JOHN LENNON Imagine UK 71 Apple N/M LP SCARCE COMPLETE.

	£		205
	$		272

Artist or Band: JOHN LENNON – Plastic Ono Band

Album Title: Imagine (Original complete package with illustrated inner, postcard and poster)

Producer(s): John and Yoko and Phil Spector.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Imagine; Crippled Inside; Jealous Guy; Its So Hard; I Don’t Want To Be a Soldier.

Side 2: Give Me Some Truth; Oh My Love; How Do You Sleep?; How?; Oh Yoko!

Cat Number: PAS 10004.

Label/Format and Conditions: Apple – Customised format. Stunning clean, fresh and beautiful examples that (possibly) show one spindle trace on side two and none at all on side one. The one owner told me this had been played just once and I would not argue for a second. Both these labels are pristine immaculate and this has all the hallmarks of a brand new copy. Yes another one from the DJ collection recently acquired and if a much better copy of this album can be found, well sure would like to see it, this looks fantastic, just the way any serious collector would want it. (Please see label scans for all information needed).

Country of Manufacture: England

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 146 grams. I feel sure the heavest pressed copy of this gem I have yet had. [These days, many modern Audiophile reissues are pressed on super-heavyweight 180 gram vinyl. Only a small percentage of ‘vintage vinyl’ was ever pressed this heavy. Records pressed in the 1960s averaged around 140 to 150 grams. Records pressed in the 1970s were usually lighter and averaged more around 115 – 125 grams. Some records pressed around 1973 were very thin and light due an oil crisis and shortage around this time. Some records were even issued on recycled vinyl from this period and sounded poor with crackle and surface noise evident from the very first play. If any record I buy is deemed ‘recycled’, I will never offer it, I have a very simple test to detect these records if I suspect this to be the case other than audible imperfection. Some records from this period were even pressed on other materials the most notable was ‘Dynaflex’, used by RCA around this time. Although inferior to vinyl, this at least mostly sounded reasonably acceptable but pressings on this material were wafer thin and flimsy. Beyond the 70s, records often became thinner and lighter still but most played fine but were never quite the quality as from the ‘Golden Era’]. (This was based on ‘average’ weights for 20 records from these eras. Later pressings were usually lighter still).

Rarity & Details of What’s Included: This album is relatively common per se, but the very early pressings that include all the inserts in their original formats certainly are less so especially in fantastic conditions and there lies the difference. Firstly this record is heavily pressed on thick quality vinyl and is immaculate for looks and sound. The cover is equally lovely with ultra clear laminate both sides and no bar codes, these came later. Included too is the small postcard of Lennon holding a feeding pig by the ears, a reference to the cover of McCartney’s Ram album sleeve – this is as new and guaranteed original. The fragile flipback constructed inner, this is arguably the hardest part of this set to find at all and rarely will it be unsplit, this one has survived all these years with none and is one of the best inner sleeve for this title I have yet seen – no tears, no repairs – that simple - the audiophile owner placed a soft Japanese anti-static inside for the ultimate protection of inner and record, as he did on practically all his collection. Finally, the poster, okay most copies will include this, even later pressings. But this original is very different, in-as-much its printed on totally different paper. The paper used on this early made one has a lined watermark, similar to ‘Conqueror’ made paper, its thicker, far heavier and more luxurious, with a slightly darker shade of white with a very fine textured like finish that can be seen and felt – all totally different to the later types which are smooth, no water mark lines and very white and much thinner. Hold this up to light and a spooky female face appears just below the first foldline. The contents of this set are all in superb condition (described in more detail below) – the owner said he never even opened the poster, again the evidence suggest this is true. This is a stunning set and the record sensational and is by some margin the best ever copy I have ever heard. I consider an original, complete, UK pressing of this landmark post-Beatles album quite rare these days and copies that plays like this are truly at a premium.

Original Year of Release: 1971

Matrix Nos: YEX 865-1U / YEX 866-1U

Run-Out Etchings: ‘PORKY’ / ‘PECKO’

Brief Artist & Album Info: Regarded by many as Lennon’s first solo album proper, although the labels still credit the Plastic Ono Band, and a very powerful album it was too – a landmark recording in his amazing career. Here, Lennon veered from splitting anger in ‘How do you Sleep’, ‘Give Me Some Truth’ and cruel humour with ‘Crippled Inside’, yet the man was capable of intense romanticism as highlighted in ‘Jealous Guy’ and ‘Oh My Love’. Those who resented Lennon for being part of the Beatles break-up finally forgave him and began to love him again with this collection. The title track alone will stand as a classic of popular song forever. This phenomenal album charted at 1 in both the UK and US but finding a complete early pressed UK copy is never so easy especially when in such fine, barely even played conditions. This is easily ‘audiophile’ standard, the record could pass for new. So often I have heard UK copies that play less than silent especially that famous opening with the solo piano, often crackly, even with distortion or clipping, this one is practically perfect with breathtaking sound and immense detail and as quiet as you are likely to hear it and all this copy plays the same. The depth of sound from these practically ‘virgin’ grooves will blow most other copies away and the great man himself almost has an in-the-room presence. All contents that have few blemishes are the same high quality. This is a complete early pressed UK copy of one the most famous albums of all time – a copy for serious collectors and even the perfectionists can consider this stunning record and contents.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Moderate, but often subject to laminate lifting and dulling, few survive devoid of creases often due to the contents being rammed inside. These I feel certain have barely ever been removed and knowing the owner, I bet this set has not seen light-of-day for decades.

Cover Grade and Format: Mint(-) with few blemishes at all, and so few ever avoid them. A single format, laminated front and back. Printed and made in England.

Cover, front, back & lamination: More often seen dulled and tired looking, often with large laminate blisters, dinks and creases. So many suffer due the contents being shoved inside with no respect for the cover with damage resulting - we have all seen such examples - this has suffered no such abuse and has probably been little handled at all. This delightful example retains a deep rich shine and crystal clear with genuine freshness. Both front and back have ultra smooth surfaces that almost have a glass-like appearance with no scuffs or significant marks. Even under light, the surfaces have avoided even hairline abrasions and clearly this has been little handled. A delicate cover in many ways and so often seen badly creased and falling apart. Rarely seen with no laminate lifting or blistering, often large and spoiling the delicate artwork, especially on the front. Here there is just a fine line strip on the front on the spine edge that largely disappears after half-way. The back has NONE. Quite possibly the least and the lightest I have seen and being so fine, this shows little and certainly does NOT attractive the eye. With miniscule traces of any dulling or friction rubs, it will be more than obvious this has been cover-protected from new and the lack of any noteworthy creasing is a huge bonus. The laminate ends slightly short of full width on the opening edge but even the fine exposed strips are pristine clean with no traces of any grime-line formation, chipping or darkening. Both sides look immaculate and the artwork will rarely be found more attractive. Any record outline is ultra faint and few will ever see less. Do not underestimate just how difficult this cover is to find looking like this, it should give immense pleasure for any new future owner.

Top Edge: As new and retaining lovely neat, straight definition.

Bottom Edge: Similar but the back panel has slightly thickened towards the right with a trace of burring if being somewhat critical. Being the resting edge this is hardly unusual.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, very sharp with no wear or feathering. Record entered on this right edge. This is so hard to find this neat and this has NOT been trimmed or enhanced - the short laminate on these edges proves this beyond any doubt.

Spine and Text: Practically perfect again: a superb spine that is solid, straight and has no compression and would have looked pretty much the same from new. All text is pristine perfect and unworn under the solid uncracked laminate and on this example is beautifully centred. The ends are slightly tapered in manufacture.

Corners: All crisp and sharp and looking lovely and neat. Tiny tip rub trace on bottom right only.

Cover Summary: A gorgeous highly attractive all round example of this classic 70’s cover, one that will prove difficult immensely difficult to find significantly better. It should please practically all collectors needing this classic and could prove a major upgrade for many.

The Poster: Practically Mint as new: a supreme unmounted example (no pin-holes, cellotape or blu-tak marks etc), as near pristine as you will ever find, all fold-lines sound and solid. This is very large indeed at 22 x 33 inches (and not easy to photograph well). I used the cover to gauge the scale of this one. Ultra clean with no age toning, staining or nicotine blemishing and clearly hardly even handled and possibly even unfolded previous to my inspection. Genuine lined watermarked, thicker luxury paper. Chalk and cheese when compared to a later made version, this varies immensely. It’s unlikely many better examples of this original poster will ever be found.

The Postcard: Little short of Mint, clean and uncreased, razor sharp edges with pristine crisp corners. A bizarre insert really with Lennon holding a large pig by the ears while it feeds - a secret message for someone maybe? Even the back is unmarked and white and untoned (bar one microscopic spot on a corner) [fantastic eye-sight required]. The front is totally devoid of any marks and the printed image is immaculate if not exactly centred within the white borders.

The Inner: EX++ and only downgraded from Mint(-) because of very light age-toning. Few will remain snowy white these days and this is a mild trait of age - just a very small reminder of the vintage of this album. In some ways the star insert for this set: so often split, grubby and torn or even missing altogether, this is again one of the best examples I have ever seen. Generally still a fine shade of white and ageing is minimal in real terms with only faint gum darkening and no edge splits (and guaranteed, no repairs). As stated, the owner placed the highest quality soft Japanese anti-static inner inside for maximum protection of record and sleeve. Unruffled, uncreased and any record impression ultra light. The rear flipbacks are also immaculate with none of the usual non-adhesion that makes them lift and badly crease. It’s these details that make a very fine example into an exceptional one, the difference being apparent as soon it’s seen - the mild darkening almost gives it character but that’s a purely subjective point-of-view - whatever, this fragile inner will prove difficult to find better especially with an immaculate, barely played, heavy pressed record inside.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: I really am so tempted to grade this beauty as full Mint, which quite honestly it merits but I know it’s been played at least twice so my mandatory Mint(-) applies. A supreme visual copy with two immaculately clean playing surfaces that appear as unmarked as any vinyl record this age ever will be - this could easily pass for new. Ultra clean and shiny, intense black and heavily pressed on thick, immaculately pressed Apple vinyl, later pressings were much thinner, this has massive depth and detail. A copy barely even ‘ruyn-in’ in vinyl terms. Visually a stunningly clean record that should please all collectors - even the connoisseurs and audiophile collectors.

Album Played For Grading: Yes. [I play ALL records I offer before submitting to Ebay, also the record is played in its entirety unless clearly stated otherwise. I do NOT play snippetts or joining grooves to check for sound quality and quietness – I play from the beginning to end via clinically revealing B&W speakers that include the legendary tweeter from their awesome Nautilus range that reveals every blemish or miniscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This fantastic record plays up to its high visual grading with nothing to fault. And I consider this title to be a difficult record, none more so that the very beginning. This one has strong, totally distortion-free sound with all frequencies sharp and clear. I have heard several pressings of this title, many have at least some mild surface sounds especially on the vulnerable title track with crackle being almost half expected. This plays as quiet as any copy I have yet heard with almost nothing to really fault, even the run-in grooves are quiet and even that makes a change. The piano introduction is crisp and fully focused and this makes the difference between average and exceptional. No pops or clicks were noted and a very fine pressing too. The depth and richess of the sound is incredible, and actually made me stop and listen as the music flowed. My first experience for many years of this album using an LP12 and Naim amp, this was true high fidelity nirvana. Any surface sounds barely registered throughout the whole album and I enjoyed every second of this quite brilliant copy which is a gateway into the recording studio itself. The depth of the sound and details are breathtaking and Lennon’s voice has an in-the-room quality. A loud and dynamic mix that has real power, grace and incredible depth and sonic fidelity, the finest of details are all immaculately gleaned from this almost ‘virgin’ copy. Super clean grooves with absolutely no wear at all – no exposure to damaging heavy needles for this copy. Only a lightly played, early pressing does this classic full justice. This is a much heavier than standard pressing too - always good news. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. This copy will prove near impossible to find significantly better for quite magnificent sound.

End Piece: Expertly stored and hardly even handled, few will compare. This is such an important album to own, one of the genuine all time greats and owning an early pressed, complete example is extra special. How many times do you find all the inserts in the cover when found at record fayres these days? – few to say the least (and in what conditions if they are present?). The beauty and importance of this phenomenal release is beyond any doubt and this one is practically reference quality – the sound is truly exceptional. It’s a copy that does full justice to it’s importance and I can strongly recommend it to all.

Now one of the most established sellers on Ebay and still offering the finest and most accurately described and graded records I can find. 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, a couple more at weekends if time permits, hence the name - time rarely allows for more as I Play-Grade virtually every record I offer in their entirety, not just bits to guess a grade - 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 collector – 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 and scanned labels will give a more accurate representation of the genuine colour than flash photography where light is variable. I cannot guarantee total accuracy for colours however but most will be very close. If any picture I take looks more flattering than the actual item for any reason, I will clearly state the fact in the advert and vice-versa. 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, sticks, warps or writing on covers or labels unless clearly stated to the contrary. Thanks for your interest and Good luck – MIKE.

Deck: Linn LP12 with Ittok Mk IV arm and Ortofon Samba Moving Coil cartridge (tracks at 1.8 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional Moth vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too.

First-time, zero-rated bidders, who do not ask permission to bid, will be cancelled immediately and blocked – NO exceptions. For winning bidders who I consider excessively slow to make contact or submit payment, I will use my right to block future bids. If any bidder who wins in the final seconds is present to do so, surely they can at least email me to inform of intention and payment method? If swift or promp payment is a problem, please do not bid.

POSTING & PACKING: What You Get: I now offer the fastest possible posting, mostly the very next day after payment is received or within 48 hours maximum. All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT mailers) with the record(s) REMOVED from their main cover to avoid edge splits and placed within a brand new polylined inner. The record’s original inner will be included if available. The boxes are then reinforced with TWO thick stiffners for even extra protection. The cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW heavy duty soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my Moth Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. Printed address labels are used for clarity and well as sender label. You will NOT get tired, dull looking, dust infested records inside worn and foggy covers with tatty inners from this seller and that’s a promise and guarantee. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if at all possible but NOT surface mail abroad. I never make profit on posting and offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends, with the total costs including ‘standard’ or ‘optional extra insurance’ P&P – ALL UK and Russian packets go out non-negotiable Recorded Delivery. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 4,000+ items sold in over 7 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional.

PLEASE NOTE: I will now only send packets to Russia with Recorded Delivery at a cost of £7 per single LP. If this is unacceptable to Russian collectors, please do not bid. I only want my records to arrive safely and this gives packets a better chance to do so. Also ALL UK packets will be sent with either Recorded or Special Delivery as standard (both have to be signed for). All shipping costs and rules can be found after my description. If they are not acceptable, please do not bid.

NOTE: First Time Bidders: I will cancel ALL first-time bidders with no feedbacks or excessive negatives who do not ask me if its OK to bid first – NO EXCEPTIONS.

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 unless prior notice of any delay is given beforehand. 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 – it’s always worth asking.

SHIPPING COSTS & OPTIONS:

Posting & Packing: UK & CHANNEL ISLANDS all now sent Recorded Delivery:

1 LP (First Class Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4 (OPTIONAL).

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: ALL EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA (NOT RUSSIA, see below) (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £5.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £9 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: RUSSIA (Recorded Only, if this is unacceptable, please do not bid):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ only £7) = £9 (OPTIONAL extra insurance as above).

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (any part); Australia; Canada; Japan and other Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £8.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £13 (OPTIONAL).

* If Rules allow for that country.

PLEASE NOTE: I always get a Royal Mail ‘Proof-of-Posting’ receipt for ALL packets that are sent out and I am happy to prove this to any customer who wishes to see it via email.

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders.

The customer can choose their method of shipping with the exception of second class or surface mail overseas – these I will NOT use. 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 (£35).

Potential Bidders: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are timewasters. A maximum 3 days for communication and 7 days for payment to arrive - if not I will relist the item or offer to the runner-up. Fast deals get great feedback from me. Any questions - please ask and thanks for looking.

My Guarantee: 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. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help.

SOME GENERAL GUIDES TO WEAR AND CONDITIONS TO HELP YOU DECIDE

My Use of Description Terminology: Surface Marks = Superficial, usually light marks, hairlines or light scuffs that rarely sound. Scratch = a needle mark that goes below the record’s surface, some will sound, some will not, my play-grade will inform. Original = a record that has been pressed with the first label design which does NOT neccessarily mean a very first pressed record. First Pressing = A record that I believe or know to be a genuine very first pressed record. I do not claim to always know for sure, and that’s why I state the stamper and matrix numbers if at all possible, for those who claim to know what they all mean, the information is there for the collector to decide. I prefer to use terms like ‘Early Copy’ rather than ‘First Pressing’ if I am not totally sure. Surface Sound = Mild, light sound, usually light crackle or similar. Distortion = Break up of the actual sound caused by groove wear or damage from a chipped stylus – the most undesirable form of unwanted sound, vintage mono records were the most prone to this happening but not exclusively so. The symptoms of distortion are high frequency clipping, moderate constant crackle or an echo type sound quality. Violin, piano and vocals are most prone to groove-wear distortion. Feathering = Fraying or softening of the entry edge of a cover. Covers with feathered entrance edges are more likely to have had the actual record inserted and removed more than a non-feathered, sharp-edged cover which are always far more attractive. Set Off, actually a printer’s term for dark ink leaving mild residue on pale or white ink when rested upon. e.g. when a gatefold cover has black ink closed against white, this can leave some black residue on the pale area – this is mostly unavoidable or course.

The Argument for Vinyl Original sound and mix (mono mixes are rarely available on CD), high quality sound on clean copies (played on a hi-end dedicated analogue system – breathtaking sound!), beautiful, large format covers, artwork, inserts and even full size posters etc; huge investment potential, and the pleasure of owning ‘the real thing’.