BEATLES RUBBER SOUL 1965 UK 1st Press PMC 1267 1/1 rare LOUD CUT excellent copy

	£		104
	$		137

The BEATLES - RUBBER SOUL

An excellent condition copy of this very hard to find and highly sought after 1965 UK very 1st "loud cut" press Beatles classic, on the yellow & black Parlophone label, MONO, PMC 1267

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1    XEX 579 - 1  with stampers "4" and "HR" at 4 o'clock and 2 o'clock respectively 

Side 2    XEX 580 - 1  with stampers "4" and "L0" at 8.30 o'clock and 2.30 o'clock respectively

The “Loud Cut” is the very first pressing of the Beatles’ Rubber Soul album; it was quickly discontinued after a short pressing run as EMI decided that the album had been cut too loud resulting in a noticeably different mix - in certain places the vocals sound raw and aggressive - and EMI hastily ceased production. Needless to say very few copies ‘escaped’ and the rare "loud cut" copy of Rubber Soul is on every serious Beatles collectors "want" list…..

The overall appearance and condition of the vinyl is excellent (EX). Each side of the vinyl has retained a beautiful jet black sheen and looks great, with no obvious marks at all when viewed in normal daylight. Under a bright light it is possible to detect a few very fine wispy hairlines on each side (all non-feelable and seemingly nothing below the surface), a very fine and light scuff mark at the beginning of side 1 which does result in x2 mild clicks at the beginning of A1 followed by x5 very, very faint rotational clicks (you have to put your ear to the speaker to notice them), and on side 2 there are a couple of pencil thin 1cm very light scuff lines. See the "quality of the audio" write-up below for further details of the sound quality but I stress that each of these blemishes (too strong a word!) are trivial in nature and the overall appearance, condition and sound quality of the vinyl, is a definite excellent.

The condition of the labels is excellent (EX). Impressive labels with all text, all colouring, and the iconic yellow and silver writing upon matt black background, complete with the iconic Parlophone logo, all remaining beautifully intact. The 1st pressing embossed "K" and "T" tax codes sit nicely on the side 2 label, and the only blemish is just a few stray and very faint spindle trails adjacent to the centre hole on each label.

The condition of the front-side laminated Garrod & Lofthouse outer sleeve is very good plus (VG+). All edges remain firm with no scuffing at all, each corner remains a near perfectly defined right angle with just a little rubbing on the bottom right corner, and the spine also remains firm with all text perfectly intact - amazing! There are x8 1cm (or less) very faint surface laminate creases perpendicular and adjacent to the spine, some sporadic light surface laminate crease marks towards the right opening side, a very light laminate line mark next to the bottom edge where (possibly) a strip of protective sellotape was once placed for the purpose of protecting the edge, though there are no other tell-tale signs of this, and a superficial squiggly laminate line mark towards the top left corner. The opening sides remain firm with no fraying. The reverse side is very impressive with each of the three flipbacks in great shape, the only slight blemish being some very, very mild age discolouration along the opening edge. All colours remain rich, deep and vibrant, all photos retain perfect definition, and all text is perfectly intact with no unwanted writing or doodles anywhere. Certainly a "very good plus", bordering on "excellent".

Finally, the overall quality of the audio is excellent minus (EX-). There is great tone and clarity throughout the entire record with just the hint of a little, very mild and occasional background interference/crackle at higher volume (during Michelle, for example - my understanding is that this is to be expected on this 1st press loud cut version, but don't ask me to provide the technical justification for that) and during a couple of the quieter moments, and I did notice the odd, very occasional light click (x2 at the beginning of A1 followed by x5 very, very mild rotational clicks - you will need to listen carefully to notice these rotational clicks, x2 at the beginning of A2, x2 at the end of A4, x2 at the beginning of B5, and x4 midway through B6) - I stress that each click is very mild (close inspection under a bright light revealed no obvious causes by the way, so the main cause could be dust in the grooves through decades of storage for which a careful clean may remedy) and does not impinge upon the listening enjoyment of this great album - indeed, nothing to detract from the rich, vibrant, deep tone unique to this "loud cut" rarity. There are no skips, jumps or repeats and what little background crackle exists is very background, occasional, and only really noticeable when you listen out for it. In essence. Each and every track on this copy of this wonderful LP still makes for a great listen, so sit back, turn up the volume, and enjoy!

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

1. DRIVE MY CAR

2. NORWEGIAN WOOD

3. YOU WON'T SEE ME

4. NOWHERE MAN

5. THINK FOR YOURSELF

6. THE WORD

7. MICHELLE

Side 2 :

1. WHAT GOES ON

2. GIRL

3. I'M LOOKING THROUGH YOU

4. IN MY LIFE

5. WAIT

6. IF I NEEDED SOMEONE

7. RUN FOR YOUR LIFE

Comes with original poly-lined "USE EMITEX" die-cut inner sleeve, with tears, splits, rips, or obvious creasing - in great condition, in fact! Note that I will post the vinyl in a new plain white inner sleeve in order to protect the original.

In summary an overall very nice condition and highly presentable copy of this increasingly hard to find 1965 first UK press "loud cut" Beatles classic, which makes for a great listen - 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 £4.00, 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