Rubber Soul 1/1 First 'Loud Cut' Press - Rare

On offer here is the highly collectable 'Loud Cut' mono release of 'Rubber Soul'.  The production was stopped as it was believed this first pressing had a muddy bass, an aggressive vocal sound and seemed to lack cohesion hence the rarity.

This particular version has very impressive audio and a superb cover that is extremely clean.

Mono 1/1 Loud Cut first pressing on Yellow/Black label.  'The Gramophone Co. Ltd' etc printed around the perimeter edge.  'Sold in U.K. subject to resale price conditions'.

PMC 1267 // XEX 579 - 1 / XEX 580 - 1 // MT 3 / GDR 1

The audio on S1 is Ex+ (Near Mint in many sections / track 7 is Ex-)

The audio on S2 is Ex+ (Near Mint in many sections / tracks 6 & 7 are Ex)

The cover is Ex+

The inner sleeve is Ex+

The labels are Near Mint-

 Visual grading

  This is a very impressive looking vinyl and has been so well preserved down the decades.  There are no scratches and only a small number of faint sleeve removal hairlines.  It still has lovely glossy sheen and I cannot stress enough just how good it looks!  It is certainly the best I have seen in many a year.  It also has very clean run out grooves.

Play grading

'Drive my Car' has very impressive audio with very little 'background'.  All I heard was a small number of faint 'ticks' near the beginning and a minor hint of crackle on the last 2/3 seconds of the fade out.  Nothing intrusive and for a genuine 'loud cut' press the clarity on this first track is of an excellent standard.  The intro on 'Norwegian Wood' plays with stunning clarity and no muddiness to the sound in my opinion which is contrary to what was originally thought of course.  The remainder has only a very minor hint of static but again this is so much in the background as to be negligible.  There are no clicks or pops.  'You Won't See Me' continues in a similar way with no intrusive interference of any kind.  So far I am very impressed with the sonic quality and clarity on offer here.  So many first pressings are heavily marked with poor audio but that certainly isn't the case here.  This track plays with stunning clarity from start to finish.  The classic 'Nowhere Man' also plays to a wonderful standard and again there is not one single click or pop.  Absolutely stunning!  This is the first track in my opinion where the bass sounds somewhat muddy and why the boys wanted it remixed.  'Think For Yourself' plays without fault and is another great example of a vinyl so well cared for down the years.  There is a little distortion on 'The Word' as is common with any track nearing the end of any side but still plays extremely well with no other 'background'.  'Michelle' ends the side with some light crackle in the background but aside from that it plays very clearly for a 53 year old record with only a handful of clicks on the fade out.

'What Goes On' plays with great clarity from the first groove and there is barely any 'background', just the odd super quiet dust tick here and there.  The harmonies play perfectly and this really is a 'high end' version.  A superb start to S2.  For a relatively quiet track 'Girl' has fantastic audio, the depth and warmth of the recording is stunning.  There are just a couple of light ticks towards the end but apart from that this track play to near perfection.  'I'm Looking Through You' is almost as good with only a minor amount of static in one place and a touch of distortion on the Hammond Organ.  'In My Life' has a couple of faint ticks on the intro and then plays with wonderful precision and barely any 'background', just a little static right at the end.  'Wait' again plays very clearly with only very minor distortion on the top end but this is no doubt due to a mono record being played through a stereo system.  It still plays very clearly with only a couple of light crackle sounds.  The final two tracks again have a little distortion on the top end but again will be due to the same reason mentioned previously.  The audio is still very impressive and has no clicks or pops.

In summary this highly collectable LP plays with wonderful clarity throughout.  With no obvious interference this 1/1 'Loud Cut' pressing would be a great addition to any collection.  There is minor amount of underlying static here and there but it is so much in the background and does not interfere with the audio quality.  There is also the odd tick/click in the dead wax between tracks but this is without doubt one of the 'cleanest' first pressings I have ever heard.  There is hardly any crackle and as stated the vinyl still has a stunning visual quality and a lovely flipback cover also.

The Cover

This G & L laminated cover is very impressive with only very minor shelf wear.  The edges and spine are in fantastic order with no rubbing or marks and even the corners have barely any wear.  The opening edge has only a small amount of handling wear.  The laminated front cover has no splits or lifting - there is just a small number of faint creases next to the spine and a couple of minor creases near to the opening edge next to Ringo.  The flipbacks are so clean and have hardly any of the marking/staining that you so often see.  The back cover itself has no marking, fading or writing and is in sublime condition.  There is a very small area of wrinkling by the opening edge only.  This is one of the cleanest 'first press' covers I have ever seen and is a superb example of its kind.

Inner sleeve

The original poly-lined Emitex sleeve is in lovely condition with no splits or tears just some creasing.

The labels

The yellow/black Parlophone labels are extremely clean and have no writing or marking.  The KT tax stamp is shown on the S2 label.  There is some spindle wear but not an excessive amount.  The run out grooves are also very clean.

Play tested on my Pro-Ject Essential III Turntable / B&W 684 Speakers

I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.

Any questions please feel free to ask

Please pay within 4 days of auction end

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Postage & Packaging

I SHIP WORLDWIDE BUT WHEN SHIPPING ITEMS TO ITALY, RUSSIA AND SOUTH AMERICA I WILL ONLY SEND THEM "TRACKED/SIGNED FOR" AND THIS COSTS AN ADDITIONAL £5.00. PLEASE WAIT FOR THE INVOICE. WHEN ITEMS EXCEED A SALE PRICE OF £50.00 AND ARE TO BE SENT INTERNATIONALLY EXTRA INSURANCE IS NECESSARY AND COSTS AN EXTRA £2.50.  PLEASE ONLY BID IF YOU AGREE WITH THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS.

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ALL VINYLS ARE PACKAGED IN STRONG CUSTOM MADE OVER-SIZED MAILERS WITH EXTRA CARDBOARD PROTECTION. THEY ARE PLACED IN SEPARATE POLY-LINED INNERS OUTSIDE THE COVER IN ORDER TO AVOID SEAM SPLITS IN THE POST. EVERYTHING IS THEN PLACED INSIDE A PVC SLEEVE TO PROVIDE EXTRA PROTECTION. I PRIDE MYSELF ON MY HIGH QUALITY PACKAGING AS MY FEEDBACK TESTIFIES AND IF ANY CUSTOMER HAS ANY SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS I WILL ALWAYS ENDEAVOUR TO HELP.

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