The Beatles LET IT BE BOX SET UK 1ST PRESS COMPLETE M-

	£		461
	$		610

THE RECORDS

THE LABELS

THE APPLE LABELS ARE IN MINT CONDITION. THE DARK GREEN SIDES ARE VERY RICH AND VIBRANT, AND HAVE LOST NONE OF THE COLOUR AT ALL. THE BLACK TYPEFACE IS BOLD AND PERFECTLY LEGIBLE. THE WHITE SIDES ARE VERY WHITE AND IS JUST ONE VERY VERY SMALL SPIDER LINE CLOSE TO THE HOLE SHOWING THAT THIS LP HAS  BEEN PLAYED JUST THE ONCE FROM NEW THEN CAREFULLY STORED AWAY

THE VINYL

THE VINYL HAS RETAINED IT'S ORIGINAL SHEEN AND IS REALLY CLEAN. IT GLEAMS LIKE A NEW PRESS AND HAS LOST NONE OF IT'S ORIGINAL SHEEN. THERE ARE NO MARKS ON THE DISC WHATSOEVER, AND EVEN WHEN PLACED UPTO INTENSE ILLUMINATION THERE IS NOTHING TO OTHER THAN A COUPLE OF REALLY SMALL WISPS

PLAYING THE RECORD

I BELIEVE THAT IF YOU ARE GOING TO SPEND YOUR MONEY ON A FANTASTIC COLLECTIBLE VINYL, THAT YOU SHOULD BE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR WHAT YOU ARE BUYING. I HAVE THEREFORE INVESTED IN THE SOFTWARE THAT ALLOWS YOU TO DO JUST THAT.

I HAVE RECORDED 3 MINUTE EXCERPTS FROM THIS LP, INCLUDING THE RUN IN AND INTRO TO THE FIRST TRACKS ON EACH SIDE. THIS WILL GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF ANY BACKGROUND NOISE BEFORE THE MUSIC STARTS, WHICH IS USUALLY WHERE THE WORST BACKGROUND NOISE OCCURS.

IN ADDITION ONE EXTRA TRACK FROM EACH SIDE INCLUDING THE LINKING GROOVE FOR THE SAME REASON

THE LP PLAYS BEAUTIFULLY ALL THE WAY THROUGH BOTH SIDES, WITHOUT ANY TRACE OF DISTORTION CAUSED THROUGH GROOVE WEAR. A STUNNING STEREO REPRODUCTION WITH NOTES BEING HEARD CRISPLY AND CLEANLY.IT IS WORTH POINTING OUT THAT FIRST PRESS RELEASES ALWAYS SOUND BETTER THAN LATER PRESSES. TAKING A LISTEN TO 'THE TWO OF US' SHOULD EASILY CONFIRM THIS

THERE IS THE VERY OCCASIONAL BIT OF LIGHT STATIC AND ONE OR TWO TINY DUST POPS THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE PLAY, BUT THIS IS JUST A MAGNIFICENT EXAMPLE OF THIS SOUGHT AFTER FIRST PRESS LP

I AM HAPPY TO GRADE THIS LP MINT MINUS

THE FIRST ISSUE OF THIS ALBUM ONLY CAME IN THIS DELUXE PRESENTATION SET. IT WAS RELEASED ON MAY 8TH 1970. TO OBTAIN JUST THESTANDARD ISSUE YOU HAD TO WAIT UNTIL NOVEMBER 6TH 1970. THE BOX SET SOLD POORLY BY COMPARISON BECAUSE OF ITS PRICE.

THE FACT THAT NOT MANY HAVE SURVIVED IN A COLLECTIBLE CONDITION IS DUE WHOLLY TO THE TERRIBLE DESIGN WHICH I WILL DESCRIBE IN FULL

STARTING WITH THE OUTER SLEEVE. THIS IS A FULLY LAMINATED SLIDE OVER SLEEVE AND WAS DESIGNED TO JUST SLIP OVER THE CARD TRAY CONTATINING THE BOOK AND LP. THE PROBLEM WITH IT IS THAT IT IS MADE OF A VERY FLIMSY CARD AND THIS HAS RESULTED IN MOST COPIES TEARING ON THE SEAMS WHERE THE TRAY SITS TOO SNUGLY INSIDE. OTHER PROBLEMS OFTEN SEEN INCLUDE TERRIBLE CREASING AND LAMINATE LIFT. PEEL AND FLAKE.

THIS ONE IS ONE OF THE BEST I HAVE SEEN WITH VERY FEW FLAWS.

STARTING WITH THE FRONT SURFACE , THIS HAS REMAINED HIGHLY POLISHED AND THE LAMINATE LOOKS GREAT. THERE ARE NO HEAVY CREASES OR CREASE LINES AT ALL, AND NO BENDS EITHER. THERE ARE A COUPLE OF THUMB LINES ONE ON EITHER SIDE OF THE FRONT SURFACE TOWARDS THE OPEN ENDS. THE REAR SURFACE IS LOVELY AND GLOSSY AS WELL AND IS ALSO CREASE FREE APART FROM ONE TINY ONE NEAR THE LEFT EDGE.THERE ARE A FEW RANDOM TINY LITTLE SCRATCH FLECKS JUST ABOVE THE PHOTOS OF JOHN AND PAUL

THE BOTTOM EDGE OF THE COVER IS VIRTUALLY FREE FROM AMY WEAR WHATSOEVER WITH JUST THE BAREST TRACE ALONG THE TOP LIP

THE TOP EDGE DOES HAVE THREE SMALL CHIPS TO THE VERY TOP LIP. YOU CAN SEE THESE IN THE PHOTO'S. THE FAR RIGHT ONE HAVING A SMALL TEAR WHERE THE INNER TRAY WAS NOT FITTED CORRECTLY ONE TIME. THE REST OF THE TOP EDGE IS PERFECT

DEASPITE THESE FEW BLEMISHES THIS IS STILL ONE OF THE CLEANEST BOXES I HAVE SEEN ON THIS VERY RARE AND DELICATE SET

THE INNER TRAY IS USUALLY FOUND BADLY SPLIT. AGAIN THE PROBLEM WAS CAUSED BY THE DESIGN. A VERY HEAVY BOOK WAS INLAID INTO THIS TRAY WHICH WAS VERY VERY DELICATELY PUT TOGETHER. THE WEIGHT OF THE BOOK WHEN THE BOX WAS STOOD UPRIGHT (OF COURSE THIS IS HOW IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE) EVENTUALLY CAUSED THE WEAKEST JOINTS TO SPLIT. THIS IS WHY THERE ARE SO MANY REPRODUCTIONS ABOUT AS MOST ORIGINALS GOT TOTALLY RUINED.

THIS ONE IS IN AMAZING ORIGINAL CONDITION. THE OUTER SECTION OF THE TRAY IS IMMACULATE WITH ALL OF THE ORIGINAL MATT BLACK STILL THERE AND THE ROUNDED EDGES FLAPS UNDAMAGED IN ANY WAY.

THE PERFORATED INNER BASE TRAY HAS ALSO REMAINED IN INCREDIBLE CONDITION. NONE OF THE PERFORATIONS HAVE SPLIT TOGETHER. THE ONLY MINOR BLEMISH BEING TWO SMALL TEARS AT THE VERY BOTTOM OF THE TRAY, BUT THESE HAVE NO CAUSED THE INNER TRAY TO BUCKLE IN ANY WAY, AND IT HAS RETAINED ITS ORIGINAL SHAPE. THE BOOK HAS NOW BEEN REMOVED AND CANNOT CAUSE ANY MORE STRESS TO THE INNER TRAY

THE BOOK ALSO SUFFERS FROM POOR DESIGN. MOST COPIES YOU WILL SEE HAVE ALL OF THE PAGES FALLING OUT AS THE GLUED IN DESIGN WAS WEAK, AND THE MINTE YOU OPENED THE BOOK TO LOOK AT IT OR READ IT, THE UNDUE STRESS WAS PLACED ON THE GLUE AND LO AND BEHOLD THE PAGES STARTED TO FALL OUT. WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS A BOOK THAT HAS ONLY BEEN LOOKED AT ONCE AND THEN RELACED, ENSURING THAT THIS BOOK WILL COME TO YOU IN THE BEST POSSIBLE CONDITION

FINALLY THE ACTUAL ALBUM ITSELF

THE ONE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THIS LP AND THE NOVEMBER ISSUE WAS THAT ON THE REAR OF THE BOX SET SLEEVE, THE APPLE LOGO WAS IN RED, WHEREAS THE LATER ISSUES HAD A GREEN APPLE. ONE WAY TO TELL IF YOU HAVE A FIRST ISSUE ALBUM

THE SLEEVE IS JUST MAGNIFICENT. THE FRONT SURFACE GLEAMS LIKE A MIRROR, AND THERE IS NO LAMINATE CREASING AT ALL ON ANY PART, NOT EVEN THOSE LITTLE LINES FOUND NEAR THE SPINE ARE PRESENT. THE LAMINATE GLEAMS LIKE A MIRROR. THE TOP AND BOTTOM EDGES ARE 100% FREE FROM ANY WEAR AND THE SPINE IS ALSO IN MINT CONDITION WITH EVERY LETTER OF THE TYPEFACE PERFECTLY LEGIBLE.

THE OPENING EDGE IS RAZOR SHARP AND IT IS EVIDENT THAT THIS PRECIOUS ALBUM HAS NOT BEEN OUT OF THE SLEEVE MORE THAN ONCE

THE REAR SURFACE IS EVERY BIT AS BRILLIANT AS THE FRONT

THE ACTUAL LP SLEEVE GRADES MINT, WHILST THE BOOK GRADES MINT MINUS, THE BOX GRADES EXCELLENT PLUS

A TRULY INCREDIBLE LET IT BE BOX SET, AND IN A SUPERB CONDITION THAT WOULD BE HARD TO BETTER

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR BID IF YOU CHOOSE TO GO FOR IT

GARRY