The Beatles WHITE ALBUM 1968 UK LP 1st MONO No Emi 0016236 VERY LOW NM HEAR

	£		930
	$		1,232

MAGNIFICENT NEAR MINT PLAYTHROUGH

BARELY PLAYED

1968 NUMBERED TOP OPENING PRESS  - IN MONO
UNIQUE NUMBER  - 0016236

Here is is ladies and gentlemen a magnificent collectable example of this Beatles Classic, with a number that sits well under the first 20,000 copies released
This had to be a first day of issue back in November 1968. The unique number sits at 0016236
and in addition to most copies that you may see on this platform, this one plays absolutely perfectly

The set does not have the 'Emi recording' information at 9.0'clock on the label ensuring this is a genuine 1st issue set of discs to match the sleeve

THE RECORDS

DISC 1
GLEAMING DISC AND CLEARLY IT HAS BEEN WELL CARED FOR AND NOT ABUSED LIKE MOST. THE LABELS ARE PERFECT. NO LOSS OF COLOUR AND NO STICKEY RESIDUE MARKS OR ANY WRITING. THE SPINDLE HOLE IS UNWORN AND I CAN SEE JUST 2-3 BARELY VISIBLE SPIDER LINES BY THE HOLE WHEN USING A MAGNIFYING LED HALO.
LOOKING AT THE VINYL UNDER THESE CONDITIONS I ALSO SEE ONE SURFACE HAIRLINE ON EACH SIDE. NEITHER OF THESE ARE PROBLEMATIC AND THE STYLUS PASSES  OVER EACH ONE WITHOUT CAUSING ANY NOISE WHATSOEVER
YOU WOULD BE HARD PRESSED TO FIND A CLEANER EXAMPLE OF THIS ONE

DISC 2
AGAIN IN DAYLIGHT THE RECORD LOOKS NEAR PERFECT. I CAN SEE SOME NON SOUNDING EMBEDDED DULL FLECKS AND SPOTS IN THE VINYL, BUT THEY ARE VISUAL AND NOT AUDIBLE. YOU SEE THESE IN MANY DISCS
THERE ARE ALSO A COUPLE OF SURFACE HAIRLINES VISIBLE UNDER THIS BRIGHT LIGHT AND AGAIN THESE ARE NOT AFFECTING THE SOUND. THERE IS A PIN PRICK SIZED MARK ON MOTHER NATURES SON , WHICH DOES CAUSE A FEW LITTLE LIGHT TICS (SEE BELOW)
THE LABELS ARE IDENTICAL TO DISC ONE, IN THAT THEY ARE PERFECT IN COLOUR AND THERE IS NO WEAR TO THE SPINDLE HOLE, AND LIKE DISC ONE JUST 2-3 TINY SPIDER LINES VISIBLE

THE TEST PLAY

ONE OF THE FRUSTRATIONS WITH THIS ALBUM IS THAT IT IS OFTEN FOUND TO LOOK GOOD, BUT AS SOON AS THE STYLUS HITS THE VINYL A DISTORTION TO THE RECORDED SOUND IS HEARD USUALLY THROUGH JUST ONE SPEAKER. 

I HAVE LOST COUNT OF THE TIMES I HAVE FOUND WHAT I THOUGHT TO BE A GREAT SET ONLY TO BE LET DOWN WHEN PLAYING IT.

WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS A TOTALLY DISTORTION FREE PAIR OF VINYLS. 

DISC 1
PLAYS AS WELL AS ANY COPY I HAVE EVER HEARD
NO BACKGROUND CRACKLE, NO EMBEDDED VINYL NOISE, NO DISTORTION AND NO CRACKLE
NO TICS OR POPS, AND THE VERY VULNERABLE 'JULIA' PLAYS TO ABSOLUTE PERFECTION
SILENT THROUGH THE LINKING GROOVES, AND I CAN HONESTLY SAY THAT I HEARD NO MORE THAN A COUPLE OF THE TINIEST SEMI SECONDS OF STATIC. A TRULY EXCEPTIONAL AUDIO FROM START TO FINISH AND I MUST GRADE THIS AUDIO PERFORMANCE AS MINT MINUS

DISC 2

NO EMBEDDED VINYL NOISE. TRACK THREE , SIDE THREE (MOTHER NATURE'S SON) HAS A FEW LITTLE TICS CAUSED BY A TINY MARK ON THE SURFACE OF THE DISC. THE FINAL TRACK HAS A LITTLE LOW LEVEL BACKGROUND TOWARDS THE END OF IT. OTHER THAN THIS JUST THE ODD TINY SPECKLE OF STATIC LIKE BACKGROUND ON SIDE THREE
SIDE FOUR PLAYS ALMOST AS SPECTACULARLY AS THE FIRST TWO SIDES. I HEARD JUST A LITTLE LIGHT LOW LEVEL BACKGROUND AT THE START OF REVOLUTION 9  , JUST FOR A FEW ROTATIONS.OTHER THAN THIS JUST A TINY BIT OF STATIC LIKE BACKGROUND AT THE END OF SIDE FOUR

THE AUDIO PERFORMANCE FOR DISC TWO  I WOULD PUT AT EX+

TWO SUPERB DISCS MAKING UP THIS AMAZING SET AND I AM HAPPY TO GIVE THIS AUDIO AN OVERALL GRADE OF NEAR MINT.

TAKE A LISTEN AND JUDGE IT FOR YOURSELF

THE SLEEVE

A GLEAMING  WHITE SLEEVE , IN REALLY TOP CONDITION. THE FRONT SURFACE IS FLAT AND CLEAN AND ONLY HAS SOME VERY SLIGHT TELLOWING UNDER THE LAMINATE NOT TOTALLY YELLOW LIKE MANY

THERE ARE NO HEAVY CREASES OR BENDS, AND NO LOSS OF THE LAMINATE AT ANY POINT. THE FOUR CORNERS ARE ONLY MARRED BY A SMALL DING TO THE BOTTOM RIGHT TIP
NO RING WEAR OR RECORD SHAPE

THERE IS JUST ONE MINUSCULE PRESSURE LINE NEXT TO THE  SPINE. NONE ALONG THE TOP EDGE

THREE ON THE BOTTOM EDGE, AND A SMALL CLUSTER TOGETHER ON THE RIGHT EDGE

THE UNIQUE NUMBER IS STILL VERY CLEAR WITH ALL OF THE DIGITS CLEAR AND UNFADED  

THE EMBOSSED BEATLES LOGO HAS ALL OF THE LAMINATE FIRMLY AFFIXED TO IT, NO PEEL OR FLAKE

THE RIGHT AND BOTTOM EDGES ARE PRISTINE WITH ALL OF THE LAMINATE FULLY RUNNING FROM CORNER TO CORNER, AND JUST A DOT OF RUB ON THE RIGHT CORNER TIPS

THE SPINE IS TOTALLY FLAT AND UNSQUASHED, AND EVERY LETTER OF THE TYPEFACE IS PRISTINE AND PERFECTLY LEGIBLE. THE LAMINATE  LIKE MOST DO HAS A LITTLE FLAKING

THE OPENING EDGES ARE STILL VERY SHARP WITH JUST A VERY TINY BIT OF FEATHERING

THE REAR SURFACE IS EVERY BIT AS GLEAMING AND MARK FREE AS THE FRONT. JUST ONE SMALL PRESSURE LINE ON THE SPINE. NONE ON THE TOP OR LEFT EDGES
NO RING WEAR
OPENING THE GATEFOLD SHOWS THAT THE FLIPBACKS ARE PERFECTLY ADHERED, WITH A FEW PRESSURE LINES ON THE LEFT FLIPBACK AND ONE LIGHT CREASE LINE NEAR THE FLIPBACK

THE TWO INNER SLEEVES ARE 100% UNSPLIT AT THE SEAMS, AND AMAZINGLY NO DAMAGE TO THE DIE CUT HOLES

THE ORIGINAL GARROD AND LOFTHOUSE POSTER IS ALSO INCLUDED AND IS IN TOP CONDITION. THERE ARE NO SEAM SPLITS, AND THE FOLD LINES ARE SHARP. CLEAN ALL OVER AND NO FOXING LIKE MANY. THIS REALLY LOOKS AS GOOD AS I HAVE EVER SEEN ONE

I AM MORE THAN HAPPY TO GRADE THIS SLEEVE VERY CLOSE TO NEAR MINT

IT IS THAT GOOD