The Beatles Rubber Soul Very First -1/-1 1965 UK Mono Press PMC 1267 NM-

	C$		700
	$		508

The Beatles' 'Rubber Soul' was released 60 years ago today (December 1965) ....and some fans and audiophiles will  know about the initial UK Mono pressing details and issues surrounding this release. In brief...when the album was initially cut [by Harry Moss] it was deemed by EMI to be too "loud" and not properly equalized. This mix is identified by having a -1/-1 matrix.  Moss then recut the Mono lacquers with an "approved" version. These had a -4/-4 matrix. However, the -1/-1 stampers were not destroyed and several thousand had already been pressed and were shipped to retail music stores in December.  These initial -1/-1 Mono copies are now known as the 'Rubber Soul' "Loud Cut" pressing.  Despite all the negativity associated with the audio of this -1 "cut"...today they are highly sought after by collectors because of their scarcity and unique playback details. 
Because only several thousand were made available to the public, finding a decent playing copy is becoming increasingly hard and challenging.  Most of the ones that are found have records that have been played to death with covers that are stained and in tatters.  I'm happy to offer a copy that is definitely the exception to this rule. 

Cover:  Excellent ~ Near Mint- ....incredibly well preserved...the lamination gleams from top to bottom and highlights the vivid colors of the front cover photograph. Just a tiny bit of lift along the spine edge. Spine is near perfect and the print easily legible. The back is free from dirt and grime which is so commonly seen with this cover. The only detail that is preventing me from giving this cover a full Near Mint grading is an almost unnoticeable area at the bottom of the back cover (see photo) which shows a very small area of  paper loss. A very minor detail when compared to how amazing the rest of the cover appears.  Another incredible detail worth mentioning is the complete lack of seam splits to the cover edges and spine.  This is extremely rare when you consider how heavy and thick the first pressed records were for this release. 
Original EMI Inner- Sleeve: Excellent+ ....in amazing condition....and without splits.  A higher quality sleeve will be included as well.
Record: Excellent+ to Near Mint.....an impressive shine to both sides of the hefty record. Both labels are uncommonly clean and show that this record was barely played. K T tax code over Side 2 label. Under strong light there are hardly even any hairlines which stand out.  There is one mark over the first song on Side 2 ('What Goes On') but upon playback did not elicit any sort of loud "tick" or "pop". Surface noise was almost non-existent during the entire playback of both sides. The audio is clear, bright, bold, with the bass guitar slightly more "up-front" in the mix than on subsequent mono versions.  But I found this key difference adding to the audio experience rather than detracting.  You will have to search far and wide before you find a better looking and better sounding copy of this exceedingly rare pressing. 

Matrix Numbers:          Side 1          YEX  579  -  1                                                           Stamper Codes:    2          GM                                     Side 2          YEX  580  -  1                                                                                         3          M H


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