JOHN LENNON Imagine 1U/1U 1st PRESS 1971 (Complete) Incredible MINT- AUDIO
£
148
$
196
£ 148
Sold For
Sep 20, 2026
Sold Date
Sep 10, 2026
Start Date
12
Number Of Bids
Great Britain
Country Of Seller
eBay
Auctioned at
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Description
I will declare a lower amount on the customs form for all countries so as to avoid/decrease high import charges. However, in the case of the EU all purchases are subject to VAT which eBay collect at point of sale. No shipping to Russia currently.
John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band : Imagine 1st Press 1U / 1U + Spiral Lyric Inner, Poster & Postcard
This first pressing from 1971 is in superb condition and I would not be surprised if it had never been played before such is the quality of the audio and the pristine visual look of the vinyl. It is so clean and has no spindle wear at all. The clarity, depth and warmth of the audio on both side is STUNNING and this is without doubt a FINAL UPGRADE version. In essence there is no interference and no background worthy of mention. A small number of statics that are so quiet and do not measure on the background scale! There are obviously no ticks, clicks or pops - just two very dull 'sounds' on the quieter section at the end of the final track. There are so many highlights - 'Imagine' for example could not play any better and the even quieter 'Oh My Love' plays with a clarity that is outstanding. 'I Don't Want To Be A Soldier' again impresses on so many levels for a final track - superb power and depth and no distortion.
The cover is Ex- in my opinion with only some laminate creasing on the front being the main wear. The die-cut spiral inner is in excellent order and the large poster has no rips or tears, just a small number of faint spots. The small postcard is in perfect condition.
As per the first pressings it has the 1U 1U matrix and the letters on the pinched spine are larger than on later versions. 'John Lennon' measures 17mm as opposed to 12mm.
PAS 10004 // YEX 865 - 1U GPG 5 (PORKY etched) --- YEX 866 - 1U GHL 2 (PECKO etched)
The audio on S1 is Mint(-)
The audio on S2 is Mint(-)
The laminated cover is Ex-
The blue Apple labels are Mint
The spiral lyric inner is Ex+
The poster & postcard are Ex++ / Mint
Visual description
The vinyl is stunning with an immaculate jet-black glossy sheen and no marks or scratches. Even when looking under a bright light it is difficult to locate any hairlines - there are perhaps a couple of ultra faint ones on each side. It truly is a remarkable of this iconic record! The Apple labels are in perfect condition also with no marking and no spindle wear.
Play grading
The all time classic 'Imagine' plays beautifully with no intrusion. First of all the piano intro impresses with not even a dust tick and the opening vocal is more or less the same with only a couple of barely audible statics. From then on it plays with a clarity and depth that is second to none - there are no ticks and obviously no clicks, pops or background static. I cannot emphasise enough just how pristine the audio is. John's vocal and piano of course take centre stage but I love how the strings are used as they are very understated. A stunning Mint- at the very least and I'm probably doing myself a disservice by adding the minus!
The intro on 'Crippled Inside' plays to perfection and the opening vocal section is equally as clean. It continues to play with impeccable clarity and depth and again there is literally no intrusion on the audio, not even a solitary static tick. The mid instrumental, George Harrison I believe, is flawless and the remainder is of the same high end standard. The unmistakeable sound of Nicky Hopkins on the piano section, an almost vaudeville type sound. This has to grade as Mint - the fade out has no background either.
The intro and first vocal on 'Jealous Guy' play with sublime precision - this opening section is 'as new'. As the drums come in the standard does not drop and I only noticed a couple of insignificant statics, you barely hear them. The mid 'whistle' is perfect and the rest of this classic plays with genuine quality. There is no 'muddiness' to the sound and again the clarity of sound is superb. Mint-
A more rock by numbers track in 'It's So Hard' but it nonetheless plays with stunning quality through every vocal and instrumental section. Once more the 'as new' tag can be used as there is no background of any kind. Mint all the way.
The intro on 'I Don't Want To Be A Soldier' has no interference and the depth and power is up there with the best. A kind of Spector-esque wall of sound and it could not play any better. The opening vocal is faultless and it continues in the same way. I did not pick up any inner groove distortion not even during the high octane sax moments and the clarity and definition for a final track is STUNNING especially when you consider how powerful this track is. The quiet end piece has a couple of very quiet dull sounds but barely any static. I think a grade of Mint- is still a honest appraisal of the audio here.
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'Give Me Some Truth' kicks off S2 with great power and definition and the clarity is also first class. From start to finish there is no interference and John's vocal is very strong and clear here and the fade out plays perfectly. Mint all the way.
'Oh My Love' is always a good test of the clarity. It's so quiet of course and there is no hiding place! George Harrison's guitar intro followed by John's piano play with wonderful clarity and the first verse is on the same level. The chorus is stunning and it continues to play beautifully without any background. I heard one mega quiet static and a couple more that are even quieter but seriously for such a quiet track to play so clearly on a 55 year old record is a genuine rarity. I've always loved this track and it really does play with STUNNING precision all the way through. It has to grade as Mint-
The 'intro' on 'How Do You Sleep?' is flawless and the opening vocal has no background either. Voorman's bass is so deep and the depth of sound is stunning. From then onwards the clarity, depth and warmth of the audio can only be described 'as new' - everything about it is high end and there is no intrusion. Again the sonic quality is quite simply out of this world - the playback so clean and clinical and there is not even one minor static. Mint
'How?' plays with imperious quality through every single section. I guess we have come to expect this now but with vinyl you can never take anything for granted! How annoying is it when you have classic album playing with near perfect clarity and one song spoils it?! I am pleased to say that is not the case here and again the clarity and definition of the audio on this track is of the highest calibre. It's so obvious this record has hardly been played. Another Mint track.
'Oh Yoko!' ends this sensational album with... sensational audio! It's good to finish on a more upbeat number as there are a number of low key numbers and it plays with exceptional quality. Once again it is sonically so impressive for a final track and there is no decrease in audio quality. There are no ticks, clicks, pops or static and again Hopkins piano adds so much to the track and John's mouth organ work is superb! I'll say Mint- just to err on the side of caution!
The Laminated Cover, Spiral Lyric Inner, Poster & Postcard
The cover is in very good to excellent condition with not too much shelf. The main issue is some laminate creasing on the right hand side but it's only really obvious when you hold it at a certain angle. Aside from that it is superb. The edges are very clean and the thin pinched spine is in great shape with just some minor indentation and a minor amount of wear on the bottom corner. The bottom left corner has a little rubbing and the two top ones are very clean indeed, the opening edge has only a little handling wear. So yes the front cover is unmarked with just that laminate creasing and some of the usual small edge creases mainly next to the spine. The back cover is in excellent condition with a couple of small laminate creases and minor wear on the bottom corners. A respectable example overall.
The lyric inner is in great condition with some central ringwear marking on one side and handful of faint spots. However, it is definitely one of the best I have seen - the original owner put a pvc sleeve inside so there are no side splits and barely any creasing. The large poster has no tears and only a handful of faint spots and the postcard is in perfect condition.
PAS 10004 // YEX 865 - 1U GPG 5 (PORKY etched) --- YEX 866 - 1U GHL 2 (PECKO etched)
Play tested on my Rega P2 with Rega Carbon Cart / Denon PMA-520AE Amp / B&W 684 Speakers
This record has been professionally cleaned on my Pro-Ject VC-S machine
I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.
Any questions please feel free to ask
Please pay within 4 days of auction end
Recent Feedback
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Postage & Packaging
I will only send items items worldwide via tracked shipping. This provides 'peace of mind' in case of loss or damage. The shipping costs are shown below and combined shipping is always offered. Any over-payment will always be refunded.
The Royal Mail only insure up to a value of £250 so if an item sells for more it may be wise to use a courier service (e.g. Parcelforce or DPD). An extra insurance premium will be required but I will not know the exact amount until the final sale price is known. Because of this I will sometimes have to estimate the cost and this will be shown in the listing. Please wait for the invoice before making payment and if you have any questions please feel free to ask. Many thanks.
All vinyls are packaged in strong over-sized custom made mailers with plenty of extra cardboard protection. They are placed inside separate poly-lined inners outside the cover so as to avoid seam splits in transit and then placed inside a PVC sleeve to provide even more protection. I pride myself on my high quality packaging as my feed confirms and if any customer has any specific requirements I am more than happy to help.
The mailers I use cost £1.00 each and I will use anything between 3-5 cardboard stiffeners which cost approx £0.18 each. There is also the cost of the poly-lined inner and PVC sleeve to consider, it all adds up! Not forgetting that eBay take 10% of the shipping fee also!!
UK Postage Rates (First Class Recorded - Max 2kg)
LPs/12" singles : £6.50 up to 1kg then £1.00 per extra item
EUROPE (Tracked - Max 2kg)
LPs/12" singles : £15.95 then £2.00 per extra
USA (Tracked - Max 2kg)
LPs/12" singles : £21.95 then £2.50 per extra
REST OF WORLD (Tracked - Max 2kg)
LPs/12" singles : £20.95 then £2.50 per extra
If you are not entirely happy with your purchase please contact me before leaving feedback and I will always resolve any issue, 100% guaranteed. If you would prefer to send the item back I will also pay the return shipping cost if I am at fault, I am only human after all!!
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