Beatles - White Album - Rare Top Opening "XP" Tax Code Stereo Vinyl Album 2x LPs

	£		138
	$		183

Listen to this album below!


The Beatles
THE BEATLES ~ "The White Album"

Original UK Stereo First Pressing
Top Loading Gatefold Cover

Has "EMI RECORDING" Text On All 4 Labels

"SOLD IN U.K." Text On All 4 Labels
"XP" Tax Code On Side 2

APPLE RECORDS PCS 7067/7068: MATRIX NOs YEX-709-1/YEX-710-1/YEX-711-1/YEX-712-1

Has the rarer "XP" tax code on Side 2, which some collectors theorize could be an export marker, or a tax exemption marker



Visually the records show only lighter signs of being used and played. All four sides have a nice deep, glossy sheen to them and present very nicely in comparison to how most White Albums turn up these days, and looking at the labels there are a noticeable but not huge amount of spindle trails suggesting some light and very careful play over the years. They are not perfect though, with all sides having some surface dust and a few light scuff marks which don't appear very well in the photos. Disc 1 is a little worse for wear in comparison to it's sibling, which would make sense since it's the first in the playing order but the scuffs are mainly just that, scuffs, which are superficial and have little audible effect on the playback. Some of the more dishonest sellers on eBay (and believe me, there are quite a few) would visually grade that as EX and call it a day, but I have played all four sides of the album through and those results are ultimately what I'm grading these records from.
Side 1 - Very Good + Side 2 - Excellent - Side 3 - Very Good + Side 4 - Excellent -
The album plays through from beginning to end very nicely without ever jumping or skipping, and it does so in style. The sound quality from this pressing is quite enjoyable with a midrange heavy, rich sound signature throughout, even performing very admirably towards the inner grooves. Considering how the original mono cuttings of this album sound, sonically this stereo version triumphs and rolls over the mono mix, track by track. There can be some slight surface noise in places, mainly only noticeable in the quieter moments and the fades between tracks, e.g. slight static in the intro of "Dear Prudence". This is sometimes exacerbated by the fact that these pressings are cut more quietly due to the running time, but it's never at a point where it overpowers the music. Interesting to note that there are few obnoxious ticks throughout the whole album, the only notable places are a few rotational ticks near the ending of "Bungalow Bill" and a few on the right channel in "Mother Nature's Son". The only other notable interruption in the sound is some slightly more noticeable crackles at the ending of "Helter Skelter" going into "Long, Long, Long", which at this point in the cutting is extremely quiet with how close it is to the center of the record. It's almost impossible to find an original pressing of this album that plays through perfectly, but this one is quite enjoyable and strong sounding throughout. One last thing to note, "Good Night" plays exceptionally well on this pressing. My last original White Album was a mono copy and those pressings always tend to become awfully distorted after a few plays on this track - well not this one. It sounds beautiful on this pressing, and coming from a mono copy it's really eye opening indeed.

Overall it's not a 100% perfect copy but it's quite a strong one indeed, given how easily worn they are. This is hands down the the best condition White Album I've ever owned, it's difficult to understate how abrasive those black inner sleeves could be if you weren't careful and there's so much to go wrong over all 4 sides. That said, this copy is an enjoyable one, all tube-cut and it sounds sweet. Discriminating audiophiles may not be 100% pleased due to the surface noise that can appear in places, but it's almost as good as it gets with these pressings.
Recordings of the album are available to listen to at the bottom of the description, which will let you judge for yourself

The original Garrod & Lofthouse top-opening gatefold cover is overall in a really nice Excellent - condition. Numbered 455329, it's holding up together very nicely, and looks awesome. The main demerits with this cover are some very slight yellowing with age, alongside some very slight ring wear and some laminate wear on the spine, too. The spine text is still readable luckily, but the wear does make itself known. The inside panel looks great too, with only some slight corner bumping and the openings are in a pretty nice shape too. It's the correct version with the right details on the spine and has the stereo indicator on the back. The embossed "BEATLES" logo is in a nice shape and the number text is nice and clear. Overall not 100% perfect, not 100% minty fresh, but it's in a very strong condition and looks lovely!

Comes with both original black inner sleeves and they're in a decent condition. Again, not perfect, but decent. I'd recommend replacing them if possible, as they are likely the cause of the surface marks on what would otherwise be an awesome looking set of discs.
Unfortunately no photographs or poster are included. This listing is just for the album cover, the records and their inner sleeves.

Listen!
Disc 1 / Disc 2
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