George Harrison BEATLES CONCERT FOR BANGLADESH UK LP M-

	£		31
	$		41

GEORGE HARRISON - THE CONCERT FOR BANGLADESH

APPLE RECORDS: STCX 3385

• THE MATRIX NUMBERS ARE AS FOLLOWS
• SIDES 1/6 STCX 1 3385- 3/ STCX 6 3385-1
• SIDES 2/5 STCX 2 3385-2 / STCX 5 3385-4
• SIDES 3/4: STCX 3 3385-2 /  STCX 4 3385-2

THE REASON THE SIDES WERE PLACED AS THEY ARE AND NOT LOGICALLY WAS THAT MANY PEOPLE OWNED RECORD PLAYERS WITH THE DREADED AUTOCHANGER WHICH DROPED THE RECORDS DOWN ONE AFTER THE OTHER, THEN YOU JUST TURNED THEM OVER AND THEY PLAYED THE OTHER SIDES. SO STACKING THE THREE LPS THE AUTOCHANGER WOULD HAVE THEN PLAYED THE RECORDS IN THE CORRECT CONCERT ORDER. THANK GOD THIS SET HAS NEVER BEEN NEAR AN AUTOCHANGER AS THEY JUST RUINED THE SPINDLE HOLES AND CAUSED UNTOLD DAMAGE TO THE VINYL BY RUBBING THE TWO FACES TOGETHER, ADDED TO THE STYLUS THAT CAME CRASHING DOWN ON YOUR PRECIOUS RECORDS.

THIS SUPERB 3 LP SET WAS PRODUCED TO HELP THE PEOPLE OF BANGLADESH. GEORGE HARRISON ORGANISED THIS INCREDIBLE CONCERT WHICH FEATURED PERFROMANCES FROM SOME OF THE SUPERSTARS OF POULAR MUSIC, INCLUDING

• GEORGE HARRISON
• RINGO STARR
• BOB DYLAN
• LEON RUSSELL
• ERIC CLAPTON
• BILLY PRESTON
• RAVI SHANKAR

THE RECORDS

ALL THREE VINYLS GLEAM LIKE NEW. IT IS CLEAR JUST BY HANDLING THEM AND LOOKING AT THE SHEEN THAT THE DISCS HAVE HAD NO MORE THAN A COUPLE OF PLAYS EVER. THERE ARE NO SCRATCHES OR HANDLING MARKS ON ANY OF THE DISCS, AND ONLY UNDER INTENSE ILLUMINATION ARE THERE A COUPLE OF TINY WISPS TO BE SEEN. TOTALLY PRISTINE VINYL THAT PERFROMS AS WELL AT IT LOOKS

THE LABELS

THE SPECIAL BANGLADESH LABELS ARE IN SUPERB CONDITION. MANY COPIES THAT I HAVE SEEN IN THE YEARS GONE HAVE BEEN MOTTLED AND STAINED. BUT HERE WE HAVE SIX MAGNIFICENT MINT CONDITION LABLES. THE ORANGE BASE COLOUR IS RICH AND UNMARKED, THE BUFF SECTION IS ALSO UNMARKED WITH OUT ANY SIGNS OF HANDLING. ALL SIX SPINDLE HOLES ARE UNWORN, AND AS FOR PLAY, WELL THERE IS BUT ONE SMALL SPIDER LINE ON EACH LABEL SHOWIING THAT THE RECORD HAVE BARELY BEEN NEAR A TURNTABLE. I SUSPECT THAT MY CAREFUL TEST PLAY TODAY IS ONLY THE SECOND EVER PLAY SINCE THEY WERE PRESSED IN 1971. SO THIS IS A 38 YEAR OLD SET WHICH IS IN JUST THE BEST POSSIBLE CONDITION EVER

PLAYING THE RECORDS

I HAVE INVESTED IN THE SOFTWARE THAT WILL ALLOW YOU TO HEAR WHAT YOU ARE THINKING OF LAYING A BID ON. I HAVE RECORDED TWELVE LONG SECTIONS OF THE ALBUMS WHICH INCLUDES THE DEAD WAX AND INTRO TO EACH SIDE, AND ONE FURTHER TRACK FROM EACH SIDE INCLUDING THE PRECEEDING LINKING GROOVE. THIS SHOULD DEMONSTRATE THE QUALITY OF THE VINYL. THE VINYL PLAYS BEAUTIFULLY ALL THE WAY THROUGH BOTH SIDES. THE CLEAN SOUND  IS UNDISTORTED, MEANING THAT THE PLAYS THE RECORDS HAVE RECEIVED HAVE BEEN DONE WITH A STYLUS THAT WAS NEITHER WORN OR TOO HEAVY, WHICH WOULD HAVE CERTAINLY CAUSED GROOVE WEAR IF IT HAD BEEN.

I HAVE LISTENED TO ALL SIX SIDES AND THE PERFORMANCE OF ALL SIX IS JUST MAGNIFICENT. THERE ARE NO CLICKS, NO FRYING BACON AND NO DISTORTION AT ALL ON ANY PART OF ANY OF THE THREE ALBUMS. IF I AM TO BE ULTRA PICKY THERE WAS A TINY AND BARELY AUDIBLE SECOND OR TWO OF STATIC ON ONE OR TWO OCCASIONS AND THE LIGHTEST OF TINY LITTLE POPS IN ONE OR TWO SPAOTS WHICH IS PROBABLY NO MORE THAN LODGED DUST. BUT I AM BEING RIDICULOUSLY PICKY. THIS IS A SET OF VINYLS AS GOOD AS YOU WILL FIND AND THEY PLAY TO A MINT OR MINT MINUS STANDARD WITHOUT ANY SHADOW OF A DOUBT

I AM HAPPY TO GRADE THIS SUPERB COLLECTIBLE SET AS MINT MINUS

THE SLEEVE (BOX)

THE SUPERB ORANGE BOX IS IN NEAR MINT CONDITION. SO MANY OF THESE HAVE SPLIT CORNERS THAT IT IS A LUXURY TO FIND ONE THAT HAS STOOD THE TST OF TIME AND COME OUT UNSCATHED. WELL THIS ONE HAS MADE IT IN NEAR PERFECT CONDITION. STARTING WITH THE FRONT SURFACE THE FIRST THING TO POINT OUT IS THAT THERE ARE NO MARKS ON THE VERY DELICATE SURFACE. BECAUSE THIS BOX WAS COATED WITH A POUROUS ORANGE PAPER, THIS COLLECTS FINGERMARKS AND STAINES LIKE A MAGNET. THE FACT IS THAT THIS SLEEVE HAS BEEN KEPT I A PLSTIC SLEEVE FROM NEW AND HAS THEREFORE NOT BEEN SUBJECTED TO TOO MUCH HANDLING, ONLY WHEN ON THE ONE OR TWO TIMES THE RECORDS WERE ACTUALLY PLAYED.THE OTHER THING TO MENTION IS THAT BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN INSIDE THE PLASTIC, THE COLOUR HASN'T RUBBED OR FADED AT ALL, AND STILL LOOKS AS GOOD AS THE DAY IT WAS PRINTED AND PUT TOGETHER. THE ONLY SLIGHT IMPERFECTION ON THIS SLEEVE (AND THUS A NEAR MINT GRADE) IS A LIGHT RIPPLING OF THE SURFACE DOWN THE RIGHT HAND EDGE.

THE CORNERS ARE ALL SQUARE, AND UNRUBBED, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY OF ALL UNSPLIT.TURNING THE BOX OVER REVEALS A PERFECT UNDERSIDE, AND AGAIN THIS IS DUE ENTIRELY TO THE PLASTIC HOUSING AS THE VAST MAJORITY OF THESE BOXES WERE LEFT UNPROTECTED AND LAYED DOWN FLAT WHERE THE BASES OFTEN GOT DIRTY, SOILED AND SCRATCHED. THIS ONE IS AS GOOD AS YOU WILL EVER FIND.

LIFTING THE LID AND LOOKING INSIDE THE TOP HALF REVEALS WHERE THE BOX WAS MADE. MOST WERE AMERICAN BUT THIS ONE HAS "LITHO IN CANADA" STAMPED INSIDE THE RIM. IT IS A DEEPER ORANGE THAN THE US BOXES, WHICH IN MY OPINION LOOKS BETTER THAN THE LIGHTER BOX. THE INSIDE IS EVERY BIT AS UNBLEMISHED AS THE OUTER SURFACE APART FROM ONE CORNER WHICH HAS HAD A LITTLE OF THE PAPER SCRAPED AWAY WHERE THE LID WAS NOT SEATED CORRECTLY ON ONE OCCASION. IT HAS OF COURSE NOT DAMAGED THE CORNER STRUCTURE IN ANY WAY AT ALL.

THE BOTTOM TRAY IS ABSOLOUTELY MINT IN EVERY WAY AND I STILL CANNOT GET OVER JUST HOW BRILLIANT THIS SLEEVE IS COMPARED TO MOST

OK NOW TO WHAT SITS INSIDE THE BOX. THE SUPERB BOOK THAT CAME WITH THIS SET HAS A GLEAMING WHITE FRONT COVER, WHICH UNLIKE MANY HAS NO STAINS ON IT AT ALL ANYWHERE. THE STAPLES ARE IN THE CORRECT POSITION RIGHT ALONG THE SPINE. YOU MAY WONDER WHY I MENTION THIS BUT MANY COPIES OF THIS BOOK HAS THE STAPLES ON THE INNER EDGE OF THE FRONT COVER, MAKING THE PAGE TURNING A PROBLEM AND CAUSING RIPS. THERE ARE A FEW VERY LIGHT THUMB MARKS WHERE THE BOOK HAS BEEN FLIPPED THROUGH. THERE ARE NO TEARS TO ANY OF THE PAGES.

THE THREE LP'S SIT INSIDE OLIVE GREEN INNER SLEEVES, AND THESE ARE MADE ALSO FROM POUROUS PAPER WHICH EASILY MARKS BUT MORE ALARMINGLY SPLITS EASILY. ALL THREE ARE IN PERFECT CONDITION. NONE OF THE DIECUT HOLES ARE TORN OR NICKED AND THE SEAMS ON ALL THREE ARE UNSPLIT. IN FACT THERE ARE NO CREASES ON THEM EITHER JUST THE FAINT RECORD OUTLINE. I HAVE TAKEN THE PRECAUTION OF PLACING THE ALBUMS INTO NEW POLY LINED INNERS TO ENSURE THAT THESE ORIGINAL INNER SLEEVES DO NOT GET DAMAGED IN ANY WAY

SO I AM VERY HAPPY TO GRADE THIS INCREDIBLE BOX NEAR MINT

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR BID IF YOU CHOSE TO GO FOR IT

GARRY