Rubber Soul 1st MONO NEAR MINT Still in shrink Beatles

$

101

Title:  Rubber Soul FIRST MONO PRESSING

Artist:  The Beatles

Label:  Capitol T-2442

Condition/Description:

The term “mint,” in my mind refers to an item which is still sealed with no wear.  As it came from the mint.  This East coast pressing of this album is close.  The first of the three mono pressings, this one does not have “The Beatles” listed on the label.

The cover still has shrinkwrap, and the shrinkwrap has breathe holes. The mono cover looks as though the shrink has just been opened.  Everything is razor-sharp.  No splits, no stickers, no writing, no wear, no dirt, no outdent, no missing slick.  All colors are brand new, all white areas are blinding.  There are TINY yellow age-spots on the back near the mouth. Fantastic example of this mono cover.

Disc has one light scratch under room light.  Under a bright bulb, a few paper scuffs appear.  Otherwise, the disc looks drop-dead beautiful.  Far too much new shine to make you whisper an expletive against your will to keep from losing your breath!  I’ve never played this disc since I’ve owned it.  But I did play the silent grooves between tracks to hear the vinyl quality.  The first couple of cuts have very slight vinyl sounds.  The remaining silent bands are just that.  Silence.

The labels are sharp, and have no spindle marks.  There is no missing shrinkwrap.  By the way, that isn’t loose shrink in the photo.  It’s a reflection of the drapes behind me.  Photographing an album in shrinkwrap is like photographing a mirror.  The shrink is nice and tight.

Original olive green Capitol inner sleeve is sharp and flat.  Looks as though it were just printed.  Not improperly inserted by the factory, so there are no irreversible creases.  The album has been stored separately from the cover in a plain paper sleeve, and the inner sleeve has been stored separately from both.  The entire set has been stored away from light and dust.  Extremely well-cared for.

There were three mono pressings for this title.  The first is the most difficult to find in this condition, although you’ll see these around.  As with any new Beatles release, it sold very well, but the LP’s conditions tended to lose their respectability within a week.

 The very initial pressings of the labels have the band members’ names listed, but Capitol seemed to have forgotten to list “The Beatles” on the label.  See photos.  The label on the left is the album for sale.  The one on the right is the second pressing mono with “The Beatles” listed.  That one is my play copy, and is not for sale, but is pictured to illustrate by comparison.  This error was quickly corrected.

For those of us who enjoy finding discrepancies in the mono mixes, I’ll start you off by mentioning the cough in “Norwegian Wood.”  It occurs after the line, “sit anywhere.”  There are four beats of Lennon’s acoustic guitar before the next line is sung.  The cough is quite audible between the third and fourth strums.  By the way, all domestic mono pressings have this, so if you have one, check it out!  It was mixed out of the stereo mix.

In thirty years, this is the best example I’ve ever seen.  I’m afraid that not having H.G. Wells to kick around anymore, this is the last way to own a copy this handsome.

Thirty-year record collector fallen on hard times.  I will be selling off some nice, rare pieces over the next several months.  Prompt payment will receive positive feedback.  Please, no checks.  Money orders, bank checks and PayPal are my preferred methods of payment.  I cannot be responsible for cash lost in the mail.  International buyers, please convert to US funds.  Thank you!

Postage:  $3.85 covers shipping on domestic purchases.  Will combine winning items up to $3.85, and advise by email if postage is more.  Insurance is required on this one.  Thanks!