The Beatles
Please Please Me

Artist: The Beatles
Title: Please Please Me
Release Year: 1963
Pressing Year: 1969 (reissue)
Label: Parlophone Records
Catalog Number: PCS 3042
Format: 33 RPM • 12” Album • Stereo
UPC: none

Once the single Please Please Me rocketed to number one, the Beatles rushed to deliver a debut album, bashing out this recording in one day. Decades after its release, the album still sounds fresh, precisely because of its intense origins. As the songs rush past, it's easy to get wrapped up in the sound of the record itself without realizing how the album effectively summarizes the band's eclectic influences. What makes it astonishing is how these elements converge in the originals. 

There is an innocence to this album. The Beatles may have played notoriously rough dives in Hamburg, but the only way you could tell that on their first album was how the constant gigging turned the group into a tight, professional band that could run through their set list at the drop of a hat with boundless energy. It's no surprise that John Lennon had shouted himself hoarse by the end of the session, barely getting through Twist And Shout, the most famous single take in rock history. He simply got caught up in the music, just like generations of listeners did.

Personnel: John Lennon (vocals, guitars); Paul McCartney (vocals, bass, guitars); George Harrison (vocals, guitars); Ringo Starr (vocals, drums, percussion).

VINYL GRADE: VG+
Notes: Minimal surface noise. A good cleaning is all this one needs.

LABEL GRADE: VG+
Notes: No spindle marks, ring wear, tape, or writing. Standard Parlophone silver-edged rectangle with white pound circle on black. Text is silver on black. There’s a scribble in black marker on Side Two that I didn’t even see until I looked through a magnifying glass. It obscures some of the text. 

SLEEVE GRADE: Mint
Notes: Brand-new plain white paper sleeve with rounded edges and a circle cut in the center of both sides to display the label.

JACKET GRADE: VG+
Notes: Glossy card stock. No visible ring wear, no splits. No marks, no tape, no writing, some crinkles. Edges, corners, spine (readable) are very slightly worn. (See my original scan.)  There’s a slight stain on the back cover along the left edge. 

Shipping is $4.00. NOTE: I will NOT be responsible for items lost or damaged in the mail.

Combined shipping: I will be happy to combine multiple items. If you buy more than one item from me, the shipping cost will be the highest original shipping fee plus $1 per additional item.

Payments managed by eBay.

This is not a cut-out or a record-club issue. It is the original reissue.

Note: I haven't cleaned this 52-year-old vinyl record because everybody seems to prefer their own methods. I'll leave the cleaning up to the buyer. Also, I'm not a professional vinyl seller or buyer. This comes from my own collection. I got it for Christmas so I don’t know where it was purchased.

Enjoy the auction — and good luck!