The Beatles Rubber Soul STEREO 1ST PRESS PCS 3075

	£		35
	$		46

I have been a collector of vinyl now for over 20 years and have put together an extensive collection spanning the decades. During this time I have acquired several duplicates, but have as yet not attempted to sell too many of them.

In describing this album, I will give detailed information and an honest, in depth evaluation of the condition and quality throughout, so forgive me if my summation appears particularly meticulous! I will gladly answer any questions or queries should there be any.

Album Particulars

• Year of print - 1965
• PCS 3075 (stereo)
• Yellow / Black Parlophone label
• Label states "SOLD IN UK.." and "MADE IN Gt. BRITAIN"
• Label rim states "THE GRAMOPHONE CO. LTD"
• Matrix no's - YEX 178-2 and YEX 179-2
• Side opening laminated flip back sleeve printed by Garrod and Lofthouse
• "Patents Applied For" white inner

The Sleeve

Front surface - The lamination is generally excellent with just some small areas of thin delamination toward the sleeve opening (they are about 2mm wide, 10 - 20mm long). There is what appears to be a very neat repair along the bottom edge, towards the bottom right hand corner (about 30mm long). This is quite inconspicuos upon initial glancing and I should stress that this does not impair the overall tidiness of appearance. There are about 4 small creases near the spine and two along the top edge (around 5mm in length). The opening shows minimal wear and very slight feathering / discolouration, which considering the lamination falls just short of the edge (common for early pressings), is pretty good! The bottom edge shows some light 'denting' / creasing. Pretty minor. All corners are again very slightly worn (bottom right being slightly more so), showing some slight feathering. Top and bottom folds are very neat. There are no pen or other markings.

Rear Surface - This pretty much mirrors the front cover in terms of general appearance with very few negatives and minor discolouration. Where the laminated flip backs finish, there is some darkening to the light card due to the lamination falling short of the flip back edging. (about 3mm along the length of all three flip backs) There are some slight areas of light staining along the bottom edge (quite innocuous), Barring some very small creases on the laminated folds, the rest of the rear cover is very nice with again no pen or other markings. Corners and edges are neat and tidy.

The Spine - There is some small delamination along the spine (about 20 mm, toward the bottom) which is quite normal with laminated sleeves of this age) but the overall quality of the spine and lettering is excellent with no tears, scuffing or splits.

The Vinyl

The record is kept in it's original white "patent applied for" inner which is in excellent condition.

Side 1 - The label is absolutely fine in every detail - no markings, minimal spindle wear, indicative of light play only. The vinyl is only very lightly marked, visible only when held to the light, but plays perfectly - no crackles, clicks pops or hissing!

Side 2 - The label is equally as good as that of side 1, the vinyl shows some very light marking, visible only when held up to a strong light source. This does not affect the audible excellence and once again play is great. The only blemish to the side is some slight crackling on "Michelle".

In general, the audible and visual qualities of the record is terrific and really has to be seen and heard to be truly appreciated.

Summary

Given the age of this original stereo first press, and general condition, I would say that this is a good copy of a much sought after Beatles recording that would not look out of place in any serious collectors cabinet.

This summation is as honest and as detailed as I could possibly have made it. I know if I was buying that this is the kind of information that I would like to see. I have played this album only a couple of times on high quality audio equipment since acquiring it a few of months ago after which it has been sealed up.

Serious bidders only please, GOOD LUCK!!