"BEATLES FOR SALE"
PARLOPHONE PCS 3062, STEREO
RELEASED 12/4/64

ITEM#: PAR314
PRICE: ------

THE BEATLES FOURTH ALBUM, BEATLES FOR SALE,  WAS ISSUED BY PARLOPHONE ON DECEMBER 4, 1964, IN TIME FOR THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY SEASON. WHILE ITS PREDECESSOR A HARD DAY'S NIGHT  CONTAINED ALL LENNON-McCARTNEY COMPOSITIONS, BEATLES FOR SALE  HAD THE SAME FORMAT AS THE GROUP'S FIRST TWO ALBUMS WITH EIGHT ORIGINAL SONGS AND SIX COVER TUNES. THIS WAS DUE TO THE GROUP'S HECTIC SCHEDULE OF CONCERT, TELEVISION AND RADIO APPEARANCES, WHICH LEFT LITTLE TIME FOR WRITING. ALTHOUGH CRITICS OF THE LP VIEW ITS COVER PHOTO AS PROOF THAT THE GROUP'S RIGOROUS SCHEDULE HAD FINALLY WORN THE BEATLES DOWN, THE ALBUM WAS WELL-RECEIVED AT THE TIME OF ITS RELEASE AND HAS SOME GREAT PERFORMANCES.

BRITISH STEREO PRESSINGS ARE MUCH RARER THAN MONO, FOR RECORD COMPANIES IN THE UNITED KINGDOM PRESSED RECORDS ON THEIR DEMAND. THE MARKET FOR STEREO POP RECORDS WERE COMPARATIVELY MINIMAL AS TO MONO AND THESE EARLY STEREO PRESSINGS ARE SOME OF THE RAREST BEATLES RECORDS YOU CAN FIND. MONAURAL OUTNUMBERED STEREO BY A TEN TO ONE RATIO, AND FOR THE POP MARKET, THAT NUMBER MAY BE QUITE LITERALLY 100 TO 1, FOR SO FEW WERE PRESSED.

THIS SUPERB SOUNDING RARER ORIGINAL STEREO FIRST ISSUE WITH THE OUTER LAMINATED, INNER-FLIPOVER GATEFOLD COVER HAS THE "STEREO" DESIGNATION IN MEDIUM OUTLINED LETTERS IN THE UPPER RIGHT CORNER ON THE FRONT. ALSO, THIS EXAMPLE IS THE INITIAL COVER THAT HAS THE OUTER EDGE OF THE GROUP ON THE BACK COVER IN SHARP FOCUS (THE LATER COVERS HAVE FEATHERED EDGES TO MAKE THE SUPER IMPOSITION LESS APPARENT). THERE IS A STEREO EQUIPMENT WARNING IN THE UPPER RIGHT CORNER OF THE LEFT INSIDE PANEL OF THE INNER GATEFOLD. THIS NEAR MINT COVER IS AN EXQUISITE EXAMPLE OF THIS IMPOSSIBLY FRAGILE COVER. THE DELICATE FRONT LEAF IS FLAT WITH JUST A LIGHT WRINKLE TOWARDS BOTH LOWER CORNERS, AND ONLY AND MINOR WEAR TO THE UPPER AND LOWER EDGES. BOTH PANELS INSIDE ARE CLEAN AND BLACK WITH NO FADING, RUBBING OR ANY OTHER BLEMISHES. THE REAR PANEL IS GLOSSY AND WITHOUT ANY DISC IMPRESSION OR OTHER SUCH WEAR. THE UPPER AND LOWER EDGES OF THE CENTRAL HINGE ARE FULLY INTACT, AS ARE ALL SEAMS OF THE REAR POCKET. THE SPINE REMAINS SQUARE AND RETAINS ITS FACTORY PINCHED ENDS.

THIS FIRST STEREO PRESSING HAS THE BLACK AND YELLOW PARLOPHONE LABELS WITH PARLOPHONE PERIMETER PRINT AND THE "SOLD IN THE U.K." PRINT ACROSS THE LABEL ABOVE THE SPINDLE HOLE. THE VINYL IS AN ASTONISHING MINT MINUS. BOTH PLAYING SURFACES ARE 'AS NEW'  AND BOTH SIDES EXAMINED IN STRONG DAYLIGHT AND DIRECTLY BENEATH HALOGEN LIGHT. THE SOUND QUALITY IS FLAWLESS UNMATCHED ON THIS WONDERFUL SOUNDING STEREO CUTTING WHICH GIVES IT A 'BREATH OF LIFE' MISSING FORM THEIR OTHER EARLY STEREO MIXES. THE LABELS ARE NEAR MINT AS WELL - A BRIGHT, UNWORN SET SHOWING NO MORE THAN ONE OR TWO LIGHT SPINDLE TRAILS AROUND EACH UNWORN CENTRE HOLE. AN 'MT' PURCHASE TAX CODE IS PRESENT IN THE CENTER OF THE SIDE 2 LABEL. THE MATRIX NUMBERS ARE: "YEX 142-1" AND "YEX 143-1". THE STAMPER CODES ARE: "1", "6" / "H" AND "2" / "P".

THIS SET IS COMPLETE WITH ITS NEAR MINT ORIGINAL POLY-LINED "USE EMITEX...." INNER DUST SLEEVE.