John Lennon Imagine 1971 Apple 1st Press With Poster Postcard & Lyric Sheet

	£		37
	$		49

I am selling off some of my collection and over the next few months and will be listing some very nice and very rare albums and singles from the 50's through to the 90's!! I will be listing The Beatles, Cream, Purple, Zeppplin, The Stones, Small Faces, Floyd, Creedence Clearwater, Beach Boys and many, many more so please add me to your watch list as I may have something you need to help complete you collection!!!!

Artist or Band: John Lennon 

Album Title: Imagine 

Producer(s): John Lennon, Yoko Ono & Phil Spector 

Cat Number: PAS 10004

Label Format: Apple .

Country of Manufacture: UK

Side 2: Give Me some truth; Oh my love; How Do You Sleep?; How?; Oh Yoko!. 

Matrix Nos: Side 1: YEX-865-1U Side 2: YEX-866-1U

Stamper Codes: Side 1: 6 & TO Side 2: 1 & PT 

Other Etchings: Side 1: Porky (and a sideways 3) Side 2: Pecko 

Musicians: 

John Lennon: Vocals, Acoustic and Electric Guitars; Piano; Whistling On "Jealous Guy"; Harmonica On "Oh Yoko". George Harrison: Electric and Slide guitar on "I Don't Want to Be a Soldier", "Gimme Some Truth," "Oh My Love," and "How Do You Sleep?"; Dobro on "Crippled Inside". Nicky Hopkins: piano on "Jealous Guy"; electric piano on "Oh My Love" and "How Do You Sleep?"; tack piano on "Crippled Inside". Klaus Voormann: Bass; Upright Bass on "Crippled Inside". Alan White: Drums on "Imagine", "Gimme Some Truth", "Oh My Love", "How Do You Sleep?", "How?", and "Oh Yoko!"; Tibetan Cymbals on "Oh My Love"; Vibraphone on "Jealous Guy". Jim Keltner: Drums on "Crippled Inside," "Jealous Guy," and "I Don't Want to Be a Soldier". Jim Gordon: Drums on "It's So Hard". King Curtis: Saxophone on "It's So Hard" and "I Don't Want to Be a Soldier" John Barham: Harmonium on "Jealous Guy"; Vibraphone on "How?" Joey Molland and Tom Evans: Acoustic Guitars on "I Don't Want to Be a Soldier" John Tout: Piano on "Crippled Inside" Ted Turner: Acoustic Guitars on "Crippled Inside".

Brief Artist & Album Info: "IMAGINE" is the second studio album by John Lennon. Recorded and released in 1971, the album is more heavily produced in contrast to the basic, raw arrangements of his previous album, the critically acclaimed "John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band". The album is the most popular of his solo works and the title track is considered one of Lennon's finest songs. In 2012, Imagine was voted 80th on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".

While in New York, former-Beatles John Lennon and George Harrison had a short jam session. At this session, Lennon asked Harrison if he would like to perform on Lennon's next album, with recording that was to begin in a week's time at Lennon's Ascot Sound Studios at his Tittenhurst Park residence. Harrison said yes, and would ask friend and bassist Klaus Voormann, via a phone call, if he wanted to come to the recording sessions.

"Imagine" was written and recorded during a period of particularly bad feeling between Lennon and former bandmate Paul McCartney, following the Beatles' break-up the year before and McCartney winning his case in the High Court to have their legal partnership dissolved. Harrison guested on half of Imagine's ten tracks, including "How Do You Sleep?" a song written in retaliation against McCartney's alleged personal attacks on Lennon and Ono, on his recent "Ram" album. Lennon said in 1980 "I used my resentment against Paul ... to create a song ... not a terrible vicious horrible vendetta ... I used my resentment and withdrawing from Paul and The Beatles, and the relationship with Paul, to write 'How Do You Sleep?'. I don't really go 'round with those thoughts in my head all the time" 

"How Do You Sleep?", the most notorious of Imagine's songs. An undisguised attack on Paul McCartney, it was as far from living life in peace that it was possible to Imagine Lennon.

The song was written in response to various coded messages Lennon claimed were on Paul and Linda McCartney's 1971 album Ram, particularly in the songs Too Many People, Dear Boy, Three Legs and The Back Seat Of My Car.

I heard Paul's messages in Ram - yes there are dear reader! Too many people going where? Missed our lucky what? What was our first mistake? Can't be wrong? Huh! I mean Yoko, me, and other friends can't all be hearing things. So to have some fun, I must thank Allen Klein publicly for the line 'just another day'. A real poet! Some people don't see the funny side of it. Too bad. What am I supposed to do, make you laugh? It's what you might call an 'angry letter', sung - get it?

CONDITION

LABELS:

The Apple Labels are Both in SUPERB condition with NO spindle wear or spider marks to be seen anywhere I would easily grade these as Ex!!!!

VINYL:

Plays throughout absolutely brilliant with no Pops, Clicks or Jumps. The record still contains that glossy sheen though there are several very minimal surface to be seen, these in NO way interfere with the superb sound quality. This Album plays up to and  beyond its high visual grading with hardly anything of note to fault. It offers strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear – sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. A typical polished production from John Lennon. Minimal surface sound and no tracking issues. This play-grade proved a real pleasure when playing this fast disappearing Apple album, this being the first example I have had for some time, and possibly the best all-round one for me yet. It will prove quite difficult to find a significantly better copy and merits a very strong recommendation. I would grade both sides as Excellent!!!!

COVER: 

John Lennon’s 1986 album “Menlove Ave” is probably the best known of his recordings that use Andy Warhol’s art. But there are some others and one, in particular, that has not previously been recognized. John and Yoko Lennon and Andy Warhol were friends. I’m sure they basked in each others’ glory. Andy Warhol took Polaroid photos of John and two of these were recently auctioned at Christies 

The photo bears a striking resemblance to the cover photo on Lennon’s album “Imagine”. Only the position of the cloud is different. There may be an explanation for this, however. Photographer Iain Macmillan was a good friend of the Lennon's. He had been introduced to John by Yoko at her 1966 exhibition at the Indica Gallery in London, where she first met John. Macmillan was commissioned to take the cover photo for The Beatles’ “Abbey Road” album and had take portrait photographs of John as well. It was he, apparently, that placed the cloud on the cover of the Plastic Ono Band’s “Live Peace in Toronto” 1969 album.

The Cover is a single fully laminated format. 

Cover Lamination: What a fantastic front picture. The laminate retains a fine shine and clarity without any dulling. However there are several very slight laminate creases (Not Splits) to both the front and rear of the cover.The Pinch Edged spine is in brilliant order, with all writing readable. The Glue has come unstuck to the Top (I could easily re-glue it but I think that's cheating). The opening edges are slightly frayed. This cover is incredibly difficult to find in Ex+ condition simply because of the design and age. However I would be happy enough to grade it as Very Good!!!! It would grade higher if Not for the unglued top edge.

COVER SUMMARY: Not seen often, this one is in lovely condition with only gentle clues of age, any blemishes mostly light – a few laminate creases are incredibly hard to avoid at the barest minimum. This classic cover should (as described) please many collectors.

INNER SLEEVE: This is the Correct inner sleeve to this album. It has the credits in a spiral, with artist photos;  The Flipside has the lyrics in a 'Starburst' style, printed black on non-punched, unlined white paper. "Patent No.1,125,555 Made In Great Britain". The inner sleeve & label titles this release "Imagine: John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band (With The Flux Fiddlers*)"*Most likely the ensemble of strings arranged by Torrie Zito". All songs published by Northern Songs. NCB. B2* joint copyright claimed by Ono Music Ltd. (* written 1968) .Inner sleeve credits "the j & p duo" on track B5. A5 is titled "I Don't Want To Be A Soldier I Don't Want To Die" on wallet. B1 is titled "Gimme Some Truth" on wallet. Alan White appears courtesy of Wizard Records Ltd. Ascot Studios was Lennon's studio at his UK home, Tittenhurst Park There is hardly any creasing and all edges are unsplit with no repairs. This unlined inner has the Patent No: 1.125,555, and Made In Great Britain. graded as Very Good++!!!!

Album Played For Grading: I play/grade ALL records I offer before submitting, I also play them in their entirety unless clearly stated otherwise. I do NOT play snippets or joining grooves to check for sound quality and quietness. I play from the beginning to end. I use a Linn LP12 Sondek turntable with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Quintet Black moving coil cartridge and Linn Lingo, with my Linn system and Forest Totem Speakers. This system is guaranteed  to pick up any distortion or interference within the sound.

Grading: In my opinion I REFUSE to believe there is ANY record that can be truly graded as Mint, the BEST that could be offered is Mint- (minus)!!!! Especially so from the 50's, 60's, 70's or even up to the present date!!!! Even copies bought new today would have some form of imperfection on the Record or Cover!!!! Under that assumption I will NEVER use the word Mint in any of my descriptions and Mint- is the HIGHEST grade I would ever offer. So I will only from Excellent, Good or Poor with a -(minus), +(plus) or ++(plus,plus)!!!!

Bid With Confidence: I take great care and pride with what I sell and offer a FULL money back guarantee, in the unlikely event of the buyer not agreeing with my description. As long as the item is repacked and returned to me in the same condition it was sent.

Postage: All of my records will be professionally packaged. I use Dependapack Vinyl Record Mailers that have locking tab closures with strong locking tab record wraps. I also use corrugated record stiffeners and extra strong tape marked with Handle With Care. This is to ensure your Valuable Record/s are protected whilst in transit. I will add a nominal fee of .40p to my postage and packaging for this service. Any Record valued at £100 or more I would prefer to send by Special Deliver/International Signed For.