THE BEATLES Help Early UK Mono N/M LP. Likely 2 Plays.

	£		132
	$		175

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Artist or Band: THE BEATLES

Album Title: Help!

Producer(s): George Martin.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Help!; The Night Before; You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away; I Need You; Another Girl; You’re Going to Lose That Girl; Ticket to Ride.

Side 2: Act Naturally; It’s Only Love; You Like Me Too Much; Tell Me What you See; I’ve Just Seen a Face; Yesterday; Dizzy Miss Lizzy.

Label/Format: Parlophone – First edition format (I wont use the word ‘press’ as this record was pressed many times). It has the earliest text: ‘Sold in the UK...’, The Gramophone Co Ltd. This one has no tax codes, but the central inner ring from ridge to hole rim is textured whereas the rest of label is smooth. This is very evidence on this copy. (Please see my label scans).

Label Conditions: This pair have to be seen to be believed: two labels that almost remind of new. This immediately has to be put into context. Beatles were, and still are the world’s most popular pop group. The people from the 1960s who purchased them did so to play them, hence a massive percentage of existing copies were certainly just that. All collectors know just how ‘hammered’ these were on Dansettes and other similar record players of the era. Most suffered accordingly with audio quality badly diminished and often now unlistenable, especially when played on high-end stereo equipment for which these single mode records were never really designed for. The mono pressings usually suffered most as stereo pressings were more often purchased by those who owned stereo equipment. Stating the obvious? maybe. To find a mono copy of ‘Help’ in barely played condition is a major rarity, and I know for certain this record has hardly left the sleeve. It will be more than apparent to any winning bidder this is the case. Most of these labels are seen with heavy, matted spindle marks, often penetrating and removing the surface ink and the hole actually enlarged by constant placing around steel spindles that eat into the record hole rims. This record’s labels are simply incredible with barely any spindle marks visible at all, one ultra faint surface paper scuff is lightly evident (just) on side one (but look hard). The difference such a hardly played copy makes to the audio reproduction of the music is beyond comparison, more on that further down. With immaculate playing surfaces and a record I would think has been played no more than two or three times, this is what makes the difference. Few copies of this and similar mono albums can withstand high-end equipment without wretched sound, distortion, crackle, pops and clicks. I simply will not offer such copies. Check out my system near the bottom of this piece what I play-grade ALL my records on, it does not lie. Can your copy pass the LP12 test?

Cat Number: PMC 1255.

Mode / Speed: Mono / 33.3 rpm.

Warps: Assume all records I offer have no warping of any significance and all tracking is easy and effortless and should play on all turntables and even ‘budget’ decks.

Weight of this Record: 153 grams. [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).

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Few Beatles albums are ‘rare’ and this is no exception, but finding them in ultra clean playing conditions is a different story, especially in mono. The world’s most popular band’s titles were usually played into submission on heavy armed mono record players often with worn out stylus that stripped and destroyed their delicate grooves. Most were sapphire tipped, they wore out fast and regularly chipped which wrote-off all records played with them thereafter. Few bothered checking or changing them regularly and they were rarely aligned and tracked in double-figure grams, often with added weight to track stacked singles – yes true. So many of the earliest copies sound terrible these days especially when played on modern clinical equipment. I don’t offer Beatles titles that often simply because of that, I will only offer clean copies that play well and these are far more difficult to find. Who wants to listen to worn out, noisy, crackly distorted sound with a host of pops and clicks? NO WAY! So when I do offer a Beatles title, be assured it will sound nice. If it fails to please me, why would it please any potential buyer? Perfection is tough ask from mono records over 40 years old, but strong clean sound with minimal surface sound is possible and it’s worth the wait. This example is a beauty, it belonged to a female owner who did put all her details on the back cover. That may detract for some, but I put more emphasis on the record and it’s audio quality rather than cover blemishes, but that’s a subjective and honest personal opinion. What is certain, this owner simply did not play this record, a very rare exception to the rule. That using the word ‘rare’ correctly, because most were played these into oblivion. I rarely even look at Beatles records at fairs because I know exactly what to expect. Worn-out, grubby and scratched records that have clearly been played dozens of times on god knows what – or reissues. What a joy to see this stunning record so clean, it truly does come close to reminding of new with sound of equal merit. One that could prove a massive upgrade for many and this one really does pass the LP12 test – with flying colours.

Original Year of Release: 1965

Matrix Nos: XEX 549-2 / XEX 550-2

Stamper Codes: 6 AAL / 5 AGP [clearly not the earliest pressed, but these were pressed multitudes of times].

Brief Info: Most collectors and fans will know this album well, suffice to say it was their fifth record and including 14 wonderful pop songs with several used in their second feature film of the same name. I prefer to concentrate on conditions and briefly, a superb visual record that looks and plays beautifully. A mono copy that easily meets my criteria for offering, one to play and enjoy.

Cover Grade and Format: This is a great looking cover, with blemishes. Hence I grade Excellent. I cannot put a definitive grade for the previous owner’s details on the back top right, that you will have to decide yourself. This has the first printing outline mono near the top right corner on the front and the ‘Patents pending’ text on the imprint on the bottom rear flipback. It includes its original tracing paper styled lined inner too. Printed and made in England by Garrod & Lofthouse.

Lamination & Front: The front looks superb and has barely anything to fault at all. This has aged little and has avoided the yellowing to the white so many attractive. Often caused by light exposure or nicotine - this has avoided both as it was kept inside a record case (that has caused the only major blemish of real note to the top edge, explained further down). The front laminate is ultra clean, solid, fresh and shiny. The superb clarity allows maximum pleasure of the ‘Fab Four’. There is no lifting or blistering at all and any creases are minuscule. Even under light (today, natural sunlight is beaming in again), there are no friction rubs or dulling and this ultra smooth surface is almost mark-free. This really does look fantastic, it’s more than obvious this has hardly been handled or exposed to the natural perils of time.

Cover Back: The back is almost the same and the unprotected back panel is as white as when purchased all those years ago. One or two ultra faint and small toning spots being critical, but I am critical so I mention them. A fine surface crease is just seen near the bottom edge but that’s about it on this vulnerable panel. Any grubbiness barely registers and with no ringwear or even record impression, this looks lovely. Of course, I have to mention again, the top right has the original owner’s name and address. Marion, an Essex girl is the only information I care to mention via the Net. This is neatly written in ball pen in capitals and truly, I do not find it detracts at all when written so clearly and unsmudged and small. Again, purely an opinion, nothing more, if I could wave a wand, I would prefer it not to be there for the connoisseur, but there you go. The flipbacks are all very neat indeed and firmly adhered with no lifting or damage. The ends are very clean indeed with no grime lines but a tiny few traces of tone spots, this being very critical again. The sharpness of their ends has to be seen with no burring whatsoever on all. A few surface creaeses yes, but how many will ever avoid these? The G&L imprint and PP text is pristine fully protected under the rock solid laminate. A lovely back to complement the gorgeous front. If the personalised data is an issue, do not bid.

Top Edge: Here lies the only real wear on this cover, a Mint(-) would have applied bar what appears to be a surface crack to the central third of this top edge. Record cases are notorious for harming edges and I have seen this happen before. They offer great protection overall but care has to be taken on the edges when close the lids. Anyway, marked down to EX for this blemish that’s largely out of sight, who wants to look at an edge with the rest of the cover looking this nice?

Bottom Edge: Wear-free and looking superb.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, as sharp as when made with a rustic trim in manfacture. Barely any wear and no feathering and guaranteed untrimmed. Record enters on this edge.

Spine and Text: Solid, straight, uncompressed with just a couple of hairline surface cracks. All text is perfect and unworn under the solid and unpeeled laminate.

Corners: Light tip rubs to the spine pair, being white, little visual impact. The right pair have little to fault and fine to very fine shape is retained.

Cover Summary: A fantastic all round example of this highly wear prone 60’s cover, one that will prove difficult to find much better. The top edge blemish is not seen when viewing the more interesting parts of this beautiful cover, hence it should please many, if not most collectors. But not quite for the purist of highly discerning Beatles collector. If this surface crack (which has NOT penetrated through) or the owner’s details are an issue, please do not bid, I have mentioned these facts enough times so they cannot be overlooked or missed.

The Inner: Firstly, this inner is guaranteed the original, not a mix-and-match and the same goes for the record and cover. I prefer to keep all the pieces together as purchased, warts-n-all. This inner is superb and grades EX++, which emphasises just how little the record has been removed or used. This has the tracing paper style lining which is pristine with immaculate window circles. Aged little due to lack of exposure and all edges unsplit with NO repairs, none necessary. A couple of semi-creases and mild ruffling but clean and still quite fresh and certainly attractive (as I hope my pictures show). The fragile lining intact and looking magnificent, these old inners in this style are so fragile and are quite hard to find like this.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: This truly remarkable record has to be graded Mint(-), anything below would not begin to explain just what a beautiful piece this is. Barely even run-in in vinyl terms, and yes, we are talking about a Beatles mono record. For all the reasons mentioned above, this is a remarkable find and will simply show up others for what they are – used and often abused. This has simply been stashed away and forgotten about, I am certain this has not seen light-of-day for decades. A superb visual copy that is super clean, shiny, intense black and very heavily pressed. A copy possibly, and likely played just once before my play-grade, this was almost as good as a new copy with any sound blemishes barely registering. Two incredibly clean playing surfaces with any of the two or three minuscule surface marks, barely visible. These being mega faint friction scuffs, not even hairlines and certainly not stylus marks. I am talking ‘traces’ barely even worthy of mention here, this sets the benchmark for others to try and emulate. Visually a close to reference copy that should please most-all collectors and could prove the ultimate upgrade for many.

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 beautiful first format record plays up to its high visual grading with practically nothing to fault. A bold statement I know, but true. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear and sound quality is astonishing with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound, another masterclass of production from George Martin. Every Beatles album on Parlophone has a ‘crucial’ and ‘difficult’ track, one that is the benchmark to judge the rest of the album. On ‘Help’ it’s always ‘Yesterday’. A song of great intensity with vocal and strings and it lies towards the inner part of the record where the tracking angle becomes more critical. Here is where those old mono pickups inflict maximum damage, hence so few copies will ever play this crucial and delicate song well. In most cases it will crackle and break up, Paul’s voice becomes unfocused and clips. In more severe cases of groove wear (which are far from uncommon), actually go into distortion. This is an unforgiving song and very few copies of this album will play it even close to perfectly. But of course from new they all did (even if only briefly after a piledriver blunt needle did its worst). Well this copy plays this critical song as close to perfect as it will ever be heard in mono on it’s original album (not compilations). Any sound degrading on this crucial test track (and the rest) barely even registers and what a joy to hear it so clean, and please bear in mind what I play-grade my records on. A Linn Sondek takes no prisoners in revealing all – good and bad – and there is no bad on this record believe me. I am a self-confessed audio purist, any unacceptable sounds make me cringe and distortion being the worst of the worst. This was a real thrill to hear so clean, so few will get close, ‘Yesterday’ on this record is 99.99 per cent perfect and will prove near unbeatable like this again. McCartney could almost be in the room with you, his voice crisp, sharp and totally precise, I could hardly believe this myself, a near impossible task that only a near unplayed copy could ever offer. No pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing and clearly it has been almost unused. Even after a very few plays will the sound begin to deteriorate if played on less than worthy equipment, this has simply not happened on this copy and there lies the difference. This record has fantastic sound overall and will last almost indefintely if played with a modern lightweight stylus. I honestly think it’s near impossible to wear out a record when played on modern equipment with such light tracking weights. Clean grooves and a regular changed pickup means a super long life for even often played records. Any unwanted sounds on this record barely even registered, but silence is a near impossible ask, but this beauty gives it real good go. Few copies will match or outperform this heavyweight pressing significantly I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has barely been played and was caringly stored – the top edge is a minor shame, but its out of sight and neat anyway – these things happen. The cover for sure will be easier to upgrade than this outstanding record (if deemed necessary) but it’s still a beauty too. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful vintage record. This record will prove immensely difficult (something of an understatement I feel) to find better and can be strongly recommended. A dream-piece record for the discerning audiophile fan – The Beatles themselves would have surely approved.

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/Hercules/Cirkus with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Rondo Red moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with QED Silver terminated cable). 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.

PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET - PLEASE SEE MY TYPICAL PACKING BOX PICTURE.

What You Get: To confirm to the strict Ebay rules on shipping, I must now send ALL my packets ‘Signed-For’ with NO exceptions. Both buyers and sellers want their packets to have a safer journey and this is not a bad thing.

I now offer the fastest possible posting, often the very next day after payment is received or within two to three days maximum (unless on holiday). I only use FIRST-CLASS Mail. The record’s 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. 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. All records are posted in professional thick boxes (NOT Mailers or Cruciforms, these do not offer maximum protection). 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 THREE or EVEN FOUR ULTRA THICK stiffeners for maximum extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffeners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will even be Double Boxed if deemed necessary and possible. The thick record and stiffener ‘sandwich’ is then thickly embedded into bubble-wrap to bulk out the record inside the box to centre the item inside to reduce the risk of damage still further. Printed address labels are used for clarity as well as a sender label. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if at all possible but ‘Signed-For’ posting is NOT an option anymore. Please see my picture of a typical finished box packet that will now be used on ALL transactions as from now. I do not profit on posting and the cost of this lavish packing is NOT even charged for, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. These boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffners and bubble wrap make a near impregnable fortress for safe shipping and this is used inland and overseas for ALL my records, not just the rare and expensive. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than one in two thousand based on over 6,000+ items sold in over 8 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. The only damage rate acceptable for this seller is ZERO and I think my packets will offer just that. It would take a vicious postman or postal service to damage these for sure. Even one of these stiffners cannot be bent by hand, so what chance 3 or 4 inside a box? Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FOUR records per box (one double can sometimes be included subject to total weight). I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included here and on ALL of my adverts. Details below:

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 & CONDITIONS – THESE comply with EBAY’S RULES - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY:

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

1 LP (FIRST-CLASS Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £2 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£40 maximum]) = £9. (insurance optional extra £3). Add £2.50 per extra LP.

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

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £13. Add £4 per extra LP. (insurance optional extra £3)

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders or direct payment into my bank account.

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. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer, so read the item description carefully. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help. Thank You.

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’.