I will declare a lower amount on the customs form for all countries so as to avoid/decrease high import charges.  However, in the case of the EU all purchases are subject to VAT which eBay collect at point of sale.  No shipping to Russia currently.

The Zombies : Begin Here 1A / 1A 1st Mono Press 1965

This very collectable first pressing plays to a superb standard with no obvious intrusion.  There are no ticks, clicks or pops and very little static.  The clarity, depth and warmth of the audio is so impressive - S1 plays so well but S2 is just out of this world!  Please see below for a full audio grading and as always I have listened to every track in full.  The vinyl is in visually very impressive and whilst it has been played it has clearly always been very carefully handled.  As you can see it has one of the earliest stampers ('U') on each side making it one of the earliest off the 'printing press'. 

The cover is in excellent condition with only minimal wear and the back cover in particular is so clean considering that is isn't laminated.  The original inner sleeve is also in excellent condition.

LK 4679 // ARL-6709-1A / ARL-6710-1A // U 1 / U 1

The audio on S1 is Near Mint (T1 & T5 Mint- / T4 Ex+)

The audio on S2 is Mint(-) (T7 Near Mint)

The cover is a very strong Ex-

The inner sleeve is Ex-

The labels are Near Mint-

Visual description

The vinyl is in lovely condition, great condition for its age!  It still has a fine glossy sheen with no marks or scratches and looking under a bright light I can only see a small number of faint hairlines and a couple of very minor 'specks'.  There is one hairline on S2 that is a little more obvious but it is still faint!  There is no groove or surface wear and red grooved Decca labels are so clean with only some spindle wear.  The KT tax stamp along with the matrix info can easily be seen on each run out groove.

Play grading

The intro on 'Road Runner' plays so clearly with no intrusion and the first verse has that deep rich mono sound and no interference again.  It proceeds in much the same way with no ticks, clicks, pops or static.  The mid instrumental is perfect and once again the depth on the audio is so impressive.  The final vocal plays with great clarity and Mint- is deserved here.

The intro on the iconic 'Summertime' has only the lightest of background static and the opening vocal then plays with exceptional clarity and barely any static.  Blunstone's vocal is so clean and there is nothing that detracts from the audio as it progresses.  Near Mint

The first Zombies penned number 'I Can't Make Up My Mind' plays with stunning quality through the intro and opening vocal.  The first chorus has only a minimal touch of distortion on a few words and I do mean minimal!  The mid instrumental has no interference and the next chorus is very clean, superb sound.  I have to mention that deep mono sound again, full and rich it sounds so good!  The final verse is very clean as is the fade out and Near Mint is fair.

The footsteps on the 'The Way I Feel Inside' intro play so clearly with barely any static and the opening vocal is very similar, just a minimal amount of light background static but nothing intrusive.  It continues to impress with only the odd minor distorted word but perhaps that is common with this pressing.  There are no ticks, clicks or pops and the coin drop / walking away outro is superb!  Ex+

The slow build up intro on 'Work 'n' Play' plays with impeccable clarity and this level is kept up as it continues.  Great sonic quality on this instrumental and Mint- is an honest appraisal of the audio.  The power and depth of the audio is just stunning.

'You've Really Got A Hold On Me' impresses on so many levels and I cannot find fault really.  Great power, depth and warmth it defies the age of the album!  Actually the more I play it the more I am impressed by it and for a penultimate track the sonic quality is stunning!  There is perhaps just a minor touch of inner groove distortion but you hardly notice it, it really is a superb version and it has to grade as Near Mint at the very least.

The classic 'She's Not There' ends S1 with remarkable audio!  One minor tick right at the start and the opening vocal and chorus play with sublime quality.  The second verse is just as impressive as is the next chorus and the following instrumental is flawless.  Just a minor amount of inner groove distortion on the final chorus but certainly nothing intrusive.  A stunning version to be fair.  Near Mint

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The intro on 'Sticks And Stones' is 'as new', the playback is phenomenal, and the opening vocal section is just as clean and precise.  One can be forgiven for being a little effusive here!  The first instrumental is perfect and it continues to play with such a clean, deep sound - the sonic quality is STUNNING and you have to remember this record is now 60 years old!  From start to finish this is Mint- at the very least.  What. A. Version!

'Can't Nobody Love You' plays with incredible clarity once more and again I cannot overstate just how pristine the audio is.  The clarity and definition, the warmth and depth is exceptional and there is no distortion on the top end either.  Mint-

The intro on 'Woman' has background and the opening vocal is just as strong.  This is a mono record record being played through a stereo set up and the sonic quality, as per the other tracks, remains unaffected.  The audio shows just how well this vinyl has been cared for and every section here is STUNNING!  Another Mint- version.

'I Don't Want To Know' and 'I Remember When I Loved Her' penned by White and Argent respectively both play with a clarity and depth that cannot be faulted.  The latter especially as it is a relatively quiet track and yet it plays beautifully with no sign of any interference.  The clarity and warmth is there in abundance and both grade grade as Mint-

'What More Can I Do' has barely any static on the brief quiet intro and then plays with stunning quality from then onwards.  The mellotron (I think) section is so strong and dynamic and there is no distortion.  Right to the end it plays so well and Mint- is again deserved.

'I've Got My Mojo Working' plays with strong, powerful audio and no interference.  There is only very minimal distortion but nothing that counts as intrusive.  In fact there is barely any any and for a final track to play as clearly as this on a vinyl of this age is a genuine rarity.  It has to grade as Near Mint

The Cover & Inner Sleeve

The cover is in excellent condition with only a little shelf wear.  The edges have no rubbing and the thin pinched spine is superb and remains 100% legible with no marking and no corner wear.  The right hand corners are also in great shape with no noticeable wear and the opening edge is in great shape also with no handling wear.  The laminated front cover is unmarked and the only 'real' issue is some laminate lift / and a thin crease in the bottom right corner - maybe the laminate was a little too 'tight' here as it has caused the corner to bend ever so slightly.  There is also a very small amount of 'lift' top left and a small number of laminate creases next to the spine as is common.  The back cover is in lovely condition when you consider it isn't laminated and has barely any marking.  A fine example overall for a cover that is now 60 years old!

The original poly-lined Foreign patents pending inner sleeve is in excellent condition with no side splits, tears or marking - just some creasing here and there.

Play tested on my Rega P2 with AT-VM95EN Cart / Denon PMA-520AE Amp / B&W 684 Speakers

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

LK 4679 // ARL-6709-1A / ARL-6710-1A // U 1 / U 1

I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.

Any questions please feel free to ask

Please pay within 4 days of auction end

Recent Feedback

Postage & Packaging

I will only send items items worldwide via tracked shipping.  This provides 'peace of mind' in case of loss or damage.  The shipping costs are shown below and combined shipping is always offered.  Any over-payment will always be refunded.

The Royal Mail only insure up to a value of £250 so if an item sells for more it may be wise to use a courier service (e.g. Parcelforce or DPD).  An extra insurance premium will be required but I will not know the exact amount until the final sale price is known.  Because of this I will sometimes have to estimate the cost and this will be shown in the listing.  Please wait for the invoice before making payment and if you have any questions please feel free to ask.  Many thanks.

All vinyls are packaged in strong over-sized custom made mailers with plenty of extra cardboard protection.  They are placed inside separate poly-lined inners outside the cover so as to avoid seam splits in transit and then placed inside a PVC sleeve to provide even more protection.  I pride myself on my high quality packaging as my feed confirms and if any customer has any specific requirements I am more than happy to help.

The mailers I use cost £1.00 each and I will use anything between 3-5 cardboard stiffeners which cost approx £0.18 each.  There is also the cost of the poly-lined inner and PVC sleeve to consider, it all adds up!  Not forgetting that eBay take 10% of the shipping fee also!!

UK Postage Rates (First Class Recorded - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £6.50 up to 1kg then £1.00 per extra item 

EUROPE (Tracked - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £13.95 then £2.00 per extra

USA (Tracked - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £22.95 then £2.50 per extra 

REST OF WORLD (Tracked - Max 2kg)  

LPs/12" singles : £21.95 then £2.50 per extra

If you are not entirely happy with your purchase please contact me before leaving feedback and I will always resolve any issue, 100% guaranteed.  If you would prefer to send the item back I will also pay the return shipping cost if I am at fault, I am only human after all!!