1G / 1R Stampers - The Beatles - Please Please Me - UK First Mono Gold Pressing

	£		1,300
	$		1,722

Listen to this record below!

The Beatles
PLEASE PLEASE ME
Original UK Mono First Pressing ~ March 1963

Original Black & Gold Label Design w/ Dick James Credits on Both Sides
PARLOPHONE PMC 1202 : MATRIX NOs XEX 421-1N/XEX 422-1N

Stampers: 1G / 1R
Wow! This is one of the earliest copies of the album ever pressed. The stamper codes in the deadwax indicate that this record was pressed with the very first stamper ever made for Side 1, and the second ever made for Side 2 - It doesn't get much earlier than that! This record was likely in the shops on the album's release day back in March '63. These original Black / Gold pressings are quite rare as-is, but to have one with stampers as early as this is astonishingly lucky. 



Vinyl ~ Very Good
The record shows signs of being used, played and loved over the years. The labels look nice but with some slight signs of spindle wear in the centre, and also a small vertical mark going up the label on the right of Side 2. The record's surfaces tell a similar story with some visible sleeve removal marks and some light scratch / scuff marks on both sides, please see the photos for a general idea of this. They also have a bit of "bag rash" and you can see it's no vault copy by any means, but the vinyl lies perfectly flat and the playback is still surprisingly strong and enjoyable. It plays through from beginning to end without skipping a beat; no skips, jumps, locked grooves or anything of the sort, although it does have some surface noise throughout which often gets drowned out by the music and is only hugely noticeable in the quiet sections or the spaces between tracks. There are some spots of dust crackle here and there with the odd pop / rotational ticks too, but the sound quality is seriously impressive and it's the best sounding pressing of the album I've ever owned. The only real caveats with the audio quality are some slight right channel distortion in the beginning of "I Saw Her Standing There"  and the same on John's vocal during "Twist And Shout". The record was cut quite loud and hot so some sections don't hold up as well as others, especially over nearly 60 years of being played / stored, but all in all it's still a great listen and a pressing you need to hear! These early stampers really sound superb - I have later copies in better conditions but even with the same matrix they just don't sound as good as this copy does. While it's far from being in mint condition, it's still a good one! 

Please note: I have graded this record based on it's stereo playback but if you sum your turntable's output to mono, the vertical noise will be greatly reduced and the record will sound even better! This is how mono records are supposed to be played and I'd argue that when this is done and the record is played on nice speakers, it brings back a comfortable VG+ sound in most places! This is how I've listened to the record in the time I've owned it and it's always impressed me.

Cover ~ Very Good +
The original Ernest J. Day paper flap flipback cover with the correctly positioned "Angus McBean" text is holding up very well. It's very nice looking on both sides with only faint signs of dirt on the back panel and only some light signs of flipback wear along the bottom 2 corners. These paper-flap flipbacks are notoriously weak and even with the most careful storage could be ruined quite quickly, but luckily this cover isn't too badly affected and it's still holding together very strongly. All four corners have minor dinks and there is some very slight laminate wear on the bottom of the front panel but otherwise, it's essentially close to perfect. The front panel looks great and the spine is superb on this one, plus the openings are almost minty fresh! The record is still held very tightly inside the cover which is a testament to how strong and firm it still is; most of these loosen up or weaken over time, but not this one. A really nice example and the best one I've ever owned!

Although not shown in the photos, it does come with it's original poly-lined Emitex inner sleeve which is in really good shape too. The record will come with it's own archival inner sleeve to protect the surfaces / prevent dust from being re-introduced.

Gradings are often subjective and some people may not agree / feel differently about each record so I have also added embeds at the bottom of the description so that you can listen to the whole record for yourself. It was recorded directly from my Ariston RD11 Superieur transcription deck using an SME III tonearm and a Shure V15 IV cartridge with a Jico SAS/B stylus upgrade, then graded through headphones to be as thorough as possible. Please refer to the photos, too.

The record will be sent in proper packaging with cardboard stiffeners to ensure it gets to you safely and in the same condition it left me. In the mainland UK it will be sent with Royal Mail's Special Delivery and internationally through a suitable courier. I understand the cost is high, but this is to cover for the package's high insurance cost. Should it cost more, I'll cover the difference out of my own pocket, if it costs less I'll send the appropriate partial refund. I do not cheap out on postage and all items are sent with tracked services.
 
If any other photos / videos are required, please message me and I'll provide whatever I can :)


Listen below!





Powered by eCommercePlayer.com Powered by eCommercePlayer.com