THE BEATLES Revolver ORIG UK 1966 STEREO EX++ LP

	£		230
	$		305

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Please see my Detailed Packing Description Further Down & All Shipping Costs and Options – NOTE: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment.

Artist or Band: THE BEATLES

Album Title: Revolver.

Producer(s): George Martin.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Taxman; Eleanor Rigby; I’m Only Sleeping; Love You To; Here, There and Everywhere; Yellow Submarine; She Said She Said.

Side 2: Good Day Sunshine; And Your Bird Can Sing; For No One; Dr Robert; I Want to Tell You; Got to Get You Into My Life; Tomorrow Never Knows.

Label/Format: Parlophone – Original first format with ‘Sold in the UK’ text and Gramophone around the rims. Side one has the embossed ‘K T’ tax codes, both immaculate, so-much-so, they are not even easy to see. Every detail of the correct ink colour pristine and unrubbed on these two delicate, fine characters. (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both hugely attractive: ultra fresh, clean and without doubt hardly even handled. I doubt if this wonderful record has seen light-of-day for decades. The tiny few spindle marks are incredibly light, ultra fine and very faint. I cannot remember seeing any copy of this masterwork’s labels less ‘used’, handled or marked than these. Both come very close to reminding of when issued and clearly this first-press format stereo copy has hardly been played.

Cat Number: PCS 7009.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 132 grams. A very good average weight for this album.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Few Beatles standard issues can ever be deemed rare with a small few exceptions. All sold in vast numbers and most titles can be found without too much effort – even the black and gold ‘Please Please Me’s if really wanted. What makes the difference is condition – most were played to destruction on vintage old record players that inflicted groove wear and damage very quickly. Possibly the most loaned and played band of all-time and only small percentages were ever looked after for the long term. Most seen with grubby, badly marked, deeply scratched, greyed vinyl and labels swathed in spindle marks, finger impressions and scuffs. Covers written-on, torn, edge splits, shredded flipbacks, often with chunks missing. The laminate dulled, badly and deeply creased, peeled and the backs more brown that white. Inners missing or in tatters – we have all seen such copies. Very lightly played and more carefully stored examples are far harder to find. Also, in this case being a stereo copy, these are more elusive than the mono versions. In the early to mid-60s, few people owned stereo equipment and the ratio of stereos sold to mono was considerably lower. I am not saying stereo copies are ‘rare’, because using the term correctly, they are not. But for certain, they are less plentiful than the mono version, especially the early pressings. So combine a stereo copy in very fine condition – one with a very clean cover (albeit with a little creasing), inner and very lightly played record – and one that offers very impressive sound, these can correctly be stated to be ‘more scarce’ or ‘far less common’. This is simply being honest – ignore all hype about ‘mega rare’ and all that nonsense. Beatles albums (or singles come to that) are NOT rare, they sold by the millions, so how can they be deemed rare for goodness sake? Collectors are not fools (and nor am I) and I will not insult their intelligence by stating otherwise.

Original Year of Release: 1966. This has all the attributes recognised as a ‘first’ pressing. I prefer to use the term first pressed ‘format’, rather than ‘pressing’ because this, like all Beatles albums was pressed a multitude of times to meet the massive demand.

Matrix Nos: YEX 605-1 / YEX 606-1 (please note, only the mono 606-1 has the alternative version of ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’. This is a standard stereo issue with the regular mix).

Stamper Codes: 3 HM / 1 MM (the ‘1’ being error corrected)

Brief Artist & Album Info: For many critics, collectors, connoisseurs and record ‘experts’, the greatest album ever made, it’s influence, groundbreaking sounds, recording techniques and sheer brilliance of the songs gives Revolver a strong claim to this crown certainly within the ‘popular’ genre. It almost single handedly changed the face of popular music and it’s importance cannot ever be overstated. For me, even more groundbreaking than ‘Sgt Pepper’, this really did break the rules and set new boundaries of songwriting excellence. This really was the major transition in The Beatles sound which was started on the previous album Rubber Soul (also on offer in stereo). The wider use of varied instruments including horns and strings, backward guitar sounds, experimentation and effects made for an astonishing experience and took their music into greater heights of the sublime. It took many by surprise – this really was all too much for some. Every song included is a classic, varied material with some truly beautiful songs, most will know this album anyway. But the final song, ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’ is something quite extraordinary and has to be contender for the greatest Beatles song ever. Although this album has the famous Matrix 606-1, this track is NOT the alternative withdrawn mix, that was only the 606-1 mono version, which can be considered relatively ‘rare’. Although a predictably huge seller, finding a hardly played original stereo copy of ‘Revolver’ is now proving far harder. The mono copy far outsold the stereo version and most were played to near destruction. This very impressive record offers superb sound with little of any note unwanted. No damaging old heavy-tracking stylus have ruined this beauty and such lightly used copies are at more of a premium. Only a little, relatively modest cover corner creasing is of any real issue, but considering the age and popularity and potential perils it faced over the years, this is still a splendid example. In terms of ‘miles-on-the-clock’ for a Beatles record, this one has hardly been run-in. So many fans needing a clean looking and sound stereo, early-pressed copy, this could be just the one you have been waiting for.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT: and this being somewhat cautious and conservative. A very famous cover, it was designed by Klaus Voorman and is as definitive as the remarkable album it encloses. A single format, laminated front with the word ‘stereo’ on the top right (later ones omitted this). This wraps around the closed edges on to three large rear flipbacks. It was printed and made by Garrod & Lofthouse and has ‘Patents pending’ next to this imprint. This record includes the black and white promotional inner.

Lamination & Front: One of the most famous covers in popular music history and this one, although not perfect, looks very impressive indeed. Visually, this front looks practically unaged and still as fresh, clean and white as when made. The laminate ultra fresh, clear, shiny and even under light, barely any hints of friction rubs or dulling. With nigh-on full adhesion and stunning clarity, the stunning graphic designed by Klaus Voormann will seldom be seen better. The only blemishing is a little mild creasing near the bottom left corner, this, on this side, only light and quite faint but the corner tip shows a little more – so not perfect but still setting a very high standard. We all know the states these mid-60s covers are usually found in, and this bucks the trend. Minus the creasing, more on the back, this would have been one of the very best I had seen, especially the scarcer stereo version.

Cover Back: This has little real wear as such and appears hardly aged at all. The only real issue is some creasing to the corner areas, with normal viewing, these are modestly light. All corners have them, but the most are seen on the bottom right with four near moderate ones, seen more on the white areas. The other three corners are far lighter and very mild indeed – all the creases have NOT broken the ink, hence the low visibility on the black areas. Still an impressive back that is clean and fresh with any handling traces to the matt dark surfaces modestly light and faint. No ringwear, rubbing or grubbiness and the flipbacks are neat and clean with no end grime lines or burring. The top one has a slightly uneven trim in manufacture which is a little unusual, but that is not wear, simply a trait of construction. So the creasing will be an issue for the more discerning collector, but in real terms, this cover sets a very high standard and importantly, looks impresisve to the eye. You pays your money, you takes your choice.

Top Edge: Practically as made and dead straight and smooth.

Bottom Edge: As above.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with practically no real wear, feathering and guaranteed untrimmed. This has a little more rustic trim in manufacture e.g. the ends are not ultra sharp but these is how these ones were. Beware of razor sharp edges with dead parallel card on front and back, most of these had the edges not absolutely dead flush (as these) and the type of card used on this cover were rarely ever precision cut in the factory. Record enters on this edge.

Spine and Text: Very impressive with just one small, mild surface scuff trace towards the bottom. Solid, straight with any compression tiny. All text is perfect and unworn under the solid and unpeeled laminate. Still clear and very white indeed and barely aged at all.

Corners: The bottom left has a moderate tip crease, the others are all superb and retain excellent to near mint shape. Even the creased tip one is crisp and neat for actual shape.

Cover Summary: Made in the era of quality, this is a work-of-art with a robust, solid build and with good weight. A really lovely one to look and the whiteness really does remind of new. With most of the rear creasing mild, light and faint, only the more moderate corner will worry the more discerning collector. I many Beatles fans will only settle for nigh-on perfection and this is not quite that. But for a cover around 45-years-old, this is still very impressive and looks lovely – the front especially so, that shine and clarity is very special. Many collectors will enjoy owning this very clean stereo cover.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(++): again being ultra critical. Few of these promotional inners will look better than this. Just light natural darkening mainly on the adhesive areas of the seams but little else at all. This black and white unlined inner promotes EMI albums from 1965 to 1966 including this album itself but not beyond. It has barely any creasing with all edges unsplit with no repairs. ‘PATENTS APPLIED FOR’ text is included. With original inners this clean and barely even handled, it simply reitterates to how little usage the record has received.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++): with any surface traces ultra fine, few and faint as seen very critically under bright angled light. A superb visual copy that is very clean, shiny, fresh, intense black and solidly pressed. An early cut Beatles album in stereo, hardly run-in in vinyl terms, most of these were heavily played and often trashed. Visually a super record that should please most-all collectors – such examples are at far more of a premium.

Album Played For Grading: Yes. [I play ALL records I offer before submitting to Ebay, also the record is played in its entirety unless clearly stated otherwise. I do NOT play snippets or joining grooves to check for sound quality and quietness – I play from the beginning to end via clinically revealing B&W speakers that include the legendary tweeter from their awesome Nautilus range that reveals every blemish or minuscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This very early-pressed stereo version plays up to its high visual and grading and beyound with practically nothing to fault. The most played, used and abused records ever made, to find even genuine very good copies is a reasonable achievement and this plays beautifully with very little unwanted. This has breathtaking real stereo sound which images beautifully, all is strong and distortion-free – a factor never to be taken for granted on these originals. All frequencies are sharp and clear throughout, even the difficult track on this album, ‘I Got to Get You Into My Life’, with its rasping brass that so often breaks up with echo and distortion. This demanding and vulnerable song remains focused and sharp. The other critical track is ‘Eleanor Rigby’ with its intense strings and this plays equally impressively. Any surface sounds are ultra gentle, few and faint with barely anything noted at all. Absolute silence from an immensely popular vinyl record this great age is a massive ask, but this comes pretty close – this too being play-graded on a massively revealing Linn LP12/Naim system. Sound quality is astonishing with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound, an exceptional recording by any standards and even today this has amazing sound values. The stereo imagery, focus, separation and clarity is sublime and the production and sound techniques still astonish. A masterclass in production and engineering, I hardly have the words to describe the quality of this recording. No pops or clicks were noted, that a massive plus on this album – remember one arm drop or jolt, and there’s another copy written off. Nothing of any note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this sublime album. A wonderful experience from the real thing, no digital formats will ever match or better this. This is exactly the way Martin and the Fab Four wanted you to hear it and this album, I feel above most in their catalogue, benefits from stereo sound all the more.

End Piece: Any Beatles album I offer will be carefully selected from reliable sources. These days I hardly even bother looking at record fayres for them, knowing full well that most will be in poor conditions, heavy penetrating scratches, tatty covers and labels a maze of spindle marks and scrapes, obviously played into submission. No-one wants these and who can blame them? I would rather offer just the occasional Beatles gem in super playing condition than loads of inferior sounding rubbish only fit for the skip. A quality Very Good is my bare minimum on most-all Beatles albums but this is way above that for sound and looks. The landmark and powerful audio qualities embedded in these unworn stereo grooves can never be beaten – the sounds the band and Martin wanted us to hear. Stereo copies are harder to find but hardly impossible. The cover is still gorgeous but the aforementioned creasing will be an issue to some. I can strongly recommend this lovely all-round copy. The greatest popular music album ever made? – Quite possibly – this is pure genius in every respect.

Now one of the most established sellers on Ebay and still offering the finest and most accurately described and graded records I can find. I pride myself on offering a variety of genres to keep my site as interesting as possible. I will rarely offer any record that falls below a true Excellent grading, unless its of a certain rarity which will justify offering a lesser grade. I try, to the best of my ability to describe as accurately and as honesty as I can all items I offer for sale with all the relevant information I can think of to help any potential bidder and collector. You may notice I only submit records sparingly on Ebay - on average ONEADAY, a couple more at weekends if time permits, hence the name - time rarely allows for more as I Play-Grade virtually every record I offer in their entirety, not just bits to guess a grade - visuals alone do not always tell a true or full story. I will mention any defects or flaws no matter how small that I notice to be fair as possible to any interested collector – I am very fussy and my buyers have the right to be too. Every record I offer, whether it be a common or rare item deserves the same respect as far as I am concerned and will be treated the same - just because an item is rare does not always mean its good. I get just as much pleasure offering a relatively common record in stunning near mint condition as the real rare items. All the pictures I use for your guidance are taken with a digital camera or scanned - they are NOT improved, cleaned-up or made better looking than they are with camera trickery or enhancing with digital programmes. What you see is what you get and scanned labels will give a more accurate representation of the genuine colour than flash photography where light is variable. I cannot guarantee total accuracy for colours however but most will be very close. If any picture I take looks more flattering than the actual item for any reason, I will clearly state the fact in the advert and vice-versa. I hope the item below is to your liking - any questions can be emailed and I will do my very best to answer you. I am enthusiastic, and have a fair degree of knowledge about many genres and I promise quality items - bid with confidence - excellence comes as standard and so does Near Mint regularly. Please assume all records I offer have NO jumps, sticks, warps or writing on covers or labels unless clearly stated to the contrary. Thanks for your interest and Good luck – MIKE.

Deck: Linn LP12/Hercules/Cirkus with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Rondo Red moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with QED Silver terminated cable). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional VPI-17 vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too. Pictures taken with a Nikon D5000 SLR Digital Camera.

PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET.

What You Get: To confirm to the strict Ebay rules on shipping, I must now send ALL my packets ‘Signed-For’ with NO exceptions. Both buyers and sellers want their packets to have a safer journey and this is not a bad thing.

I now offer the fastest possible posting, often the very next day after payment is received or within two to three days maximum (unless on holiday). I only use FIRST-CLASS Mail. The record’s cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my new VPI-17 Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. You will NOT get tired, dull looking, dust infested records inside worn and foggy covers with tatty inners from this seller and that’s a promise and guarantee. All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT Mailers, these do not offer any real protection). The record(s) are REMOVED from their main cover to avoid edge splits and placed within a brand new polylined inner. The record’s original inner will be included if available. The boxes are then reinforced with at least TWO, ULTRA THICK stiffeners for maximum extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffeners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will even be Double Boxed if deemed necessary and possible. When larger boxes are used, the thick record and stiffener ‘sandwich’ is then thickly embedded into bubble-wrap to bulk out the record inside the box to centre the item inside to reduce the risk of damage still further. Printed address labels are used for clarity as well as a sender label. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if at all possible but ‘Signed-For’ posting is NOT an option anymore. I do not profit on posting and the cost of this lavish packing is NOT even charged for, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners and bubble wrap make a near impregnable fortress for safe shipping and this is used inland and overseas for ALL my records, not just the rare and expensive. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than one in two thousand based on over 7,000+ items sold in nearly 10 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. The only damage rate acceptable for this seller is ZERO and I think my packets will offer just that. It would take a vicious postman or postal service to damage these for sure. Even one of these stiffeners cannot be bent by hand, so what chance 3 or 4 inside a box? Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FIVE records per box (one double can sometimes be included subject to total weight). I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included here and on ALL of my adverts. Details below:

NOTE: First Time Bidders: Please as me first.

PLEASE NOTE: I now exercise my right to open a dispute after the Ebay rule of FOUR days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the, again after the mandatory FOUR days and then offer the item to the runner-up or relist. The non-payer will also be blocked from my Ebay site and they take the Ebay consequences (a strike or removal from the system). Small businesses need prompt payment to trade and these strict rules WILL be applied.

SHIPPING COSTS & CONDITIONS – THESE comply with EBAY’S RULES - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY:

Posting & Packing: UK & CHANNEL ISLANDS all now sent via Recorded Delivery:

1 LP (FIRST-CLASS Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £2 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£46 maximum]) = £10. (Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3). Add £3 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); South America; New Zealand; Australia; Canada; Japan and other Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£46 maximum]) = £14. Add £4 per extra LP. (Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3)

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders or direct payment into my bank account.

Potential Bidders: I will cancel any bids I feel are time-wasters. A maximum 3 days for communication and 7 days for payment to arrive - if not I will relist the item or offer to the runner-up. Fast deals get great feedback from me. Any questions - please ask and thanks for looking.

My Guarantee: If any winning bidder is not satisfied with their purchase I will offer a complete refund. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer, so read the item description carefully. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help. Thank You.

SOME GENERAL GUIDES TO WEAR AND CONDITIONS TO HELP YOU DECIDE

My Use of Description Terminology: Surface Marks = Superficial, usually light marks, hairlines or light scuffs that rarely sound. Scratch = a needle mark that goes below the record’s surface, some will sound, some will not, my play-grade will inform. Original = a record that has been pressed with the first label design which does NOT necessarily mean a very first pressed record. First Pressing = A record that I believe or know to be a genuine very first pressed record. I do not claim to always know for sure, and that’s why I state the stamper and matrix numbers if at all possible, for those who claim to know what they all mean, the information is there for the collector to decide. I prefer to use terms like ‘Early Copy’ rather than ‘First Pressing’ if I am not totally sure. Surface Sound = Mild, light sound, usually light crackle or similar. Distortion = Break up of the actual sound caused by groove wear or damage from a chipped stylus – the most undesirable form of unwanted sound, vintage mono records were the most prone to this happening but not exclusively so. The symptoms of distortion are high frequency clipping, moderate constant crackle or an echo type sound quality. Violin, piano and vocals are most prone to groove-wear distortion. Feathering = Fraying or softening of the entry edge of a cover. Covers with feathered entrance edges are more likely to have had the actual record inserted and removed more than a non-feathered, sharp-edged cover which are always far more attractive. Set Off, actually a printer’s term for dark ink leaving mild residue on pale or white ink when rested upon. e.g. when a gatefold cover has black ink closed against white, this can leave some black residue on the pale area – this is mostly unavoidable or course.

The Argument for Vinyl Original sound and mix (mono mixes are rarely available on CD), high quality sound on clean copies (played on a hi-end dedicated analogue system – breathtaking sound!), beautiful, large format covers, artwork, inserts and even full size posters etc; huge investment potential, and the pleasure of owning ‘the real thing’.