BEATLES RUBBER SOUL UK 2ND Y/B LP STUNNING NM-

	£		54
	$		72

The Beatles - Rubber Soul

Parlophone Records: catalogue PMC 1267

Matrix Numbers: XEX 579-4 / 580-4

Second pressing

STAMPERS: 1 DAA / 4 RAA

The Sleeve

LAMINATED fRONT SURFACE / NON LAMINATED REAR

GARROD AND lOFTHOUSE ORIGINAL

the laminated surface is just lovely. You know how abused these sleeves can get, well right from the off I was convinced this Lp had only had a minimal number of plays. You see a lovely cover and you just pray that the record inside matches the sleeve in quality. well this one certainly does.

Thsi sleeve has no severe creasing at all, no bends and no tears. There are three laminate lines I can see on the front. The largest is 2 inches up from the opening edge, and was caused by an errant thumb removing the disc from the sleeve. The second is a similar but far smaller on right on the opening edge a third of the way doen, and the third is a minute line near the spine.

On the subject of which the spine is perfectly flat and legible.

The rear surface you know usually is soiled from all those grubby finger marks, naturally so with all the plays a Beatles Lp would get. So here this one has perfectl flat flip backs and only very light fingermarks, which means the white surface has retained a vast amount of it's original whiteness.

the corners are all sharp and the opening edge is as good as you will find.

the original emitex inner sleeve is also included and is unsplit.

a really nice EX+ example

The Labels

The world famous yellow and black parlophone labels in great condition. it is here that we first see how well the record has been cared for. Firstly the labels have the correct markings. "Sold in the UK" satetment, "The gramophone Co" rim wording P1965

The matt black finsih is really nice with just one or two really tiny flecks of white. Importantly the spindle hole shows no wear, and here now is where I can make my first real judgement on how often this has been played.

I have counted the spider lines around the hole. There is about 8 on each side of the LP. so i reckon this Lp has had probably fewer than 15 plays in its life. Most of these records have a complete web of spider lines,and you just know it's been played to death. wuth this few it is clear that not only has the LP had a minimal amount of plays, but that the origianl owner was very careful in the handling of the record, not so good that they didn't create any lines but good enough that they didn't make many mistakes

The Vinyl

to back up the quality of the labels you only need to take alook at the vinyl to realise that the record has not had many plays. My immediate scan revealed little or no handling marks, perhaps under the right light at the right angle you can make a couple out. Under intese illumination there are a few really whispy hairlines, but this disc looks really special. it looks as good as I had hoped. The real test is of couse in how it sounds

The Sound

The three tests I always run on any LP I list should give the buyer a great insight into the reproduction of the record.

Distortion Test:

Pushing the volume up when playing any LP will tell you a lot about the use the LP has had. For example it will show immediately if the groove has suffered any wear through having been subjected to a worn or damaged stylus, or indeed one that was too heavy and caused wear. many people confuse background noise from scratches, and lines with distortion from groove wear. they are very different, and in my opinion I can put up with the odd bit of crackle or light pop, but the sound of a worn record is unacceptable to me. The loud volume ensures that all this is detected because the vibration of the stylus is more pronounced at higher volumes.

No distortion at all, on any volume

Production Test:

Not so much of a test, but a report on the quality of the recording and the clarity of the sound

george Mrtin always produced perfect records for the Beatles, and it is one of the few bands who command the respect of the buying public in that the Mono mix was usually significantly different to the stereo one to encourage buyers to own both. although with rubber soul there was only one difference. I enclose a line from the Beatles UK Discography

Mono/Stereo Differences

Unwanted Noise Test:

This concentrates on the noise in the run in groove, the linking groove between the tracks, background crackle, hisses, and pops. I wont mention jumps or sticking as I wouldn't list a record that did either. This is what you can expect to hear on your system, and along with the distortion test form the basis of my overall sound grading.

An absolute joy to play. I tested this on My Rega deck so you can be sure it has had the most careful of plays.

Totally silent run in groove on both sides. Also the linking grooves are just as quiet.

There is no crackles, pops, skips jumps etc.

The very occasional bit of light static, but it really insignificant. you hear a beautifully clear and noise free recording

NEAR MINT MINUS

hard to upgrade from

I have been selling vinyl on Ebay now for 7 years and have built up a good reputation for offering quality vinyl, and in the main this has always been Classic and Prog Rock and Pop from the early 60's through the mid 70's. I would ask that you look at my feedback if in any doubt. I always conduct 3 vital tests on any vinyl that I list, which includes Distortion, Production, and Background Noise. All of which you will find detailed in the listing. I also always offer a full refund if the purchaser is not happy.