The Beatles : Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 1/1 First Pressing

This early mono pressing plays with stunning audio and very little interference.  The vinyl is visually in superb order and has only ever been lightly played judging by the minimal amount of spindle wear.  The gatefold is in superb condition and has none of the wear on the spine that you so often see.

The cut out card is Mint and the red inner 'fool' sleeve is in excellent condition with only some tape on one side.

First Mono 1/1 pressing on Yellow/Black label.  'The Gramophone Co. Ltd' etc printed around the perimeter edge and 'Sold in U.K. subject to resale price conditions' also on labels.  KT tax code stamp on the S2 label.

PMC 7027 // XEX 637 - 1 / XEX 638 - 1 // GRH 1 / LL 3

The audio on S1 is Near Mint (Mint- in many sections / track 2 Ex+ / tracks 6 & 7 Near Mint-) 

The audio on S2 is Near Mint (Mint- in for the majority / track 1 intro G+ for 10 seconds / track 6 fade out Ex)

The gatefold is Ex++

The red 'fool' inner sleeve is Ex-

The Cut Out card is Mint

The labels are Near Mint

 Visual grading

  This is a visually stunning vinyl with only a couple of very minor imperfections.  There is very little spindle wear and has only ever been lightly played and that is borne out by the astounding clarity of the audio.  It retains a fantastic glossy sheen and is not at all heavily marked like so many, in fact it is extremely clean!  There is only one very tiny scratch at the beginning of S2 and a couple of very faint hairlines.  That is about it, it really is a very impressive looking vinyl and has been very well preserved over the last half century!  The labels and run out grooves are also in great condition.

Play grading

'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' plays with stunning clarity from the very first groove with no interference.  The brief guitar solo following the 'audience' intro often has some distortion but there is none here whatsoever.  It then continues to play 'as new' and the vocal in particular is just so impressive.  It is easily the strongest I have ever heard on a first pressing, there is just no intrusion on the immaculate audio.  This is easily a Mint- start to this classic album.

I cannot adequately explain how good the clarity is on 'With A Little Help From My Friends'.  Admittedly there is a click at the end of the second line and one towards the end but the remainder has a clarity of sound that is 'crystal clear'.  The definition of each note could not be any 'cleaner' and this clarity is only heard on a vinyl that has only been lightly played.  A shame about the two clicks obviously but the rest of the track is stunning.  Bearing this in mind I still think this track is worthy of an Ex+ grading

'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds' has barely any static on the intro and this is indeed a rarity.  Thereafter it plays with wonderful depth and there is no 'background' to be heard.  No clicks, pops, static or crackle.  This is audio of an exemplary standard and you can turn it up loud without fear of distortion!  The long fade out also plays with perfect precision.  A stunning Mint- version without doubt.

There is no static distortion on the 'Getting Better' guitar intro which is so rarely the case and it then plays to a wonderful standard with only a couple of very minor static ticks.  They are so quiet!  The fade plays perfectly giving you a good idea of the clarity on offer.

'Fixing A Hole' plays with immaculate quality from beginning to end.  It is incredible to think this vinyl is over 50 years old - the definition of the audio could not be any more succinct and it is obvious this vinyl has not been played very much at all.  There is no groove wear and the clarity is just stunning, another Mint- track for certain and the fade out is so impressive also.

'She's Leaving Home' is the one track on the track on the album that is always affected by static/distortion but this is without doubt the 'cleanest' version I have heard in many a year.  There are a small number of non-intrusive light 'ticks' but there is no static/crackle/distortion at all.  I cannot emphasise enough just how rare this is!  I have listened to countless versions down the years and this is up there with the best.  I grade honestly as my regular customers appreciate (please look at my feedback!) and this is quite simply the playback could not be a lot better.  I think this deserves a Near Mint- grading.

'Being For The Benefit of Mr Kite' ends the side with great clarity and no obvious 'background'.  There is just a minimal hint of static on the vocal here and there but perhaps I am being overly-critical?  You expect it on any final track and, as I always say, especially on a mono record being played through a stereo set up.  It still plays with wonderfully rich audio and there are no clicks, pops or crackle.  The Wurlitzer sections are 'as new' and overall this is a superb version of this track.

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'Within You Without You' has a few clicks on the intro but as the vocal begins in they have disappeared.  From then on it plays with superb clarity and with no other interference.  A shame about the intro but the remainder really does play 'as new'.  There is not even a dust tick.

'When I'm Sixty-Four' also impresses with sublime 'high end' audio from start to finish.  The playback is stunning and with only a handful of mega quiet dust ticks it could hardly play any better and is Near Mint without question.

'Lovely Rita' if anything is even more impressive.  From the very first groove the sonic quality is so strong and the entire track plays as well as it did back in '67.  It is exceptional!  So often it has some distortion but that is not the case here at all.

With only a minor hint of static on the 'farmyard' intro 'Good Morning, Good Morning' plays with wonderful quality.  There is no interference and the strong bass sound is very high in the 'mix' here and rarely the brief guitar solo has no distortion either.  This is a stunning version and even the end section plays with remarkable clarity, no 'background' whatsoever.

The 'Sgt. Pepper's...' reprise is quite simply up there with the best I have ever heard.  From the first note it is 'as new'.  The power and depth here is tangible and for such a 'high octane' track to play with such definition is a rarity.  This is deserving of a Mint- grading there is nothing to fault it.

The segue into the acoustic intro on 'A Day In The Life' plays with stunning precision and the first vocal on this classic is immaculate.  I do not want to repeat myself but the clarity here is just incredible.  There is absolutely nothing that intrudes on the audio and if this isn't Mint- I don't know what is!  The first crescendo section is immense and has no distortion on the top end at all.  How rare is that?!  The following section again plays perfectly and each instrument can be heard so clearly, there is no 'muddiness' to the sound, or any distortion, which again is rare as it is often one of the most frequently played tracks on the album, let's be honest.  The orchestral section is breathtakingly good and the final vocal also plays without fault.  The final crescendo section is 'off the scale', so powerful, and there is only minimal static distortion on the final 'note'.  The elongated quiet piano fade out has a little static but certainly no more than you would expect.  The 'nonsense' section at the end of the run out grooves also plays very well!

In summary this genuine first pressing does have a couple of issues but the vast majority plays with a clarity that is so rarely found today.  One of the most impressive aspects is how cleanly 'She's Leaving Home' plays plus 'A Day In The Life' is oen of the finest versions I have ever heard.  It is unfortunate about the intro on S2 but if you can live with that then the remainder of the side is nigh on perfect.  A highly creditable first pressing that is also visually super clean and comes complete with a lovely spine gatefold and impressive inserts.

The Gatefold

This G&L gatefold is in superb condition overall over very minor shelf wear.  It is so clean and has been preserved incredibly well.  The edges are 'as new' with no wear and the spine is also in great order and remains 100% legible.  It just has the thin crease line running down the middle caused by the opening of the gatefold.  The corners of the spine have barely any creasing.  The right hand corners have perhaps just a little more creasing but again it is only very minor.  The opening edges are in perfect condition with no handling wear.  The front cover has no marking and has retained its original colour extremely well and has only one very small area of laminate lift by the bottom right corner.  The back cover is stunning with only a small number of creases next to the spine.  The inside of this stunning gatefold is immaculate and the flipbacks have no staining of any kind.  The colours throughout are as strong and vivid as when first released back in '67.  This is gatefold that has been so carefully handled over the last 52 years and is a fantastic example without doubt.

Red Inner 'Foil' Sleeve & Cut Out card

The red inner is in excellent condition and has none of the marking that you so often see and only a very small amount of creasing.  The only negative is some cellotape on one edge (just over half the length of the side) but it is very clean and doesn't really detract from the overall look.

The Cut Out card is in perfect condition with no sign of any wear.

The Labels

The yellow/black Parlophone labels are in lovely condition with very little spindle wear and no marks or writing.  The KT tax code is on the S2 label.

I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.

Any questions please feel free to ask

Please pay within 4 days of auction end

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Postage & Packaging

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