?? THE BEATLES Let It Be BOXSET // Vinyl + Book Rare ??

	A$		244
	$		161

?? THE BEATLES Let It Be Boxset ??
Apple Records PCSO 7096 Stereo Pressing. Matrices: YEX 773/774-3U with ORIGINAL BOX and LIMITED EDITION BOOK included

SIDE ONE: 1. Two Of Us 2. Dig A Pony 3. Across The Universe 4. I Me Mine 5. Dig It 6. Let It Be 7. Maggie Mae

SIDE TWO: 1. I've Got A Feeling 2. One After 909 3. The Long and Winding Road 4. For You Blue 5. Get Back

BRIEF DESCRIPTION: Any Beatles collector will know that this is one of THE HOLY GRAILS of the original Beatles catalogue. These boxsets come up once every NEVER and are becoming HARDER and HARDER to come by - they are incredibly rare. I feel incredibly lucky to have found two copies of this unique boxset over the years and today I'll be departing with my second copy. I'll give a very detailed and very specific description of all the items in the boxset, so please read on. These items can sell anywhere from between $200-$2000 depending on their condition but average around the $400-$500 mark. I'm an avid vinyl collector, I have a very large collection of vinyl from across the last 50-60 years and I learn more and more about vinyl everyday, so I'm no supremo-vinyl, catalogue-remembering, matrix-recalling genius, but I do think I know a fair bit and I do my research before buying and selling, so I'd like to think I know, just a little bit, of what I'm talking about.

HISTORY: Firstly, from what I understand, this boxset was PRE-RELEASE version of the official LP, available for purchase before the "official" release of the "Let It Be" LP on May 8, 1970 in selected countries. Again, from what I've researched, these pre-release boxsets completely sold out before the official single-LP release in early 1970, they were all gone, so you could not purchase it in a retail shop. The other interesting thing is, according to some sources, the book was put into production press BEFORE the LP was printed or even, in fact, had a final mix (some sources say up to 6 months before). In that interim time, The Beatles had a change of heart and altered the original title of the album to "Let It Be" - that's why the all the LP's say "Let It Be" on the cover and the books hold, what was supposed to be, the original title of the album: "Get Back". All the boxsets (covers and books) were produced by Garrod and Lofthouse in the UK and then send out to various parts of the planet to have the LP's pressed locally. This is one is exactly that case: a Garrod and Lofthouse cover and book with an Australian first pressing LP inside. Also, interestingly, this initial run of LP's had a RED APPLE LOGO pressed onto the back cover instead of the standard green Apple logo that appears on all other official Beatles LP releases of that time.

BOXSET CONDITION: I'll do each part separately. [1] The ORIGINAL OUTSIDE BOX is in AVERAGE condition. Boxsets must have been a fairly new phenonema circa 1970 for it's not brilliantly designed and built in the first place. The box itself was supposed to house a vinyl record and a heavy book when only made of thin, flimsy cardboard. The cover is a little tatty in places to say the least, the four pictures on the front are clear and free from any marks or writing. There are, unfortunately, tape marks and residue down the left and right hand sides (the left being the worst of the two). I think if you knew how to remove the tape residue you could, carefully. The previous owner has obviously tried to keep it all in one piece and tried to prevent the LP or book from falling out (I bought it like this). The four edges are quite worn and there is a rip on either side only 1cm long about halfway up - I've tried to pull it back a bit in one of the photos so you can see (when the LP and book are all housed in the box, I don't think you'll see the rips). The back cover is very much the same, general wear and a few tape marks and residue that have carried over from the front. Hopefully all this will be evident in the listing photos. The only thing missing from the boxset is the original black cardboard tray. Again, it was made to hold the book in place inside the box and was only made of thin, flimsy cardboard, nothing that could practically support such a heavy book. The cardboard inlay in my other copy is holding onto life by a thread - they just weren't made that well in the first place. [2] The BOOK is in GOOD condition. If you read any forum about these boxsets you'll inevitably read about how quickly these books fell apart, it's like they were made not to be opened. My two copies are very similar (even though I bought them years apart), the majority of the book is together and a few pages have fallen out. 95% of the book is completely intact but 10-15 pages have fallen out. Again, the previous owner has tried to preserve the separated pages by keeping them all together with some staples, this has prevented any further damage [please consult the listing photo]. My advice to the winner, grab the book, have a quick look through, read some of the interviews and then put it away (I don't even take my other one out anymore, it permanently stays in the box). The book is itself, fantastic, full of behind-the-scenes photos, interviews and transcripts with all four Beatles - a kind of precursor to the actual film. It's VERY, VERY LIMITED EDITION and only available with this boxset so it was never available for purchase separately, very rare indeed. [3] The LP is in EXCELLENT condition. There's a couple of little scuff marks on tracks 1 and 2 of Side B, Side A is pretty much clean. There's no writing or markings on the label and there's very, very little spindle marks around the centre hole. The matrices are listed above for your information. The cover is a little worn along each edge, but, again like the boxset, the four pictures on the front are very clean and free from any markings. There's a small amount of ringwear apparent on the front and back covers. The spine has a very small amount of wear on it but you can still read all the writing clearly.

If you have ANY further questions or queries, please do not hesitate to ask, I'm more than happy to get back to you with anything you may want to ask. Same for photos, I'm happy to provide more if need be. I'm home and online most days so I can get back to you very quickly. Please continue reading below about postage and payment details...

CONDITIONS OF SALE:

Included in the price is FREE REGISTERED POST -  no exceptions. Sorry, but I want whoever wins this to get it and get it in one piece. As soon as the payment has cleared and the item sent, I will email you with the tracking number so you can track it online via Australia Post. I'm in Perth, if you're bidding from the east coast, expect it to take about a week in transit - add an extra couple of days if you're in North Queensland due to the cyclone. Pickup is available from the Perth CBD area but PAYMENT MUST BE MADE FIRST, i.e. NO COD. Sorry to be harsh peeps, but thems the rules.

At this stage, AUSTRALIAN BIDDERS ONLY, no international bidding or postage requests please. Please, don't even ask. If you do go ahead and bid, your bid will be cancelled. Also, if you have an eBay rating of less than 10 you will need to contact me first before bidding due to the high volume of fraudulent bidders on eBay at this time. If your rating is below 10 and you bid without contacting me first, again, your bid will be cancelled.

Payment is via PAYPAL or DIRECT DEPOSIT [EFT] ONLY. No money orders, no cheques, no exceptions. Payment or contact MUST be made STRICTLY within 48 hours otherwise a Non-Payment dispute will be opened against you. I'm a reasonable human being but I'm not interested in hearing people's sob stories about how they need to wait for their paycheck to clear.

If, for any reason, you are unhappy with your item when you receive it or if you bid but need time to pay, please contact me immediately. Leaving negative feedback sucks for everyone, let's be professional about it and work through it as best we can.

Bidding on this item means you clearly accept all terms and conditions of sale.

I appreciate you having a look at the listing and good luck if you decide to bid.