The Who : My Generation 1B/1B 1st Press Brunswick Label UK 1965

This highly collectable and rare first pressing plays with phenomenal power and clarity and not one single click or pop and no static or crackle either!  It is a FINAL UPGRADE ARCHIVE Brunswick press in my opinion and would impress any collector.  Not only that but the iconic Brunswick cover is also in excellent condition with very little of the marking that you see on the back.

This first pressing also has the rare single 'B' stamper on each side.  Using the BUCKINGHAM system used by Brunswick/Decca this denotes it this record as one of the very first off the production press.  The 'holy grail' of stampers if you will!

Brunswick LAT 8616 // MG-10256-1B / MG-10257-1B // B1 / B1

The audio on S1 is Mint- (track 5 Near Mint / track 6 Near Mint-)

The audio on S2 is Mint- (tracks 1 & 6 Near Mint) 

The cover is Ex-

The labels are Ex+

The original inner sleeve is VG++

Visual grading

This is easily the 'cleanest' first pressing I have seen.  It still has a lovely glossy sheen and both sides are very clean.  S1 has a small area of 'bag rash' and a small number of minor 'specks' but there are no obvious marks and certainly no scratches.  Under a bright light I can only see a handful of very faint sleeve removal hairlines.  S2 has one obvious scuff line but it has no affect on the stunning audio whatsoever.  There are also a couple of minor marks and a small number of tiny 'specks' again but there are no obvious hairlines and no scratches either.  So it isn't quite visually perfect but as detailed below the audio pretty much is!  Nonetheless it is a very impressive looking vinyl when you consider how many of these are today!  The run out grooves (with KT tax stamp on both) are extremely clean as are the grooved Brunswick labels.  There is some spindle wear but in a way that just shows how well the record has been taken care of - played but always handled very carefully.  A fine example of this highly collectable piece of rock history!

Play grading  

The lead in grooves on the record are so clean, you just know this is going to play well and it does not disappoint!  That classic guitar opening on 'Out In The Street' has no obvious static and it then plays with wonderful depth and power and...no interference whatsoever!  I have no hesitation in grading it as Mint- the clarity is that impressive.  I didn't hear even a single dust tick let alone anything more!

'I Don't Mind' is of the same immaculate standard with not one iota of interference.  For a relatively quiet track to play this clearly is a rarity and especially when you consider this record is now 54 years old!  The fade out plays to perfection also.

'The Good's Gone' plays with remarkable precision from the first note.  This again is rare as this guitar intro will often 'clang' with distortion but not here!  It is clean and sharp and continues in the same way with superb definition.  So far I am just blown away by the sound quality.  You would maybe expect some distortion on this high octane track and especially as I am playing it through a stereo set up but no the playback is so strong and is as clean and precise as when first released back in '65 - perhaps better as my audio equipment is probably an improvement!  Once more the fade out is perfect providing a fine example of the clarity on offer here.  What a stunning version!

'La-La-La-Lies' you guessed it is equal to the quality gone before.  No distortion on the top end and each note can be heard so clearly.  You can turn this up loud without any loss in sound quality and is yet another Mint- track.

With complete silence in the dead wax the intro on the classic 'Much Too Much' is spectacular!  Stunning clarity on the harmonies here and it continues in the same style.  Again there are no clicks or pops and the audio just blasts out from the speakers with wonderful depth and power.  There is a little inner groove distortion but you expect that and perhaps should not be down-graded because of it.  It still plays with wonderful depth and clarity from start to finish.

The iconic 'My Generation' ends this incredible side with very strong audio and no interference.  It demands to be played loud!  Again a little distortion but nothing intrusive, it's just a little more obvious on the closing section where Moon and company are 'raising the roof'.  Of course this could be 'removed' when played as a mono record maybe.  An interesting observation - the final note has no interference on it at all showing just how 'clean' this amazing record is.

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'The Kids Are Alright' on S2 plays with such depth and clarity from the very first note and there is no let up in sound quality as it progresses.  I have no wish in repeating myself but the audio is again so powerful here.  I did hear one faint tick about 30 seconds is very much 'lost' in the music and hardly qualifies as interference.  In spite of that I grade this as Near Mint although it remains a sensational version and maybe I am being too critical!  The percussive/guitar section near the end is awesome!

'Please Please Please' plays with amazing clarity from the get go and impresses with no clicks or pops, static or crackle, just like the rest of the album!  This soulful number is as 'clean' as when first played in '65 and yes I can't believe what I am hearing....again!  Mint- unquestionably and, as I should've said before, the minus is only there so as to adhere to RC guidelines!  This track has another pristine fade out.

'It's Not True' could not play any better and once more there is no distortion on the top end.  The harmonies are so clean and strong and everything about this classic just exudes Mint- quality audio.  This is stunning with a capital S!  I have just played it again and yes this is by far the most impressive version I have ever heard!  Wow!!

The intro on 'I'm A Man' is faultless and continues in the same manner.  There are a number of quieter sections and you would expect a little 'background' at the very least but NO!  The clarity is out of this world and I have never EVER heard a more perfect version than this!  The audio is so clean and 'fresh' and there is just no 'background' of any kind.  As the volume increases there is no deterioration in sound and the piano sections, all of the sections, are 'as new'.  I know Mint when I hear it and this is it!  Again the audio is so deep and plays with such resonance.  What a mind-blowing Mint- version!

'A Lega Matter' plays with immense quality and with only a minimal (very minimal!) hint of inner groove distortion.  This should perhaps be accepted as a given and not down-graded as this is how records play and especially mono records.  The clarity is still so impressive and there is no interference to be heard plus it has another simply sublime fade out.

'The Ox' plays with very powerful audio - there is no 'muddiness' to the sound on the high octane start and it progresses in the same way.  Each note can be heard so clearly and this truly is a wonderful finish to the album.  Moon's drum are very much to the fore and there is no intrusion on the audio at all and no obvious distortion which is real rarity.  100% stunning!  I must just mention the fade out again - often final track fade outs will have some 'background' but that is certainly not the case here.  Just pure Mint audio as it should be and will be heard by the lucky winning bidder! 

In summary this highly sought after first press is a FINAL UPGRADE ARCHIVE version of that I have no doubt and as stated it has the earliest B1 stamper code.  The clarity and definition of the audio is second to none and how many of these 1B/1B first pressings do you find with no clicks, no pops and no static or crackle either.  It has withstood the passage of time remarkably well and that pays testament to how well it has been preserved over the decades.  It is quite simply a fantastic version the likes of which only come around once in a blue moon!  Another example of the amazing clarity on offer is that there is complete silence in the dead wax between nearly all of the tracks!  I never knowingly over-grade, it is not in my interests to do so, and I am confident I have correctly graded this one.  I am sure any die-hard collector would be hugely impressed with the audio on this classic 60s record - a huge part of rock culture if you will - and the iconic cover is also extremely impressive.

The Cover

As we all know this 'Clarifoil' cover is generally found in poor condition today but this is not one of them!  It has a little wear but there is nothing that stands out and it remains in excellent condition overall.  The edges are beautifully clean with no shelf wear and the thin spine is also in great shape with only a couple of minor crease lines and it remains perfectly legible.  The four corners do have some rubbing but it is only very minor, just a little more bottom right, and the opening edge has only minimal handling wear.  As can be seen the front cover is very clean with no obvious marking and there are no scratches.  There is a small number of very creases next to the spine and the bottom edge and also very light marking here and there on the white border next to the opening edge.  I'm sure many sellers would not even mention this as it is very minor!  However, what is very impressive is the back cover because this is the one 'area' which is often found badly marked/stained.  Yes there is some light marking and minimal wear near the bottom edge and a little ringwear but there is no severe marking as you can see.  It is certainly one of the cleanest back covers I have seen in quite a long time!  Not perfect but overall it is an impressive example of this iconic cover that is now 54 years old.

Inner Sleeve

The original polylined inner has no side splits but does have a fair amount of age related fading and some creasing.  There is also some light marking on the plain side but it's good that it's here and as I say has no splits, just one mega tiny tear on the top edge.

The Labels

The famous Brunswick labels are in great condition with only some spindle wear to be seen.  There are no marking or writing and the KT tax stamp is on both run out grooves.

Play tested on my Pro-Ject Essential III Turntable / B&W 684 Speakers

This record has been cleaned on a Pro-Ject VC-S machine

Brunswick LAT 8616 // MG-10256-1B / MG-10257-1B // B1 / B1

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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Postage & Packaging

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