"BEATLES FOR SALE"
PARLOPHONE PMC 1240, MONO
RELEASED 12/4/64

 EXTREMELY RARE INITIAL VERY FIRST MONO PRESSING WITH "-3N / 3N" LACQUER CUT VARIATION
HOUSED IN AN IMMACULATE 'SHOP-NEW' GATEFOLD MONO COVER

ITEM#: PAR329
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.

FAB 4 COLLECTIBLES PROUDLY PRESENTS THIS ABSOLUTELY STUNNING NEAR MINT EXAMPLE OF "BEATLES FOR SALE" - THE INITIAL VERY FIRST MONO PRESSING WITH THE  "-3N / 3N" LACQUER CUT VARIATION, HOUSED IN AN IMMACULATE 'SHOP-NEW' GATEFOLD MONO COVER. THIS EXQUISITE AND TRUE FIRST UK MONO PRESSING DATES FROM THE INITIAL DECEMBER 1964 RELEASE ON 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. THERE IS A 'KT' PURCHASE TAX CODE ON THE SIDE 2 LABEL. THE MATRIX STAMPINGS ARE: "XEX 503-3N"  AND "XEX 504-3N". THE STAMPER CODES ARE: "2,5 / OG" AND  "2 / MP".

VERY FEW OF THE INITIAL "-3N / -3N" CUTTINGS WERE PRODUCED AND WERE QUICKLY SUPERSEDED BY THE MORE COMMON "-4N / -4N" CUT, OR EVEN BY A COMBINATION OF THE TWO. HOWEVER, IT IS THE  "-3N"  CUTTING OF SIDE 1 WHICH IS OF MOST INTEREST AS IT IS NOTABLE FOR HAVING THE 'CLEAN' VERSION OF "NO REPLY". EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT THE CUTTING TAPE MAY HAVE BEEN DAMAGED AT SOME POINT AFTER THE INITIAL  "-3N"  CUTTING BECAUSE ON THE "-4N"  CUT THERE IS A CLEAR DROPOUT ON THE WORD 'CAUSE..'  THE FINAL TIME JOHN SINGS "CAUSE YOU WALKED HAND-IN-HAND..".  THIS FAULT IS ALSO PRESENT ON THE "BEATLES FOR SALE"  EXTENDED PLAY EP (GEP 8931). THIS -3N CUT DOES NOT HAVE THIS FAULT, HENCE THE 'CLEAN' TAG.

THE CONDITION OF THE LABELS ARE A BRILLIANT NEAR MINT.... A CLEAN AND UNWORN PAIR SHOWING JUST 2 TO 3 FAINT SPINDLE TRAILS ROUND EACH UNWORN CENTER HOLE. THE VINYL IS A GLEAMING NEAR MINT, AND OBVIOUS IT HAS BEEN OUT OF ITS COVER LESS THAN A HANDFUL OF TIMES OVER THE PAST 54 YEARS, THIS BEAUTIFUL EARLY DISC RETAINS CLEAN, DEEP-GLOSS SURFACES WHICH APPEAR UNMARKED AND 'AS NEW' IN STRONG DAYLIGHT. CLOSE EXAMINATION DIRECTLY BENEATH HALOGEN LIGHT REVEAL NOTHING MORE THAN SOME HARMLESS WISPY PAPER-TYPE HAIRLINES FROM THE RICE-PAPER LINED INNER-SLEEVE AND A SPARKLING RAINBOW SHINE.

THE AUDIO AND THE MUSIC OF WHICH RETAINS ALL OF THE WARMTH AND CLARITY EXPECTED OF SUCH AN EARLY PRESSING AND ALL TRACKS ARE FREE FROM ANY CRACKLE, GROOVE WEAR OR ANY OTHER PLAY-RELATED ISSUES. OUR CAREFUL PLAY-CHECK AT VOLUME DETECTED JUST TWO LIGHT CLICKS ON "NO REPLY", A TOUCH OF LOW-LEVEL VINYL BACKGROUND ON AN "MR. MOONLIGHT" AND BETWEEN TRACKS. THIS DISC HAS CLEARLY BEEN BARELY PLAYED AND YOU WILL STRUGGLE TO FIND ANOTHER EARLY COPY IN THIS STATE.

THE COVER IS AN IMMACULATE NEAR MINT....  A TRULY EXCEPTIONAL EXAMPLE OF THIS MOST FRAGILE COVER , IT APPEARS IT COULD HAVE LEFT THE STORES LAST WEEK, LET ALONE MORE THAN HALF A CENTURY AGO. CAREFULLY STORED IN A NON-SMOKING ENVIRONMENT, THIS COVER IS EASILY AMONG THE BEST WE HAVE HANDLED. THE DELICATE FRONT LEAF IS FLAT AND GLOSSY WITH NO LOSS OF SHINE TO ITS LAMINATE FROM STORAGE OR ANY 'THUMBNAIL' CREASES OR WEAR. THE ONLY SIGN OF HANDLING ARE TWO SMALL SPINE WRINKLES TOWARDS LOCATED TOWARDS THE LOWER END OF THE SPINE. ALL OF THE EXPOSED EDGES OF THE FRONT LEAF ARE SHARP AND UNWORN WITH NO TEARS OR FEATHERING ANYWHERE. ALL CORNERS ARE IN PERFECT SHAPE TOO WITH NO BUMPS OR BRUISING TO ANY. BOTH PANELS INSIDE THE GATEFOLD ARE IN FACTORY-FRESH CONDITION WITH NO YELLOWING TO THE WHITE AREAS OR ANY SIGN OF DIRT OR DUST INGRESS ALONG THE TOP OF EITHER PANELS. BOTH ENDS OF THE DELICATE HINGE ARE FULLY INTACT WITH NO SIGNS OF STRESS OR WEAR. THE REAR PANEL IS FREE FROM THE USUAL RING-WEAR MARKING AND RETAINS A BEAUTIFUL UNWORN HIGH-GLOSS FINISH. THERE IS A TINY RUB TO THE TIP OF THE LOWER LEFT CORNER BUT ALL OF THE SEAMS ARE SMOOTH AND FULLY INTACT. THE SPINE IS CLEAN, SQUARE AND UNCRUSHED AND FULLY LAMINATE ALONG ITS ENTIRE LENGTH.

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

THIS REALLY IS A FINAL UPGRADE OF THIS ALBUM WHICH IS ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT TO FIND IN THIS AMAZING CONDITION.