The Beatles WHITE ALBUM UK LP *MONO* COMPLETE T/L EX+

	£		255
	$		338

THE BEATLES - THE WHITE ALBUM

TOP LOADER ORIGINAL PRESSING NOV 1968

• LABEL: APPLE
• CAT: PMC 7067/8
• MATRIX: XEX 709-1 / 710-1 / 711-1 / 712-1
• MOTHERS/STAMPERS: 4 MA / 2 6 GAT / 1 HT / 3 MD
• COVER NUMBER: 0209381

THE SLEEVE

A SUPERB EXAMPLE OF THIS MUCH ABUSED COVER. FIRSTLY IT S NOT PERFECTLY WHITE, BUT IT HAS ONLY SUFFERED A SMALL AMOUNT OF YELLOWING THROUGH AGEING. COMPARED TO MOST YOU WILL SEE LISTED THIS IS FAR SUPERIOR. IT HAS RETAINED ALL OF ITS ORIGINAL SHEEN, AND IT HASN'T SUFFERED FROM THE HEAVY CREASING YOU SEE SO OFTEN.

SO THE FRONT SURFACE IS AS MENTIONED A VERY NICE WHITE, AND NO LARGE LAMINATE CREASING ANYWHERE. THERE ARE THE USUAL LITTLE LINES NEAR THE EDGES, THE BOTTOM AND RIGHT EDGES ARE UNWORN, AND EVEN THE TOP OPENING EDGE HAS ONLY SOME VERY MILD SIGNS OF THE LP'S HAVING BEEN REMOVED. AT CERTAIN ANGLES THERE IS THE VERY FAINT OUTLINE OF THE RECORD, BUT THIS IS VERY FAINT AND NOT LIKE MOST WHERE IT LOOKS LIKE THE RECORD IS ABOUT TO COME THROUGH. THIS IS MINOR, BUT I MENTION IT BECAUSE IT IS THERE IN CERTAIN CONDITIONS. THE BEATLES RAISED LOGO IS FULLY PROTECTED BY THE LAMINATE AND THIS IS NOT SHOWING ANY SIGNS OF CRACKING. THE UNIQUE NUMBER IS PERFECTLY LEGIBLE AND THE COLOUR OF THE TYPEFACE IS UNFADED.

THE SPINE IS THE RARER WIDE VARIETY, AND EVEN THIS IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. ONE OR TWO TINY LAMINATE CRACKS, BUT NOTHING SERIOUS AT ALL.

THE BACK SURFACE IS EVERY BIT AS NICE AS THE FRONT. ONE OTHER LITTLE BIT OF WEAR IS RIGHT AT THE TIP OF THE BOTTOM OF THE SPINE WHERE THERE IS A LITTLE FEATHERING.

THE INNER GATEFOLD IS IMMACULATE.

SOME OWNERS HAD WRITTEN ALL SORTS ON THE INSIDE, BUT THIS ONE IS PERFECT IN EVERYWAY.

THE ORIGINAL POSTER, AND PICTURES ARE ALL IN MINT CONDITION, AND LOOK SUPERB.

THE BLACK INNER SLEEVES ARE THE ORIGINAL ISSUES, AND ONE IS IN PRISTINE CONDITION, WHILST THE OTHER HAS A VERY SMALL NICK TO THE INNER RING .

OVERALL THIS SLEEVE IS IN A  FANTASTIC CONDITION AND I HAVE NO HESITATION IN AWARDING IT AN EXCELLENT PLUS GRADING

THE LABELS.

ORIGINAL EARLY PRESSING LABELS WITH THE "SOLD IN THE UK" STATEMENT", ALSO HAVING THE "MFD IN U.K", AS WELL AS "AN EMI RECORDING" ABOVE IT.

SIDE 3 HAS A "FACTORY SAMPLE" LABEL ON IT. I HAVE SEEN THIS BEFORE ON SOME COPIES, SO I PRESUME THIS WAS A FREEBIE TO A RADIO STATION OR  DJ ETC.

THE LABELS ARE ALL IN SUPERB CONDITION AND HAVE NO MARKS OR WRITING ON ANY OF THEM. THE CLOSE UP PICTURES WILL SHOW ALL THE DETAIL, BUT THERE IS NO SPINDLE HOLE WEAR, AND EVEN LOOKING VERY CLOSELY I AM ONLY ABLE TO MAKE OUT 7 OR 8 SMALL SPIDER LINES.

IT IS VERY OBVIOUS THAT THIS SET HAS BEEN VERY CAREFULLY HANDLED AND PLAYED.

THE VINYL

LOOKS SUPERB. RETAINED ALL OF ITS ORIGINAL SHEEN , AND I CAN SEE NO MORE THAN A COUPLE OF REALLY LIGHT HANDLING MARKS. UNDER INTENSE ILLUMINATION IT IS POSSIBLE TO MAKE OUT SOME LIGHT AND WISPY HAIRLINES, DUE IN THE MAIN FROM REMOVAL FROM THE  PAPER SLEEVES. IN DAYLIGHT THERE IS HARDLY ANYTHING TO BE SEEN AT ALL.

GENTLY LOWERING THE STYLUS ONTO SIDE 1, THE RUN IN IS NEAR SILENT, AND AS THE LP BURSTS INTO BACK IN THE USSR, I AM LISTENING OUT FOR ANY SIGNS THAT THE RECORD HAS BEEN ABUSED WITH A HEAVY OR WORN STYLUS WHICH WOULD CAUSE DISTORTION TO THE SOUND, AND I AM HAPPY TO SAY THAT THERE IS NONE AT ALL. THERE IS SOME GENTLE AND VERY LIGHT BACKGROUND IN SOME SPOTS, AND A FEW LIGHT AND BARELY AUDIBLE POPS HERE AND THERE, BUT THIS IS WAY IN THE BACKGROUND AND IT IS THE CRISP AND CLEAN AND SUPERBLY PRODUCED BEATLES MUSIC THAT SHINES THROUGH.

TO PUT IT ANOTHER WAY IF I HAD A GROUP OF FRIENDS ROUND TO LISTEN TO THIS LP, NONE OF THEM WOULD SAY THAT THERE WAS ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE QUALITY, AND THE LISTENING PLEASURE WOULD BE SPOT ON.

ALL FOUR SIDES PERFORM IN THE SAME HIGH MANNER, AND THERE ARE NO JUMPS, NO STICKING, NO FRYING BACON, NO CLICKS, AND NO DETERIORATION OF THE SOUND QUALITY, JUST A SLIGHT BIT OF STATIC LIKE BACKGROUND IN SOME QUIETER PLACES.

OVERALL THIS IS A SUPERB EXAMPLE OF THIS MUCH SOUGHT AFTER LP SET, AND WHILST THERE ARE MANY TO CHOSE FROM ON EBAY, THIS ONE WILL CERTAINLY GRACE ANY COLLECTION .

IT IS WITHOUT DOUBT A HIGH GRADE COLLECTIBLE ITEM, AND ONLY A MINT COPY COULD BETTER IT IN MY OPINION, AND I AM PERFECTLY HAPPY TO AWARD IT A GRADE OF EXCELLENT PLUS