THE BEATLES White Album 1968 UK non-EMI MONO No. 0161118 TOP OPEN complete VG+

	£		200
	$		265

THE BEATLES - DOUBLE WHITE ALBUM

A sought after copy of this increasingly rare 1968 UK top loading, 1st pressing on the UK APPLE label, MONO, PCM 7067/8 in overall excellent condition with nice shiny vinyls, remarkably impressive condition original gate fold, brilliant audio quality, and complete with original photos (+ spacer), poster/lyric sheet, and single-sided die-cut black inners

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1  YEX 709 - 1 with stampers "4" and "GH" at 10 o'clock and 4 o'clock respectively

Side 2  YEX 710 - 1 with stampers "2G" and "RG" at 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock respectively

Side 3  YEX 711 - 1 with stampers "2" and "RL" at 9.30 o'clock and 3.30 o'clock respectively

Side 4  YEX 712 - 1 with stampers "4" and "TR" at 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock respectively

The overall appearance of each of the solid vinyls is VG+. Each vinyl is flat and each side of each vinyl has retained much of it's original lovely glossy sheen and nice luster. In normal daylight it is possible to detect a few light scuffs and wispy hairlines but there is nothing here that is either feelable or below the surface. Under a bright light, and when tilted at the right angle, quite a few more hairlines and light scuffs come into view (slightly more so on side 3). That's not to say that there are no light scratches, there may be because there is the occasional light click (I stress the words "occasional" and "light", and there are no nasty clicks, no skips, no jumps, and no repeats) here and there spread across the entirety of this album (could be caused by dust in the grooves through decades of storage), it's just that they are non-feelable and not obvious. Overall I would grade the condition of both vinyls as a solid VG, possibly VG+ : highly presentable and impressive considering this record's 50 year antiquity.

The labels are excellent minus (EX-). In normal daylight each label comes across as near perfect. It's only under a bright light and with close inspection that some light spindle trails can be identified adjacent to the centre hole on each label, and there is the name "BARRY" in light felt tip written onto each of the  side 2 and 3 labels which forces the EX- grading instead of EX+. The side 4 label contains the "K" and "T" tax codes. Note that these are the dark green Apple label variants, indicative of very early UK pressings, and note also the absence of the text "An E.M.I. Recording" on each of the four labels, making this the rarer first pressing.

The top loading and low numbered (0161118) laminated Garrod & Lofthouse laminated outer sleeve is in truly excellent plus (EX+) condition....in fact, I am tempted to grade as "near mint". All edges remain rigid with no scuffng whatsoever on any of the edges, a perfect condition spine with no scuffs or nicks and all text completely intact, perfectly defined right angle corners with no rubbing, no laminate creasing or lifting, no score lines, no unwanted writing, no fraying of the top opening edges....I really am struggling to find any fault at all. The inside of the gate fold is equally impressive with text and photos in remaining in original, vibrant "as new" condition, and the side flip backs pristine - remarkable!. And on the front side the embossed "The BEATLES" lettering and the "No. 0422772" remain in perfect condition set upon a beautiful laminated and still glossy background. Amazing!

The four photos are, again, in excellent plus condition - no blue tac or glue residue and no pin prick holes, each with the rich vibrancy of the original colouring and photo clarity still perfectly intact. Not even the usual few specks of age discolouration. Comes also with the original spacer, a rarity in itself!

The folded lyric/photo poster is in excellent condition with no unwanted writing, no fraying, no blue tac residue or pin holes, but there is a 4cm split on the top left fold and just the occasional hint of a few specks of age discolouration - a very, very minor aberration. A solid excellent.

Finally, the quality of the audio is overall very good+. In fact much of the audio quality is excellent and there is no doubting that each and every track still makes for a great listen. Absolutely NO skips, NO jumps, and NO repeats, no nasty clicks, and negligible background crackle. There are some minor blemishes, however : I noticed x4 light clicks on "Ob-La-Di", x2 light clicks on "Wild Honey Pie", some very light crackle towards the end of "Rocky Raccoon", a few light clicks on each of "I Will" and "Julia", and x3 very light clicks on "Revolution". There is the further odd light click on occasional other tracks but I stress that this is all light, non-intrusive, absolutely nothing nasty, and does not prevent every track from being a great listen. Background interference/crackle is at an absolute minimum, occurring sporadically in a non-intrusive and very background manner and never significantly intrusive. I stress also that for 90% (at least) this album the MONO audio quality is truly excellent or better - a timeless classic with every track still making for a great listen.

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

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

2. DEAR PRUDENCE

3. OB-LA-DI, OB-LA-DA

4. WILD HONEY PIE

5. THE CONTINUING STORY OF BUNGALOW BILL

6. WHILE MY GUITAR GENTLY WEEPS

7. 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 4 :

1. REVOLUTION 1

2. HONEY PIE

3. SAVOY TRUFFLE

4. CRY BABY CRY

5. REVOLUTION 9

6. GOOD NIGHT

Comes complete with original excellent condition one-sided die-cut black inners each of which have no tears or splits...just some slight fraying on one of the top edges of one of the inners along with a single diagonal crease in one corner, and remaining 100% fully functional. It is rare to come across original White Album inners in as good a condition as this. Excellent!  Note that I always post the record(s) in a new plain white inner sleeve(s) in order to protect the original(s).

In summary a highly collectable copy of this increasingly rare and sought after 1968 UK 1st MONO pressing Beatles classic, including a truly outstanding condition original, top opening and low numbered gatefold outer sleeve : a worthy addition to 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 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 Royal Mail 1st class signed for  : UK £5.00; 

and Royal Mail 1st class tracked and signed for continental Europe £12, and Rest of the World £16. 

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

Good luck with your bidding! Richard

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