THE BEATLES WHITE ALBUM 2nd STEREO PRESS No 391291 'TOP LOADER' *STUNNING* Audio
£
134
$
178
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Description
The White Album 1/1/1/2
This numbered stereo pressing has stunning audio overall and the fully laminated 'top loading' gatefold has minor shelf wear only. It includes the four John Kelly Portraits and one spacer plus collage/lyric poster and black inner sleeves.
This one is numbered 0391291 so considering the stereo pressings started around the 300,000 figure I would say this is the one of the earlier ones. Yes it is a second pressing but it was still produced in the same month (Nov '68) as the first pressings.
Second stereo pressing on Apple Records. 'An EMI Recording' text on the labels and 'Sold in U.K. subject to resale price conditions'. No tax code on the labels.
Apple Records PCS 7067/8
YEX 709-1 / YEX 710-1 / YEX 711-1 / YEX 712-2 // MR 1 / GOL 6 / GAL 3 / GRR 1
The audio on S1 is Ex+ (Near Mint in many sections)
S2 is Ex+ (Near Mint in many sections - 'Julia' is Ex)
S3 is Mint- ('Long, Long, Long' is Ex+)
S4 is Mint- ('Good Night' is Ex)
The gatefold spine is VG+ and the remainder is Ex
One black inner sleeve is Ex+ the other is VG+
The labels are Near Mint
The four portraits are Mint (the one spacer is Ex-)
The poster is Ex-
Visual grading
Both vinyls are visually stunning and I have never seen cleaner versions on such an early pressing. They have an immaculate glossy sheen and no obvious markings and only a handful of very faint hairlines. There are no scratches at all. They have not been played very much as both labels have only a small amount of spindle wear. The run out grooves are also very clean. Superb!
Play grading
'Back In The U.S.S.R.' begins S1 with near perfect audio and barely any lead in static. 'Dear Prudence' follows with wonderful clarity and only a minor amount of background static. S1 continues in the same style with no intrusive interference and much of the audio is Near Mint if not better in my opinion. 'Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da' plays with stunning quality and is definitely Mint a grading I rarely use but this track deserves it. The classic 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' plays extremely well with just a minor amount of static/distortion on the top end. The long fade out has no 'background' whatsoever. 'Happiness is a Warm Gun' ends the side with wonderful sound, just a little distortion again but I always find this to be case on this track. There are no clicks or pops anywhere on this side.
'Martha My Dear' plays with great clarity again and with only a little background static, an excellent version. This high end audio is prevalent through S2 and the quieter tracks such as 'Blackbird' plays so cleanly you forget you are listening to a record that is nearly 50 years old! To be honest for a vinyl of this age to play with a minimal amount of intermittent static only is a rarity and much of the side almost grades as Near Mint I believe. The little classic 'Piggies' has perfect audio with no 'background' and the same can be said for 'Rocky Raccoon'. For such a quiet track 'I Will' plays beautifully with no interference and 'Julia' ends the side with exceptional audio for the vast majority but there is some static and a small number of clicks.'Birthday' on S3 is just stunning and plays as Mint the quality is astounding. No 'background' or distortion and the bass is so strong in the mix. The best version I have ever heard. 'Yer Blues' equals that standard as does 'Mother Nature's Son' which plays with incredible clarity when you consider how quiet this track is. Again it deserves a Mint grading and I just cannot believe the stunning sound on this side thus far! It honestly plays as new the depth and warmth is just of the highest calibre possible. In fact there is no need to grade each track as I have listened to every second and except for the final track they all play with the same immaculate 'high end' audio. This vinyl is nearly 50 years old!! Even 'Helter Skelter' sounds incredible with no background noise and barely any distortion which is so common on this 'loud' track. 'Long, Long, Long' ends the side with a minor amount of 'background', nothing intrusive and it still plays exceptionally well for a track with so many quiet sections. There is one pop but that is the only interference of any note on the whole side! There is also more or less total silence between tracks. Absolutely stunning.
The playback on 'Revolution 1' is again sublime and is 'as new' it is that good. The quiet intro on 'Honey Pie' plays so well with just a hint of background static and the remainder is also very impressive with just a minor amount of static that won't be audible to most ears! 'Savoy Truffle' and 'Cry Baby Cry' are immaculate and I cannot put into words the exceptional clarity on offer here. Suffice to say they play as Mint the depth and range is superb. I do not 'over grade' as my feedback confirms, I simply write what I hear and my deck is a good one. The audio on 'Revolution 9' is so clear with barely any static and no distortion and yes I played it all the way through! 'Good Night' has a minimal amount of static only and one faint click at the end. This track is also often plagued by distortion but here it is very clear and ends this classic album with suitably impressive audio.
In summary I have never heard such an early stereo pressing play with such 'high end' audio. There is so little interference and it is only the final track on each side that has obvious 'background' but even then they still have excellent audio! It is so rare to find this iconic LP in such beautiful condition and you would be hard pressed to find a better early stereo pressing with such a low number.
Gatefold cover
Overall this iconic G & L laminated cover has been preserved very well and of the shelf wear it has most of it is contained within the spine. There is some fading on it and some wear along most of it but the majority of the splitting is towards the top and there is some wear on the top corner but it does remain fully legible. The bottom right corner of the cover also has a little creasing. Aside from that the top loading gatefold is in excellent condition and the laminate itself is in superb shape with no other splitting or lifting. The edges are in great shape with only a very minor amount of rubbing and the cover throughout is very clean with only a couple of tiny marks and slight ringwear on the front and back. The inside of the gatefold is in beautiful condition with no marking and the inner spine remains in superb shape which is rare. The flipbacks are also very clean. The top two opening edges have only a small amount of handling wear.
Inner sleeves
One of the original black inner sleeves is in excellent condition with no splits and only a little creasing. The other has a couple of small splits and some more creasing.
The labels
The Apple labels are in superb shape with no marking/writing and only a small amount of spindle wear. No tax code.
The Portraits + Spacer and Poster
The four photos are 'like new' and the one spacer included has a little creasing only. The lyric/collage poster is in excellent shape overall but with some light creasing and a couple of very small splits on the corners.
Play tested on my Pro-Ject Essential III Turntable / B&W 684 SpeakersYEX 709-1 / YEX 710-1 / YEX 711-1 / YEX 712-2 // MR 1 / GOL 6 / GAL 3 / GRR 1
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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