THE BEATLES - Revolver - SCARCER Orig UK 1966 Stereo LP

	£		87
	$		115

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Artist or Band: THE BEATLES

Album Title: Revolver.

Producer(s): George Martin.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Taxman; Eleanor Rigby; I’m Only Sleeping; Love You To; Here, There and Everywhere; Yellow Submarine; She Said She Said.

Side 2: Good Day Sunshine; And Your Bird Can Sing; For No One; Dr Robert; I Want to Tell You; Got to Get You Into My Life; Tomorrow Never Knows.

Label/Format: Parlophone – Yellow and Black format. This has ‘The Gramophone Co Ltd’ text, and ‘Sold in the UK’. The guides refer to this as a ‘First Pressing’, a far more accurate term would be ‘the first yellow & black label format’.

Label Conditions: Very attractive indeed and showing less than moderate spindle marks, these are fine and faint and have little visibility. Any wear around the hole area is tiny and in terms of Beatles records, these spindle marks are only light as most usually have considerably numbers. Side one has the embossed ‘K T’ tax codes and both are pristine with all ink intact and no wear to the delicate, fine characters. So many got rubbed and eroded and eventually flattened with all ink gone. Not these, these fragile letters look as made. This record has been modestly played by the one and only owner from new initially on a stereo radiogram and then a quality separates system.

Cat Number: PCS 7009.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 140 grams. [These days, many modern Audiophile reissues are pressed on super-heavyweight 180 gram vinyl. Only a small percentage of ‘vintage vinyl’ was ever pressed this heavy. Records pressed in the 1960s averaged around 140 to 150 grams. Records pressed in the 1970s were usually lighter and averaged more around 115 – 125 grams. Some records pressed around 1973 were very thin and light due an oil crisis and shortage around this time. Some records were even issued on recycled vinyl from this period and sounded poor with crackle and surface noise evident from the very first play. If any record I buy is deemed ‘recycled’, I will never offer it, I have a very simple test to detect these records if I suspect this to be the case other than audible imperfection. Some records from this period were even pressed on other materials the most notable was ‘Dynaflex’, used by RCA around this time. Although inferior to vinyl, this at least mostly sounded reasonably acceptable but pressings on this material were wafer thin and flimsy. Beyond the 70s, records often became thinner and lighter still but most played fine but were never quite the quality as from the ‘Golden Era’]. (This was based on ‘average’ weights for 20 records from these eras. Later pressings were usually lighter still).

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: As I always state, most Beatles standard issue albums are not that rare, with some exceptions. All their albums sold in vast numbers, pressing plants could hardly keep up with demand. Finding clean, lightly played copies that still play well are scarcer and far harder to find. So many were played into submission, trashed even, so when a clean and superb playing copy shows up, they are an exception to the rule. The earlier stereo copies are certainly harder to locate than the mono versions. I will never offer Beatles albums unless they meet a high standard for playing enjoyment with clean sound with minimal traces of wear or unwanted sounds. Poorer copies of most titles are easy to find and that is simply being truthful. If any I copy to buy does not please me sufficiently, I simply will not offer it.

Original Year of Release: 1966

Matrix Nos: YEX 605-1 / YEX 606-1

Stamper Codes: 3 HM / 1 MM

Brief Artist & Album Info: For many critics, collectors, connoisseurs and ‘record experts’, the greatest album ever made, its influence, groundbreaking sounds, recording techniques and sheer brilliance of the songs gives Revolver a strong claim to this crown certainly within the ‘popular’ genre. It almost single handedly changed the face of popular music and its importance cannot ever be overstated. This really was the major transition in The Beatles sound which was started on the previous album Rubber Soul. The wider use of varied instruments including horns and strings, backward guitar sounds, experimentation and effects made for an astonishing experience and took their music into greater heights of excellence. It took many by surprise – this really was all too much for some. Every song included is a classic, varied material with some truly beautiful songs, most will know this album anyway. But the final song, ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’ is something quite extraordinary and has to be contender for the greatest Beatles song ever. Although this album has the famous Matrix 606-1, this track is NOT the alternative withdrawn mix, that was only the 606-1 mono version, which can be considered relatively ‘rare’. This early-pressed stereo copy is a fine one and it certainly is harder to locate compared to the mono pressing. The stereo sound is fantastic with a real stereo mix, these were not electronically processed. Another work of pure genius from George Martin. This copy came to me with a white inner and a beautifully attractive flipbacked cover that includes the ‘Patents pending’ text. With minimal wear or ageing, it should delight many Beatles collectors. Remember its age and popularity, with so many covers also found incredibly tatty, worn and grubby, this is quite an exceptional example, stereo too and again less easy. The record has a few superficial surface marks, mostly paper scuffs but these have NO sound and this record plays beautifully from start to finish with barely anything unwanted. I seriously could not believe this myself: the sound is so stunningly clean I would seriously put this record up against any Near Mint grading copy anyone has to offer. The grade VG for looks is probably appropriate but for audio quality this is little short of Mint - quite possibly the best stereo ‘Revolver’ I have yet heard. This came from the same small collection as the Kinks ‘Village Green’ I am currently offering, that too has marks, but again none sound. Few Beatles records survive totally unscathed without a few marks but when they have no affect on audio quality, why worry? This was a delight to hear again and also made a great exercise to compare to the new CD version – I have just invested in both the mono and stereo box sets and will in the forthcoming weeks put them head-to-head. So a lovely early pressed ‘Revolver’, visually not quite for the connoisseur collector, but for sound this will take a huge amount of beating. So potentially one for the more ‘average discerning’ collector who chooses not to want to spend a fortune on the near mint copy. I promise, even a barely played totally unmarked example will not beat the audio quality of this one to any great degree anyway.

Cover’s Potential for Wear: Moderate+.

Cover Grade and Format: EX++ and a real beauty. A very famous cover, it was designed by Klaus Voorman and is as definitive as the remarkable album it encloses. A single format, laminated front with stereo on the top right. This wraps around the closed edges on to three large rear flipbacks. It was printed and made by Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd, and still has ‘Patents pending’ next to this imprint. This record was in a white promotional inner. This is quite a heavy-made really high-quality cover with substantial build and I certain this is one of the earliest made. The owner bought reitterated several times he purchased this fairly soon after issue and this was would be confirmed by the LP’s matrixes. Remember, this title was pressed by thousands of times.

Lamination & Front: A superb front that looks just perfect for its considerable vintage – just think, this was in the shops the year England won the football World Cup in the glorious year of 1966! The laminate looks wonderful and still has a fantastic rich shine and lustre. The only small blemishes are a small few, mainly very small half moons surface creases near the right edge area. With normal viewing, they hardly even show. Any other creases are tiny and faint edge types that barely any cover will ever avoid. The laminate is clean and ultra clear with minimal traces of friction rubs or dulling – the groundbreaking artwork is seen to maximum advantage for full pleasure. All is fully adhered with no lifting, peeling or blistering, always great news for the best possible looks. The whiteness of the cover has darkened to what I consider to be perfect, just a fraction below pure white to just remind the viewer of the age – like a quality wine, this has vintage and looks lovely. The right edge sees the laminate end a few millimetres short of full width and the fine exposed strip has minimal traces of wear and remains clean with no grubbiness. A truly superb front cover and rarely have I seen a more pleasing one especially in stereo.

Cover Back: If the front is fantastic, the back is nearer remarkable and shows little traces of handling or wear at all. Most will know this matt black back cover well enough to know it’s usually seen covered with heavy fingermarks. The revealing and uncompromising surface takes no prisoners and when grubby fingermarks are applied, they are near impossible to remove. Most of these were handed around and heavily ‘used’ and most look tired and shabby – not this one – a stunning back panel with minimal traces of any marks of handling. Crease-free, no rubbing and marks and it will take something remarkable to better this. The flipbacks again have slightly darkened with age but in the most perfect way. All firmly adhered with no damage and hardly any surface creases. The ends have barely any traces or burring and look ultra neat. Also free of grime, this back has to be seen to be fully appreciated.

Top Edge: Unworn.

Bottom Edge: Same again up the corners that have rubbed a little.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, quite sharp with a fairly ‘rustic’ trim in manufacture. Tiny traces of thickening when viewed end-on with tiny burr traces but this is being somewhat critical especially considering the great age and the weight record inside that clearly was removed/inserted several times.

Spine and Text: Little short of perfect and looking beautiful. Solid with a robust build, straight with no compressions. All text is perfect and unworn under the solid and uncracked laminate, the ends gently tapered in manufacture. Still that perfect shade of slightly aged white which I like on these covers, no toning or rust-coloured spots on the entire cover.

Corners: The right pair have tiny tip rubs only, barely anything on the spine. Excellent shape is retained.

Cover Summary: Made in the era of quality, this is a work-of-art with a robust, solid build and with good weight. A really lovely one to look at with that natural very mild ageing which I think adds extra beauty to album covers like this. Sometimes covers can look a little too squeeky clean and clinical, almost too new to be well-over 40-years-old. That’s only my opinion of course and each to their own. For those seeking an early example of this classic sleeve, or even a great upgrade, this may just fit the bill perfectly. A truly lovely example.

The Inner: The record was purchased from the owner within this inner, if it’s the original or not, well not sure. He seemed to think so. Anyway, its in fine EX condition. Unlined with all edges unsplit with minimal creasing and very clean. Again looking perfect for its substantial age.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: VG+ [but plays nearer Mint(-)], with surface marks, mostly paper-type scuffs and thicker hairlines but no penetrating scratches. That’s the difference, these marks have no sound at all and this stereo record has not been subjected to worn stylus or thick heavyweight mono ‘needles’. Purely superficial marks that few records of this great age will ever avoid. Clearly played a number of times but still sounding remarkable and this indeed has blown-away several less marked copies I have heard before. A fine visual copy that is clean, shiny, intense black and very heavily pressed. Most collectors will know what early Beatles albums look like these days. Most all played on unforgiving, budget, crude decks that stripped the delicate groove walls rendering them almost unplayed within a short time. Most stereo copies faired a little better but still were subjected to parties and abuse. If these marks had sounded or there were any significant traces of sound degrading, believe me, I would not offer this record, but it plays beautifully throughout with barely anything unwanted. And this too on one of the world’s most famous turntables that even today holds its head up as one of the best ever decks ever produced. Like my Kinks ‘Village Green’ album on offer, not for the visual perfectionist but a great early pressed stereo copy for the more discerning ‘average’ collector who simply wants the originals at affordable prices. I feel few will be disappointed but if marks on the record are an issue, please do not bid.

Album Played For Grading: Yes. [I play ALL records I offer before submitting to Ebay, also the record is played in its entirety unless clearly stated otherwise. I do NOT play snippetts or joining grooves to check for sound quality and quietness – I play from the beginning to end via clinically revealing B&W speakers that include the legendary tweeter from their awesome Nautilus range that reveals every blemish or miniscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This early-pressed classic plays somewhat above its respectable visual grading with practically nothing to fault. Any grading for a Beatles record should be added too by a minimum of half a unit as so many are in poor visual and playing conditions. The most played, used and abused records ever made, to find even genuine VG copies is a reasonable achievement and this plays high EX to N/M. This has breathtaking real stereo sound which is strong and distortion-free – a factor never to be taken for granted on these. All frequencies are sharp and clear throughout, even the difficult track on this album, ‘I Got to Get You Into My Life’, with its rasping brass that so often breaks up with echo and distortion. Here even this demanding and vulnerable song remains focused and sharp. The other critical track is ‘Eleanor Rigby’ with its intense strings, there are a couple of ultra brief sounds only (a mere fraction of a second, blink and you will miss), the only light unwanted sounds I heard on the entire record which says something about the rest. Even between songs barely any surface sound – incredible – few will boast this. Sound quality is astonishing with a massive dynamic range and very detailed sound, an exceptional recording by any standards and even today this has amazing sound values. The stereo imagery is sublime and the production and sound techniques still astonish. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed and most all plays devoid of any, no pops or clicks were noted and the surface marks are simply ignored. Practically nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this landmark album, this even surpassed my expections proving the toughness of the early pressings. This copy will prove quite difficult indeed to find significantly better for high quality sound, especially with the ‘first pressing’ criteria on the labels. Not for the visual purist, but for sound, it could be the best value-for-money copy you could buy.

End Piece: Any Beatles album I offer will be carefully selected from reliable sources. These days I hardly even bother looking at record fayre Beatles albums, knowing full well the most will be in poor conditions, heavy penetrating scratches, tatty covers and labels a maze of spindle marks and scrapes, obviously played into submission. No-one wants these and who can blame them? I would rather offer just the occasional Beatles gem in fine playing condition than loads of inferior sounding copies. A quality VG is my bare minimum on most all Beatles albums but this is way above that for sound. This scarcer stereo copy may have visual blemishes but remains attractive with great sound. The landmark and powerful audio qualities embedded in these unworn stereo grooves can never be beaten – the sounds the band and Martin wanted us to hear. The cover is gorgeous and these are far from easy. I can strongly recommend this fine all round copy to the right collector, any doubts, please don’t bid. The greatest popular album ever made? – Quite possibly.

Now one of the most established sellers on Ebay and still offering the finest and most accurately described and graded records I can find. 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, a couple more at weekends if time permits, hence the name - time rarely allows for more as I Play-Grade virtually every record I offer in their entirety, not just bits to guess a grade - 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 collector – 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 and scanned labels will give a more accurate representation of the genuine colour than flash photography where light is variable. I cannot guarantee total accuracy for colours however but most will be very close. If any picture I take looks more flattering than the actual item for any reason, I will clearly state the fact in the advert and vice-versa. 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, sticks, warps or writing on covers or labels unless clearly stated to the contrary. Thanks for your interest and Good luck – MIKE.

Deck: Linn LP12 with Ittok Mk IV arm and Ortofon Samba Moving Coil cartridge (tracks at 1.8 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional Moth vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too.

First-time, zero-rated bidders, who do not ask permission to bid, will be cancelled immediately and blocked – NO exceptions. For winning bidders who I consider excessively slow to make contact or submit payment, I will use my right to block future bids. If any bidder who wins in the final seconds is present to do so, surely they can at least email me to inform of intention and payment method? If swift or promp payment is a problem, please do not bid.

POSTING & PACKING: What You Get: To confirm to the strict Ebay rules on shipping, I must now send ALL my packets ‘Signed-For’ with NO exceptions. Both buyers and sellers want their packets to have a safer journey and this is not a bad thing.

I now offer the fastest possible posting, mostly the very next day after payment is received or within three days maximum (unless on holiday). All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT mailers) with the record(s) REMOVED from their main cover to avoid edge splits and placed within a brand new polylined inner. The record’s original inner will be included if available. The boxes are then reinforced with TWO VERY THICK stiffners for even extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will even be Double Boxed. The cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW heavy duty soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my Moth Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. Printed address labels are used for clarity as well as a sender label. You will NOT get tired, dull looking, dust infested records inside worn and foggy covers with tatty inners from this seller and that’s a promise and guarantee. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if at all possible but ‘Signed-For’ posting is NOT an option anymore. I do not profit on posting and offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 5,000+ items sold in over 8 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FOUR records per packet. I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included in the advert.

NOTE: First Time Bidders: I will cancel ALL first-time bidders with no feedbacks or excessive negatives who do not ask me if its OK to bid first – NO EXCEPTIONS.

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 unless prior notice of any delay is given beforehand. 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 – it’s always worth asking.

SHIPPING COSTS & CONDITIONS – THESE comply with EBAY’S RULES - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY:

Posting & Packing: UK & CHANNEL ISLANDS all now sent via Recorded Delivery:

1 LP (First Class Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500).

Posting & Packing: ALL EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA including RUSSIA and nearby countries. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £8. (insurance optional extra £3).

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (any part); Australia; Canada; Japan and other Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £12. (insurance optional extra £3)

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders or direct payment into my bank account.

Potential Bidders: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are timewasters. A maximum 3 days for communication and 7 days for payment to arrive - if not I will relist the item or offer to the runner-up. Fast deals get great feedback from me. Any questions - please ask and thanks for looking.

My Guarantee: 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. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help.

SOME GENERAL GUIDES TO WEAR AND CONDITIONS TO HELP YOU DECIDE

My Use of Description Terminology: Surface Marks = Superficial, usually light marks, hairlines or light scuffs that rarely sound. Scratch = a needle mark that goes below the record’s surface, some will sound, some will not, my play-grade will inform. Original = a record that has been pressed with the first label design which does NOT neccessarily mean a very first pressed record. First Pressing = A record that I believe or know to be a genuine very first pressed record. I do not claim to always know for sure, and that’s why I state the stamper and matrix numbers if at all possible, for those who claim to know what they all mean, the information is there for the collector to decide. I prefer to use terms like ‘Early Copy’ rather than ‘First Pressing’ if I am not totally sure. Surface Sound = Mild, light sound, usually light crackle or similar. Distortion = Break up of the actual sound caused by groove wear or damage from a chipped stylus – the most undesirable form of unwanted sound, vintage mono records were the most prone to this happening but not exclusively so. The symptoms of distortion are high frequency clipping, moderate constant crackle or an echo type sound quality. Violin, piano and vocals are most prone to groove-wear distortion. Feathering = Fraying or softening of the entry edge of a cover. Covers with feathered entrance edges are more likely to have had the actual record inserted and removed more than a non-feathered, sharp-edged cover which are always far more attractive. Set Off, actually a printer’s term for dark ink leaving mild residue on pale or white ink when rested upon. e.g. when a gatefold cover has black ink closed against white, this can leave some black residue on the pale area – this is mostly unavoidable or course.

The Argument for Vinyl Original sound and mix (mono mixes are rarely available on CD), high quality sound on clean copies (played on a hi-end dedicated analogue system – breathtaking sound!), beautiful, large format covers, artwork, inserts and even full size posters etc; huge investment potential, and the pleasure of owning ‘the real thing’.