve(s) for shipping purposes in order to protect the original(s).

In summary a truly impressive condition copy of this rare and highly sought after 1968 UK 1st press Beatles classic, made even more desirable by the great condition of each of it's components, the wonderful MONO audio quality, and of course the low number on the front side of the gatefold. The whole LP (both of them) remains a great listen, is a "must" for any serious Beatles vinyl collection and will only continue to gain in value.

 If you require any further information, including photos, then let me know and I'll do my best to oblige. 

If this record interests you then take a look at my other 60's & 70's classic vinyl listings.

A bit about myself : I have been collecting vinyl for more than 50 years and have amassed a huge collection covering a varied genre, but mostly of 1960's and 70's origin. Most of my records were originally bought by myself for my own collection, but during the past 30 years I have embellished my collection by buying records from a variety of sources : friends/acquaintances, car boot sales, auctions, and even through putting up a "vinyl wanted" notice in my wife's shop! I am now retired and take great delight in being able to spend more time scouring the country and attending boot sales and auctions in the hope of unearthing more vinyl gems...I am 66 years of age now and am still discovering bands and music of the 60's and 70's that I have never come across before. Wonderful! Richard

My ebay feedback speaks for itself so rest assured that you are buying from a trusted seller and in the very unlikely event that you are unhappy with your purchase just e-mail me and I'll sort out the problem. I offer a "no quibble" refund policy. 

On the subject of postage, I take great care in the packaging of all items, using a proper vinyl thick cardboard mailer, along with extra protective flange edges, with at least two thick cardboard stiffeners. I take great care in separating the record from the outer sleeve in order to help prevent sleeve damage in transit and I always insert the vinyl, outer sleeve and inner into a clear plastic sleeve, thus adding further protection. 

For this item postage & packaging will be UK £7.00, Royal Mail special delivery; 

Continental Europe £13, and Rest of the World £17 respectively, Royal Mail 1st class international Airmail tracked and signed for

 I DO discount post & packaging costs for multiple purchases. I do NOT profit from postage.

Good luck with your bidding!

NOTE : My vinyl descriptions comply with the official Record Collector vinyl grading guidelines :

Mint

The records itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items, such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.

Excellent

The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and /or creasing.

Very Good

The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

Good

The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discolouration, etc.

Fair

The record is still just playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents are torn, stained and/or defaced

Poor

The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents are badly damaged or partly missing.

Bad

The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection-filler