THE BEATLES: WHITE ALBUM, EARLY PRE-EMI NUMBERED MONO
£
206
$
273
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Description
Here is a lovely complete copy of the very first pressing of The Beatles by The Beatles on the earliest and rarest pre-EMI labels. All four labels on this fine mono White Album omit the EMI credit to be found on most other copies.
The beautiful fully laminated top-opening flipback numbered gatefold sleeve is a delight, its fine unfeathered top edges (see pictures) and minimal creasing showing it has enjoyed very little handing over the years. There is a degree of yellowing or foxing here and there that is not uncommon on this sleeve and indeed nothing more than the patina of authenticity to this classic 40-plus year old album. This fine White Album sleeve comfortably warrants a grade of VG+ (UK Record Collector gradings).
Both discs look lovely and play brilliantly with that loud, vibrant, dynamic sound that is unique to the early mono pressings. All four matrices end in 1, as you would expect from these pre-EMI pressings, while side four has a KT tax code. All four labels are unblemished and show little spindle activity and certainly no spindle wear. When examined under harsh halogen lighting all four sides look lovely, with only a few minor marks showing. I heard no untoward pops or clicks during my test play, and there were no skips or blocks. These discs have clearly been well looked after and easily warrant grades of VG.
Both of the correct one-side die-cut custom matt black inners are unsplit and all four photos of the individual Beatles are present, undamaged and of the correct grade card for original pressings. The original double-sided poster is present but was once displayed on a wall and now shows tape residue in three places (two at the top and one at the bottom) plus plentiful handling creases, and is therefore the least impressive element of this whole package, though is nonetheless a perfectly good reference copy in terms of the pictures and lyrics.
Good luck then if you are bidding ... immediate payment required at end of auction please.
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