The Beatles A hard days night vinyl LP 1964 3N 3N. SOLD IN UK, no 33 1/3 MONO

	£		22
	$		29

welcome to

MY COLLECTING PASSION

Unexpected health issues have brought me to the point that after forty years of collecting I want to part with my vinyl and try to fund some bucket list experiences. 

I am reluctant and excited to be making the move to sell my entire record collection. One record at a time. 

I've really enjoyed collecting records and crate digging wherever I went. Some were bought new at the time or release. Others I bought used from record shops, markets, secondhand shops.

These items are all from my own personal collection. I am not a shop!

I will take the time and care to give you all the information that you seek and provide your records in a safe and timely manner or your money back.

BEFORE YOU START BIDDING

Here are some things that are good to know in advance.

Most of my collection has been carefully boxed and stored for a number of years.I'm just unpacking some of it now. I will give them a simple clean before playing but all will have some amount of dust and I leave any deep cleaning up to you, as everyone has there own preferences.

• I play test every record from start to finish.

• I write more about any flaws than I do about the great bits.

• Vinyl is played with a Thorens TD 165 turntable and Rotel amp.

• A track by track assessment is given.

• I use the U.K Rare Record Price Guide used for grading.

• The definitions for each grade are displayed below the listing.

• Postal information and prices are also displayed below.

• Records are provided with an additional white inner and poly sleeve.

• Records OVER 40 GBP will be shipped Royal Mail Special Delivery to enable insurance cover. The cost is 8 GBP. Please wait to be invoiced.

• I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.

and finally the listing

THE BEATLES

A HARD DAYS NIGHT

General information about this record

Original early pressing with label variants. Front laminated flip back sleeve.

MT Tax Code

3N / 3N first press stampers

No small 33 1/3 on labels.

Parlophone rim text.

Record label.Cat.Date.Country

PARLOPHONE. PMC 1230. 1964.U.K 

Matrix.Stampers.Mother codes.

I start with the matrix numbers then work anti clockwise around the dead wax.

A.XEX481 - 3N.  GDP.  3

B.XEX482 - 3N.  AA.   5

GRADES

We'll take a look at the record sleeve, inner and any additional inserts. Visually grade both labels and both sides of the vinyl. I will play each side through and give a track by track analysis and grade. From those grades an average grade is reached for each side.

finally the grades

THE SLEEVE

Sleeve printed and made by Garrod and Lofthouse.  Patents pending

FRONT

Nice flat cover. Laminated front. Hardly any creasing. Laminate is great shape.Small 6mm par of scratches by Ringo's  had bottom left corner. No stick marks or mane. Nice and bright with mild discolour to the very top edge. Moderate crease and 1.2cm tear at opening edge. 

BACK

In surprisingly good looking condition and better then my photos display. Generally clean surface with one or two small marks. Only lightly discolour. Flip backs all in excellent condition too. 

SPINE

The spine is just about perfect. No bad compression, or creasing. No splits and virtually no rubbing with the exception of the outer most tips of the corners. Would be hard to beat. 

OPENING. Pretty flat, and serious feathering of waviness. There is the small rip I previously mentioned. No rips on the back panel edge. Pretty good. 

CORNERS

Top left front has light rubbing. Top right hardly anything. Bottom right mild rubbing with a tiny amount of surface loss.Bottom left has the most rubbing, and a small amount of surface loss. No bad bumps or splits. 

TOP AND BOTTOM EDGES

Top edge is perfect and so is the bottom. No rubbing no splits. 

This is a really well kept sleeve. It is a shame that the small tear at the opening edge is there, otherwise would be a high upgrade. Still it is great that it is still in generally great shape for its age. I'm grading it very good minus.

INNER SLEEVE

It's a plain withe inner with rounded cut corners. Text reads " Patent number 1.125,555. Made in Great Britain". Light creasing and mild discolouring. No rips ,names or stickers. I am unsure if this is the original, but it's the one that was with it. 

LABELS

Have the MT tax code. "Sold in the U.K"text, no small 33 1/3 to the left of the centre hole. "Parlophone" in the perimeter print. I should have known better split over two lines. No names, or stickers present. Both have surface marks that include areas where the black surface has worn away. Both grade as good.

let's have a listen

AUDIO GRADINGS

Listening through headphones.

And with a light stylus setting.

SIDE ONE

A hard days night. Nice loud pressing this.The opening chords jumps out at you. I can ever thing going on, even in the background with the percussion. No breaking up of the audio quality during top vocal notes, and the kick drum can be made out in the low end. Sounds great. Some light crackle in the last two bars. Grades as excellent.

I should have known better. Another big sounding mix. Top note really hold together when John sings the high vocals parts. No deterioration in quality. A lovely sounding song with a tasty and subdued guitar solo. Grades as excellent.

If I fell. There's a bit of crackle between tracks and during the songs vocal intro. Sounds dusty. The harmonies when they come in sound so lush in this mix. Grades very good.

I'm happy just to dance with you.The floor tom drum can be heard standing out in places.It's a big sounding recording. Audio here is great. Grades very good plus.

And I love her. Some crackle during this. Unsurprising and not uncommon for this relatively quiet track. The delicate instrumentation can still be clearly heard but a low levelled persistent crackle is present throughout. There are no repeating clicks, or pops.Grades good.

Tell me why. Full on loud harmonies in force here. They are not breaking up when they get loud and full. The top end doesn't get muddy or distorted. This mix really does push the studios limiters to breaking point.Great. Grades as excellent.

Cant buy me love. Some low crackle between tracks. Big warm sounding mix. Guitar solo is sounding fab. I think perhaps a little bit of lessening of the original audio has happened , just seems a little less bright than the other tracks. May just be this mix. To be on the safe side I'll grade it very good minus.

A super sounding side. Big loud mono mixes. No major pops, or repeated clicks. Never did the needle skip or jump. Grades excellent minus

SIDE TWO

Any time at all. Pretty quiet leading. Big punchy start and full sounding mix. Nice harmonies. The bass really booms. Grades as excellent. 

I'll cry instead. A jaunty little number. Bass is sound well rounded and up in the mix. Vocals sound clear and bright. Original sixties early pressing are by far the most resilient and rich sounding. Grades very good plus. 

Things we said today.Warm. Will be interesting to see when the harmonies peak how the top end holds out. Volume is picking up. Really hot mix. Some mild crackle mid way, it's way back. Vocals are sounding fuller, as if more over dubs are being added as the track progresses. Top end holds out fine.Some crackle on the outro. Grades very good.

When I get home. This one really is a super loud mix. No breaking up of top end frequencies. I actually have to turn this down a little. Guitars are crunching away in the mix. Great. Grades excellent.

You can't do that. Some crackle between tracks and just at the start for a couple bars. Nice big recording, warmer than the last. Harmonies sound crystal clear. I hear cowbell, can never have enough cowbell haha. Bit of crackle in the tail end.Grades as excellent minus. 

I'll be back.The acoustic guitars are sounding very full. Harmonies are at the forefront. I think I just hear them fluff a couple of guitar notes, could be wrong. This does differ from the stereo mix. Nice little chord variation on the outro. Grades very good minus.

 A super sounding side. Really great audio that has held up well. No loud pops or repeating clicks of any note, and no skips or jumps. Enjoyable in spite of some crackle.Grades as very good plus.

VISUAL GRADES

SIDE ONE

Good flat vinyl was no warps or bumps. Reasonable gloss. A bit dusty looking. Plenty of unmarked surface, but also many light surface marks, and mild scratches. A couple of the finer scratches  appear superficial and span more than one track. I see no severe marks. All will be revealed in the audio playback. Grades good plus.

SIDE TWO

Not perfect but not too shabby either. Plenty of unmarked surface, but like before many fine marks, and some lightweight scratches. Last couple of tracks show signs of play wear. Not fit for the been either. Grades good plus.

FINAL THOUGHTS

This turned out to be a surprisingly good sounding record in spite of having many marks.The mixes are big and loud. It has the unique original pressed sound of the first pressings. It has some unique transitional copies credentials.It is not a final upgrade in mint condition like the ones that sell for crazy prices. It is one that is collectable just not pristine. The sleeve looks great and as an artefact of its time, holds some of the essence of such. Again not perfect, but nice none the less. 54 years old or so. doing not bad at all.So this copy will suit fans seeking a pretty decent playing copy at an affordable price. Or collectors new and old to fill a gap in their collection of variants while they wait for the final upgrade.  

I still have many LP's and singles to list form The Beatles, Led Zeppelin,Pink Floyd,The Rolling Stones, Grateful Dead, Frank Zappa. A bit of old blues, some jazz, rock and film soundtracks. I list in no particular order, just as I unpack them. If you would like to find out first and get updated then please go ahead and follow me or save me as a seller. eBay will send you notifications when I put up a new listing.

GRADE DEFINITIONS, POSTAL AND PAYMENT INFO BELOW.

GRADING YOUR VINYL

I use the classic U.K Rare Record Guide grading system. Detailed below are their guidelines.

MINT

The LP or single is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items are in perfect condition.

EXCELLENT 

The LP or single 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 LP or single has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and an occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover and contents without any major defects.

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 edges, spine splits, discoloring etc.

POSTAGE

All records come with a protective poly sleeve, and new white inner. Records are shipped outside of the sleeve within reinforced cardboard packaging to ensure safety during transit.

I post to most locations worldwide. Please check before bidding if I can send it to you. Prices in GBP

U.K - 1-3 single LPs 4.00 Royal Mail Second Class Signed for

U.K - 1-3 single LPs OVER 40 GDP 8.00 Royal Mail Special Delivery to enable insurance cover.

Europe -12.95 Royal Mail International Signed for. For each additional LP or 12" add 2.20

USA - Australia, Japan -18.95 International Signed for. For each additional LP or 12" add 3.80

Overseas orders valued over 80 will be insured for an additional 3.90

PAYMENTS

Paypal

Is accepted from all buyers. Payment must be made no later than three days after the sale closes. If payment has not been made within this time I reserve the right to re-list the item.

Cheque or Postal order

UK buyers are also welcome to pay by cheque or postal order. Payment should be received no later than five days after the sale closes. Please allow one week for cheques to clear once being received.

I hope I have covered everything you need to know. Message me if you have any questions. I am happy to help. 

Thanks for stopping by!