The Beatles - Please Please Me (1st Press Gold & Black Parlophone Mono 1963) VG+
£
333
$
442
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Description
I do not sell copies. I am a genuine seller with good feedback to prove it and all items are from my own collections. I am not a shop owner or seller at fairs etc..
THE BEATLES Please Please Me Genuine 1st UK Press GOLD PARLOPHONE! Dick James / Northern Music Credits
This first pressing was made in April 1963 and has the old Parlophone label in Black and Gold which was later altered to Yellow and Black. The catalogue number is PMC 1202 and the matrixes are XEX 421-IN and XEX 422-IN respectively. It is in Mono.
The first pressing had many variants and record label differences due to incorrect Dick James publishing credits and gradual replacement Northern Songs credits printed. This example is the Crossover Pressing Variation B which has the Side 1 credits as used in the next second pressing, and the Side 2 as used on the first. (I have used photographs for the credits for each track of Sides 1 & 2 for this First Press above. These were taken from an official Beatles site for corroboration.) The 12 examples in the main section of photographs are of the actual LP labels and cover etc..and my labels are far clearer and cleaner!!
For its age, I believe the LP is in really good condition overall. The outer sleeve does have limited wear to the top and bottom edges but the spine with the title and artist is very good. The left-hand corners of the front cover do have some very slight damage and the bottom right edge of the front cover has a very slight cut. The black and white rear of the cover also has minor edge wear at each corner but is otherwise quite clean with no stains etc. The laminate on the front is still in very good condition for its age. There is some crazing near the lower edge and some indentations etc but these are all minor. (See the 12 photos listed above.)
I have played the vinyl twice recently to check it and was astonished how good it still sounded on my Naim/Audio Concept equipment. It played cleanly without pops, crackling, hissing, mis-tracking etc. and is not warped. The audio is really clear and precise with some static and slight noise between the tracks but nothing to disturb the enjoyment of the mono press which sounds more authentic than a stereo version and is so immediate. I did not envisage how nice, strong and clear it would sound. A lovely example.
There are some hairlines & light surface marks. Someone has previously cleaned it by hand to produce some of the light marks before I purchased it. But these are all minor really and I could not detect any problems on playing. There is a very small scratch on Please Please Me which I could feel slightly but I have played the track several times and could not detect any sound damage or playing fault. Overall, I honestly think Good to VG+ is a fair visual appraisal but think it still sounds excellent to a listener. It shows how good these first pressings really were!! I will be using my professional record cleaning machine on it before selling.
The disc labels are in very good condition and the gold printing on the black surfaces are still very clear and not particularly worn. There are no signs of any great spindle wear. I still have the original Emitex inner to include in the sale and will also use a new static free inner when I have deep-cleaned the disc.
I have tried to describe this LP as accurately as possible and included details which many sellers omit. I have checked with quality sites to establish its origins and dates. Many sellers will just say the disc is excellent - whatever that means. Some sellers will try to say a yellow and black disc is a first pressing - it isn't. If you are not happy with my description, need further information or you have any enquiries, please contact me.
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