THE BEATLES Yellow Submarine Orig 69 UK Mono

	£		311
	$		412

Artist or Band: THE BEATLES

Album Title: Yellow Submarine.

Producer(s): George Martin.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Yellow Submarine; Only a Northern Song; All Together Now; Hey Bulldog; It’s All Too Much; All You Need is Love.

Side 2: Pepperland; Sea of Time; Sea of Holes; Sea of Monsters; March of The Meanies; Pepperland Laid Waste; Yellow Submarine in Pepperland.

Label/Format: Apple – the ultimate first pressed dark Apple labels the ‘Sold in the UK’ text and the most prized PMC 7070 mono Cat. No. (Please see my label scans).

Label Conditions: Both immaculate: very clean and attractive with only a mere couple of light and faint spindle marks on side two and barely a trace on side one, there is wear around the hole area. This stunning Beatles gem has clearly barely been played reitterated by stunning sound quality.

Cat Number: PMC 7070.

Mode / Speed: Mono / 33.3 rpm.

Warps: Assume all records I offer have no warping of any significance and all tracking is easy and effortless and should play on all turntables and even ‘budget’ decks.

Weight of this Record: 145 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: The absolute ultimate 1st pressed Yellow Submarine and in the elusive mono format including a superb cover with the two red bands and a record that has ignored the test of time and the perils of mono record players. It was the last original Beatles album to be issued in mono. With just a tiny few minor surface trace blemishes on side one that has NO sound at all and side looking possibly even unplayed, this is another incredible record from that collection of treasures that have probably not seen light of day for decades. A truly wonderful example that plays to near perfection including that delicate orchestral side. Even the fragile black inner is in very fine shape, the owner placed an anti-static super-soft inner inside so the side have remained unsplit. Few mono copies of this album will survive so unscathed or so unspoil or ruined. Most who purchased mono records played them on mono records players and often with blunt or chipped worn out needles that destroyed those delicate groove walls resulting in horrrendous noise and distortions. The fragile high frequencies clipped with unlistenable results – all too common I’m afraid but this one has none of it – the great survivor. Rarely will I ever state any Beatles as being ‘rare’ as most sold in vast numbers, but this one certainly is and few will ever match of better this fantastic example. At or very close to connoisseur standard, at 40-years-old I will make no excuses to the tiniest of blemishes but quite frankly there are so few and most are barely even worthy of mention. A truly wonderful example that goes beyond rare like this.

Original Year of Release: 1969

Matrix Nos: XEX 715-1 / XEX 716-1

Stamper Codes: 1 0 / 1 GD

Musicians: John Lennon – acoustic guitar, backing vocals; Paul McCartney – bass guitar, backing vocals; George Harrison – percussion, backing vocals; Ringo Starr – lead vocals, drums, harmonica.

Brief Info: The movie was animated and very psychedelic – the album features wonderful Beatles songs on side one – side two is the original film score which was composed and orchestrated by George Martin. The six Beatles songs are superb, all will know the title song of course. Side two is often underrated by fans but I love this side too. I have heard several copies of this one where the pressing quality is somewhat variable especially on the orchestrated side, often as later pressings but this incredible original mono copy does full justice to this famous work. One of the most prized and elusive albums in mono within the Beatles catalogue, few ever show up and ever fewer in top playing and visual conditions. The cover has the correct and rare mono PMC 7070 number (please see this in close-up), beware of substitutions, and has those two red bands on the back. The overall condition is little short of mint(-) and looks amazing. It includes the black inner as mentioned above and the record bucks the trend and blows away the years - any marks are few, small and light and totally of no consequence regarding sound quality. Thick and heavy pressed mild surface blemishes are ignored by modern-day fine stylii. Truth be told, this mono record was never intended for use on stereo equipment but when so beautifully preserved, it sounds incredible and is still the connoisseur’s choice. By this time the mono format was largely on its way out and some titles were not even stocked as standard. This is one for the sound purist and serious Beatles collector, I can hardly imagine ever finding a better copy to offer, this really is an exceptional piece of this legendary work.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: High, the back is unprotected and the flipbacks huge, rarely will they remain undamaged.

Cover Grade and Format: I am not going to undergrade this beautiful cover, it’s well worthy of a Mint(-) grading especially when you see the state most are in (and usually later stereo examples too). This is a fantastic looking example. A single format with front laminate that wraps around the flipbacks on the top, bottom and spine edges - yes the original mono cover has three. Printed and made in England with no printer’s credits, it has the famous red lines on the back that were later omitted as was the spine flipback.

Lamination & Front: BEAUTIFUL, this really has to be seen to be fully appreciated. The laminate gleams like a mirror and is crystal clear so the wonderful colourful psych artwork can be enjoyed to maximum pleasure. All is fully adhered with only a tiny blister on the bottom left corner, crazy critical really, look hard to even see it. Hardly a noteworthy mark or blemish and even the exposed strip on the right edge where the laminate ends a fraction short of full width is unworn and clean. Yes NO grime-line formation on any laminate end, front or back. Super smooth, it feels almost like glass and any tiny surface traces are only visible under angled light, but again look very hard. The overall lack of creasing is remarkable too: one half moon just to the right of the ‘s’ in ‘Beatles’, but it shows little. Any others are tiny edge hairlines that no example will ever not have but here, hardly any. There is barely any traces of friction rubs or dulling and the freshness of the laminate and artwork has to be seen. What an absolute joy to look at, this I feel sure will thrill all Beatles connoisseurs needing an original mono copy of this record.

Cover Back: The back is also in wonderfully attractive condition. The only blemish is a small tone spot in the central text column towards the bottom. Overall still quite white if not totally ‘snowy’ white, how many ever will be these days? The lack of wear is again remarkable with no rubbing or creasing to the unprotected back panel. The lack of ringwear with such a heavy record inside for 40 years is amazing and any grubbiness barely registers. A faint trace of speckle is a trait of the card used and I have seen this on several other similar style covers, its minuscule anyway, this back looks great. Specal mention of the three huge flipbacks: all are neat and undamaged with the ends clean with any burr traces tiny and barely any to speak of. The odd tiny tone spot trace if being critical but look hard again. The laminate is fully adhered on all three with only a few light surface creases but no lifting of damage at all. The important factors are the PMC 7070 mono number, the two red lines and no printer’s credits and three flipbacks. Later copies omitted the spine flipback, the red lines were removed and the cover had the printer’s imprint. This is the ultimate mono original for any winning bidder to cherish.

Top Edge: Unworn.

Bottom Edge: Unworn up to the very right tip.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, very sharp with no wear or feathering. Record enters on this edge.

Spine and Text: The spine is perfect as made and looks stunning. Solid, straight, uncompressed and square, all text is perfect and unworn under the solid and uncracked laminate. The ends are very gently tapered in manufacture, even this gleams under light.

Corners: All four are little short of perfect with no wear and superb shape retained. Just a tiny rub-chip on the bottom right.

Cover Summary: What an amazing example of this classic late mono 60’s cover, one that will prove very difficult to nigh-on impossible to find much better. This beautiful item should please most, if not all collectors.

The Inner: EX+ with just some mild creasing. This was not lined, but the owner put an anti-static soft inner inside for maximise protection. It has worked with no edge splits or tears and even the top recessed entrance is neat and undamaged. This is made with very soft, matt paper, the same type found in the ‘White Album’ and some other Apple albums, they are rarely found undamaged or torn and this like the rest of the set has survived amazingly well.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Side One probably undergraded at EX+ and Side Two Mint(-), possibly unplayed. A superb visual copy that is super clean, shiny, intense black and heavily pressed with any other visual blemishes being ultra tiny and faint with no effect on sound. Merely a very few light surface marks, little thicker than hairlines on side one. We all know what the majority of mono records look and sound like these days and I am going to stresss the point any more only to say, this is a true survivor, the copy time has forgotten, it looks exceptional. A copy hardly even played on all the evidence and almost certainly the cleanest, least played copy of this album I have ever had and the ultimate first pressed mono too. Visually a super record that should please most, if not all realistic collectors, even the perfectionists can consider this one, unless a virtually unplayed example can be found, this will take some beating.

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 rare mono record plays up to its high visual grading with practically nothing to fault. This early cut copy has strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is astonishing with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. Side two is highly critical for top sound, some very quiet passages and most susceptible to groovewear damage. So many of these crackle badly and any overplaying on vintage equipment never helps. Orchestral music is very prone to all forms of groove damage which renders noise and distortion which this copy has totally avoided. Just think of those super-heavyweight old thick needles dragging themselves across this beauty fragile recording - yes it was made for such equipment but Dansettes and similar old machines reeked havoc to the sound quality and a swarf bucket would have been useful to have alongside. The details and dynamics of the mono format will amaze anyone who has yet to experience it - still the choice of so many Beatles fans. This was the last Fab Four album issued in the single channel format. Any surface sounds on this copy are minimal indeed and silence on the ultra quiet orchestral side is nearly impossible to achieve but this is as good as it can ever get I feel. Few copies will match or outperform this earliest pressing significantly I feel certain, and that’s in mono or stereo, both are delicate. The ‘Beatles’ side plays with stunning clean sound and will prove almost unbeatable. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very lightly and has been clearly well stored and carefully handled, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. This copy ws a privilege to listen too, most have to settle for later pressed stereo copies, this is a genuine rare Beatles album - most are not. Look at my pictures, they do not lie. This copy will prove incredibly difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended to most-all collectors.

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: I now offer the fastest possible posting, mostly the very next day after payment is received or within 48 hours maximum. 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 thick stiffners for even extra protection. 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 and well as 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 NOT surface mail abroad. I never make 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, with the total costs including ‘standard’ or ‘optional extra insurance’ P&P – ALL UK and Russian packets go out non-negotiable Recorded Delivery. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 4,000+ items sold in over 7 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional.

PLEASE NOTE: I will now only send packets to Russia with Recorded Delivery at a cost of £7 per single LP. If this is unacceptable to Russian collectors, please do not bid. I only want my records to arrive safely and this gives packets a better chance to do so. Also ALL UK packets will be sent with either Recorded or Special Delivery as standard (both have to be signed for). All shipping costs and rules can be found after my description. If they are not acceptable, please do not bid.

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 & OPTIONS:

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

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

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: ALL EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA (NOT RUSSIA, see below) (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £5.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £9 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: RUSSIA (Recorded Only, if this is unacceptable, please do not bid):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ only £7) = £9 (OPTIONAL extra insurance as above).

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 Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £8.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £13 (OPTIONAL).

* If Rules allow for that country.

PLEASE NOTE: I always get a Royal Mail ‘Proof-of-Posting’ receipt for ALL packets that are sent out and I am happy to prove this to any customer who wishes to see it via email.

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders.

The customer can choose their method of shipping with the exception of second class or surface mail overseas – these I will NOT use. The winner bidder chooses his/her posting method and if uninsured is chosen, its their decision and they have to stick with it, I can accept no responsibility if an item is lost in the post. I can only try to claim at standard levels if no enhancement is chosen (£35).

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’.