THE BEATLES White Album 1968 UK MONO No.0017071 TOP OPENING complete EXCELLENT+

	£		302
	$		400

THE BEATLES - DOUBLE WHITE ALBUM

A rare and sought after copy of this 1968 UK MONO 1st pressing on the UK APPLE label, MONO, PMC 7067/8

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1  XEX 709 - 1 with stampers "4" and "G 11" at 9.30 o'clock and 3.30 o'clock respectively

Side 2  XEX 710 - 1 with stampers "2 6" (could be a "G") and "R G" at 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock respectively

Side 3  XEX 711 - 1 with stampers "1" and "R" at 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock respectively

Side 4  XEX 712 - 1 with stampers "2" and "R" at 8.30 o'clock and 2.30 o'clock respectively

The appearance of each of the vinyls is EXCELLENT. Each vinyl is flat and each side of each vinyl has retained it's original beautiful glossy sheen. On record 1 (sides 1 and 2) in normal daylight there are no marks visible at all, under a bright light there is just the very occasional small wispy hairline - paper scuffs really - which are negligible. On record 2 (sides 3 and 2) there are just a couple of very light hairlines and faint scuffs that are just visible in normal daylight, and under a bright light a couple more small light scuffs and wispy hairlines on each side. In summary, I would grade record 1 as excellent+ appearance and condition and record 2 as excellent appearance and condition. In other words...gorgeous!

The labels are excellent+ also. Again, in normal daylight each label comes across as pristine. It's only under a bright light and with close inspection that a few very light spindle trails can be identified adjacent to the centre hole on each label. Note the absence of any reference to "E.M.I." on the label text, which is indicative of very first pressings of this wonderful album - later pressings contained the text "An E.M.I. Recording". 

The laminated Garrod & Lofthouse laminated outer sleeve is in very good+ condition.  All edges remain firm with no scuffing, and that includes the rigid spine where all writing remains legible. There is a little area of indentation towards the bottom of the spine on the reverse side along with a couple of very small blemishes towards the reverse side bottom edge (see photo). The inside of the gatefold is equally impressive with all text perfectly intact and the Beatles photos in as nice a condition as when this record was first bought. There are a couple of small blemishes on the flipbacks (nothing really - see photos) and some very light minor diagonal laminate creasing adjacent to the spine leading to the top edge - again, very minor. Also, I have just noticed (because the sun was shining exactly on this spot as I type!) a name indentation adjacent to the top edge which presumably was once in biro but has since been cleaned off. You really won't notice the name unless you catch the area in question in a very bright light and even then at the correct angle. Overall I would say that the appearance and cover of this still beautifully glossy gatefold, with the extremely low number of "0017071" clear to see on the front side, borders on excellent but I will settle for very good+.

The four photos are in pristine condition - no marks whatsoever, no scuffing or unwanted writing, no blue tac or glue residue and no pin prick holes. Pristine!

The folded and obviously well looked after lyric/photo poster is in excellent+ condition with no tears or splits, no unwanted writing, and just a small area of some very mild creasing towards one corner and the occasional age discolouration spot.  Beautiful!

Finally, the quality of the audio is excellent+, superb in fact. There is wonderful mono tone and clarity throughout and with no distortion, even on the higher frequencies and at higher volume. No skips or nasty pops, no background crackle or interference (ok, perhaps the odd nano second of static which you would hear on any record)...overall stunning. During the many, many years I have been collecting vinyl and countless occasions I have listened to this classic album, the audio quality of this particular copy has to be up there with the very best. 

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

1. BACK IN THE U.S.S.R.

2. DEAR PRUDENCE

3. OB-LA-DI, OB-LA-DA

4. WILD HONEY PIE

5. THE CONTINUING STORY OF BUNGALOW BILL

6. WHILE MY GUITAR GENTLY WEEPS

7. HAPPINESS IS A WARM GUN

Side 2 :

1. MARTHA MY DEAR

2. I'M SO TIRED

3. BLACKBIRD

4. PIGGIES

5. ROCKY RACCOON

6. DON'T PASS ME BY

7. WHY DON'T WE DO IT IN THE ROAD

8. I WILL

9. JULIA

Side 3 :

1. BIRTHDAY

2. YER BLUES

3. MOTHER NATURE'S SON

4. EVERYBODY'S GOT SOMETHING TO HIDE EXCEPT ME AND MY MONKEY

5. SEXY SADIE

6. HELTER SKELTER

7. LONG LONG LONG

Side 4 :

1. REVOLUTION 1

2. HONEY PIE

3. SAVOY TRUFFLE

4. CRY BABY CRY

5. REVOLUTION 9

6. GOOD NIGHT

Comes complete with original one-sided die-cut black inners which, amazingly, have no tears or splits and remain as functional now as the day this album was first purchased. Excellent+!  Note that I always post the record(s) in a new plain white inner sleeve(s) in order to protect the original(s).

In summary a truly EXCELLENT copy of this rare and highly sought after 1968 UK 1st MONO pressing Beatles classic, with the stunning audio quality and very low front numbering both real high points - a "must" for any serious Beatles vinyl collection and only continuing to gain in value.

 If you require any further information, including photos, then let me know and I'll do my best to oblige. 

If this record interests you then take a look at my other 60's & 70's classic vinyl listings.

A bit about myself : I have been collecting vinyl for more than 48 years and have amassed a huge collection covering a varied genre, but mostly of 1960's and 70's origin. Most of my records were originally bought by myself for my own collection, but during the past 30 years I have embellished my collection by buying records from a variety of sources : friends/acquaintances, car boot sales, auctions, and even through putting up a "vinyl wanted" notice in my wife's shop! I am now retired and take great delight in being able to spend more time scouring the country and attending boot sales and auctions in the hope of unearthing more vinyl gems...I am 63 years of age now and am still discovering bands and music of the 60's and 70's that I have never come across before. Wonderful! Richard

My ebay feedback speaks for itself so rest assured that you are buying from a trusted seller and in the very unlikely event that you are unhappy with your purchase just e-mail me and I'll sort out the problem. I offer a "no quibble" refund policy. 

On the subject of postage, I take great care in the packaging of all items, using a proper vinyl cardboard mailer along with at least two cardboard stiffeners. I take great care in separating the record from the outer sleeve in order to help prevent sleeve damage in transit and I always insert the vinyl, outer sleeve and inner into a clear plastic sleeve, thus adding further protection. 

For this item postage & packaging will be Royal Mail 1st class signed for  : UK £5.00; 

and Royal Mail 1st class tracked and signed for continental Europe £12, and Rest of the World £16. 

 I do discount post & packaging costs for multiple purchases. I do NOT profit from postage.

Good luck with your bidding! Richard

NOTE : My vinyl descriptions comply with the official Record Collector vinyl grading guidelines :

Mint

The records itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items, such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.

Excellent

The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and /or creasing.

Very Good

The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

Good

The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discolouration, etc.

Fair

The record is still just playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents are torn, stained and/or defaced

Poor

The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents are badly damaged or partly missing.

Bad

The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection-filler

Upon reflection, and having played the entire album (both records) through one more time I would like to add a comment to the overall audio quality : record 1 (both sides) is as per the original advert - excellent+ in other words, with superb sound quality throughout. For record 2 there is a little occasional, mild and sporadic background interference/crackle, most noticeable at the beginning and end of sides 3 and 4. On very close inspection I have detected some very light scuffing at the beginning of side 3 which might explain this mild interference, but for the end of side 3 and the beginning and end of side 4, and some of the interludes, I cannot find an obvious cause so can only assume that this is down to dust in the grooves through decades of storage and feel confident that a professional clean would go a long way to curing. Nonetheless, with this in mind I would like to re-grade the audio quality for record 2 (sides 3 and 4) as very good+ and not excellent+.