Beatles Abbey Road UK Apple LP - 1969 1st Pressing - No Her Majesty M-

$

600

I am a 40 year collector of LPs and 45s from the 50s and 60s. I have been collecting The Beatles UK LPs for 25 years. The Beatles LPs I have listed on eBay are from my personal collection.

I have also been an audiophile for 40 years (analog only). The unsealed LPs listed have been play-graded on high quality equipment (turntable, tone-arm, cartridge, pre-amp, amp, speakers, and subwoofers). My system picks up the slightest surface noise on vinyl; i.e., ticks, pops, hiss, and sibilants due to groove wear. The standard I have used in adding a record to my collection has been how well it played (no surface noise present) in addition to how it looked. Over my years of collecting I have continuously upgraded my personal collection of Beatles LPs to where almost all of them play as new. To me, this means quiet surfaces; i.e., no ticks, pops, crackle, or hiss in the music or the dead wax.

The outer sleeves/covers of these LPs have been stored in polyethylene sleeve protectors since I acquired them. I also removed the LPs from the original Emitex inner sleeves and stored the LP in a custom rice paper sleeve while keeping the original Emitex inner sleeve in the LP jacket.

I have used strict grading standards of the UK publication Record Collector. I will use a mint grade only if I know a record has never been played. Unless a record is sealed, M- is my highest grade. I have described the flaws, if any, on the labels, vinyl, and sleeves. All the LPs I have listed will play as good as, or better than, they look. If you wish to see larger pictures than those shown on Ebay, I can send you much larger photos attached to an e-mail. I hope you find something you can add to your collection and enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed listening to vinyl records for the last 57 years.

This is a gorgeous early pressing of Abbey Road. It has the earliest Matrix numbers used for the LP and does not have ‘Her Majesty’ song title listed on Side 2 of the label. Beginning in 1969, the “Sold in UK…..” statement was removed from all Beatles’ records. The labels on all Abbey Road LPs pressed in 1969 have a statement on the far left side of the label that says “Mfd in U.K.” but the “Sold in U.K….” statement was no longer required by legalities in the U.K.

This LP was the Beatles last recorded LP and many fans consider it their Magnum Opus, their finest work. The recording sessions for Abbey Road began on February 22, 1969; just 3 weeks after the Let It Be sessions were completed. Abbey Road was released on September 26, 1969.  It is the first Beatles LP to be released only in the stereo format. It is catalog # PCS 7088.

Matrix #s:

Side 1: YEX 749-2

Side 2: YEX 750-1

Mothers:

Side 1: 5

Side 2: 2

Stamper letters:

Side 1: GMA 

Side 2: MM

Labels: M-

The labels are the dark green Apple labels and are flawless except for a couple very light spindle marks around the spindle hole. The green, white and black colors on the label look rich and bright. There are no signs of handling wear. The spindle hole itself shows no signs of wear.

Added note on 2/7/13: It has been brought to my attention that the photos of Side 2 of of Abbey Road that are part of this Ebay ad show that "Her Majesty" is listed. I have two copies of Abbey Road, one with "Her Majesty" and one without. I mistakenly took photos of my copy of Abbey Road with "Her Majesty". Visually, both of my copies are essentially mint so the photos would look the same, only the buyer of this LP will get Abbey Road without "Her Majesty" on Side 2. The playing quality of the LP I have listed here is flawless. I could safely grade it as mint but I know it has been played a few times so my policy is to grade it as M-.

Vinyl: M-

The vinyl is flawless. It shows the sheen and high gloss of a new LP. It is completely free of dust or dirt that would dull its natural sheen and affect its sonic qualities. Based on the look of the labels and vinyl this LP hasn’t been played more than a few times. I have played the LP once to record it to tape. The vinyl plays flawlessly without ticks, pops, or surface noise. You will hear nothing but the music in the songs and silence in the dead wax on the run-ins, run-outs, and between songs. The sonic quality of this early pressing is simply stunning. This is a gorgeous copy of one of the Beatles finest works.

Sleeve: M-

The sleeve was made by Garrod & Lofthouse and is in truly superb condition. Both front and back panels are firm and have retained the high gloss of these early, classic laminated sleeves. It has solid seams all the way around with no splits in the laminate. The colors on the sleeve are as-new bright. Neither the front nor back of the sleeve show any ring wear. The corners are square and sharp and show absolutely no wear to the corner tips. There are a few very small creases on the laminate close to the spine on the front.

The inner sleeve is the correct white sleeve for this LP. All the seams are intact with no splits.

This is easily the finest copy of Abbey Road I have ever seen.

Payment, Shipping, and Returns:

Please do not remit payment until you receive an invoice. The buyer is responsible for all shipping costs. All boxes and other shipping materials are new. Each LP is carefully packaged in custom made LP mailing boxes with the disc removed from the sleeve cover. Where double-boxing is deemed appropriate, the LP mailing box is placed inside a larger box filled with Styrofoam material. Shipping costs include only the actual costs of shipping and the required shipping materials. Shipping services within the US are USPS Priority Mail. For a single LP in a regular custom mailer, this cost is $13.00. Double-boxing is often appropriate and necessary to ensure the LP is not damaged in transit. This cost within the US is $18.00. Shipping costs include a signed for receipt.

Shipping costs vary widely outside the US. International shipping services are either USPS International or Federal Express International. For all locations outside the US please contact me for an exact shipping cost. The buyer is responsible for any customs or import duties. Shipping costs include a signed-for receipt.

Satisfaction guaranteed. Notification of intent to return an LP must be made within 48 hours of receiving the LP and must be returned to me within 7 days of receipt. Shipping costs are not refundable and the buyer pays return shipping. A returned LP must be packaged in the same manner in which it was received and I must receive it in the same condition as it was received by the buyer.

Other Listings:

I have many other Beatles mono and stereo UK LPs listed on Ebay, including first-day pressings, Factory Samples, and export LPs.