The BEATLES - ABBEY ROAD

A nice condition and very presentable copy of this increasingly hard to find and sought after 1969 UK very 1st press Beatles classic, on the UK APPLE label, STEREO, PCS 7088

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1    YEX 749 - 2  with stampers "9" and "M H D" at 9 o'clock and 2.30 o'clock respectively 

Side 2    YEX 750 - 1  with stampers "8" and "A M G" at 10 o'clock and 3.30 o'clock respectively

The overall appearance and condition of the vinyl is very good plus (VG+). Each side of the vinyl has retained a beautiful jet black sheen and looks great in normal daylight with no obvious marks. With very close scrutiny under a bright light a reasonable number of fine hairlines and very, very mild paper scuffs come into view...none are feelable and all appear to be surface only and superficial though there are x4 very mild, background clicks towards the beginning of track 1 on side 2, though close inspection reveals no obvious cause.

The condition of the labels is excellent (EX). Gorgeous 1st pressing darker green apple labels with all text, all colouring, and the iconic apple all remaining beautifully intact. There are just a few very, very fine spindle trails on each label and, of course, the absence of any "Her Majesty" credit on the side 2 label confirms this as a true UK very first pressing.

The condition of the fully laminated Garrod & Lofthouse outer sleeve is very good (VG). All edges remain firm with no scuffing at all, each corner remains a near perfectly defined right angle with barely any rubbing on each, the rare "nipped" at each end spine also remains firm with all text perfectly intact, and the opening sides remain firm with no fraying - amazing! There are a number of faint surface laminate 1cm creases perpendicular and adjacent to each of the edges, on both the front and reverse side, and an area of laminate lift, along with slight upward curvature of the cardboard, in the bottom left corner of the front side (see photo). There is also some further intermittent vertical laminate creasing/lifting adjacent to the spine on the front side and a further small, surface laminate crease towards the bottom right corner with a similar laminate crease on the reverse side towards the bottom left corner. All of these blemishes are relatively minor.  Both sides of the sleeve remain taut and glossy with all colours rich, deep and vibrant, and the photos retaining perfect definition. All text is perfectly intact with no unwanted writing or doodles anywhere. A solid very good overall.

Finally, the overall quality of the audio is very good+ (VG+).  Impressive tone and clarity throughout even at higher volume and higher frequencies, with no skips, no jumps, no repeats, no sticks, and no obtrusive clicks though I did notice 3 very light background clicks at the beginning of "Come Together", x2 very mild background clicks part way through "Because", and "x6 mild background clicks during "Her Majesty". There is also just a little, mild background crackle at the very beginning and end of each side and during a couple of the quieter moments/interludes on side 1, but none of this is major or sufficiently intrusive to significantly impact upon the overall very good plus (if not better) stereo audio quality with every track making for a great listen on this wonderful and timeless album. Indeed for much of the album the sound quality is a solid excellent.

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

1. COME TOGETHER

2. SOMETHING

3. MAXWELL'S SILVER HAMMER

4. OH! DARLING

5. OCTOPUS'S GARDEN

6. I WANT YOU (She's so heavy)

Side 2 :

1. HERE COMES THE SUN

2. BECAUSE

3. YOU NEVER GIVE ME YOUR MONEY

4. SUN KING

5. MEAN MR. MUSTARD

6. POLYTHENE PAM

7. SHE CAME IN THROUGH THE BATHROOM WINDOW

8. GOLDEN SLUMBERS

9. CARRY THAT WEIGHT

10. THE END

With no "HER MAJESTY" credit!

Comes with original plain white "PATENT NO..." and "MADE IN GREAT BRITAIN" horizontal text inner sleeve with no tears, splits or rips, just some mild creasing at the corners and a little fraying on the top opening edges. Note that I will post the vinyl in a new plain white inner sleeve in order to protect the original.

In summary an overall nice condition and very presentable copy of this increasingly hard to find 1969 very first UK press Beatles masterpiece - an essential part of 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 £11 and Rest of the World £15, 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