Sold Date: October 5, 2014
Start Date: September 28, 2014
Final Price: £20.00 (GBP)
Bid Count: 1
Seller Feedback: 367
Buyer Feedback: 52

THE BEATLES – HELP!

Cat Number: PMC 1255                                      Mode / Speed: Mono / 33.3 rpm.

Year of Release: 1965 (1st press)                       Matrix Nos: XEX 549-2 & XEX 550-2

Stampers: A Side: 9 RAP  B Side: 4 RRT     

Country of Manufacture: UK

TRACK LIST:

Side 1

Help!
The Night Before
You've Got to Hide Your Love Away
I Need You
Another Girl
You're Going to Lose That Girl Ticket To Ride

Side 2

Act Naturally
It's Only Love
You Like Me Too Much
Tell Me What You See
I've Just Seen a Face
Yesterday
Dizzy Miss Lizzy

Background:

The Beatles fifth official album release. Side one contains the seven songs from the film.

Naturally it went straight to No.1, replacing "The Sound Of Music" soundtrack,  but just two months later, "The Sound Of Music" went back to the top of the charts.

The cover shot of The Beatles doing semaphore does NOT spell H-E-L-P ! ... they are spelling N-U-J-V !! The proper semaphore signs didn't look too good so they "improvised".

Two further tracks were recorded during the Help! recording sessions: "If You've Got Trouble" and "That Means A Lot", both left unreleased. Both songs finally appear on Anthology 2.

The Rubber Soul track "Wait" was also recorded during these sessions but excluded from Help!

Condition:

Vinyl /Visual Grading: Very Good+ – Hairlines and one feelable scratch on Side 2.

Label: This is a first press of this album. The standard yellow block writing Parlophone label. Rimtext starts with "The Gramophone Co. Ltd". The label has P 1965 (the P in a circle)  and "Sold in the U.K..." statement. KT stamp to centre.

Label Grading:  Excellent – Some light spindle wear, otherwise very clean. No writing, rips, etc.

Cover:  Garrod & Lofthouse cover with medium size (OUTLINE) MONO on the front. Note ‘Patents Pending’ to lower right rear (see photos)

Cover Grading: Excellent+ – A few light creases with light storage wear to corners. The very clean spine is fully readable. Rear is clean with some age yellowing. The external flipbacks are intact.

Inner Sleeve: Very Good - The original EMITEX sleeve has creases, age yellowing and a split to one side.

Overall a really nice first press copy!

I have been a Beatles fan since the day I sat down in 1973 to listen to the ‘Blue Album’. As a young lad this was the first time I had consciously listened to the band. From the first few bars of Strawberry Fields Forever, I was hooked. So it is with a very heavy heart that I now have to sell my vinyl collection!  I have been selling a number of items recently but now need to let the vinyl go. I am not a dealer, so please accept my gradings as being as honest as I can make them without a professional background or equipment. Unless stated the gradings are visual, as I just don’t have the time to play grade everything.

As with all my vinyl, it would benefit from a professional clean.

Records will be removed from their original sleeve and dispatched in a plain white sleeve. All items will be placed in a protective clear sleeve and dispatched in a card mailer.

I always obtain a proof of posting from Post Office.

PAYMENT VIA PAYPAL ONLY PLEASE

For non-UK Bidders PLEASE WAIT FOR MY INVOICE for postage.

To ensure all items are traceable when sending overseas, I will only use Royal Mail’s International Tracked service. Ebay/Paypal insist that they will only credit or believe the items have been sent, when the seller can provide a tracking number. So that is how I will send all my Beatles items outside the UK. This may make my postage charges a little higher than some other sellers but it provides peace of mind to myself and the buyer.

Approx. costs are as follows:

EUROPE £10.00.

US £15.00.

AUSTRALIA / JAPAN £20.00

Payments must be made within 5 days of purchasing unless an alternative arrangement has been agreed upon.

Please Note: If no contact is made by the winning bidder following the mandatory Ebay 3 days, I will reserve the right to re-list the item or offer it to the runner-up, unless prior notice of any delay is arranged beforehand.

If you are unhappy with an item, I am happy to offer a full refund (inc. P&P) on return of the item. Items must be returned within 12 Days of receipt and in the same condition they were sent out. Return postage must be paid by buyer.

Look out for more of my Beatles related auctions.