The Beatles WHITE ALBUM 68 WIDESPINE MONO COMPLETE NM-

	£		251
	$		333

THE BEATLES - WHITE ALBUM

IN SUPERB CONDITION

WITH THE WIDEST SPINE I HAVE EVER SEEN

PLUS A VERY RARE LABEL ERROR ON DISC ONE

PLAYS TO A NMINT- STANDARD

• CATALOGUE: APPLE PMC 7076/8
• MATRIX:XEX 709-1 / 710-1 / 711-1 / 712-1
• MOTHERS/STAMPERS: 4 MR / 5 AL / 1 O / 3 GMG
• VERY RARE LABEL VARIANT 
• HAS THE EMI WORDING AT 9 O'CLOCK ON THE LABEL
• UNIQUE NUMBER IS 0204344
• SOLD IN THE UK WORDING ACROSS THE LABEL

THIS IS A VERY RARE ISSUE OF THIS ALBUM. I HAVE SEEN WIDESPINE COPIES BEFORE, BUT NONE WITH A SPINE THIS WIDE. TAKE A LOOK AT THE PICTURES OF THIS UNUSUAL VARIANT

THE LABELS ON THE WHITE ALBUM HAVE EITHER GOT 'AN EMI RECORDING' AT 9 O'CLOCK OR THEY HAVEN'T. MOST WILL TELL YOU THAT THE LABELS WITHOUT THE EMI TEXT ARE EARLIER PRESSINGS, AND THAT MAY WELL BE THE CASE. I HAVE SEEN A FEW SETS WHERE ONE DISC HAS THE INFORMATION AND THE OTHER HASN'T. I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN SUSPICIOUS OF THESE SETS AND FEEL THAT THEY MAY HAVE BEEN PUT TOGETHER FROM TWO SETS WITHOUT THE OWNER REALISING THE DIFFERENCE

HOWEVER!!!

I HAVE HERE DISC ONE WITH THE EMI LOGO ON SIDE ONE, BUT MISSING FROM SIDE 2. DISC 2 HAS THE EMI LOGO ON BOTH SIDES. I CANNOT EXPLAIN IT, BECAUSE IF IT WAS TRUE THAT THE NON EMI LOGO ISSUES WERE THE FIRST AND EARLIER PRESSES, HOW DID THIS OLD STYLE LABEL GET PUT ONTO A LETER PRESS ON JUST ONE SIDE???

I WILL LEAVE YOU TO SPECULATE ON THAT, BUT TAKE A LOOK AT THE PICTURES WHICH CLEARLY SHOW THE LABELS

THE RECORDS

THE LABELS

THE APPLE LABELS ARE IN TOP 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 HAVE NO MARKS OR STAINS AT ALL ON EITHER SIDE. THE SPINDLE HOLES ARE UNWORN, AND THERE ARE ABOUT 8-10 SPIDER LINES CLOSE TO THE SPINDLE HOLE SHOWING THAT THE SET HAS HAD LIMITED PLAYS SINCE 1968

THE VINYL

THREE OF THE FOUR SIDES HAVE RETAINED ALL OF THEIR ORIGINAL LUSTRE AND SHEEN, WHILST SIDE 3 HAS DULLED LIGHTLY IN PATCHES. THE VINYLS LOOKS VERY CLEAN IN DAYLIGHT WITH JUST A FEW HANDLING LINES VISIBLE ON SIDE 3. UNDER INTENSE ILLUMINATION ALL 4 SIDES DISPLAY VERY LIGHT TRACES OF HANDLING AND SOME WISPY HAIRLINES

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 THE ENHTIRE SET FROM START TO FINISH AS I NOW DO WITH ALL MY LISTINGS BECAUSE I BELIEVE THAT BIDDERS WOULD LOOVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO HEAR THE RECORD BEFORE LAYING A BID. THIS IS A SERVICE I AM DELIGHTED TO BE ABLE TO OFFER MY CUSTOMERS

THE FIRST THING TO POINT OUT IS THAT THE RECORDS PLAY WITHOUT DISTROTION CAUSED BY GROOVE WEAR. I HAVE LOST COUNT OF HOW MANY SETS I HAVE PLAYED TO FIND A CONSTANT BACKGROUND NOISE COMING OUT OF ONE CHANEL WHERE THE VINYL WAS SUBJECTED TO A HEAVY OR WORN 1960'S NEEDLE

THE DISCS PLAY SUPERBLY, AND I WOULD URGE YOU TO TAKE A LISTEN TO THE QUIET TRACKS TO HEAR THE CLARITY OF THE SOUND. JULIA IS ALWAYS A TRACK THAT REPRODICES POORLY ON MOST COPIES, BUT THIS ONE SOUNDS PERFECT

THERE IS SOME ODD LIGHT STATIC LIKE BACKGROUND IN SPOTS, AND A FEW LIGHT TICS AND POPS HERE AND THERE, BUT CERTAINLY NO HEAVY BACKGROUND AND NO LOUD CLICKS

MOST OF THE SILENT LINKING GROOOVES ARE SILENT, AND THE RICH MONO SOUND IS CRYSTAL CLEAR

FOR ME THIS VINYL PLAYS AT A NEAR MINT MINUS GRADING

PLEASE DON'T TAKE MY WORD FOR IT THOUGH, TAKE A GOOD LISTEN AND JUDGE FOR YOURSELF

THE SLEEVE

A SUPER EXAMPLE OF THIS EASILY RUINED SLEEVE. THE FIRST THING TO SAY IS THAT IT IS THE VERY VERY RARE WIDESPINE ISSUE. I HAVE TAKEN SOME PICTURES WHICH WILL SHOW JUST HOW WIDE IT IS. ACTUALLY DOUBLE THE WIDTH OF A STANDARD WHITE ALBUM.

THE FRONT SURFACE IS FLAT AND CLEAN, AND THE WHITE SURFACE HAS REMAINED VERY WHITE COMPARED TO MOST, WITH JUST THE LIGHTEST TRACE OF YELLOWING UNDER THE LAMINATE AROUND THE PERIMETER EDGES. CERTAINLY FAR CLEANER IN THIS RESPECT THAN MOST OUT THERE. THE LAMINATE IS COMPLETELY INTACT AND THERE IS NO LAMINATE LIFT EITHER, EVEN ACROSS THE EMBOSSED BEATLES LOGO. THE UNIQUE NUMBER IS ALSO IN TOP CONDITION AND HAS NOT WORN AWAY LIKE SOME. THE NUMBER OF THIS ISSUE IS 0204344.

THERE ARE NO HEAVY CREASES OR DEEP CREASE LINES, NOR ARE THERE ANY BENDS TO THE FRONT SURFACE. THERE ARE TWO  REALLY SMALL LAMINATE LINES ALONG THE SPINE, THREE SLIGHTLY LARGER ONES ALONG THE BOTTOM EDGE, AND SOME REALLY SMALL ONES ALONG THE RIGHT EDGE. THE BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER HAS A SMALL SCUFF, AND THERE IS A TINY CHIP IN THE MIDDLE JUST UNDER THE TOP EDGE.

THE LAMINATE STILL GLEAMS LIKE A POLISHED MIRROR HOWEVER, AND THERE ARE NO SPLITS OR RIPS TO THE SEAMS

THE BOTTOM AND RIGHT EDGES ARE FREE FROM AMY SHELF WEAR AND FULLY LAMINATED.

THE TOP OPENING EDGES ARE ALSO IN SUPERB CONDITION. VERY SHARP WITH JUST A FEW TINY THUMB NAIL NICKS TO SHOW WHERE THE LP'S HAVE BEEN REMOVED .

THE SPINE IS UNSPLIT, HOWEVER DUE TO IT'S RATHER STRANGE DESIGN THE LAMINATE HAS FLAKED IN PATCHES ALONG THE LENGHT OFIS MASSIVE AND FLAT APART FROM A TINY FINGER TO THUMB SQUASH AT THE VERY BOTTOM TIP. THE TOP TIP ALSO HAS A SLIGHT SPLIT ON THE BOTTOM LEADING EDGE. AND THERE IS SOME LAMINATE FLAKE A LITTLE FURTHER DOWN AGAIN ON THE BOTTOM LEADING EDGE. ALL OF THE TYPEFACE IS PERFECTLY LEGIBLE

FORGOT TO MENTION THAT THERE IS THE BAREST AND I DO MEAN BAREST TRACE OF RECORD SHAPE WHICH CAN BE SEEN WHEN THE SLEEVE IS ANGLED INTO THE LIGHT, CERTAINLY NOT RING WEAR OR ACTUALLY EVEN AN INDENT OF THE VINYL.

THE REAR SURFACE IS VERY BIT AS CLEAN AND TIDY AS THE FRONT.AGAIN  JUST A FEW TINY LAMINATE LINES AROUND THE EDGES

OPENING THE GATEFOLD REVEALS TWO VERY WHITE INTERIOR PANELS WITHOUT CREASES ETC.

INSIDE THE TOP OPENING SLEEVE THE RECORDS SIT IN THE ORIGINAL BLACK DIE CUT INNER SLEEVES. INCREDIBLY THESE SLEEVE ARE IN SUPERB CONDITION. NO SEAM SPLITS TO EITHER ONE. ONE TINY NICK TO ONE OF THE DIE CUT HOLES, BUT BARELY A WRINKLE ON EITHER OF THEM

THE 4 PICTURES AND THE POSTER ALSO SIT INSIDE THE SLEEVE. THE PICTURES ARE IN NEAR MINT CONDITION, WHILST THE POSTER APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN PLACED ON A WALL AT SOME POINT BECAUSE THERE IS SOME SNAGGING TO THE PAPER ON THE CORNERS OF THE LYRIC SIDE OF THE PRINT. HAVING SAID THAT THE POSTER IS METICULOUSLY CLEAN AND ALL OF THE FOLDS ARE RAZOR SHARP

I AM MORE THAN HAPPY TO GRADE THIS SLEEVE EXCELLENT PLUS

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

GARRY