The Beatles Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band + Fool Inner Sleeve + Extra Dot

	£		39
	$		52

The Beatles Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band + Fool Inner Sleeve + Extra Dot + Widespine MONO

LISTEN TO BOTH SIDES IN THEIR ENTIRETY RIGHT HERE!!!

This recording comes direct from the vinyl copy you are now bidding on, straight out of my NAD amp, into my ZOOM H2 recorder, recording directly into MP3. When including these recordings for this purpose I make no audio tweaks in any way to the audio recording I have done, I do not alter the weight of the stylus, though I do use a fresh stylus, as, I'm sure we're all aware, is healthy to do anyway, very regularly!  

MORE PHOTOS BELOW!

And loads of the same collection here in my other items!

The audio of this rarity is lovely! (please read below for a full dissection of this!).

This was the Beatles’ return to the public eye with a vengeance! More hours were spend on the recording of this album than any so far, and these were songs that were in no way written with their live set in mind, having eschewed lie touring the previous year finishing in Candlestick Park, the Beatles needed a change to keep themselves fresh… and this was it! George Martin’s classical arrangements came into their own aswell at this period, with many more outside musicians being featured on this album than any of their others so far.

The cover went through many legal wranglings, and changes to get all the faces on the front to agree to their likenesses being used, and originally this album was to be released with trinkets etc, almost as a luxury set, in the end EMI and the Beatles reached a compromise of a specially printed inner sleeve designed by Dutch artists, “The Fool” who would later adorn the Apple Boutique’s walls, and a sheet of cardboard cut-outs, so as the listener could join Sgt. Pepper in uniform!

WIDESPINE:

Early copies of this LP have a few obvious differences,  depending on the variant. But quite a sought-after point is that some of the early copies had “WIDESPINE” sleeves, this meant that the sleeve was significantly broader (as you look at it from side-on) than many standard sleeves. EMI realised early that these sleeves were fairly impractical for transporting etc, and weren’t actually necessary, so reverted to standard depth spines for most of the copies sold. This copy is one of the rarer “WIDESPINE” covers, though as is the case with most of the surviving “WIDESPINES”, it has been a bit crushed and, as a result got a little worn etc. (Please see photos below for close-up info!).

EXTRA DOT:

In my experience extra dot copies are almost always in WIDESPINE sleeves, though not all WIDESPINE sleeves house a record with the Extra Dot. What is meant by Extra Dot copies is that, for quite a short run of records (some MONO and some STEREO), the “sold in the UK” text beneath the yellow “Parlophone” text on the actual label of the record, always only side 1, was slightly miss-pressed, Instead of reading as would be correct “Sold In U.K. Subject to Resale Price Conditions, See Price Lists” for a few copies of both Mono and Stereo the text added an extra dot before the “U” of “U.K.” making it read “Sold In .U.K. Subject to Resale Price Conditions, See Price Lists” on side one. This mistake was quickly spotted and corrected, but not before some of the copies had been sent out and sold, this is a MONO copy with an Extra Dot on side 1! Please see photos below for more close-up info!

THE FOOL INNER:

Of course as a collector you want the whole complete package, and the part of this package that A) was only released with the original copies, and B) usually got lost, or if one comes to light it’s knackered, is the original “Fool” designed inner sleeve. Here we have a very nice, clean, crisp fool inner!

The only minus to this beautiful inner is a 3.5” disc wear-though at the centre of the bottom edge, (please see my in-depth gradings and photos below!)

CARDBOARD INSERT:

Not as hard to find as the “Fool” Inner, but still necessary for the package to be complete,  and this copy is very crisp indeed!

Conditions at a glance:

Sleeve Condition:

VG+, Garrod & Lofthouse sleeve, no mention of patents etc in bottom right hand corner of back cover. Except for the spine, (being widespine makes is highly damageable, and in this case it has been crushed and some of the laminate and printed area has come away as a result- please perouse photos below!) All in all then I’m going to put it at VG, though the spine on it’s own is probably only G+/VG-, as it is a rather rare variation, which is very prone to extra wear,  and the rest of the cover is in significantly higher condition, I’ll go half way and call it VG. 9 light thumb indent creases in the laminate at 3 o’clock-ish on the front (due to handling) and an abrasion in the same area that doesn’t seem to penetrate the laminate, 3 thumb indents on back. Minimal shelf wear along the bottom seam, laminate still holds strong here, all seams hold strong throughout. Pretty crisp opening mouths to both sides of this gatefold sleeve.  Alittle feathering to the cardboard on both the bottom corners and top spine corner, certainly not overly! Sadly the spine shows wear (as almost all widespines seem to!) and is even missing a small chunk over the words Pepper’s Lonely, I’m presuming the parrot that is mentioned in other affected listings took a little bite out of this one and thought better of it! Damn! Inside the gatefold is incredibly crisp and clean, lovely!

The Cardboard  Cutouts Insert Condition:

EX-, judging by the lack of stains, corner-wear etc, I’m presuming this cardboard sheet has barely left the comfort of it’s outer sleeve more than a couple of times! Very little handling wear, a few feint thumb indents when angled into light is all, corners crisp and superb! “Printed In England” text in lower left corner etc.

“The Fool” Inner Sleeve Condition:

 VG+, would be EX-, but for sadly the 3.5”(ish) wear-through along the bottom edge, (see close-up photos below). Rarely when you find these inner sleeves are they this crisp, no folding to the corner tabs etc, which is almost unheard of! Completely stain and writing free, not even age staining! No nicks AT ALL along opening mouth, or indeed, anywhere else! Red edge not faded, still rich red! A few very light slight, handling folds near the top,  and a very slight rub mark from the centre spindle hole of the record (from within) only really gives a very slight reddening to the otherwise pink coloured swirl that it’s over.

Record Condition:

VG+, The record is completely flat as a pancake! The early Non-banded surface, just looks like 1 track on each side, rather than later, banded presses. Covered with a fair few very light surface hairlines, which catch the light when angled, and only slightly detract from the record’s lovely sheen, and a couple of  mild surface marks, Audibly really lovely:

I first audio-graded this through  speakers, and then to get a more exacting result, I went through large-diaphragm headphones, if anything showed up, in any combination of amplification I have included it below…

Very slight crackle in silence and into the first seconds  of Sgt Peppers LHCB,  5 light pops During the words “Lend me your ears and I’ll sing you^ a song, and I’ll tr^y not to sing out of ke^y, Oh I get By with a little help from my friends, O^h I get…” all caused buy a small single mark. (^ denotes where click is).

A tiny almost inaudible tick on Lucy in the Sky, in the word “pic^ture” hidden by the “ch” sound of the word, another very very mild tick to the right side during “As you d^rift past the flowers” though this was only audible when boosting high frequencies! Very slight groove crackle in quieter passage of She’s Leaving Home, very mild. In Mr. Kite “A show tonight ^on trampoline”, there is a tiny tick, though I cannot see what causes this, possibly needs a better clean…

On side 2, 4 ticks in pre-silence, of “Within Without You”, and 9 light ticks fading through the song, due to a small mark. In when I’m 64 on the “d” of “Digging the … very very mild tick is just audible. One pip in Day in the Life, during the line “News was rather sad ^”, again very mild. And due to 2 light marks on the final chord, there are 10 very light pips on fadeout, just to remind you that you were listening to this  seminal album, as it was originally intended on the original Vinyl! Really rare to find in this condition! Audio beautiful! Visually clean and crisp, with very few minor marks and a light smattering of surface hairlines… Get a bid on now!!!

Label Conditions:

VG+ a very small nest of careful light spindle-marks centred around the centre spindle hole of both sides are evident only when tilted into strong light, free of writing, staining etc. etc. Extra Dot on side 1’s “Sold in .U.K.” text, Gramophone text around perimeter on both sides, KT tax code around central spindle hole of side 1, unworn etc.

As with a number of the amazingly preserved, seminal albums of the 60s included in this collection, the previous owner devised a sneaky way of identifying his records from other peoples’, he engraved hi name, very carefully and neatly in the dead-wax (near where the matrix would be found) on one side of the record, on this record it is written at about 2 o’clock on side 1, in text 4mm high and about 3cm across, in between the run out grooves, taking massive care not to stray close to the playing surface, run-out grooves, matrix/stamper/lacquer info etc,  or label, and that all important closed central “Apple” message on this particular LP (which by the way is in great audio condition too!). Please see photos of this, I have tried to catch it in the light, but in truth it is as discreet, if not more so, than the Matrix info!

Matrix/Stamper/Mother/Lacquer Info etc:

Side 1:

XEX   637 – 1

2                    G

                       P

                       L (above each other as I have written here)

Side 2:

XEX   638 – 1

2                    HT (written next to each other like this)

Central KT tax code embossed on side 1, none in run-out groove.

 PLEASE NOTE THAT ANY ITEM THAT GOES OVER £36 FINAL BIDDING PRICE I INSIST ON SENDING IT INSURED, AS SUCH POSTAGE WILL COST A LITTLE MORE, PLEASE WAIT FOR ME TO INVOICE YOU IF THIS APPLIES, ANYONE WHO DOES NOT WAIT I WILL EXPECT TO PAY THE EXTRA BEFORE I SEND OFF THE ITEM... MANY THANKS!

Check out loads of other rarities from this collection in beautiful condition in my other items!

There are loads more coming over the weeks/months from this collection and many others so, please make sure to add me to your favourites list!

Side 1's lovely label (with Extra Dot etc.)

The lovely clean label of side 2!

Minor surface marks/hairlines visible in the reflections of the sun, side 1.

Minor surface marks/hairlines visible in the reflections of the sun, side 2.

The notable "Extra Dot" in the "Sold in the .U.K." text on the side 1 label.

The careful etching of the previous owner's name in the deadwax.

Fairly unworn centre-hole on side 1, KT tax code, lovely and clean!

Nice clean centre-hole on side 2.

Lovely clean Fool inner!

The bottom wear through close-up on the fool inner (side edges are fine)

The iconic front cover!

Widespine, sadly quite worn, due to the almost inevitable crush, and subsequent wear, though not as bad as it looks in this photo, certain text is still legible!

Nice laminate sheen!

Top edge lovely except for wear on the vulnerable top of the wide spine edge!

Quite crisp opening mouth(s)!

Slight feathering at the bottom corner.

Clean back cover

Crisp inside the gatefold!

The cardboard cut out insert.

The whole shebang!

Be sure to add me to your favourites list!

Check out the rest of this collection here in my other items!

This record comes from an incredible collection of very early (1G1G, 1B1B etc laquer numbers) presses of some of the very sought after 60s LPs, the condition is remarkable, and the earliness of the laquers unique in my experience! I am listing this collection in it's entirety (though I would love to buy it all- I have taken nothing out!), over the next weeks, there are some things have never seen before, such as a Beatles For Sale with the central KT taxcode pressing INWARDS to the record! 1G1G Verve Zappa albums! A lot of Dylan TMOQ (The Mark Of Quality) and other 60s/70s bootlegs, the 3 Decca Birds singles (featuring amongst others Ronnie Wood), various Widespines (Sgt Peppers, Zappa's Lumpy Gravey etc), REMIX 11 copy of Beatles REVOLVER in really lovely condtion, Velvet Underground on early Verve... Please watch this space! I have been clearing out of non-record related stuff over January, but am listing back again now with avengance! Please refer to the pre-christmas sales' feedback for my pedigree of strict grading! Many thanks!

And if you're at all unsure, please check my previous feedback for tales of satisfied customers, many of whom return again and again!!

I will of course, if you aren't ENTIRELY happy with your item offer you a full refund upon a quick return of the item, in exactly the same condition I sent it out in, I wont however cover the postage costs- just in order to put off any time-wasters, I hope you understand. I do have here some REAL MEGA-RARITIES, and I understand perhaps your confidence in me might not be complete, as I haven't listed for a while, which is why I offer this offer of full re-embursment. However I am not a fan of the trend of people trying it on and asking to keep the item but want a partial re-fund, I haven't had it happen to me, and want to keep it that way, so please don't try that, I will happily offer your full winning bid money back upon the safe return of the item, and I think that's fair. 

I am very strict with my grading, having been a collector myself for many years, and I try to include as much relavent information as possible on sales, however if you have any further questions please don't hesitate to ask, I will gladly resond as soon as I can.

One thing I would ask is that the winning bidders do leave feedback, as it's annoying when people overlook it.

I happily offer reductions of postage costs on multiple-items, 

I try grade using direct sunlight which shows up more than anything (hence where poss I take my photos in direct sunlight too), however living in the Pennine Hills, contrary to popular rumour it isn't sunny here EVERY day! So when this isn't always possible, as a backup I also use a 100 Watt lightbulb, though when poss I try to use both.

My Record Grading System:

Mint: I'm really loathe to use this term, if you ever catch me using it, it must be sealed, but also no holes in seal, and no knocks/bangs/other shelf-wear to seal. Doubt you'll ever catch me using it, makes me wince when I hear people dropping that casually into conversations about a record they just picked up on a carboot/found in a loft etc!

Near Mint: Probably still sealed, or possibly played once or twice, but I'm unable to see ANY proof it's been played ie. no spindle marks/surface abbrasions OF AN KIND even in the strongest light, in short, I have a strong suspicion this, whilst possibly not fully sealed has never been out of it's sleeve!

EX+: Must have been reverantly played about as many times as you can count on your hands! Absolutey nothing audible at all, and you'd have to be looking hard in strong light to find fault with any none audible elements of this record package. If I get hold of a record that sounds, and looks like it could have just been carried home from the shop this is about as high as I go unless in exceptional circumstances. In most instances I've found records like this I'd consider them the final upgrade, I'd even consider some sealed records EX+.

EX: Straight Excellent has to mean just that, the kind of copy you wonder how somebody kept it in that condition whilst still having a social life, especially rare in 50s/60s albums, certainly not a grade to be taken lightly or thrown about willy-nilly. Nothing should be audible to the listener during songs, and even in the silences I'd only allow the most minute groove noise.The kind of record that you'd have to look a long way to upgrade!

EX-: A Bloody lovely record, I'd allow the tiniest ticks to be audible on this, so long as they are only a handful throughout the entire record, and they are WELL back in the mix. This is a record/sleeve/insert etc. that has clearly been owned, but looked after to a degree that you ask questions about the previous owner's social life! Perfect for DJ-ing

VG+: The difference between VG+ and EX- for me is probably that the previous owner of an EX- possibly didn't have to worry about their collection being ruined too much, as they could count on their fingers the number of people that might have visited them annually, a VG+ is a more realistic grade, clearly played, but by a music lover, who took good care of their records. May have been present at social gatherings, but probably quickly tidied away when more rowdy guests turned up! Still usually  good for alot DJ-ing needs. 

VG: This is a good example of a record that has lived it's life without a glass bubble surrounding it, but it's owner has been quite careful, perhaps the odd feintly feelable mark if you go in search of it that would make an audible click/pop in a number of places on the records surface. Certainly won't be in any museum, but plays well from start to finnish, and whilst may not stand up to a DJs condition, alongside many collections, you'd be very satisfied.

VG-: As VG, but to a slightly heavier degree, might look a bit worse than a VG, else have the odd repeated click that bugs you in the fade-out of that epic side-ending song. Certainly not perfection, but you could do a damn-sight worse! OK for most collections, though there will be better ones that will probably come up (unless it's very rare!) 

G+:   This is starting to wane, shows more signifficant signs of wear/play/misuse. This could be through general carelesness, one bad night, or using a worn stylus, either way, certainly listenable/passable, but if you saw a better copy going at a decent price, you might think about buying it, and seeing what it's worth to sell this one.

G: Plays through but that's about it, signifficant noise that wasn't there when it was bought. Can still hear the song, but would only really be a filler. I doubt I'll sell anything this bad unless I really think someone will appreciate it in their collection. I'll take these down to the local charity shop and let them find their own homes on the whole!

I'll avoid anything less than this unless it's of signifficant interest, and then I'll clearly title is such. I really don't want bad feedback, and it isn't worth it for me, so I'll avoid this.

I feel my grading system is stricter than many I see used, but the sellers I respect on Ebay and elsewhere seem to be of the same mind as me, I'd much prefer to be known as someone who undergrades and you can get a good record from, than someone you have to wonder, "actually is their VG+ quite what I'd expect from that?". Hope I can win you over!

(SOMETIMES I MAY COME ACROSS A RECORD OF SIGNIFFICANT RARITY/DESIRABILITY THAT MAY HAVE A JUMP/STICK IN IT. IN THE UNLIKELY EVENT THAT I THINK SOMEONE MAY WANT IT (EG. IT'S COVER'S IN GOOD NICK, OR IT'S A PRIVATE PRESSING/PROMO OF LIMITED AVAILABILITY) I'LL CLEARLY MARK THIS IN THE TITLE "JUMPS" OR "WARPED" ETC.)

I have have had a few questions about international shipping costs, please do not be put off by the £14 quoted! Yes I combine postage costs, and will only charge  the cost of insured international postage, plus the costs of the packaging (I buy good cruciform boxes, and good stiffeners to post in, I am also pricing up the best way to pad your precious records, and so hopefully this next batch will even be shipped with bubble-wrap too as some of my previous batches have (please observe my feedback regarding this!! All very positive!)), the costs of my packaging will not be about £1 additionally to to costs of the insured postage only, therefore if you live in most of Europe the cost will be signifficantly cheaper than the £14 quoted, and if you buy multiple items, you will save even less! Please wait for an invoice!