THE BEATLES ~ "MEET THE BEATLES" ~ CAPITOL RECORDS ST 2047

I Want to Hold Your Hand
I Saw Her Standing There
This Boy
It Won't Be Long
All I've Got to Do
All My Loving
Don't Bother Me
Little Child
Till There Was You
Hold Me Tight
I Wanna Be Your Man
Not A Second Time

~THE MUSIC~

Meet the Beatles! was the second Beatles' album released in the United States. It was the first US Beatles album to be issued by Capitol Records on 20 January 1964 in both mono and stereo formats. It topped the popular album chart on 15 February 1964 and remained at number one for an impressive eleven weeks before being replaced by The Beatles' Second Album, the first time that an artist replaced itself at the peak album position. The cover featured Robert Freeman's portrait used for the UK With the Beatles release, with a blue tint added to the original stark black-and-white photograph. After constantly rejecting requests by both Brian Epstein and George Martin to release Beatles records in the United States, in November 1963 EMI label head Joseph Lockwood sent a deputy to Los Angeles ordering Capitol Records to commence releasing and promoting Beatles product in the United States. Despite the "first album" claim on its cover, ten days prior to its release Vee-Jay Records of Chicago beat Capitol to the punch with the release of the Beatles' American debut album Introducing... The Beatles, which had been delayed for release for various reasons since the previous summer. Perhaps as a result of the Vee-Jay release, Liberty Music Shops advertised in the New York Times of 12 January 1964 that Meet the Beatles! was available for purchase, an ad not authorized by Capitol.

~ITEM DESCRIPTION~

An extremely nice example of one of the Beatles earlier pressings, which features the dot top and "File Under - The Beatles" info, not found on later re-issues. When this record was released, "Beatlemania" was still in full swing. On the back of the cover lower left is found the RIAA #12 symbol (Recording Industry Association of America) which indicates not only the factory of manufacture (Winchester), but the pressing year (1971-1976) as well. A flawless example, nearly impossible to find in this pristine condition. It is as if this record were put on the shelf back in 1971, and it hasn't been taken down since. Two shrink holes on front cover aligned about 1" from the right margin. Of course the record inside is untouched and guaranteed mint. This is a factory sealed USA Pressing, not one of those 180 gram reissues, foreign, or bootleg issues. Photos are of actual item, not stock images, so you can see close up details of the item you are actually purchasing. Unopened and unplayed. Own a piece of Rock and Roll history !



- No rips or tears
- No bar code
- No ring wear
- No cutouts
- No promo holes
- No promo stamps
- No notches
- No stickers
- No foxing or yellowing
- No lemon peel
- No rubbing to shrink
- No glue residue
- No mildew or mold
- No pen marks
- No warping
- No creases
- No exposed cardboard

~ITEM FLAWS~

If someone were to look for something to nit pick, they might focus on the front top, where the jacket was folded during construction, and there is an area there where that fold shows. This is not what I would consider a flaw, rather perhaps a imperfection, since this is only due to some manufacturing quirk, and not some kind of abuse to the cover that occurred after.

~PAYMENT~

I only accept Paypal as payment. It is the best and easiest way through Ebay. Please pay within the first week of winning an auction. If you want to wait longer, let me know, otherwise I may have to cancel your bid and offer the item to the next highest bidder.

~SHIPPING~

I only ship USPS Priority, and with a tracking number. Media mail is not a good idea, since fragile records are thrown in with heavy book orders, and the prospect of damage is increased. I used to provide shipping as a free service, but now must charge a fee to cover my costs. I am sorry but I do not ship out of the USA. I live too far from the post office, and it is too big of a hassle to ship internationally. I provide free insurance for any order. Insurance basically covers you in the unlikely event that your item turns up missing. In my opinion, still sealed vinyl records are historical items that need to be adequately protected especially during shipping. As I see it, is our duty to ourselves and the collectors of the future to keep them in the best condition possible. Simply writing "fragile" on the package assumes that the gorillas at the USPS know how to read. For shipping, I use a double layer of cardboard which extends beyond the corners of the jacket. By doing this, you are extremely likely to receive your item in the same condition you saw in the photos. Just knowing that your item will arrive safely is an extra value in my opinion.

~REFUND POLICY~

I will refund your money in its entirety regardless of the reason, if you make a claim with me within the first two weeks of you receiving the item. I will send your refund through Paypal as soon as I receive the item back to me in the same condition I sent it to you in. Please do not open sealed records, unless you plan on keeping them. I can understand why you might want to hear the music, as it was intended to be heard so long ago. If that is the case, you might want to consider purchasing an opened copy which is in mint condition. You may find it interesting to know that sealed records are generally worth about 10 times that of an opened record to collectors. There are plenty of mint opened records to be had, and opening a sealed vintage record is like spending an uncirculated coin. Again, still sealed items MUST be returned sealed in order to be eligible for a refund. You will be responsible for return shipping.

~SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT BEFORE BUYING~

If you have been buying records on Ebay for any time at all, you might have noticed that most of the big sellers out there are unlikely to respond to your emails. If they do, they will often come off rude and disinterested. They are of course, too busy to give you the time of day, or respond to your questions with any detail. If they do respond, it seems like many of them are not about to be bothered with addressing your actual questions. I am not too big to care. I understand that many collectors, are looking for sealed records in pristine condition, though items in this shape are rare. Many times, the best we can do, or afford for that matter, is a record with some flaws, in an effort to fill that spot in our collection. The photos you see are the actual item, and I am not trying to hide imperfections or flaws with substandard photos, inadequate focus or lighting. To the contrary, if anything, I usually Photoshop the items with extra contrast to show the flaws more than you might actually see in natural light. You will get the item you see in the photo. For this reason, I try to provide what I believe are some of the clearest and largest photos available on Ebay. If you want to know the truth about any item, go to the section entitled, "ITEM FLAWS". In this section, I do my best to describe all the flaws, especially the ones you can't see in the photos.

~THANKS FOR YOUR BUSINESS~

Please check my feedback. I do my best to give detailed attention to every sale, and I am sure you will not be disappointed. Whatever I can to to make your buying experience a good one, please let me know. As with most sellers, your positive feedback is appreciated. Please get a hold of me before leaving less than 5 stars, I will do what I can to make things right for you.