The BEATLES - A HARD DAY'S NIGHT

A nice condition and highly presentable copy of this increasingly hard to find and sought after 1964 UK very 1st press Beatles classic, on the yellow & black Parlophone label, MONO, PMC 1230

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1    XEX 481 - 3N  with stampers "7" and "R A T" at 10 o'clock and 4 o'clock respectively 

Side 2    XEX 482 - 3N  with stampers "5" and "R A D" at 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock respectively

GRADINGS :

RECORD (Visual Grade / Condition Grade) :  Very Good plus (VG+) / Very Good plus (VG+)  Completely flat and heavy vinyl with lovely jet black sheen on both sides. Glossy in normal daylight and only with close scrutiny under a bright light do a reasonable number of fine hairlines and just a few small and very faint scuff marks come into view on each side - nothing feelable and all appearing to be superficial. 

 

LABELS : Excellent (EX) for both sides, with all of the silver writing and Parlophone logo upon the smooth black background perfectly intact, and just a couple of small and extremely faint spindle trails on each label. Note the "M" and "T" embossed tax codes on the side 2 label along with the "SOLD IN U.K...." and "RECORDING FIRSD PUBLISHED..." texts on each label, all of which are UK 1st pressing identifiers.

  

OUTER SLEEVE : Very Good plus (VG+) : Garrod & Lofthouse front side laminated with reverse side flipbacks, with no cardboard creasing, firm edges with no edge scuffing apart from a couple of light nicks on the bottom edge; corners nicely defined right angles with minor rubbing only. x4 1cm horizontal surface creases adjacent and perpendicular to spine but not impinging upon the spine text which is perfectly intact and the spine itself remains rigid. There is a 9cm diagonal laminate crease at the top left corner which appears to be superficial only. Opening edges are firm with no fraying and the reverse side is in truly  condition with the flipbacks in great shape and just the hint of a little grubbiness towards the opening edge. Lovely art work, photos and text all perfectly intact with all colours still rich and well defined and no unwanted writing or doodles. Impressive!

 

INNER SLEEVE : Original "USE EMITEX" and "MADE IN ENGLAND" poly-lined, die-cut inner sleeve with no rips or tears but there is a 4cm seam split in the middle of the right edge, and some mild creasing at the bottom corners; nevertheless still remaining fully functional. NOTE that I will place the record into a plain white inner sleeve (and separate from the outer sleeve) in order to protect the original inner sleeve during posting.

 

AUDIO QUALITY :  Very Good (VG) at least. Impressive MONO tone and clarity throughout. No skips, sticks, repeats, or jumps, just the occasional very light click and some occasional light and background crackle only really noticeable (and even then not significantly intrusive) during some of the quieter moments and interludes. Nothing to detract from the fact that every track on this wonderful LP still makes for a great listen.

 

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

1. A HARD DAY'S NIGHT

2. I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER

3. IF I FELL

4. I'M HAPPY JUST TO DANCE WITH YOU

5. AND I LOVE HER

6. TELL ME WHY

7. CAN'T BUY ME LOVE

Side 2 :

1. ANY TIME AT ALL

2. I'LL CRY INSTEAD

3. THINGS WE SAID TODAY

4. WHEN I GET HOME

5. YOU CAN'T DO THAT

6. I'LL BE BACK

In summary a solid very good  condition and highly presentable copy of this increasingly hard to find 1964 UK 1st press Beatles classic - 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 49 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 64 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 thick cardboard "crucifix" style mailer along with at least two thick 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 UK £3.00, Royal Mail 1st class signed for; continental Europe £10 and Rest of the World £14, Royal Mail 1st class international Airmail, tracked and signed for.

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

Good luck with your bidding!

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