The Beatles : Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 1/1 (T1 / P1 stampers!)

This very early mono pressing has only a single stamper on each side and how many of those are found today?  Furthermore the record has been very well looked after and plays to an excellent standard overall with only minimal interference.  The rare wide spine gatefold, that was only issued with the early first pressings, it is in SUPERB condition and I haven't seen one as good as this in a long time, it is stunning!  The wide spine is immaculate!

It also includes a perfect cut out card and the red inner 'fool' sleeve is in lovely condition with no splits, how rare is that?!

Based on EMIs GRAMOPHLTD system where G = 1, R = 2, A = 3 etc a record made with a 'P' stamper letter was produced with the 6th stamper and a 'T' stamper with the 9th stamper.  So when you consider anything between 300 - 500 records were made with each stamper you can see just how early and rare this 'Sgt. Pepper's' is!  Later pressings will have a combination of two or three letters so 'RMH' would have been made from the 247th stamper for example.  As you can see this is a mega early pressing and they are rarely found in this condition and are obviously highly collectable.

First Mono 1/1 pressing with T1/P1 stampers 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 S1 label.

PMC 7027 // XEX 637 - 1 / XEX 638 - 1 // T 1 / P 1

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

The audio on S2 is Near Mint (Mint- in many sections / track 5 intro VG- for two seconds / track 6 Ex)

The wide spine gatefold is Near Mint-

The red 'fool' inner sleeve is Near Mint-

The Cut Out card is Mint

The labels are Near Mint-

 Visual grading

  Overall this is a very clean vinyl when you consider its rarity and is certainly not heavily marked like so many.  There are some hairlines on both sides and a longer one on S1 but they have no affect on the audio.  It just shows you how robust vinyl from the 60s is.  It isn't visually perfect (how many are?!) but I must be clear here, the vast majority of it is very clean and for such an early first pressing it is in excellent condition for a 52 year old record.  There are no scratches or unsightly marks and no groove wear or radial lines either.  There is also not too much spindle wear and what you can see is centred around the inner circle area.  This is a record that has not been over-played and the clarity reflects that as detailed below.  Both sides retain a healthy glossy sheen and the labels and run out grooves are also extremely clean.  One other thing I should mention, there is a small 'kink' on one edge but in my opinion it does not qualify as a warp and in no way does it affect the audio or the stylus.  It is only minor.

Play grading

'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' has very minimal static on the 'audience' intro and then after a 5/6 seconds of minor static distortion the vocal then plays with great quality.  From then on there is barely any 'background' and the playback is stunning with no clicks, pops or crackle.

'With A Little Help From My Friends' is superb from the very first groove and then continues to play with mega impressive clarity.  In all honesty it could not play any better and I am confident in grading it as Mint- as there is just no interference whatsoever.  Wow!

The intro on 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds' is nigh on perfect and this is a rarity as there is often some distortion on the genuine first pressings.  Not here!  It then plays with exceptional depth and warmth and again the playback is so 'clean'.  There is no static even let alone any crackle and no clicks or pops either!  This is audio of a fantastic standard and i have never heard better.  The long fade out also plays with perfect precision.  A 100% stunning version!

'Getting Better' has only minimal distortion on the opening chords.  Very clean audio actually as often the sound can be quite 'jarring'.  Thereafter it plays very clearly with only a hint of mega quiet static in the background here and there.  It is so quiet and does not intrude on the audio at all and still grades as Near Mint- in my opinion.  Again the fade plays perfectly giving you a great idea of the clarity on offer.

'Fixing A Hole' plays with immaculate quality from the word go.  There is no 'background' from start to finish and easily deserves a Near Mint grading.  It would be Mint- but for a handful of mega quiet 'ticks' on the fade out and I do mean super quiet!  As stated there really isn't much spindle wear on the labels and this is just one reason why S1 is so far playing with incredible clarity.

  As any Beatles' audiophile knows 'She's Leaving Home' always plays with some static on the first mono pressings.  This I am certain is due to the way it was pressed although, not being an authority on the subject, I don't know why other tracks aren't affected?  Perhaps it's something to do with the recording/production process also?  With that in mind and accepting some 'background' as a given this version still plays very clearly but yes there is some light static on the top end but there are no clicks or pops at all.

'Being For The Benefit of Mr Kite' has only minimal quiet static on the intro and then plays with wonderful clarity for the remainder.  The mid instrumental Wurlitzer section is absolutely stunning and plays 'as new'.  Every now and then you hear the odd hint of mega quiet static but you have to listen hard to 'pick' it up!  A little more light static on the end section perhaps but overall this is a very impressive version of this track.

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With only a couple of dust ticks on the intro 'Within You Without You' plays with astounding clarity from beginning to end.  I am quite simply blown away by the definition of the sound here, it has obviously been hardly played.  The separation is so impressive i.e. you can hear each note perfectly and it basically plays 'as new' with no interference at all.  A 'clean' version such as this also plays with a deep rich bass sound.  I know Mint when I hear it and this is it!  An absolutely breathtaking start to S2.

'When I'm Sixty-Four' continues in much the same way with only a small number of very light 'ticks' but certainly nothing that is intrusive.  The playback is super impressive and again...no clicks or pops.  This is another track on this mega early first pressing that plays with wonderful depth and precision, a rarity when you consider this is a relatively quiet track on a 52 year old record!  It is Near Mint without question.

You really have to listen to 'Lovely Rita' to believe it!  From the first note the playback is just incredible!  This has to be the strongest and 'cleanest' version I have ever heard.  As my regular customers know I do not exaggerate my gradings and this just plays 'as new' is it exceptional!  So often this track has some distortion but there is none here whatsoever.  A sublime version with immaculate clarity from the first groove to the last.

The 'farmyard' intro (!) on 'Good Morning, Good Morning' has only a little static distortion but that is always the case on these pressings.  As soon as the vocal comes in the audio could not be any better and the strong bass sound is so prevalent here.  From then on it plays so clearly with only a minimal touch of static that is barely audible and perhaps not even worth a mention!  The brief guitar solo in the middle plays with no distortion, a rarity indeed.  The end section has barely any distortion and plays exceptionally well with just one click on the final 'note'.

There are also a couple of clicks on the 'Sgt. Pepper's...' reprise just prior to the 1,2,3,4 count in.  A little frustrating but at least it isn't during the music.  They are caused by a tiny 'speck' that I am unable to move!  It then proceeds to play with superb depth and power and for such a 'high octane' track it's rare for there to be no distortion.  It is stunning and apart from the two seconds at the beginning this is one of the most powerful versions I have heard in many a year.

The segue into the acoustic intro on 'A Day In The Life' is nigh on perfect with only a minimal touch of light static.  From then on it plays with excellent clarity but there is some light static on the top end here and there but that is so often the case with this track I find.  It still plays very clearly and there are no clicks or pops.  The first crescendo section is very strong and has hardly any distortion, just a little static.  It then plays very clearly but again there is a touch of intermittent static but in no way is it intrusive.  It is almost impossible to find this track playing with perfect precision and it is still impressive an impressive version with no clicks or pops at all.  It perhaps should be graded as Ex although certain sections do play better than that.  The final crescendo section is superb and has barely any static or distortion.  Stunning!  As always though the final piano note does have some light static.  The long fade out then plays very clearly and with only some light crackle/ticks right at the end.

In summary it is rare to find a genuine first pressing with single stampers playing this well.  Yes there is the usual 'background' on 'She's Leaving Home' and a couple of clicks on S2 but in the main the clarity and depth of the audio is very impressive and there really is not that much distortion and what you can hear is only minor.  Plus it is also rare to find such an early pressing as 'clean' as this.  Ok there are some hairlines but there are no scratches and judging by the amount of spindle wear it has definitely not been played excessively.  Overall a very worthy T1 / P1 first pressing that will not disappoint.  Not only that but the wide spine gatefold is absolutely stunning and I have never seen a better example as detailed below.

The Gatefold

Now this is the most stunning 'wide spine' G&L gatefold I have ever seen, it is a beautiful example of its type!  Hopefully the photos do it justice!  In my opinion it has hardly ever been opened as it does not fully extend when you try to, not even close to it!  The edges are 'as new' with no wear and the wide spine is quite simply superb!  It is so often badly damaged/compressed but this is nigh on pristine, I have never seen cleaner, and it goes without saying that it is still 100% legible.  The corners are very impressive with only a minor 'rub' top left and lower right and there is also hardly any wear on the opening edges.  The front cover is so clean with no marking and the laminate is near perfect apart from a couple of very small 'bubbles' near the spine lower left.  The back cover again has no marking and at first glance looks 'as new' but on closer inspection you can see 3/4 very faint creases.  The inside of this stunning gatefold is immaculate apart from a small area of compression on the inner spine and the flipbacks are in perfect condition.  The colours throughout are so strong and vivid and are as 'fresh' as when first released back in '67.  This is a FINAL UPGRADE ARCHIVE cover in my opinion and will impress any avid collector.  This is a gatefold that has been so carefully handled over the last 50+ years, a fantastic example without doubt.

Red Inner 'Foil' Sleeve & Cut Out card

Not surprisingly the inserts are also in fabulous condition.  The red 'fool' inner sleeve has no splits and only a very small amount of light creasing and no marking anywhere.

The Cut Out card is in perfect condition with no signs of wear either.

The Labels

The yellow/black Parlophone labels are in near perfect condition with only some spindle wear on each side, not a great amount though.  There are no marks or writing at all.  The KT tax code is on the S1 label.

Play tested on my Pro-Ject Essential III Turntable / B&W 684 Speakers
This record has been professionally cleaned on a Pro-Ject VC-S machine

PMC 7027 // XEX 637 - 1 / XEX 638 - 1 // T 1 / P 1

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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