THE BEATLES White Album 1968 UK MONO No. 0034854 TOP OPENING complete VG+

	£		250
	$		331

THE BEATLES - DOUBLE WHITE ALBUM

A highly sought after copy of this rare 1968 UK MONO top loading, "non-EMI" 1st pressing on the UK APPLE label, MONO, PMC 7067/8, made all the more rare and sought after by virtue of the side 1 label duplication error on sides 1 and 2 (though side 2 does play the original side 2 tracks) : 

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1  XEX 709 - 1 with stampers "7" and "GR T" at 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock respectively

Side 2  XEX 710 - 1 with stampers "3 and "G D G" (each inverted) at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock respectively

Side 3  XEX 711 - 1 with stampers "2" and "P" at 9 o'clock and 2 o'clock respectively

Side 4  XEX 712 - 1 with stampers "1" and "T" at 4 o'clock and 2 o'clock respectively

The appearance of each of the heavy duty vinyls is VG+. Each vinyl is flat and each side of each vinyl has retained much of it's original beautiful glossy sheen and nice luster. In normal daylight it is possible to detect a few light scuffs and wispy hairlines. Under a bright light, and when tilted at the right angle, a good number of surface scuffs (mostly paper scuffs) and mostly wispy hairlines come into view, indicating a good number of plays, but I could detect nothing "feelable" or obviously beneath the surface. Overall I would grade the condition of both vinyls as a solid VG with the number of hairlines and scuff marks indicating that each vinyl has had it's fair share of plays. 

The labels are excellent. In normal daylight each label comes across as near perfect. It's only under a bright light and with close inspection that a few light spindle trails can be identified adjacent to the centre hole on each label. The side 3 label contains the "K" and "T" tax codes. Note the absence of any reference to "E.M.I." on the label text, which is indicative of very first pressings of this wonderful album - later pressings contained the text "An E.M.I. Recording". 

Note the duplication of the side 1 non-EMI label track listing on each of sides 1 and 2 of record 1. I can only assume this to be a manufacturing fault, and side 2 does actually play the listed side 2 tracks. But this duplication obviously gives a special uniqueness factor to this White Album 1st pressing copy!

The laminated Garrod & Lofthouse laminated outer sleeve is in very good condition.  All edges remain firm with barely any scuffing but there is a little age discolouration adjacent to the edges, the occasional small "nick", and some significant and very noticeable scuffing on the spine where the laminate has completely come away in places resulting in most of the spine text being unreadable. The bottom corner of the spine also suffers from some noticeable rubbing. The inside of the gatefold is very good plus, where  each side flipback is in near perfect condition and the photos and track listing text all remain excellent. There is some very minor surface creasing towards the top and bottom of the spine but apart from that the condition of the inside of the gatefold is close to excellent. Overall I would say that the appearance and condition of this still beautifully glossy gatefold, with the low number of "0034854" clear to see on the front side, is a solid very good.

The four photos are in very good plus condition - no blue tac or glue residue and no pin prick holes, just a small scuff on the left hand side margin of the Ringo photo and again some light scuffing on the bottom margin of John's photo and a scuff on the bottom right margin of Paul's photo, along with the odd age discolouration spot - not perfect but definitely a strong very good plus with the rich vibrancy of the original colouring still intact.

The folded and obviously well looked after lyric/photo poster is in excellent minus condition with no unwanted writing and just some occasional, very light surface creasing and a 1-3cm split at three of the ends of the two horizontal folds, but these really are minor blemishes.

Finally, the quality of the audio is overall very good. In fact much of the sides 1, 2, and 3 audio quality is better than very good. Impressive tone and clarity even at higher volume and frequency, and no distortion at all. Each vinyl has been played a reasonable amount but it is clear that there are many plays left in each of these records which are the original heavy duty vinyls, built to last. There is some occasional mild, background crackle, slightly more noticeable during some of the quieter moments/interludes and at the beginning and end of each side, along with the odd mild click...the exception to this is side 4 where the background crackle is a little more pronounced and noticeable (towards the end of "Savoy Truffle", during "Cry, Baby Cry", and at the beginning of "Revolution 9") and I noted 19 mild but audible clicks during "Cry baby Cry" (but no skips). None of this is nastily intrusive and does not spoil the overall very good and enjoyable listen that this wonderful album still provides.

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

1. BACK IN THE U.S.S.R.

2. DEAR PRUDENCE

3. OB-LA-DI, OB-LA-DA

4. WILD HONEY PIE

5. THE CONTINUING STORY OF BUNGALOW BILL

6. WHILE MY GUITAR GENTLY WEEPS

7. HAPPINESS IS A WARM GUN

Side 2 :

1. MARTHA MY DEAR

2. I'M SO TIRED

3. BLACKBIRD

4. PIGGIES

5. ROCKY RACCOON

6. DON'T PASS ME BY

7. WHY DON'T WE DO IT IN THE ROAD

8. I WILL

9. JULIA

Side 3 :

1. BIRTHDAY

2. YER BLUES

3. MOTHER NATURE'S SON

4. EVERYBODY'S GOT SOMETHING TO HIDE EXCEPT ME AND MY MONKEY

5. SEXY SADIE

6. HELTER SKELTER

7. LONG LONG LONG

Side 4 :

1. REVOLUTION 1

2. HONEY PIE

3. SAVOY TRUFFLE

4. CRY BABY CRY

5. REVOLUTION 9

6. GOOD NIGHT

Comes complete with original VG+ one-sided die-cut black inners which, amazingly, have no edge tears or splits and remain fully functional, but do have a little fraying along the opening edges.  Note that I always post the record(s) in a new inner sleeve(s) in order to protect the original(s).

In summary a highly collectable copy of this rare and highly sought after 1968 UK 1st MONO pressing Beatles classic, with the absence of  an EMI reference on any of the labels, the low front cover numbering and of course the side 1 label duplication making this a real rarity - a "must" for any serious Beatles vinyl collection and only continuing to gain in value.

 If you require any further information, including photos, then let me know and I'll do my best to oblige. 

If this record interests you then take a look at my other 60's & 70's classic vinyl listings.

A bit about myself : I have been collecting vinyl for more than 48 years and have amassed a huge collection covering a varied genre, but mostly of 1960's and 70's origin. Most of my records were originally bought by myself for my own collection, but during the past 30 years I have embellished my collection by buying records from a variety of sources : friends/acquaintances, car boot sales, auctions, and even through putting up a "vinyl wanted" notice in my wife's shop! I am now retired and take great delight in being able to spend more time scouring the country and attending boot sales and auctions in the hope of unearthing more vinyl gems...I am 63 years of age now and am still discovering bands and music of the 60's and 70's that I have never come across before. Wonderful! Richard

My ebay feedback speaks for itself so rest assured that you are buying from a trusted seller and in the very unlikely event that you are unhappy with your purchase just e-mail me and I'll sort out the problem. I offer a "no quibble" refund policy. 

On the subject of postage, I take great care in the packaging of all items, using a proper vinyl cardboard mailer along with at least two cardboard stiffeners. I take great care in separating the record from the outer sleeve in order to help prevent sleeve damage in transit and I always insert the vinyl, outer sleeve and inner into a clear plastic sleeve, thus adding further protection. 

For this item postage & packaging will be Royal Mail 1st class signed for  : UK £5.00; 

and Royal Mail 1st class tracked and signed for continental Europe £12, and Rest of the World £16. 

 I do discount post & packaging costs for multiple purchases. I do NOT profit from postage.

Good luck with your bidding! Richard

NOTE : My vinyl descriptions comply with the official Record Collector vinyl grading guidelines :

Mint

The records itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items, such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.

Excellent

The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and /or creasing.

Very Good

The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

Good

The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discolouration, etc.

Fair

The record is still just playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents are torn, stained and/or defaced

Poor

The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents are badly damaged or partly missing.

Bad

The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection-filler