A Hard Day's Night (3N/3N)

This first mono pressing plays with immaculate quality on both sides and without a single click or pop.  Plus no crackle and almost no static either!  It is stunning!  A final upgrade archive version for certain and a near perfect cover also.

Mono 3N/3N first pressing on Yellow/Black label.  'The Parlophone Co. Ltd' etc printed around the perimeter edge.  'Recording first published 1964' and 'Sold in U.K. subject to resale price conditions' plus first label variation.  The labels are of the first known variation - The title 'Songs from the film A Hard Day’s Night' is not quite as long as on other pressings and the song titles on S2 are on separate lines.  The KT tax stamp is on the S1 label.

Mid-sized 'Mono' on front of E.J. Day cover.

PMC 1230 // XEX 481 - 3N / XEX 482 - 3N // GLR 3 / GLT 2

The audio on S1 is Near Mint (Mint- for the vast majority / track 7 Ex+)

The audio on S2 is Mint- (track 6 Near Mint-)

The cover is Near Mint-

The inner sleeve is VG+

The labels are Near Mint-

 Visual grading

  This is one visually stunning vinyl!  There is some spindle wear, although not an excessive amount, so this record has obviously been very carefully handled over the last 55+ years.  There are no scratches or marks at all and only a small number of mega faint hairlines which you would find on any played vinyl anyway.  There is one small hairline on S1 that stands a little prouder but it does not affect the quality of the audio at all.  I cannot stress enough just how impressive this vinyl is!  It has a beautiful glossy sheen and is definitely one of the 'cleanest' I have ever seen.  The labels and run out grooves are also exceptionally clean.  A fabulous example of a first pressing!

Play grading

With only a hint of barely audible static on the first guitar note 'A Hard Days Night' plays with superb sound quality from start to finish.  There is no interference, no clicks or pops, and even the final few guitar notes on the fade out play with great clarity and barely any static.

'I Should Have Known Better' then plays to an standard that can only be described as Mint- it is 'high end' for sure.  Again there is no 'background' and you can hear note perfectly, playback is stunning.  There is no distortion either and this is a prime example of a vinyl that has been extremely well cared for down the years.

The intro on 'If I Fell' plays so clearly and this clarity continues throughout.  Once again there is nothing to detract from the audio and it plays to an immaculate standard.  No static or crackle and certainly no clicks or pops.  It's not often that this relatively quiet track plays with such stunning precision on a very first pressing.

'I'm Happy Just To Dance With You' does not disappoint and plays with wonderful depth and warmth.  There is no distortion and each note can be heard perfectly.

'And I Love Her' is a real test of the vinyl and I am pleased to say it passes with flying colours!  Again the clarity is so impressive and there is only a minimal amount of the lightest static imaginable, totally non-intrusive.  It really is a superb version and one of the 'cleanest' I have heard in a long time.

Both 'Tell Me Why' and 'Can't Buy Me Love' end the side with great quality and again no interference.  There is some minor distortion, with perhaps a little more on the latter, but this is to be expected on these mono pressings being played through a stereo set up.  They still play very clearly and there are no clicks or pops.  In fact not one solitary click or pop on the side!

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'Any Time At All' on S2 begins superbly and this quality is prevalent throughout.  This really is a stunning version of this track and grades as Mint- without doubt.  You can turn it up loud without fear of distortion and there is just no 'background' at all.

The versions of 'I'll Cry Instead' and 'Things We Said Today' are quite simply stunning.  The clarity and sonic quality could not be any better and this really is audio of the highest order.  I cannot adequately put into words just how clear the audio is although I guess 'as new' is the biggest compliment I can pay.  The intros and fade outs play with fantastic precision and the music in between is first class also!

'When I Get Home' could easily be affected by distortion due to it being a 'high octane' track but I am pleased to say the playback is 'high end' with no distortion at all.  It is yet another song displaying incredibly clear audio.

'You Can't Do That' is so impressive and plays loud and true with barely any distortion.  It is a fantastic rendition and again there are no clicks or pops.  There are a couple of mega light static 'ticks' on the fade out but they are so quiet, barely audible in fact.

'I'll Be Back' ends the album in fine style with exceptionally clear audio.  There is a little distortion on the top end but in no way does it intrude on the quality of the listen.  There are a couple of static 'ticks' literally at the end of the fade out but aside from that there is no other 'background'.

In summary this 3N/3N first pressing plays with wonderful depth and clarity from beginning to end and...no clicks or pops and no crackle either!  Plus there is barely any static - audio does not get much better than this!  There cannot be many genuine first pressings that play as clearly as this and whilst there is some spindle wear the quality of the audio has not been affected in any way.  This is further evidence of a vinyl that has been very well cared for down the years.  Not only that but it comes complete with an original flipback cover in beautiful condition.

The Cover

The E.J. Day cover is in stunning with no obvious shelf wear to be honest.  The edges and spine are in pristine condition and there is no real corner wear either, just a barely visible tiny crease on the right hand corners perhaps.  The opening edge is supremely clean with no handling wear.  The laminated front cover is beautifully clean with no marking and the back cover is the same.  This of course is rare as the white background is often marked or stained but not this one!  There is only a minor hint of fading to the left of the song titles but it is hardly noticeable and the flipbacks are also in fantastic condition with no wear and they remain firmly in place.  This is a FINAL UPGRADE cover the likes of which are rarely found today.  Superb!

Inner sleeve

The original poly-lined Emitex sleeve is very clean but does have one side split but only a minor amount of light creaasing.

The labels

The yellow/black Parlophone labels are in lovely condition with no marking or writing and only some spindle wear inside the inner circle.  The KT tax stamp can be seen on the S1 label.

Play tested on my Pro-Ject Essential III Turntable / B&W 684 Speakers

I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.

Any questions please feel free to ask

Please pay within 4 days of auction end

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Postage & Packaging

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