THE BEATLES - SGT PEPPERS WIDESPINE 1ST PRESS 1967 STEREO PCS 7027 LP VG+/VG

	£		83
	$		110

JUNE 1967
SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND
THE BEATLES
1st UK Stereo Press
Catalogue Number PCS 7027
Yellow and Black Parlophone Labels
Master Matrices YEX 637-1/ YEX 638-1
THE FIRST PRESSING WITH RARE WIDE SPINE SLEEVE

The Sleeve: Very Good Plus condition. 1st & original wide spine gatefold sleeve with top fold over flaps.
Fully laminated with moderate storage top and bottom corners of the spine. All text clear and glossy and the pictorials have retained their original bright colours. There are only a few small light superficial creases to the outer sleeve. There are no marks or handwriting or writing imprints. The spine is 9mm wide and is the first and original. It has received some pressure down the decades and is slightly slanted.  It is widely accepted that these first wide spine sleeves were made in order to fit a collection of 'goodies' that The Beatles had originally intended to be inserted into the sleeves. Due to storage issues at EMI the collection of inserts was developed into a single cut-out's card and narrower sleeves were quickly manufactured instead. The wide spine variant is therefore the first and original and far more rare than subsequent original sleeves. The spine also shows a portion of the front pictorial along its edge, unlike the thinner sleeves which don't. The iconic photo inside of the Fab Four is superb with no creasing or marks, fully laminated, and the inside is as good as they come 50 years on. The inner partition is intact. Catalogue number and 'Stereo' stated on top corner reverse.
This is a neat and clean sleeve which holds record and inserts well.
Inner Sleeve: This is a psychedelic inner sleeve which has approximately the same portions of red and white that the Sgt Pepper's Fool inner had. It has somehow made its way in, or could well be an experimental prototype for Sgt. Pepper! It is in Excellent condition with no splits or imperfections. It is similar to the inner sleeve for The Rolling Stones 'Their Satanic Majesties Request' which was released in the same year.
Cut-Out's Card: Very Good Plus condition. Firm and flat original dark green on thick card. Only suffers from some very light edge wear on the left hand side, hard to notice. No discoloration, handwriting or writing imprints, no record ring wear, and complete and intact.
The Vinyl: In a Very Good Plus condition on Side 1 and a Very Good Minus condition on Side 2. The vinyl surfaces still have a glossy finish and show no signs of groove wear. Side 1 when turned to a direct light source shows several light and fine superficial stylus hairline marks in some areas, purely on the surface and there is nothing feelable and nothing pronounced or worrisome.
Side 2 when turned angled under bright light has evidently been played a lot more than side 1, with more very light and very fine superficial stylus hairlines than on side 1 over most of the disc. In some areas a few line marks are more obvious than others and can be seen in normal light, but again there is nothing remotely feelable.
The vinyl surfaces are clean and smooth to the touch. There are no scuffs, marks, warps or dinks in the vinyl.    The photographs were taken under direct bright light to show condition.
The record lays completely flat on the turntable.
The vinyl is heavier than most and weighs 172 grams.  The vinyl's that came with the wide spines tended to be quite heavy presses.

Labels are Excellent.  All text clear and bright, the perimeter area around the spindle location point is neat and small feint spindle line traces can be seen in normal light but are not particularly heavy or numerous. 
Mother / Stamps - Side 1: 1 O                           - Side 2: 2 H
(Very early stamps - one out of the first several hundred off the press.)
KT tax code code from the mid-sixties is embossed on Side 1. SOLD IN U.K. text across label and The Gramophone Co. Ltd text around rim.
Made in Gt. Britain txt at foot.
The Audio: The audio quality is Very Good overall. The LP plays from beginning to end on both sides smoothly with no major audio detractions. There are no skips, jumps, sticks or pops. Alot of the audio on this LP on Side 2 has ticks that can be heard over some of the music and light background noise inbetween track changes which is a consequence of it being played many times. Side 1 plays without any noticeable audio detractions. These heavy sixties pressings were made robust, and whilst this not a perfect audio it is still a good listen and should be considered for its authenticity as an original Sgt Pepper artifact. The vocals are particularly crisp and clear and remain unaffected from any background noises.  The album plays with a nice full bass stereo definition.
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This LP will be securely delivered in a professional cardboard LP mailer with cardboard stiffereners.
A plain generic inner sleeve will house the record and the original will be placed separately to prevent tears during delivery.
A protective PVC 180 gsm Gatefold sleeve is included to house the LP as shown.
The LP will be delivered recorded in the U.K.
Overseas postage will be tracked and a tracking number given.
To grade this record I am using the official grading system for collectible records from the Record Collector Magazine.
Happy to refund on return if not satisfied.