The Beatles WHITE ALBUM UK LP 1ST STEREO # 0390435 EX+

	£		75
	$		99

THE BEATLES - WHITE ALBUM

• PCS 7067/8
• MATRIX: YEX 709/10/11/12-1
• MOTHERS/STAMPERS: 5 GAD / 4 GRG / 1 G / 1 GGP

SLEEVE NUMBER 0390435

THERE ARE A SPATTERING OF NON SOUNDING HANDLING LINES ON THE VINYL WHICH CAN BE SEEN UNDER INTENSE ILLUMINATION SO THE VINYL DOESN'T LOOK MINT, BUT IT SURE AS HELL PLAYS THAT WAY, WELL JUST OFF MINT IN FACT, BUT I WILL EXPLAIN BELOW

THE FULLY LAMINATED GATEFOLD SLEEVE IS IN STUPENDOUS CONDITION. STARTING WITH THE FRONT SURFACE, THE FIRST THING TO NOTE IS THE COLOUR. I HAVE HAD MANY COPIES OF THIS IN MY HANDS, AND MOST YOU PICK UP ARE A VERY YELLOWY WHITE WHERE THEY HAVE AGED. THIS ONE IS JUST OFF WHITE, AND I WOULD SAY IF PURE WHITE WAS 10, THEN THIS IS A 7.

THE FRONT SURFACE IS FLAT AND CLEAN AND FREE FROM ANY DENTS, GOUGES, OR CREASES. THERE IS ONE VISIBLE SMALL LAMINATE LINE NEAR THE SPINE. THE LAMINATE COVERING THE EMBOSSED BEATLES LOGO WHICH SOMETIMES PEELS HERE IS PERFECTLY ADHERED. THE NUMBER IS ALO LEGIBLE AND SHOWS JUST SOME LIGHT WEAR TO THE GREY FILL.

THE TOP EDGE IS IN VERY SHARP CONDITION, AND HAS ONLY VERY MILD WEAR WHERE THE LP'S HAVE BEEN REMOVED. THE BOTTOM AND RIGHT EDGES ARE UNWORN. THE CORNERS DO SHOW SLIGHT WEAR THE SPINE HAS HAD A LITTLE LAMINATE FLAKING, BUT IS NOT DAMAGED IN ANY WAY

THE REAR SURFACE IS JUST AS CLEAN AS THE FRONT

OPENING THE GATEFOLD, THE INNER IS AGAIN IN TOP CONDITION.

OK ONTO THE INNERS

FIRSTLY THE TWO BLACK INNER SLEEVES ARE THE ORIGINAL ISSUES AND THEY ARE BOTH IN SUPER CONDITION. NO HEAVY CREASES, JUST A SLIGHT OUTLINE OF THE SHAPE OF THE RECORD. BECAUSE OF THE THIN PAPER THIS WAS MADE OUT OF, A HUGE PROPORTION OF THESE WILL BE FOUND SPLIT ALONG THE SEAMS, AND TORN OR RIPPED AROUND THE CENTRE HOLE. WELL THERE ARE NO SEAM SPLITS ON EITHER SLEEVE, AND ONLY A COUPLE OF SMALL TEARS AROUND THE HOLE OF ONE OF THE SLEEVES  

THE FOUR PICTURES ARE IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. THEY ARE THE GENUINE ORIGINAL ISSUES PRINTED ON THICKER CARD THAN THE LATER REISSUES.

LASTLY THE BIG POSTER IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION, JUST A LITTLE WEAR ALONG THE FOLDS WHERE THE THE POSTER IS FOLDED BOTH WAYS LEAVING A TINY TINY HOLE AT THIS VULNERABLE JOINT

I AM PERFECTLY HAPPY TO GRADE THIS SLEEVE EXCELLENT

THE RECORDS

THE LABELS ARE IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. THERE IS NO WRITING ON ANY OF THEM, AND NO MARKS OR STICKERS ETC. THE LABELS HAVE THE "EMI RECORDING INFO" WHICH PLACES THE ALBUM IN THE SECOND BATCH OF FIRST PRESSES. A GENERAL RULE OF THUMB IS THAT IF THE NUMBER ON THE SLEEVE STARTS WITH TWO ZEROS' THEN THE LP SHOULD NOT HAVE THE EMI INFO, AND IF IT STARTS WITH ONE ZERO, OR A DIFFERENT NUMBER, THEN IT WILL HAVE THIS WORDING.DON'T FORGET THIS ALBUM SOLD OVER 200,00 COPIES IN THE FIRST WEEK ALONE. THERE IS NO SIGN OF ANY SPINDLE HOLE WEAR EITHER, AND SO I CAN SAY WITH CERTAINTY THAT THE LP'S HAVE NEVER BEEN SUBJECTED TO THE DREADED AUTOCHANGER. THERE ARE SOME LIGHT SPIDER LINES NEAR THE SPINDLE HOLES, AND JUDGING BY THE NUMBER I WOULD EXTIMATE THE LP HAS HAD APPROX 15 PLAYS LIFETIME

THE VINYLS HAVE RETAINED MOST OF THE ORIGINAL SHEEN, AND ARE CLEAN AND FREE FROM ANY SCRATCHES. UNDER INTENSE ILLUMINATION IT IS POSSIBLE TO MAKE OUT LIGHT WISPY HAIRLINES CAUSED FROM REMOVAL OF THE DISCS FROM THE SLEEVES. HOWEVER THERE IS NOTHING AT ALL THAT SHOULD WORRY POTENTIAL BUYERS, AND I AM CONVINCED THE PLAY GRADE WILL TESTIFY TO THIS.

FOR THOSE THAT DON'T KNOW TOO MUCH ABOUT THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE STEREO AND MONO PRESSES OF THIS ALBUM, IT IS WORTH POINTING OUT THAT THERE ARE MANY MNAY DIFFERENCES IN THE MIX, AND SOME OF THE TRACKS SOUND COMPLETELY DIFFERENT TO THE MONO COUNTERPARTS. Mono/Stereo Differences

This release is probably the most essential to have in both mono and stereo, as almost every track has some difference. But the following thirteen tracks have the most marked variations.

"Back In The U.S.S.R."

The airplane overdubs occur in different places on the mono and stereo versions.

"Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da"

The stereo version has hand-clapping during the intro, the mono version does not.

"While My Guitar Gently Weeps"

The stereo version has some vocal sounds from George at the end, the mono version does not.

"Blackbird"

The bird sound effects are quite different between the stereo and the mono release.

"Piggies"

The pig sound effects are quite different between the stereo and the mono release.

"Don't Pass Me By"

The mono version is much faster than the stereo, and therefore is shorter.
The violin sounds at the end are markedly different.

"Why Don't We Do It In The Road"

The stereo version has hand-clapping during the intro, the mono version does not.

"I Will"

The stereo version has more prominent bongos.

"Birthday"

The stereo version has extra vocals at the end of the second chorus.

"Sexy Sadie"

The stereo version has two taps on the tambourine during the intro, the mono version only has one.

"Helter Skelter"

The stereo version has a fade-out/fade-in dummy ending with Ringo's shout of "I've got blisters on my fingers", the mono version does not ! ... this makes the stereo version almost a minute longer.

"Long, Long, Long"

The stereo version is fine, but on the mono, George's double-tracked vocal is embarrassingly out of synch.

"Honey Pie"

The stereo version has a shorter guitar solo than the mono version.

GENTLY LOWERING THE STYLUS ONTO THE RECORD, I CAN SAY RIGHT AWAY THAT THERE IS NO BACKGROUND NOISE ON THE RUN IN. THE START TO BACK IN THE USSR, HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PROBLEM ON MANY COPIES, AND IT IS HERE THAT DISTORTION IS OFTEN FOUND, BUT ON THIS MARVELLOUS SET, THE SOUND COMES THROUGH LOUD, CRISP AND CLEAR. IT SOUNDS PERFECT, AND IF YOU HAVE NEVER HEARD THE STEREO RECORDING OF THIS ALBUM, THEN IT IS WELL WORTH HAVING ALONGSIDE THE MONO ISSUE

I AM GOING TO GRADE ALL FOUR SIDES

SIDE ONE PLAYS THROUGH SUPERBLY AND GRADES NEAR MINT. NO BACKGROUND CRACKLE, NO POPS OR CLICKS AND ABSOLUTELY NO DISTORTION.

SIDE 2 IS VIRTUALLY AS GOOD. NO CRACLES, AND QUIET LINKING GROOVES. JUST THE VERY ODD LIGHT POP IN A COUPLE OF PLACES, AND THE VERY VERY ODD BIT OF STATIC LIKE SOUND ONCE OR TWICE. THIS GRADES EX+THE ACID TESTS ARE ALWAYS IN THE QUIET TRACKS LIKE JULIA WHICH PLAYS MAGNIFICENTLY

SIDE 3 STARTS ONCE AGAIN AS ALL THE SIDES DO WITH A PERFECTLY QUIET RUN IN, AND BIRTHDAY WHICH CAN SUFFER BADLY FROM DISTORTION COMES THROUGH AS CLEAN AS A WHISTLE.AGAIN THERE IS NO CRACKLES, CLICKS ETC, JUST THE ODD BIT OF STATIC IN ON OR TWO SPOTS. GRADES EX+

SIDE 4 HAS NEAR SILENT RUN IN TO REVOLUTION, AND PLAYS THROUGH WITH SOME VERY LIGHT BACKGROUND IN PLACES, THERE ARE A FEW LIGHT CLICKS ON REVOLUTION NUMBER NINE, AND YET STILL GRADES EX

SO OVERALL I AM PERFECTLY HAPPY TO GRADE THIS SUPERB SET AS EX+

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR BID IF YOU CHOOSE TO GO FOR IT

REGARDS

GARRY