The HOLLIES EVOLUTION 1967 UK STEREO 1st press LP PMC 7022 impressive audio VG+

	£		22
	$		29

THE HOLLIES - EVOLUTION

An increasingly rare and sought after copy of this 1967 UK STEREO 1st pressing on the UK yellow and black Parlophone label, PCS 7022

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1  YEX 635 - 1 with stampers "1" and "R" at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock respectively

Side 2  YEX 636 - 1 with stampers "1" and "0" at 10 o'clock and 4 o'clock respectively

The appearance of the vinyl is excellent-. Completely flat and mostly glossy but with some slight dulling in places, a little more noticeable in the dead wax areas actually. No obvious scratches and it's only under a bright light that some wispy hairlines and a few very light surface scuff marks come into view - there is nothing "feelable" here and all of these superficial blemishes appear to be just that - surface only and superficial. Nice.

The labels are excellent+. No marks whatsoever except for a couple of very faint spindle trails adjacent to the centre hole on each side. Note the "K" and "T" tax codes sitting proud on the side 2 label, which along with the -1/-1 matrix numbers authenticate this as a true UK 1st pressing.

The front laminated Garrod & Lofthouse outer sleeve is VG+. All top and bottom edges are near perfect, remaining firm with no scuffing at all. The spine is also firm with all writing perfectly legible. There is no fraying on the opening edges, and each corner remains a well defined right angle with barely and rubbing at all. There are nine 1cm very light horizontal laminate creases adjacent and perpendicular to the spine on the front side, a further nine adjacent to the top edge, and some very light creasing on the front side towards each of the bottom corners and again towards the front side opening edge - nothing that is immediately obvious and nothing to detract from the iconic front side photography which is completely intact with a rich, vibrant appearance - very impressive. The reverse side is equally impressive with just a little scuffing/nick on two of the flip backs which are in otherwise excellent condition. Impressive!

Finally, the quality of the audio is VG+. There is wonderful tone and clarity throughout and with no distortion, even on the higher frequencies and at higher volume. No skips and no background interference/crackle either, just the occasional, sporadic light click for which (in each case) I am unable to find any obvious cause and so can only put this down to a combination of static and (more likely) the odd speck of dust in the grooves through decades of storage. None of these mild clicks (and they really are mild, and they really are only very occasional) are intrusive or detract from the overall VG+ (at least) audio quality. What an underrated album this is, with each track making for a great listen.

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

1. THEN THE HEARTACHES BEGIN

2. STOP RIGHT THERE

3. WATER ON THE BRAIN

4. LULLABY TO TIM

5. HAVE YOU EVER LOVED SOMEBODY

6. YOU NEED LOVE

Side 2 :

1. RAIN ON THE WINDOW

2. HEADING FOR A FALL

3. YE OLDE TOFFEE SHOPPE

4. WHEN YOUR LIGHTS TURNED ON

5. LEAVE ME

6. THE GAMES WE PLAY

Comes with plain white poly-lined inner sleeve which has no splits or tears - just a little mild creasing and some slight age dicolouration but still fully functional. Note that I always post the record in a new plain white inner sleeve in order to protect the original.

In summary a VG+ copy of this increasingly sought after 1967 UK original STEREO pressing Hollies classic - a  worthy addition to any 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  : UK £3.00; 

and Royal Mail international 1st class Airmail for continental Europe £7.00, and Rest of the World £11.00. 

 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