BEATLES Magical Mystery Tour Rare Orig 67 Stereo EP N/M

	£		53
	$		70

Hi, I am Mike, now 47 and have been a music collector and enthusiast for over 34 years now. We all wish we could turn back the clock and buy those wonderful brand new records from the 60s and 70s, but alas, this is not possible; so I always try to offer the finest and most accurately described and graded records I can find. No vinyl/music lover really would choose to buy second-hand, but this is only way now to own these valuable, prized and ellusive items now. I pride myself on offering a variety of genres to keep my site as interesting as possible. I will rarely offer any record that falls below a true Excellent grading, unless its of a certain rarity which will justify offering a lesser grade. I try, to the best of my ability to describe as accurately and as honesty as I can all items I offer for sale with all the relevant information I can think of to help any potential bidder and collector. You may notice I only submit records sparingly on Ebay - on average ONEADAY, hence the name - time rarely allows for more as I Play-Grade virtually every record I offer in their entirity, not just bits to guess a grade (on a Rega 3 deck with Ortofon cartridge) - visuals alone do not always tell a true or full story - I will mention any defects or flaws no matter how small that I notice to be fair as possible to any interested reader – I am very fussy and my buyers have the right to be too. Every record I offer, whether it be a common or rare item deserves the same respect as far as I am concerned and will be treated the same - just because an item is rare does not always mean its good. I get just as much pleasure offering a relatively common record in stunning near mint condition as the real rare items. All the pictures I use for your guidance are taken with a digital camera or scanned - they are NOT improved, cleaned-up or made better looking than they are with camera trickery or enhancing with digital programmes. What you see is what you get. The only thing I cannot guarantee one hundred percent is exact colour matching - this depends on the lighting at the time and that is out of my control, but I feel sure most items will be very close to the actual real item. Variation can sometimes occur too in colour of the label scans and labels taken next to the sleeve with a digital camera, the scanned full label pictures should be the most accurate. If any picture I take looks more flattering than the actual item for any reason, I will clearly state the fact in the advert. I hope the item below is to your liking - any questions can be emailed and I will do my very best to answer you. I am enthusiastic , and have a fair degree of knowledge about many genres and I promise quality items - bid with confidence - excellence comes as standard and so does Near Mint regularly. Please assume all records I offer have NO jumps or sticks or writing on covers or labels unless clearly stated to the contrary. Thanks for your interest and Good luck – MIKE.

Album Title: Magical Mystery Tour (original Stereo EP).

Producer(s): George Martin.

Track Listing: Side 1: Magical Mystery Tour; Your Mother Should Know. Side 2: I am the Walrus. Side 3: The Fool on the Hill; Flying. Side 4: Blue Jay Way.

Label/Format: Parlophone – Four pronged black and silver format. First pressing with ‘The Gramophone Co Ltd’ and ‘Sold in UK’ etc text. Sides 2 and 3 have the embossed KT tax codes each side of the hole. Both of these fragile, fine letters are pristine, totally unflattened and retaining all original ink. Most of these will chip and rub very quickly and even erode and flatten on heavily played examples. I would wager this pair of records have been played no more than 3 or 4 times at the very most.

Label Condition: Beautiful clean labels, the type that Beatles connoisseurs will treasure. Just a couple of light spindle traces (or less) on each side. No wear or chipping around the hole areas or even around the ultra fragile prong cut out areas either, extraordinary, but true. (Please see label scans for all information needed and please refer to my paragraph further down about ‘Spindle Marks’).

Cat Number: SMMT-1.

Mono or Stereo: Stereo.

Country of Manufacture: Gt Britain.

Rarity: Scarce, and getting rare in this condition. This stereo copy is far harder to find than the mono version, and that’s not that common either. I never really consider most Beatles items to be rare as such, but any copy in this incredible condition has to be almost considered as such. Stereo Beatles items are never that easy to find and when they do show like this, with a sleeve and book this fine they are to be prized.

Original Year of Release: 1967

Matrix Nos: 7YCE 18435-1; 7YCE 18434-2; 7YCE 18436-1; 7YCE 18437-1

Stamper Codes: 6 HR / 6 LG / 9 (crossed out) 8 LM / UO 1

Brief Artist & Album Info: Six songs as featured on the TV film ‘Magical Mystery Tour’, as originally issued on this double EP set with the beautiful book and double wallet packaging inside. Only later in the 70s UK did a full length 33.3 album get issued that included more songs. This copy is the far more ellusive, and scarce stereo version and its a beauty, clearly hardly played and sounding terrific. Playing at 45 rpm often means a little more surface sounds and wear, but this has little of either and any collector will be hard pressed to find a much cleaner pair of records. The ultra delicate book has been very well looked after and again looks terrific, all pages firmly double stapled into the cover spine, a third central staple is inside only. Giving little away in terms of age, all pages are super clean, unmarked with little creasing or blemishes apart from three tiny little nick tears on the lyric blue pages at the very bottom near the spine. The two following have tiny ‘nick’ creases. These blemishes are very minor indeed and remain pretty much the only blemishes on what is a stunning sleeve and book. All staples rock solid. The single flipbacked storage areas are superb, often torn, damaged and very grubby due to lack of laminate protection, these are near perfect and any traces of marks or discolour very minimal indeed. The six songs all play with fantastic clean clarity with few blemishes at all. Most collectors will know all about this famous issue and no need to go into overlong details about the band or music this time. This stereo copy will in all reality be hard to find much better. Any cover or book blemishes are minor and the records will be hard to match let alone find better. Most would have been played into submission and when found they are often like that. Lightly played Beatles records are rare make no mistake and this title probably shows up the most infrequently of all their titles.

Cover Grade and Format: EX++, even with the tiny nick tears as stated, this is probably undergraded in real terms because so seldom gets seen in stereo much better. A beautiful thick cover with a 24-page book inside that includes still from the film, lyrics and cartoons. Two laminated single flipbacks, one at front and one at back. Printed and made by Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd. A minature work of art that should please probably most Beatles collectors. (Please refer to my paragraph further down about ‘Covers etc’).

Lamination: Front and back, retaining a lovely semi-gloss sheen with just a few light surface marks and odd light crease, little or anything even shows under normal viewing. No peeling, dry areas with clean endings around the flipbacks and wrap rounds inside both covers.

Cover Front: This really looks fantastic with bright, clean and vivid artwork. Fast approaching forty, you would never know it.

Cover Back: Same again, this has its unique Stereo SMMT-1 STEREO number on the top right.

The Book: All pretty much described in my preamble. Critically viewed end-on, there is a little waviness, but as the book is very slightly proud of the protective cover its just amazing there is so little damage or wear to these fragile pages. All 24-pages are very clean and looking terrific. Artwork is sublime.

Top Edge: The top cover edge has must mild traces of feathering, only really notices when viewed end-on again. No chipping at all to the actual edges of the artwork.

Bottom Edge: Close to perfect, the proud pages have protected these edges.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, crisp and sharp with almost no wear. Records are stored inside the front and back covers behind a delicate fixed flap (both rock solid, quite clean and untorn or split).

Spine and Text: Solid and square with little wear at all, no text printed on this, both original staples rock solid.

Corners: Most near perfect with great shape. just the top left has a tiny chip.

Cover Summary: A fantastic all round example of this fragile late mid-70’s cover, one that could prove difficult to find significantly better. This super strong item should please most collectors, even the perfectionists could consider it.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EX+++/Mint(-) A superb visual duo, odd tiny surface mark if being critical maybe. Clean, shiny, jet black and very solidly pressed. Barely a significant mark to be seen, and no scratches at all, these look really amazing. A pair with minimal plays on all the evidence. Visually two super records that should please most collectors again. Both records are complete with their plain white inners. Both are shaped on the opening edge and both remain clean, untorn or split. Any creasing is minimal and confined to to the edge of just one. One has a small tone mark, one is constructed with left and right flipback type folds, the other has a bottom flipback and one on the side.

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This super pair play up to its high visual grading with little to fault. Strong, undistorted sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is astonishing with a massive dynamic range and very full sound, perfectly produced, as usual by George Martin. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed and sound quality if exceptionally high for a 45 rpm record and no pops or clicks were noted. Few copies will play better than this. Both channels are clean and sharp, I feel very sure these records has been played very lightly and have been generally well stored and caringly looked after, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Little, if anything spoilt my pleasure when play-grading these. This EP set could prove near impossible to find significantly better.

Album Played For Grading: Yes.

Final Summary: High pressing standards, delightfully packaged and sounding quite magnificent, this mini-album is never easy to find in stereo and in this type of condition, this is a class product in every respect. Easily one of the most unique items this legendary quartet ever made, this will grace any serious Beatles collection, recommended to most all, dont lose this one – Mike.

SOME GENERAL GUIDES TO WEAR AND CONDITIONS TO HELP YOU DECIDE

I decided to add this text to help new collectors and younger people just starting their vinyl collections (I hope it will even be of interest to all vinyl lovers too). This helps me save time by not repeating these comments in my actual advert areas which is all very time-consuming.

Spindle Marks on Labels – the importance of: Spindle marks generally are only a loose guide to number of actual plays. As I have said before, some owners used the label area as a guide to find the spindle on vintage decks. Example: 60s/70s radiogram furniture players often had pull down fronts that meant locating the spindle was always more challenging – a fact – my parents had one. Also decks from way back had steel spindles that left their mark far more readily – later turntables often had far more sympathetic materials used that left little or no marks. Careful owners, myself very much included, could play a record 20 times with near zero spindle traces left on the labels because of the ultra careful placement on a turntable to avoid cosmetic blemishes. That said, lighter always has to be better because even if the record has been played more than it looks it was probably owned by a more discerning and careful collector. Any record with a mass of spindle marks or actual wear or even erosion around the hole area is almost certainly a heavier played copy and most are best avoided (unless they still play reasonably well or sufficiently rare). Any record that can still be found that has any small ‘residue’ still attached to the centre hole is often a rare guide for light use too, especially older records. This thin, fragile ‘flash’ vinyl residue usually snaps off quickly and only rarely does it remain intact for long. Summary A record with one spindle mark does not (necessarily) mean, played once. A record with 10 clearly defined spindle marks does not (necessarily) mean a record played ten times. Labels and marks is very much subjective and can only be used as a ‘guide’ the actual playing quality is more important.

Covers and Types: Most 50s and 60s UK (and European) record covers were laminated, a thin, usually glossy, film that protected the fronts (and sometimes backs too) from wear and rubbing. This was prone to creasing, peeling and ‘drying out’ if the sleeve was not looked after properly. But generally these type of covers were ‘tougher’ and usually look fantastic if the proper care was given. Many had their seam folds (flipbacks) exposed at this time. By the 70s and certainly beyond, this costly lamination process slowed and eventually almost disappeared. These ‘unprotected’ covers (especially the darker ones) were far more prone to damaging rub wear and even fading (Led Zeppelin II is a classic example – also virtually all the Vertigo Spiral albums). Handling wear, grubbiness, ringwear, sticker removal damage and even nicotine staining (often seen on white unprotected 60s cover backs) is far more common. An unprotected textured cover, often made with soft card – popular in the early 70s – are ultra fragile and many are found badly worn or rubbed (CSN and Stephen Stills II are good examples of this type). Vintage US covers are ultra fragile and so rarely ever seen unworn, made with thick, unlaminated card, these often split along the seams and invariably rubbed easily and ringwear is common. A cover that states ‘Patents pending’ is almost certainly a first issued example or at the very least an early copy. Summary Finding absolute pristine perfect covers for any record of a certain age is difficult enough and I hope the above helps you decide how ‘good’ or ‘average’ (I rarely offer ‘bad’) any cover I offer really is when put into true context.

Mono vs Stereo, an overview: Always a matter of opinion which is better or more important. For any serious collector where there is a choice e.g. Beatles, Stones, Doors, Hendrix etc. both are essential. True Stereo albums give great imagery and presence whereas mono albums usually are more dynamic, louder and present the detail more clearly. Mono albums are far harder to find in genuinely top playing condition. Most were heavily played, particularly the truly great bands and artists, often covered in marks and scratches, many severe and labels that were looking a real mess. The majority were played on vintage and unsubtle decks with heavy tonearms and thick styli (often sapphire, not diamond, that chipped more easily) that rendered heavy wear in a very short time to many a fine classic record. Wear to the delicate groove walls, particularly the innermost tracks to the labels were most vulnerable where the tracking angle became more severe and the backdrag actually stripped the delicate groove walls. This resulted in surface noise and mild/moderate distortion or worse. These old decks tracked by sheer weight and little of any refined engineering. Next time you see such a deck at a local record fayre, feel the weight of the arm, it almost makes you wonder how any records survived at all. The point of this paragraph is emphasise that when a truly clean, lightly played and great sounding 60s mono album (or stereo come to that) is offered, treasure it, because for sure they are truly getting vary rare and precious - beware - demand only play-graded records. As a general guide to rarity, mono was the far more common format from 61–66; Around 67–68 the balance was roughly equal, then from late 68-69 the balance swung more to stereo, making monos from these dates far scarcer, even rare - this guide is important and effects values greatly.

Vinyl vs CDs: the debate: Because of its original historic value, vinyl will always be the format for the connoisseur collector. The sound embedded into the grooves of an original recording is definitive and is treasured by the collector as well as the beautiful original artwork and inserts that came with the package. When played on a medium to high-end turntable the sound can be stunning. Most of the early CDs issues, particularly of the older material were really rather disappointing (but quiet) and most (myself included) were spellbound by the silence. I have found the sound has improved immensely over the last few years though, with stunning smoother, more detailed sound from quality reissues and offer sound that does at least compare to the original vinyl. Japanese CDs are breathtaking and well worth the extra cost. I am a firm believer that few, if any vinyl records will play CD silent in their entirity – the format barely allows it. The fact there is contact from stylus to record makes this near impossible, there must always be some ultra light sound at the very least. Any vintage record realistically will have the odd minor sound blemish: odd one-off click, faint sound on a quiet passage – it’s totally unrealistic to expect complete silence and if any record plays close to silent throughout, its an exceptional item and quite rare. Age possibly should not be taken into account for grading conditions, but realistically it IS a factor and it has to be considered. Ask yourself: ‘Was any vinyl record or even cover ever really manufactured to last 30 or 40 years or more’?

Vinyl Pros Original sound and mix (mono mixes are rarely available on CD), high quality sound on clean copies, beautiful, large format artwork etc; investment potential, and the pleasure of owning ‘the real thing’.

Vinyl Cons Wear (although this is less of a problem now with modern lightweight equipment); prices for rare items in fine condition; no versatility to where it can be played; getting harder to find top quality copies; large collections take up a lot of space; delicate.

CD Pros Cheap, virtually indestructable with fidelity that does not ‘degrade’, now offering high quality sound and informative booklets with most titles available from somewhere; can be played anywhere; take up less space.

CD Cons Small artwork size with unreadable lyrics, little investment potential for the majority, some obscure titles still not available. The feeling of not owning the ‘real thing’.

In Conclusion I hope the above has been useful in some small way, these are only my opinions and not ‘definitive’, – everyone is entitled to their point of view. It still amazes many young people (and many older people too) that these vintage and fragile items are still wanted today and its really sometimes quite hard to explain their appeal and fascination – I see can the argument both ways. Personally I am happy to listen to both the major formats and there are strong cases to be made for both.

My Terms For Bidding

Debutant Bidders: Many sellers refuse first time buyers: I do not follow this practice (everybody has to start somewhere), but I would appreciate any first timer letting me know their intentions of their intended payment method and very prompt communication, preferably before any bid or soon after the auctions ends. This gives confidence that their intentions are honourable, and I in return guarantee extra special good feedbacks to get zero rated Ebayers off to a flying start to help them with future transactions. NOTE: I WILL NOT ACCEPT BIDS FROM UNREGISTERED USERS, I will cancel them immediately, and sorry, I cannot give valuations on people’s personal items just for their own curiosity, no item can be accurately valued blindly.

Having the Powerseller Logo: This is recognition from Ebay for the highest possible customer services, satisfaction and quality, it should reassure any potential bidder that all items are described, graded and shipped to the highest standards possible. Customer care of the highest order is a standard feature here and I am proud to have achieved this recognised standard of excellence from Ebay with help from collectors and buyers from all over the World - I thank you all.

Please Note: I will now offer any item to the runner-up after the mandatory Ebay 3 days if no contact is made by the winning bidder. The same applies if no payment is received within the mandatory 7 days so any bidder who has just lost out can still email me to reserve the item as priority second chance. Item wants are always welcome - email me with anything needed, you never know - I may just have a copy in stock. I by quality single items and collections also (Email me please if you have quality items for sale).

Payment Details please read carefully - I know its boring but essential:

UK First Class: = £3.00; Recorded Delivery (Recommended) = £5.50 Special Delivery (Next day, insured up to £250), the best service available = £7.00

Europe Air Mail: = £4 Insured: £8.00

Overseas, non-Europe e.g. USA, Japan, Australia etc. Airmail:= £7; Insured with recorded delivery (where available) = £11.00

Singles: (Packed to the high standards of the LPs)

UK First class: = £2.00 Insured: £4

Europe Air Mail = £3.00 Insured: £5.50

Overseas, non-Europe (as above) Airmail £3.50 Insured: £6.00

Doubles add extra £1, triples add extra £2. Box sets add extra £3 (£4 overseas and Europe)

Any item that sells for over £85 will be sent Special Delivery in the UK at no extra cost. Items over £125 get the same service Overseas. This is gives peace of mind for the winning bidder and myself for valuable items. Reduced postage of course for multiple items.

The winner bidder chooses his/her posting method and if uninsured is chosen, its their decision and they have to stick with it, I can accept no responsibility if an item is lost in the post. I can only try to claim at standard levels if no enhancement is chosen (£28). PLEASE NOTE: I will NOT use surface mail, its too slow, with a higher risk of loss and damage.

Mailing Details: Please note I do NOT profit on postage (my packing standards are high and the package weighs a little more and I often actually lose money on this part of service - I simply refuse to compromise with poor packing. All records are sent in plastic covers with the record taken OUT of the sleeve and sent in professional mailers with FOUR professional stiffners for extra protection (if space allows), I do NOT use old cardboard boxes or cereal packets for protection. More expensive items are also inserted into a de-luxe heavy duty padded bag AS WELL to give that extra protection. I truly want ALL my items to arrive to their destination in the same condition they leave me. I will also include in most cases a brand new lined inner, but will include the original inner if available and in a condition to be worthwhile.

I can accept cash for payments worldwide in UK Pounds Sterling, Euros or US Dollars - but this at the senders OWN risk. Please send registered and insured if this method is chosen. I cannot accept responsibility if any cash payments do not turn up. This system is very reliable and rarely goes astray. The same goes for any shipped uninsured item, I can only try to claim for any undelivered or damaged article at basic insurance levels if no enhanced insurance is requested and paid for (unless the value threshold is high enough for me insure as standard, see above)

Overseas bidders please note conversion rates for Pounds to Dollars and Pounds to Euros will be charged at the appropriate rate on the day of sale.

PLEASE NOTE: Any PayPal user can now pay me with UK Sterling if they wish with no need to convert to US dollars (although they still can if they wish to). Any instant PayPal transaction from anywhere in the world will mean the item will be sent immediately - it makes deals fast and very efficient.

Potential Bidders: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are timewasters. I now only accept PayPal, International money orders or cash from overseas bidders (UK Sterling, US dollars or Euros). Cash, cheques, postal orders and PayPal are fine from the UK. I allow maximum 3 days for communication and 7 days for payment to arrive - if this does not happen I will relist the item and may send negative feedback unless an explanation is given. Fast deals get great feedback from me. Any questions - please ask. Please keep watch on my Ebays, I have other interesting items coming very soon. Thanks for looking.

My Guarantee: As listening to every single record I offer all the way through is difficult timewise, can I make it clear if any winning bidder is not satisfied with their purchase I will offer a complete refund minus the Posting and All Ebay costs as long as the item detail has been read and understood. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer. I still endeavour to play all the items in their entirity for grading if at all possible and is usually the case.