THE BEATLES White Album 1968 UK MONO No. 0026596 TOP OPENING complete great copy

	£		225
	$		298

The BEATLES - THE WHITE ALBUM

A lovely condition, highly presentable and very low numbered, copy of this increasingly hard to find and sought after 1968 UK very 1st press Beatles masterpiece, on the APPLE record label, MONO, PMC 7067/8

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1    XEX 709 - 1  with stampers "6" and "GMM" at 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock respectively 

Side 2    XEX 710 - 1  with stampers "26" and "GRA" at 8.30 o'clock and 2.30 o'clock respectively

Side 3    XEX 711 - 1  with stampers "1" and "MM" at 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock respectively 

Side 4    XEX 712 - 1  with stampers "5" and "MD" at 11 o'clock and 5 o'clock respectively

In normal daylight the appearance of each of the vinyls is excellent (EX). Each side of each vinyl has retained a nice jet black sheen and they really do gleam. Under a brighter light some surface only scuff marks and wispy hairlines do come into view on each side of each vinyl, but the only blemish which is feelable (and even then only just) is a small 8mm concentric hairline right at the beginning of "Revolution" on side 4 which does result in x4 light (but just audible) clicks. Clearly the vinyls have had a reasonable number of plays but it's fair to say that they have been underplayed rather than overplayed. Taking all of this into consideration I would grade the overall appearance and condition of the vinyls as very good plus (VG+).

The labels are excellent (EX). Wonderfully impressive labels with all text, all colouring, and the iconic dark green (not lighter green as on subsequent non-first press releases) APPLE logo with black writing upon the smooth textured white background all remaining in superb condition with some faint (only really noticeable under a bright light and when tilted at the right angle) spindle trails on each label.

The condition of the laminated outer gatefold sleeve is very good plus (VG+) - bordering on excellent, actually. All edges remain firm with no scuffing at all, each corner remains a near perfectly defined right angle with barely any rubbing at all, and the spine also remains firm with all text nicely intact. All colouring, art work, and photos remain in great shape with vibrancy and clear definition, and there is no unwanted writing or doodles anywhere, and no cardboard creasing either. The top opening edges are firm with no fraying at all, and "The BEATLES" remains beautifully embossed upon the front cover, and the interior flip-backs remain in great shape. The only blemishes, which are each very minor, is some sporadic laminate lifting along the spine, some very mild ring wear at the top and bottom of each of the front and reverse sides, and just a little scuffing adjacent to the top of the spine on both front and reverse sides. Note the extremely low number of 0026596 on the front side, making this a real rarity.

Finally, the quality of the audio is very good plus (VG+), again bordering on excellent. There is great tone and clarity throughout even at higher volume and frequencies. There are no skips, jumps, repeats or obvious clicking, and barely any background crackle at all. There is just the hint of a little and occasional background crackle (for about 90 seconds during "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", for example), x2 mild clicks part-way through "Bungalow Bill", x12 mild clicks right at the very end of "Julia" on side 2, some very, very light clicking during most of the 2nd half of "Long, Long, Long", and as mentioned above x4 very light clicks right at the beginning of "Revolution". You may also come across the very occasional odd light click but I should stress that there is nothing nasty here, and nothing significantly intrusive to the overall great mono sound quality, the vast majority of which is truly excellent with every track still making for a great listen. What a true masterpiece this album was, and still is!

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 SOMETHING TO HIDE EXCEPT ME AND MY MONKEY

5. SEXY SADIE

6. HELTER SKELTER

7. LONG LONG LONG

Side 2 :

1. REVOLUTION 1

2. HONEY PIE

3. SAVOY TRUFFLE

4. CRY BABY CRY

5. REVOLUTION 9

6. GOOD NIGHT

Comes with original lyric poster and x4 Beatle photos, the photos are in truly excellent and clearly little used condition, and the poster is a solid very good plus with just some very minor wear marks.

Comes with original die-cut black inner sleeves - one sleeve has a 2cm seam split on one edge, and the other has a 2cm seam split on each of a side edge and the bottom edge, and there is some mild fraying on each of the top edges...again, a solid very good plus overall. Note that I will post the vinyls each in a new plain white inner sleeve in order to protect the originals during shipping.

In summary an overall impressive condition and highly presentable copy of this increasingly hard to find 1968 very first UK press Beatles classic, made all the more rare and desirable by it's extremely low number - a "must" for any serious Beatles vinyl collection and only continuing 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 49 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 64 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 "crucifix" style mailer along 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 £12 and Rest of the World £16, 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