BEATLES PLEASE PLEASE ME MONO BK & GOLD FACTORY SAMPLE

	£		200
	$		265

                      BEATLES "PLEASE PLEASE ME"

      VERY RARE UK BLACK AND GOLD FACTORY SAMPLE

ORIGINAL 1963 UK 2nd PRESSING.

"PLEASE PLEASE ME" WAS RELEASED 22ND MARCH 1963 AND WAS THE BEATLES FIRST UK ALBUM RELEASE. IT WAS INITIALLY ISSUED AS A MONO VERSION WITH THE NOW FAMOUS BLACK AND GOLD LABELS APPROXIMATELY  5 WEEKS BEFORE THE STEREO VERSION WAS RELEASED ON 26TH APRIL 1963 JUST DAYS BEFORE THE ALBUM HIT NUMBER 1 IN THE CHARTS. DEMAND WAS SO GREAT THAT BLACK AND GOLD LABEL COPIES DRIED UP AFTER JUST A FEW WEEKS LEAVING ONLY THE YELLOW AND BLACK LABEL COPIES AVAILABLE IN THE SHOPS.

WHEN INITIALLY RELEASED THE 1ST PRESSING MONO COPIES CREDITED FOUR TITLES TO THE DICK JAMES MUSIC COMPANY WHICH WAS LATER FOUND TO BE AN ERROR AND WAS CORRECTED ON THE SECOND PRESSING BLACK AND GOLD LABEL TO NORTHERN SONGS.  

WHILE THE FIRST PRESSINGS WHERE ALREADY IN THE WAREHOUSES AWAITING RELEASE EMI PRESSED ANOTHER SMALL BATCH OF BLACK AND GOLD LABELS WITH THE UPDATED COPYRIGHT DETAILS WHICH WERE USED FOR THE SECOND PRESSING, BOTH PRESSINGS WERE THEN RELEASED TO RECORD STORES, HOWEVER, AFTER THESE LABELS WERE PRINTED EMI THEN CHANGED TO THE NEW DESIGN OF BLACK AND YELLOW. GIVEN THESE DETAILS THE NATURAL ASSUMPTION  WOULD BE THAT THE SECOND PRESSING CORRETED LABELS (NORTHERN SONGS) ARE IN FACT RARER THAN THE FIRST PRESSING LABELS (DICK JAMES)..... AS IT WOULD APPEAR FEWER 2ND PRESSINGS WERE ISSUED THAN 1ST PRESSINGS.

PMC 1202

XEX 421/2-1N-1N

STAMPERS  T 1    H 1

MT TAX CODE

THE BLACK AND GOLD PARLOPHONE LABELS TO BOTH SIDES ARE IN EXCELLENT CONDITION.  LABELS HAVE JUST LIGHT SPINDLE MARKS. ALL WORDING IS STILL CRISP AND FREE FROM RUBBING MARKS E.T.C. LABELS ARE FREE FROM WRITING AND SCRATCH MARKS. SIDE ONE CARRIES EMBOSSED MT TAX CODE WHICH IS STILL HIGHLY VISIBLE AND THE UNIQUE "FACTORY SAMPLE NOT FOR SALE" STICKER.

THE VINYL WHICH STILL RETAINS A NICE SHEEN DOES PLAY THROUGH ON BOTH SIDES WITH NO SKIPS OR JUMPS, HOWEVER IT DOES DISPLAY SOME SURFACE MARKS AND SOME SCRATCHES. ALTHOUGH THE VINYL APPEARS TO LIE COMPLETELY FLAT WHEN PLAYED THERE IS A SLIGHT "LIFT" TO OUTSIDE EDGE ON SIDE ONE BUT THIS DOESNT APPEAR TO BE EVIDENT ON PLAYING SIDE TWO.... IT MUST BE STRESSED THAT THIS DOES NOT IN ANY WAY AFFECT AUDIO.

THREE OF THESE MARKS ARE FEELABLE ON TRACK 1,2 & 3 ON SIDE ONE, THESE APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY HANDLING AS LABELS DO NOT REFLECT THAT THIS HAS BEEN OVERPLAYED. SOME OF THESE MARKS DO CAUSE SOME CRACKLE TO RUN IN GROOVE AND TRACK GROOVES BETWEEN THESE FIRST THREE TRACKS, THE NEXT FOUR TRACKS PLAY WITH NO DISTORTION.

SIDE TWO PLAYS REALLY QUIET APART FROM SOME SLIGHT CRACKLE TO TRACK GROOVE ON "P.S I LOVE YOU "...... IT SHOULD AGAIN BE STRESSED THAT NONE OF THIS DETERS FROM THE OVERALL ENJOYMENT OF THIS ALBUM.   

THE ORIGINAL EMITEX INNER IS SUPERB . IT IS INTACT AND SHOWS VERY LITTLE SIGNS OF AGE AND HANDLING.

THE ORIGINAL E.J.DAY SLEEVE IS EXCELELNT GIVEN ITS AGE. THE FRONT DISPLAYS JUST VERY LIGHT BUT MINIMAL CREASES AND SOME  LIGHT CORNER AND EDGE WEAR. THE REAR IS STILL VERY CLEAN AND STILL QUITE WHITE. AND ALL SEAMS LIE FLAT. THE SPINE IS PERFECTLY RIGID WITH NO WEAR. THE SLEEVE STILL DISPLAYS A NICE GLOSS .

OVERALL ALTHOUGH THIS IS NOT A "PERFECT" EXAMPLE OF THIS HIGHLY SOUGHT AFTER ALBUM (AND PLEASE BEAR THIS IN MIND BEFORE BIDDING) THIS IS STILL AN EXREMLEY RARE FACTORY SAMPLE VERSION AND THESE COPIES ARE HARDLY EVER OFFERED FOR SALE WHATEVER THEIR CONDITION  (I HAVE ONLY EVER SEEN ONE ON EBAY BEFORE) AND RARITY CAN OFTEN SUPERCEED CONDITION PARTICULARLY  WHERE "THE BEATLES" ARE CONCERENED..... REMEMBER THIS IS NOT JUST A "BLACK AND GOLD" BUT A FACTORY SAMPLE ASWELL.... THE NEXT BEST THING TO A DEMO!!!!! ITEMS OF THIS RARITY  ARE NOW  MOVING INTO THE OPEN MARKET PLACE AS FUTURE INVESTMENTS FOR SPECULATORS RATHER THAN JUST BEATLES COLLECTORS.