John Lennon Yoko Ono TWO VIRGINS UK LP APPLE/TRACK NM

	£		218
	$		288

JOHN LENNON - TWO VIRGINS

IN MAGNIFICENT 1-2 PLAY NMINT  CONDITION

FIRST PRESS APPLE / TRACK LABEL

WITH MADE IN MERRIE ENGLAND ON REAR OF SLEEVE

• CATALOGUE:APPLE SAPCOR 2 / TRACK 613012
• MATRIX: SAPCOR 2A-1 / SAPCOR 2B-1
• MOTHERS/STAMPERS: 1 GD / 1 T

John's first solo album release, and first of his "experimental" outings.
Credited to John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

The original premise of the "Unfinished Music" series was that John and Yoko were going to chronicle their lives together on record release, this is the first of these.

Recorded one May morning between midnight and dawn in 1968 at John's Kenwood mansion in Weybridge (probably Sunday 19th May 1968). John's wife, Cynthia, had gone on holiday to Greece with Jennie Boyd and Magic Alex. Yoko had expressed an interest in John's avant-garde recordings using his home recording system, and they decided to make an album together.
So, John's first recording venture without his fellow Beatles was this wierd album of sound effects and bodily noises.

More interesting than the "music" (sorry, John) was the album cover. The naked photographs were taken in the basement of Ringo's gaff in Montague Square, London in early October 1968. There was no way John was going to allow a professional photographer to take the pictures as he was too embarrased, so he set the camera up using a delayed shutter release and took them himself.
That was the easy bit ... next was convincing the other Beatles to approve the project ... that took almost six months !
And even though Paul was strongly against the sleeve, he still contributed with a one line sleeve note which reads:
"When two great Saints meet, it is a humbling experience. The long battles to prove he was a Saint."
Next obstacle was the record company, who refused release unless the pictures were changed. But, eventually the album was distributed by Track records in the U.K. (as catalogue number 613 012) ... under one condition ... that it was wrapped in a brown paper bag.
But even with approval, the record company printers wouldn`t print it, and many record shops refused to stock it. Even the music press opposed it and no editor would accept any of the adverts.

Not surprisingly, it sold only around 5,000 copies and did not enter the charts.
It was also the first solo Beatles album to be deleted by E.M.I. ... although it was re-instated into the catalogue in January 1975 when being distributed by Charmdale. But, by 1978 it was deleted again.

ABOVE TEXT BORROWED FROM THE MAGNIFICENT AND LEGENDARY  JPGR.CO.UK WEBSITE

THE LABELS

THE  DARK GREEN APPLE / TRACK LABELS ARE IN MAGNIFICENT CONDITION. NO RUBBING OR COLOUR LOSS. THE WHITE SIDE IS VERY 'WHITE' AND THE BLACK TYPEFACE IS ALL PERFECTLY LEGIBLE.

THE SPINDLE HOLE IS TOTALLY UNWORN AND ONLY HAS 1-2 REALLY SMALL SPIDER LINES CLOSE TO THEM SHOWING JUST HOW LITTLE THIS RARE ALBUM HAS BEEN PLAYED.

THE VINYL

THE VINYL HAS BEEN BARELY PLAYED, NO MORE THAN TWICE I EASTIMATE, JUDGING BY THE SPIDER LINES . THE DISC IS THE HEAVYWEIGHT APPLE EMI VINYL AND PERFORMS LIKE ALL OF THE FIRST PRESS BEATLES ALBUMS. THE DISC HAS RETAINED MOST OF IT'S ORIGINAL SHEEN AND GLEAMS WELL.ANGLED INTO THE LIGHT THERE ARE A COUPLE OF HAIRLINE SURFACE LINES, WHICH I SUSPECT WILL MAKE NO IMPACT ON THE PERFORMANCE OF THE RECORD WHATSOEVER. EVEN UNDER INTENSE ILLUMINATION THERE IS NOTHING MUCH TO SEE APRT FROM A COUPLE OF WISPY HAIRLINES HERE AND THERE

PLAYING THE RECORD

I BELIEVE THAT IF YOU ARE GOING TO SPEND YOUR MONEY ON A FANTASTIC COLLECTIBLE VINYL, THAT YOU SHOULD BE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR WHAT YOU ARE BUYING. I HAVE THEREFORE INVESTED IN THE SOFTWARE THAT ALLOWS YOU TO DO JUST THAT.

I HAVE RECORDED THE ENTIRE ALBUM FROM START TO FINISH, INCLUDING THE RUN IN'S, RUN OUT'S AND THE LINKING GROOVES. IT'S ALL HERE. THERE HAS LONG BEEN A CRITISISM OF EBAY BUYING THAT YOU CAN FOLLOW A DESRIPTION AND BUY A 'MINT' LP ONLY FOR IT TO SOUND TERRIBLE WHEN YOU ACTUALLY RECEIVE IT. WELL I BELIEVE THIS IS THE ANSWER, AND YOU CAN'T EVEN GET THIS EXPERIENCE FROM RECORD FAIRS WHERE YOU CAN ACTUALLY EXAMINE THE VINYL. SO I HOPE YOU AGREE WITH ME THAT THIS IS DEFINITELY THE WAY FORWARD

HAVING LISTENED TO THIS , WELL STRANGE RECORDING, I CAN SAY WITHOUT FEAR OF CONTRACDICTION IT IS CERTAINLY A RECORD FOR THE COMPLETISTS!!!!!

SIDE ONE PLAYS SUPERBLY ALL THE WAY THROUGH, THERE IS NO DISTORTION TO THE SOUND AND EVERY NOTE (WAIL) CAN BE HEARD PERFECTLY. THERE IS NO BACKGROUND CRACKLE WHATSOEVER, AND NO CLICKS ETC. I PROBABLY HEARD ABOUT 2-3 TINY (BARELY AUDIBLE) DUST POPS. SIDE TWO HAS A FEW (6-7) LIGHT ROTATIONAL TICKS AS THE INTRO TO THE FIRST TRACK BEGINS. AFTER THIS THE REST OF THE SIDE PLAYS EXACTLY LIKE SIDE ONE, WITH JUST A COUPLE OF LITTLE DUST POPS HERE AND THERE

I AM MORE THAN HAPPY TO GRADE THIS VINYL NEAR MINT

THE SLEEVE

THIN AND FLIMSY LAMINATED SINGLE SLEEVE BY TECKNINK LTD??

THIS SLEEVE IS VERY VERY PRONE TO ALL SORTS OF ABUSE AS IT WAS NOT VERY WELL MADE, AND IF YOU DO FIND A COPY OF THIS ALBUM (FIRST ISSUE) YOU WILL COME ACCROSS A NUMBER OF PROBLEMS INCLUDING, SEVERE BROWNING, LAMINATE PEEL, FLAKE AND LIFT. TERRIBLE RING WEAR, AND HEAVY CREASES, CREASE LINES AND BENDS

THIS SLEEVE ON THE OTHER HAND WHILST HAVING SOME MINOR NLEMISHES IS IN THE BEST CONDITON POSSIBLE I BELIEVE

THE FRONT SURFACE HAS REMAINED VERY 'WHITE' WITH THE ONLY SIGN OF BROWNING BEING THE SPINE EDGE.

THE LAMINATE IS ALL INTACT AND THERE IS NO PEEL OR FLAKE, JUST ASMALL SPOT OF LIFT NEAR THE BOTTOM CORNER

A FEW SMALL LAMINATE LINES ALONG THE SPINE, BUT NOE ALONG EITHER THE TOP OR BOTTOM EDGES

NO RING WEAR, JUST A LIGHT OUTLINE OF RECORD SHAPE, AND NO HEAVY CREASES OR CREASE LINES, JUST A COUPLE OF LIGHT ONES TOP RIGHT AND BOTTOM LEFT CORNERS

THE TOP AND BOTTOM EDGES ARE VIRTUALLY UNWORN, JUST A SPECK ON THE BOTTOM

THE SPINE IS BROWN BUT NONE OF THE LAMINATE HAS COME AWAY. THERE SPINE IS VERY THIN AND THUS NO TYPEFACE WAS EVER INCLUDED ON IT, IT HAS A COUPLE OF THUMB TO FINGER SQUASHES ALONG IT

THE OPENING EDGE IS AMAZINGLY IN VERY SHARP CONDITION, DUE PURELY TO THE FACT THAT THE LP HAS ONLY BEEN OUT OF IT A COUPLE OF TIMES

THE REAR SURFACE IS IN THE SAME GREAT CONDITION AS THE FRONT, JUST A SLIVER OF LAMINATE LIFT TOP RIGHT,BY THE SPINE, AND THE BAREST TRACE OF RECORD SHAPE

THE ORIGINAL BLACK POLY LINED INNER SLEEVE IS INCLUDED AND IS IN TOP CONDITION. NO SPPITS TO THE SEAMS AND AN UNDAMGED TOP EDGE. JUST A FEW LIGTH CREASES LINES

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR BID IF YOU CHOSE TO GO FOR IT

GARRY