BEATLES Hard Days Night UK 64 1st press Mono N/M LP

	£		60
	$		79

Hi, I am Mike, I am 46 and have been a music collector and enthusiast for over 33 years now. We all wish we could turn back the clock and buy those wonderful brand new records from the 60s and 70s, but alas, this is not possible; so I always try to offer the finest and most accurately described and graded records I can find. No vinyl/music lover really would choose to buy second-hand, but this is only way now to own these valuable, prized and ellusive items now. I pride myself on offering a variety of genres to keep my site as interesting as possible. I will rarely offer any record that falls below a true Excellent grading, unless its of a certain rarity which will justify offering a lesser grade. I try, to the best of my ability to describe as accurately and as honesty as I can all items I offer for sale with all the relevant information I can think of to help any potential bidder and collector. You may notice I only submit records sparingly on Ebay - on average ONEADAY, hence the name - time rarely allows for more as I Play-Grade virtually every record I offer in their entirity, not just bits to guess a grade (on a Rega 3 deck with Ortofon cartridge) - visuals alone do not always tell a true or full story - I will mention any defects or flaws no matter how small that I notice to be fair as possible to any interested reader – I am very fussy and my buyers have the right to be too. Every record I offer, whether it be a common or rare item deserves the same respect as far as I am concerned and will be treated the same - just because an item is rare does not always mean its good. I get just as much pleasure offering a relatively common record in stunning near mint condition as the real rare items. All the pictures I use for your guidance are taken with a digital camera or scanned - they are NOT improved, cleaned-up or made better looking than they are with camera trickery or enhancing with digital programmes. What you see is what you get. The only thing I cannot guarantee one hundred percent is exact colour matching - this depends on the lighting at the time and that is out of my control, but I feel sure most items will be very close to the actual real item. Variation can sometimes occur too in colour of the label scans and labels taken next to the sleeve with a digital camera, the scanned full label pictures should be the most accurate. If any picture I take looks more flattering than the actual item for any reason, I will clearly state the fact in the advert. I hope the item below is to your liking - any questions can be emailed and I will do my very best to answer you. I am enthusiastic , and have a fair degree of knowledge about many genres and I promise quality items - bid with confidence - excellence comes as standard and so does Near Mint regularly. Please assume all records I offer have NO jumps or sticks or writing on covers or labels unless clearly stated to the contrary. Thanks for your interest and Good luck – MIKE.

Please read all the information carefully - these adverts take an age to compile properly - so it’s well worth a few minutes of your time to read the details thoroughly. I really cannot take any responsibility if any bidder fails to read any facts that are clearly stated in the advert - Thankyou.

Artist or Band: THE BEATLES

Album Title: A Hard Day’s Night .

Track Listing: A Hard Day’s Night; I Should Have Known Better; If I Fell; I’m Happy Just to Dance With You; And I Love Her; Tell me Why; Can’t Buy Me Love; Any Time At All; I’ll Cry Instead; Things We Said Today; When I Get Home; You Can’t Do That; I’ll Be Back.

Label/Format: Parlophone – Original Yellow and Black format. This copy has the KT embossed tax codes on side two. Also The Parlophone Co Ltd etc; Made in Gt Britain; Recording first published 1964 and Sold in UK subject to resale price conditions etc. All this included text should tell vinyl collectors this is a first pressed copy.

Label Condition: Superb clean examples, the only blemish (if you can it that) is the embossed K tax code a little of its ink rubbed (this should show on my side 2 scan), hardy unusual to say the least but that apart possibly the best pair of labels I have ever seen in this title as a first pressed copy. Spindle traces (and that’s all they are here) as very few, and very fine and light, again pretty amazing on any Beatles album let alone one this great age. Hardly a trace of any wear around the hole areas either, this amazing copy looks hardly played and this is reiterrated by stunning audio quality too. (Please see label scans for all information needed).

Cat Number: PMC 1230.

Mono or Stereo: Mono (This was issued in stereo as well and is a harder one to find, but any original mono copy in this condition is a very tough find as well these days).

Country of Manufacture: Gt Britain.

Rarity: Very scarce in this incredible condition. It’s always a subject for debate: I have always stated and continue to do so ‘Beatles albums are not rare’ they sold in huge numbers and cannot ever be considered rare in terms of numbers and copies around - but Beatles albums, especially the older, early pressings and in particular the original mono versions in clean, lightly played condition ARE rare, make no mistake about that. Any of the early stereo albums and most up to around to Sgt Pepper in stereo are scarce. These albums, probably more than any other band on the planet were often played into submission, trashed and worn into an unplayable state. Simply look at Beatles items on offer a record fayres, always plenty there, always plenty of worn out or scratched records with filthy dirty and tatty covers. When lightly played, clean looking copies with beautiful fresh covers turn up they are very much the exception rather than the rule - these are priceless and getting very hard to find now - available copies seem to be at a premium, simply being kept as investments or simply to important to sell in cherished collections. Early copies suffered the most, the crude, heavy armed decks with massive thick, often chipped sapphire stylii were ruthless to the delicate grooves imposing wear quickly and making the records noisy with distortion and crackle. (Please see my paragraph further down to put a clean copy like this one into true perspective)..

Original Year of Release: 1964

Matrix Nos: XEX 481-3N and XEX 482-3N

Stamper Codes: 1 TL / 1 L0

Brief Artist & Album Info: The Fab Four’s third album and some of the songs were from their first feature film of the same name (the first side). Another chart topper in the UK and US this is one of the ‘happiest’ albums they every made, a fantastic album containing some stunning flowing pop songs, all written by Lennon and McCartney. This is a very early copy and a first pressing, the cover indeed has the Patents pending text on the rear bottom flipback next to the G&L imprint (please see the close up picture of this imprint line). The conditions for this 40-year-old gem are exceptional with a strong cover (just light wear or small blemishes), the very decent fine original tracing paper lined type inner which is unpatented and an immaculate record that simply defies its age, only rarely do early mono copies ever show quite like this. A copy that will please many fans, and the record itself should even please the connoisseur collector too.

Cover Grade and Format: EX+, single format, laminated front, medium size mono on the front cover. Use Emitex cleaning material advert on back also three huge flipbacks. Printed and made by Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd, Patents pending. A very fine cover and even with minor wear and odd blemish this will better the vast majority around.

Lamination: Very clean and solid: deep shine with hardly any dulling at all. No peeling, dry areas and creasing is very minimal, just the usual few hairline types around the edges. The bottom right corner has a small chip (this should just show on the picture), and this quite honestly, although small, is just about the most wear on this fine example. The laminate has a few light ‘press marks’ and a few light surface traces when viewed under angled light but viewed under ‘normal’ conditions little can be seen to detract from this very sound, attractive and age defying laminate.

Cover Front: Attractive with little wear, this is so often seen with heavy creasing and the dark blue ink never tolerates this well, so this front with no large unsightly creasing and fine laminate again is pretty exceptional.

Cover Back: Again so often seen tatty, deeply discoloured, even yellowed, this one is way above the average found. Any grubbiness is very light and minimal indeed, a few odd light marks but again small and light creasing traces and the flipbacks are very solid and attractive. The odd hairline crease on these but no lifting, fraying or tears. The print text line is perfect under the flipback laminate. This back shows no rubbing or unslightly ringwear and with even age consideration is quite exceptional really.

Top Edge: Virtually unworn, odd faint small mark.

Bottom Edge: Virtually unworn up to the last centimetre right corner where there is a small rub/chip, any other marks on this edge are very tiny.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with little wear. Record entered on right outside edge.

Spine and Text: A splendid spine: solid and square with hardly a trace of any wear, text is perfect and unworn under the uncracked laminate.

Corners: All four show a little lightish wear/light end crease, mostly to the very tips.

Cover Summary: A lovely all round example of this fragile early 60’s cover, one that could prove quite hard to find significantly better. This strong item should please many collectors.

The Inner: Some lightish toning/staining at the top and one corner area crease. Other than that very solid, quite clean and the important delicate tracing paper lining is fully intact and unbroken with just moderately light ruffling. This inner is unpatented and its the Use Emitex cleaning cloth type.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Mint(-), I have rarely seen any of the first four Beatles albums as mono first pressings better than this one. A superb visual copy that’s super clean, shiny, jet black and very heavily pressed with wide deep grooves. Barely a mark to be seen, I can just about detect a very faint surface trace mark on side one but its almost eye-class faint, this looks really immaculate and Beatles albums so rarely get seen like this. A copy with minimal plays on all the evidence. Visually a super record that should please all collectors, even the connoisseur collector I would think.

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This super record plays up to its high visual grading with little to fault. Strong, undistorted sound, yes a very brave statement indeed, but all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is astonishing with a massive dynamic range and very full sound. High frequency clipping and distortion is almost mandatory for the vast majority of copies, only carefully played mono originals and not too many times is even better can ever sound this clean and quiet. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed, and few copies will play much better than this, I can remember no pops or clicks and that again is an amazing statistic. Both channels are clean and sharp, I feel very sure this record has been played very lightly and has been generally well stored and looked after, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Little, if anything spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this vintage Beatles classic. Were records ever really ever designed to last this long?, well on this evidence they certainly were when treated with all the respect they deserved. This copy could prove near impossible to find significantly better.

Mono vs Stereo, an overview: Always a matter of opinion which is better or more important. For any serious collector where there is a choice e.g. Beatles, Stones, Hendrix etc. both are essential. True Stereo albums give great imagery and presence whereas mono albums usually are more dynamic, louder and present the detail more clearly. Mono albums are far harder to find in genuinely top playing condition. Most were heavily played, particularly the truly great bands and artists, often covered in mark and scratches, many severe and labels that were a mass of spindle marks. The majority were played on vintage and unsubtle decks with heavy tonearms and thick styli (often sapphire, not diamond, that chipped more easily) that rendered heavy wear in a very short time to many a fine classic record. Wear to the delicate groove walls, particularly the innermost tracks to the labels were most vulnerable where the tracking angle became more severe and the backdrag actually stripped the delicate groove walls. This resulted in surface noise and mild/moderate distortion or worse. These old decks tracked by sheer weight and little of any refined engineering. Next time you see such a deck at a local record fayre, feel the weight of the arm, it almost makes you wonder how any records survived at all. The point of this paragraph is emphasise that when a truly clean, lightly played and great sounding 60s mono album (or stereo come to that) is offered, treasure it, because for sure they are truly getting vary rare and precious - beware - demand only play-graded records. As a general guide to rarity, mono was the far more common format from 61–65; Around 66–67 the balance was roughly equal, then from 68-69 the balance swung more to stereo, making monos from these dates far scarcer, even rare - this guide is important and effects values greatly.

Album Played For Grading: Yes.

Final Summary: It’s a rare joy to find the real early albums like this, and being a first pressed copy this is truly exceptional - not quite the perfect cover, but still a very high standard and the actual record is pretty close to perfect. At around 40 years old, could mono records ever last this long and sound so breathtakingly good on modern decks and equipment?, well the proof is here - Yes. I hope the winning bidder enjoys this as much as it deserves, it should please most collectors and even the serious near perfectionist should even consider this fine copy, good luck again – Mike..

Please Note: I will now offer any item to the runner-up after the mandatory Ebay 3 days if no contact is made by the winning bidder. The same applies if no payment is received within the mandatory 7 days so any bidder who has just lost out can still email me to reserve the item as priority second chance. Item wants are always welcome - email me with anything needed, you never know - I may just have a copy in stock. I by quality single items and collections also (Email me please if you have quality items for sale).

Debutant Bidders: Many sellers refuse first time buyers: I do not follow this practice (everybody has to start somewhere), but I would appreciate any first timer letting me know their intentions of their intended payment method and very prompt communication, preferably before any bid or soon after the auctions ends. This gives confidence that their intentions are honourable, and I in return guarantee extra special good feedbacks to get zero rated Ebayers off to a flying start to help them with future transactions. NOTE: I WILL NOT ACCEPT BIDS FROM UNREGISTERED USERS, I will cancel them immediately, and sorry, I cannot give valuations on people’s personal items just for their own curiosity, no item can be accurately valued blindly.

Having the Powerseller Logo: This is recognition from Ebay for the highest possible customer services, satisfaction and quality, it should reassure any potential bidder that all items are described, graded and shipped to the highest standards possible. Customer care of the highest order is a standard feature here and I am proud to have achieved this recognised standard of excellence from Ebay with help from collectors and buyers from all over the World - I thank you all.

Payment Details please read carefully - I know its boring but essential:

UK First Class: = £3.00; Recorded Delivery (Recommended) = £5.50 Special Delivery (Next day, insured up to £250), the best service available = £7.00

Europe Air Mail: = £4 Insured: £8.00

Overseas, non-Europe e.g. USA, Japan, Australia etc. Airmail:= £7; Insured with recorded delivery (where available) = £11.00

Singles: (Packed to the high standards of the LPs)

UK First class: = £2.00 Insured: £4

Europe Air Mail = £3.00 Insured: £5.50

Overseas, non-Europe (as above) Airmail £3.50 Insured: £6.00

Doubles add extra £1, triples add extra £2. Box sets add extra £3 (£4 overseas and Europe)

Any item that sells for over £85 will be sent Special Delivery in the UK at no extra cost. Items over £125 get the same service Overseas. This is gives peace of mind for the winning bidder and myself for valuable items. Reduced postage of course for multiple items.

The winner bidder chooses his/her posting method and if uninsured is chosen, its their decision and they have to stick with it, I can accept no responsibility if an item is lost in the post. I can only try to claim at standard levels if no enhancement is chosen (£28). PLEASE NOTE: I will NOT use surface mail, its too slow, with a higher risk of loss and damage.

Mailing Details: Please note I do NOT profit on postage (my packing standards are high and the package weighs a little more and I often actually lose money on this part of service - I simply refuse to compromise with poor packing. All records are sent in plastic covers with the record taken OUT of the sleeve and sent in professional mailers with FOUR professional stiffners for extra protection (if space allows), I do NOT use old cardboard boxes or cereal packets for protection. More expensive items are also inserted into a de-luxe heavy duty padded bag AS WELL to give that extra protection. I truly want ALL my items to arrive to their destination in the same condition they leave me. I will also include in most cases a brand new lined inner, but will include the original inner if available and in a condition to be worthwhile.

I can accept cash for payments worldwide in UK Pounds Sterling, Euros or US Dollars - but this at the senders OWN risk. Please send registered and insured if this method is chosen. I cannot accept responsibility if any cash payments do not turn up. This system is very reliable and rarely goes astray. The same goes for any shipped uninsured item, I can only try to claim for any undelivered or damaged article at basic insurance levels if no enhanced insurance is requested and paid for (unless the value threshold is high enough for me insure as standard, see above)

Overseas bidders please note conversion rates for Pounds to Dollars and Pounds to Euros will be charged at 1.7 to cover PayPal or cash conversion costs.

PLEASE NOTE: Any PayPal user can now pay me with UK Sterling if they wish with no need to convert to US dollars (although they still can if they wish to). Any instant PayPal transaction from anywhere in the world will mean the item will be sent immediately - it makes deals fast and very efficient.

Potential Bidders: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are timewasters. I now only accept PayPal, International money orders or cash from overseas bidders (UK Sterling, US dollars or Euros). Cash, cheques, postal orders and PayPal are fine from the UK. I allow maximum 3 days for communication and 7 days for payment to arrive - if this does not happen I will relist the item and may send negative feedback unless an explanation is given. Fast deals get great feedback from me. Any questions - please ask. Please keep watch on my Ebays, I have other interesting items coming very soon. Thanks for looking.

My Guarantee: As listening to every single record I offer all the way through is difficult timewise, can I make it clear if any winning bidder is not satisfied with their purchase I will offer a complete refund minus the Posting and All Ebay costs as long as the item detail has been read and understood. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer. I still endeavour to play all the items in their entirity for grading if at all possible and is usually the case.