BEATLES-A HARD DAY'S NIGHT LP-1964 UK *STEREO* FIRST PRESS PARLOPHONE PCS 3058

$

235

Hello and Welcome! 

This is a Private "Buy It Now-Make Best Offer" Listing

Despite being eBay Vintage Vinyl Sellers since 1999, we have recently elected to auction off the majority of our personal album collection under this new screen-name. We pride ourselves as collectors, sellers and most importantly, true purists when it comes to this hobby which has turned into a huge on-line business for many folks.   Unlike many eBay sellers of LPs these days, we still feel compelled to write up complete as well as accurate descriptions of our vinyl in order that no surprises will occur, other than happy ones.  This is why we take painstaking efforts to describe every detail of our play-graded LPs, which never seem to disappoint our buyers.   

We are offering for auction an Extremely Early, Stunning, and Rare 1964 UK FIRST STEREO PRESSING OF THE BEATLES: A HARD DAY'S NIGHT ALBUM ON PARLOPHONE PCS 3058.  This LP features the Parlophone Original Yellow and Black Labels with the "Recording First Published 1964" print on the right side of both labels, "Sold In The UK"  tax message, as well as "The Parlophone Co. LTD" perimeter print, which confirms this LP as being the 1964 Stereo Version of this now-scarce and difficult to locate Original UK Beatles Album.  In addition, Side 1's label has the 'MT' Tax Code (see photo) stamped near the spindle hole, which points to this specimen being an extraordinarily early Parlophone pressing.  Our copy's jacket shows the word "stereo" on the upper right-side of the front cover in lower-case, mid-size font print, which is correct for first pressings.  Finally, the front laminated jacket, which was printed and made by Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd. is a 'Patents Pending' one. 

We have collected British Rock for over 30 years, specifically original UK First Pressings of The Beatles.  While we have acquired mega-rare albums of The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, Led Zeppelin, Mott The Hoople, T-Rex, and many others, locating our first UK Parlophone Beatles 'A Hard Day's Night'  in Stereo wasn't easy.  In fact, initial 1964 'true' First Stereo Pressings of 'A Hard Day's Night, which possess the "Parlophone Co." perimeter print on the original Yellow and Black Parlophone labels, infrequently show up on eBay, and when they do, it is scarcer than hen's teeth to find an album in VG+ or better condition.  This morning, 03/25/12, we were unable to locate ANY UK 1st Pressings of this Beatles album in Stereo which was in the condition our copy is.  Rather, we saw a couple of 1964 releases priced well over $300.00 which were in VG condition, or even worse.  If you are looking for a highly collectable and early stereo UK Beatles album, this copy may be the only one you'll find which possesses all the requisite criteria for the true stereo UK first pressing of 'A Hard Day's Night'!  

 MATRICES/STAMPERS/RUN-OFF WAX DATA: 

Side 1: YEX 126-1  Stampers: 2/GM    Side 2: YEX 127-1  Stampers: 1/II       

Our Goldmine Grading of this or any other album entails a Visual Assessment of the Vinyl, Labels, Jacket, Inner Sleeve and Inserts (If Applicable) as well as an Aural Evaluation.  All pre-owned LPs that we put up for auction are first professionally cleaned with our VPI 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine prior to being Play-Graded on a Denon DP 54-F Turntable equipped with a SHURE M97xE Cartridge/Stylus.  Our Pre-Amp is a Denon PMA 750.  Our Polk Audio Speakers allow one the opportunity to hear any sonic distortion, variation in sound quality such as drops in sound levels, detection of the slightest background noise e.g. crackle, clicking, and, of course, jumps.  All of our albums are stored upright and kept in an air conditioned, smoke free environment and are, or have been protected by polyurethane jacket protectors since our acquisition of them.  

VISUAL GRADES

VINYL:   Both sides of this vinyl present with Full Gloss and Shine.  Under intense halogen lighting, we were only able to see a TOTAL of four (4) faint lines on the wax's surface; one (1) on Side 1 and three (3) other superficial "wisps" which were thinner than a hair on Side 2.  These lines were, no doubt, caused by the inevitability of removing the album from its inner bag.  This LP exhibits no "hairlines", No surface markings, scruffs, or any other flaw which would detract from its "Like New" appearance.  Even the run-off areas, where the stamped "Double 1" matrices and early stampers are easily detected, clearly show that this album remained in its Emitex Poly-Lined Inner Bag since its pressing, only to be taken out a handful of times at most.  In our opinion, this vinyl could not have seen more than 4-6 plays in its 48 years of life.  We acquired this pristine LP in 2009, and only played it once, and this was on 3/25/12 for play-grading.  It was quite easy to determine that this vinyl had only experienced a phonograph's spindle a couple or so times, based on our need to ease it onto our VPI 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine, as well as our Denon DP 54-F Turntable!  This LP Showed no signs of warping, dipping, and spun on our equipment as if it were pressed the day before.  Goldmine Grade:  NM-    

LABELS:   These beautiful Parlophone Labels confirm our estimation of 4-6 plays, as there are 1-3 tiny and short lines next to each spindle hole.  As previously stated, this LP must have been pressed extremely early, as one can see the 'MT' Tax Code quite clearly on Side 1's label (see photo).  Label print is distinct, clear, and the silver type-set against the primary Black background and the Yellow Parlophone logo and name, is striking.  Our photos of these two labels, will surely speak to its assigned and conservative Goldmine Grade of NM- 

JACKET:  This Garrod and Lofthouse jacket is fully intact, with no seam splits, all three flip-back folds on the reverse side are firmly affixed to the cover, and there are no signs of the front-cover laminate beginning to lift.  Our photos will detail that, on the upper front-side of the jacket's rim (located by the word "stereo"), there is a 4.5 inch long area of minor "browning".  1. 5 inches of this browning occurs on the reverse upper left-side side and there is a narrow 6 inch "strip" of this discoloration which is visible adjacent to the opening flap on the reverse side only.  We believe that this discoloration may have been related to improper storage or, possibly, exposure to an environmental factor.  Otherwise, the reverse print is 95% white as evidenced by Tony Barrow's liner notes on the back-side, which are completely clear and fresh looking.  The 13 song titles of the album are fully legible and well-defined, and the front laminate exhibits only a handful of the most miniscule creases.  If one were to look very closely at the laminated front, maybe they will notice an LP indentation.  This indentation is so faint and light that we cannot even deem it ring-wear, in our estimation.  Corner wear is commensurate with the age of a 48 year old album jacket and shows minor wear on the two left-side corners on the front cover.  There is corner rounding on the other side, where the LP slips in, but it is not a distraction.  Looking at this jacket as an entirety, we see the jacket's spine as being in superb condition as well as excellent top and bottom rims still showing full lamination.  No storage "pinches" exist anywhere on this cover.   Goldmine Grade: VG+ 

INNER SLEEVE:  The Original UK Emitex Inner Sleeve is completely free of seam splits, its poly-liner is 100% intact, and all of the 'Emitex' Record Cleaning tips are clear and distinct.  There are no signs of discoloration, no rips, no tears, and it is in "Like New" condition.  Goldmine Grade: NM-    

PLAY-GRADE 

This LP played as if new, with clear, loud sonic stereo, which nearly made us forget our love for the far more common 'mono' format of the early era Beatles LPs.  Many folks will disagree with our assessment that this title is, in fact, "true" stereo, rather than the term "fake" stereo, yet how can one explain all of the instrumentation being correctly channeled, the front and backing vocals of the lads being as distinct as if they were in the same room as a listener, or even the one or two well-known "errors" that happened either by this iconic band making an error in playing these great songs or by a mistake in production?  As we must be harsh evaluators of any vinyl we offer to the world, we will note the one (1) "pop" we heard during "Things We Said Today" and even that could have been a spot of static, since we used our VPI RCM just 10 minutes prior to our listening evaluation.  This is a pristine, crystal clear, and loud vinyl, one which may never be equaled by an inferior copy on eBay or anywhere else, for that matter. 

Goldmine Grade: NM 

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