Ebay have changed the listing form and created total chaos, they have re-written the font size and colours in HTML and I have had great difficulty to fill in what used to be a simple form. I have spent long hours on the phone seeking help to list my records, their reps do not have the technical knowledge to advise or help, but I have found some lovely people doing their best to assist and understand why a simple copy & paste no longer works properly. They have also changed the whole method sellers operate after auctions etc. etc. please make allowances for the ever changing font size and keeping sentences in lines and paragraphs together. Our service remain unchanged and all this disruption is apparently because of mobile phones taking 100% priority, hopefully sanity will be restored in the very near future.
"ALL I'VE GOT TO DO" (John Lennon / Paul McCartney, 1963) Whenever I want you around, yeah, All I've go to do, Is call you on the phone, And you'll come running home, Yeah, that's all I've go to do, And when I, I wanna kiss you, yeah, All I've go to do, Is whisper in your ear, The words you long to hear, And I'll be kissing you. And the same goes for me, Whenever you want me at all, I'll be there, yes I will, whenever you call. You've just got to call on me, yeah, You've just got call on me. And when I, I wanna kiss you, yeah, All I've go to do, Is call you on the phone, And you'll come running home, Yeah, that's all I've go to do. And the same goes for me, Whenever you want me at all, I'll be here, yes I will, whenever you call. You've just go to call on me, yeah, You've just go to >
THE BEATLES: "With The Beatles" LP. RARE LAST 1960's UK YELLOW & BLACK LABEL PRESSINGS, JULY, 1969. WITHOUT THE TEXT; "Sold In U.K. Subject To Price Conditions, See Price Lists." THE RECORD IS IN STEREO, "With The Beatles" WAS FIRST RELEASED IN MONO & STEREO, 22nd NOVEMBER, 1963, LEAVING ONLY SIX YEARS TO ARRIVE AT THE END OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT RECORD LABEL DESIGN IN THE HISTORY OF POPULAR MUSIC. That was not an over exaggeration about the historical context of 60's UK yellow and black labels, in only four years after the 1963 records, the Beatles had taken an extraordinary journey, from "Please Please Me" to "I Am The Walrus" & "Day In The Life." The above text was no longer mandatory and EMI removed it in mid-1969, I have given July for the month because that was when last pressings were made of most of the Beatles Parlophone catalogue, on the yellow & black label in the 1960's decade. This week I gave specific months for a "Rubber Soul" albums also pressed in the very busy year of 1969, when multiple changes were taking place as the decade drew to a close. The pressing of the currently listed, "Rubber Soul" was made between July- August, so only a matter of days passed since this "With The Beatles" was made, but "Rubber Soul" was on the new designed silver & black label, initiallywith one EMI logo inside a box. Move on a few more months and a second boxed logo was introduced, in 1969 you could buy a specific Parlophone label Beatles LP with no less than four design changes! All all four versions had the same EMI top quality vinyl, all were pressed from the same U.K. Master Tapes with the same finest sound quality the world had ever known. The covers were printed in 1969 but any existing Mono or Stereo covers were used, particularly for the Stereo covers, which had such a low demand due to the Mono dominated 60's decade had yet to finish. Stereo albums like this "With The Beatles" were mostly from 1967 -1967, if not as early as 1965, when the small lettering for the Mono or Stereo formats on the front top right corners, were were first introduced. Collecting Beatles UK 60's pressings can be daunting for novices, but there is an easily followed order that perfectly logical. I always try to present the records with a clearly stated date and where any individual title fitted into the overall sesuence, I will do the same for this fantastic condition "With The Beatles." There is no question that this Stereo cover was printed around 1967, if not even earlier. The yellow & black Parlophone label design was introduced in March - April 1963, it ended with very low numbers made of Stereo and Mono pressings of selected Beatles albums. Re-introduced in the early 1980's to generate new interest in Beatles record, I am only discussing the 1960's yellow & black Parlophone labels. Nothing else changed, just removal of the "Sold In UK" text, even Stereo covers from unsold records were re-used for economical reasons. Stereo had not yet taken over in the UK or the Mono pressings would not have been made for the new silver & black design labels, initially with one EMI logo on the bottom rim of the labels. Not only Parlophone, all EMI related records had "Sold In UK" discontinued, covers currently being printed still had the same three flipback edges on the back, over the next six months and into 1970, they were reduced to two, then just one before the back covers had the joining strips of cardboard stuck internally. The vinyl was unchanged and the 60's original mixes were 100% faithfully mastered from Abbey Road's analogue Master Tapes, if only the same was true for the latest wave of re-mastered LP's in 2017! I can very easily place the rare final yellow and black pressings without the "Sold In UK" text in July, by comparing them to John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band's debut solo single, "Give Peace A Chance" was released the 5th July, 1969, in Britain a few of the very first pressings only, had "Sold In UK" on the labels, at the pressing plant among the few labels still with that text were, a mountain of boxes containing labels without "Sold In UK". That applied to the pre-release pressings, a massive selling single and within one week it was at No.2 in the UK charts and during 13 weeks of residing in the charts, all further pressings did not have "Sold In UK", it only existed on a few copies from the initial pressings. That very clearly demonstrates how all EMI related labels, including of course Parlophone & Apple records, simply had to have their labels printed in late June, 1969, the latest month for the records without "Sold In UK," mirrored the "Give Peace A Chance" singles. By late June, the printers were now only printing the yellow and black Parlophone labels without the discontinued text, "Sold In UK". It really is that simple, all fabrications in the world cannot stand up to solid facts and there were no mysteries about the records pressed between August - December,1969, all the changes, and they were drastic ones, very slowly evolved over a six month period and every step of the way can be seen, recognised and documented. The UK Beatles records were not pressed and released in isolation, they conformed to the same gradually implemented changes affecting uncountable other titles. Those my age with an all consuming interest in records and music, witnessed how slowly and gradually it happened, at the same time Mono was being phased out and Stereo was established as the only format in the upcoming 1970's decade. TEXTURED YELLOW & BLACK PARLOPHONE LABEL. PCS 3045. When I said the only change was the removal of a once mandatory text introduced in 1964, to say these labels are textured is an understatement. So textured, the background black ink settled in to create a mottled effect, that began for a Beatles album all the way back to before the yellow and black labels first appeared, a legacy passed on from the black and gold "Please Please Me" labels, a 60's Beatles record..... is a 60's Beatles record. MAITRIX: YEX 110 - 2 / YEX 111 - 2 '- 1 /- 1' was not used for the 1963 Stereo first pressing LP and EMI just continued the same maitrix for all the 1960's stereo pressings and hardly any were made in comparison to mono records. In fact, no Stereo pressings of "With The Beatles" were made in 1964, there were still enough unsold 1963 copies available, the next pressing in Stereo was in 1965 and they lasted until 1967. The same scenario carried the two year period into 1969, with the same '-2 /-2' maitrix end digits, this is a direct 'descendent' of the 1963 pressings. EMI STAMPING CODES: OD 2 / MM 2 THE TEXTURED YELLOW & BLACK 1969 PARLOPHONE LABELS HAVE: 1.) "The Gramophone Co. Ltd." ON THE RIMS. 2.) A CIRCLED (P) FOLLOWED BY '1963' FOR THE PUBLISHING YEAR FORMAT, AS FIRST INTRODUCED IN 1965. 4.) "Stereo" IN SILVER BLOCK CAPITAL LETTERS, LOCATED ABOVE THE YELLOW 'Parlophone' LETTERING. NOT HAVING THE "Sold In UK" TEXT DOES NOT REQUIRE ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION. I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SKIP THIS PART, IF I DO I WILL ONLY BE ANSWERING EMAILS... HERE I GO AGAIN! IT IS NOT RARE BUT REALLY COMMON PLACE FOR THE COVERS AND LABELS TO LIST SIDE 2, TRACK 3, AS; "You've Really Gotta Hold On Me," AS HIGH AS 90% OF ALL 1963 MONO & STEREO COPIES WILL HAVE THAT. IT IS ACTUALLY RARER TO FIND THE CORRECT SPELLING OF 'Gotta' AS 'Got To', ESPECIALLY IF BOTH COVER AND THE LABEL HAVE THE CORRECT SPELLING. SUCH A TRIVIAL SUBJECT, BUT ONE I HAVE TO INCLUDE OR THOSE EMAILS WILL ARRIVE. THE BACK COVER' TRACK LISTING HAS,"You've Really Gotta Hold On Me." SIDE 2's LABEL HAS THE CORRECT SPELLING; "You've Really Got A Hold On Me." ORIGINAL MID-1969 EMI LIGHT PINK TINTED PROMO INNER SLEEVE, UNSPLIT, & UNTORN, ALMOST LIKE NEW APART FROM SLIGHT AGEING ON ONE EDGE ONLY AND A NATURAL GENTLE IMPRESSION FROM THE HEAVYWEIGHT RECORD, IN MINT- CONDITION. I BELIEVE THIS IS AN UNSOLD 1967 LAMINATED FRONT, STEREO "With The Beatles" COVER, THE 'LOOK AND FEEL' IS ALWAYS MY FIRST IMPRESSION AS I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN INSTINCTIVE AND RELY ON MY SENSES, THEN I START EXAMINING THE DETAILS, PRINTED BY 'Garrod & Lofthouse", THOSE DETAILS ARE; 1.) DELUXE THICK LAMINATION AND A TYPICAL BACK PANEL SET AT A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT ANGLE TO THE COVER, BUT FOR A TEXTILE REASON, THE MATT BACK PANEL HAS A THIN SHEEN TOP SURFACE NOT ON 1969 COVERS. JUST CHECK THE "Yelllow Submarine" LP BACK COVERS FROM JANUARY - SEPTEMBER 1969, NOT ONLY MATT AND UNTREATED CARDBOARD, THEY WERE AS OPEN GRAINED AS MATT LP COVERS EVER BECAME. THIS WAS RELEASED IN BETWEEN THE THREE RELEASES IN 1969, ALL LOGGED IN CHART BOOKS FOR VERIFICATION. As I remarked earlier, Beatles records, labels, covers and inner sleeves did not exist in isolation, they will all have features unique to the time period they were made, not necessarily to the time they were sold in record shops, especially for 60's Stereo albums in a mono dominated decade. 2.) CERTAINLY NOT UNIQUE TO 1967, BUT THE BOTTOM OF THE THREE FLIPBACK EDGES HAS THE TEXT THAT FIRST APPEARED IN 1965 AND WOULD HAVE NO RELEVENCE AT ALL TO 1969. I HAVE SOLD 1967 STEREO PRESSINGS WITH THAT TEXT, THAT BELONGED TO A CHANGED SIZE OF THE FRONT's TOP RIGHT 'Mono' & 'Stereo' LETTERING. "Patents Pending" IS PRINTED THE BOTTOM FLIPBACK EDGE. THE FRONT TOP CORNER'S 'Stereo' LETTERING IS THE SMALLEST SIZE, UNIQUE TO 1965 -1969, THE LARGEST SIZE WAS IN 1963, THE MIDDLE SIZE LETTERING FOR 'Mono' & 'Stereo' WAS UNIQUE TO 1964 ONLY. I have shown as much of the cover's unique features in close up pictures, 12 phoot's are restrictive, the record was only played once. A remarkable condition 60's 'Stereo' cover, anything here is directly connected to standing in storage for a minimum of 48 years but I have vast experience with all Stereo Beatles albums and have sold every possible variation of UK 60's pressings of "With the Beatles," made in surprisingly limited amounts between 1963 -1969, when compared to other Beatles titles pre-1965. Standing in storage for an extra two years had little impact on the cover but that still has to be taken into consideration, for the rarity of any 60's Stereo covers, as usual I will give the strictest possible grading. The front top titles section is very close original 1963 pure white, just a tinge of ageing mingling with the gleaming white and so fractional, nothing to detract from the stunning appearance. The renowned Robert Freeman Beatles photo of the Beatles faces in half shadows looks superb, without any fading to the jet black, grey and white colours, they are unaged and so is the thin white border. Even the spine is the original pure white, a couple of laminate edge lines running over the spine are the only place there is the slightest ageing, so tiny I cannot believe I am highlighting a natural event for a magnificent cover from the Beatles own era. 1960's Mono covers were made in vast quantities and stereo covers represent a comparitive drop in the ocean because so few were made and sold, , here is the second made and there is nothing here related to use or uncaring storage. There is only a gentle record impression and the usual related laminate edge lines next to the spine, from holding a heavy record and gravity creating stress points either side of the centre of the record's edge. That includes a few small laminate wrinkles but too minor to take seriously for the age I write the same for just about every cover from every decade, but I get very frustrated when discussing covers reaching half a century of age...with a Mint record inside! The spine ending's are pointed but the top left side corner is perfect and only the bottomleft corner showing some pressure from standing for most likely 50 years! The pair of right side corners are really exceptional and absolutely perfect, no wear at all is very rare. The opening edges are totally unworn, so is the top edge and the standing/bottom edge, no wear at all to the laminate, just the merest sign of handling and minor storage traits, which amounts to next to nothing on this truly beautiful cover. The matt back panel reflects the perfect storage, the thin sheen top surface is 100% preserved so a normally stained and scuffed matt panel is in fantastic condition. The original white background is superbly clean, the black printing unfaded and unscuffed, just the slightest ageing, abut barely even a record impression. I am impatient to get into the album details and the record, first I must deal with all trivialities, the final one concerns where the flipback edges were stuck down. The thin line of exposed glue has an aged look, but in reality that is just the colour of the glue after 50 years, anyone would think I was offering an average condition 60's cover but this at the opposite spectrum of that and a real beauty like this should not be subjected to such unnecessary criticism. My pictures show the details, as usual the deeply glossy laminated front, creates a mirror like reflective element overthe black background, confusing a digital camera unless you use the flash. That only causes even more problems than it solves, so I have taken it as best as possible in natural sunlight, with a close up of the top right corner that also worked to display the 'Stereo' lettering and how close to pure white that top band really is. RELATIVELY ONLY A HANDFUL OF STEREO COVERS WERE PRINTED IN COMPARISON TO THE PLENTIFUL MONO COVERS, THEY ARE THE RAREST UK BEATLES COVERS. INCLUDING ALL TITLES UP TO 1968, WHICH MEANS "The White Album's" STEREO COVERS AND IT EXTENDED RIGHT INTO 1969. A FEW NEGATIVES HERE, BUT MUCH, MUCH MORE POSITIVES DUE TO SUCH LOW PLAYS OF THE RECORD AND SUCH EXCEPTIONAL STORAGE EVER SINCE AT LEAST 1969. THE STRICTEST GRADING IS EXCELLENT+++/ NEAR MINT CONDITION. BOTH LABELS ARE IMMACULATE AND ONLY ONE SPINDLE ALIGNMENT SHOW THE RECORD WAS PLAYED JUST ONCE, AND WITH WITH CONSUMMATE CARE. A TRULY STUNNING LOOKING RECORD WITHOUT ANY MARKS OR SCRATCHES, THE TOP SURACE IS AS GLOSSY AS THE DAY IT LEFT THE PRESSING PLANT, THE STEREO SOUND IS STUNNING. ANY FACTORY OR RECORD SHOP HANDLING TRACES ARE NEAR INVISIBLE IF NOT INVISIBLE. THE RECORD IS IN MINT CONDITION.
SIDE 1 "It Won't Be Long" (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) "All I've Got To Do" (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) "All My Loving" (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) "Don't Bother Me" (George Harrison) "Little Child" (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) "Till There Was You" (Meredith Willson) "Please Mister Postman" (Brian Holland) SIDE 2 "Roll Over Beethoven" (Chuck Berry) "Hold Me Tight" (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) "You Really Got A Hold On Me" (Smokey Robinson) "I Wanna Be Your Man" (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) "Devil In Her Heart" (Richard Drapkin) "Not A Second Time" (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) "Money" (Janie Bradford / Berry Gordy) JOHN LENNON lead, harmony & backing vocals, rhythm and acoustic guitars, harmonica and handclaps nylon-string acoustic guitar on "Till There Was You" Hammond organ on "I Wanna Be Your Man" tambourine on "Don't Bother Me" harmonica and handclaps, nylon-string acoustic guitar on "Till There Was You" Hammond organ on "I Wanna Be Your Man" tambourine on "Don't Bother Me" PAUL McCARTNEY lead, harmony & backing vocals, bass guitar and handclaps piano on "Little Child" claves on "Don't Bother Me" GEORGE HARRISON lead, harmony & backing vocals, lead and acoustic guitars & handclaps nylon-string acoustic guitar on "Till There Was You" RINGO STARR drums, tambourine, maracas & handclaps lead vocals on "I Wanna Be Your Man" Arabian loose-skin bongo on "Till There Was You" and "Don't Bother Me" Recorded 18th July - 23rd October 1963, At Abbey Road Studios, London. George Martin - arrangements, production and mixing. piano on "You Really Got A Hold On Me", "Money" & "Not A Second Time" Norman Smith - sound engineer and mixing
1969 or not, the relationship to the 1963 first Stero pressings is there to see and hear, I could put that into perspective by saying the 1965, 1967 and particularly this final 1969 pressing, are by far rarer than the 1963 Stereo records. Almost daily on ebay, either the 'Jobette' credit earliest pressing and corrected publishing company records are available, usually so heavily played the centre hole has a wide white band of worn away label paper. The next trio of folowing 1960's pressings are by far a minority to the 1963 Stereo pressings, these final 1960's yellow & black label pressings are the rarest of them all, and being Mint makes this a very precious record indeed. For anyone unfamiliar with the 60's original UK Beatles records, here is an insight into why. When "With The Beatles" was first released during November, 1963, mono was so dominant, most people had no conception at all of what 'Stereophonic' meant, in fact, we had no idea of what 'Monophonic' meant! Like black & white TV, it was just the accepted sound coming from radios, TV's and records, anything more exotic was only seen and heard in cinemas. I can remember when a pianist sat at the front and played live music before the films started, during the intermission and when it ended, that continued way past 1963, the connection with silent movies should give a much better idea exactly what was happening when the Beatles were releasing these records. Mono held a real stranglehold over Stereo and only a comparitive few pressings were required or made, until the silver and black Parlophone labels were introduced at the end of the decade, in late 1969. The majority of that year's "Abbey Road" original albums, were very much still played with Mono only cartridge on a Mono only record player, nobody else regularly selling on ebay informs buyers about that when grading a heavily played marked copy! 1963 was still extremely early in theUK or anywhere else in the world to own a 'Stereophonic' record player, so many British record companies were not even pressing in Stereo yet for 'Popular Music.' As a comparison, the Rolling Stones did not have their first three albums mixed or released in Stereo, they were Mono only. Decca were like many other major's, Pye and Phillips / Fontana, by only sanctioning recording and releasing albums in Mono, the attitude adopted was towards 'Popular Music' was because it was believed to be short lived, dispensible and instantly forgettable, unworthy of even recording or pressing in Stereo, only Classical Music records were made available in both formats. Here we should always be eternally grateful Decca did turn down the Beatles in February,1962, if they had not signed to EMI's Parlophone label, like the Rolling Stones etc. No.1 LP's, EP's and singles meant nothing, the first Beatles Stereo album would not have been until 1966 like "Aftermath", so that would have been "Revolver." Then the first six Beatles LP's would have been Mono only, which would have been a major tragedy because of such astonishing audio properties on the Beatles' Master Tapes for these earliest albums. Plus rock's history would have been changed, because by not being able to develop studio techniques that Stereo's extra two tracks gave for recording onto the limiting 2-Track tape, which was all that available earlier in 1963 when their "Please Please Me" debut album was recorded. EMI / Parlophone were ahead of their time by even recording it with the perfectly separated channels of true Stereo.That was not speculation because the Stones' albums did suffer from avaibility of multi-track Stereo mixing, if you listen to "Aftermath" and even their 1967, "Between The Buttons," you can hardly tell psychedelia had arrived, ignited and transformed records and studio recording techniques. By "Satanic" the Stones really made up for lost time and the original Stereo album has incredible panning effects, meanwhile the first ever Pretty Things album recorded in Stereo, was after they left Fontana and signed with EMI in 1967, and what a masterpieice "S.F. Sorrow" turned out be. Coincidently, they had Norman Smith producing them, he was the sound engineer and mixing asssistant to George Martin for "With The Beatles." Norman Smith's expertise and experience with stereo learnt at EMI in this early 60's era was made available to Pink Floyd when they recorded their debut, "Piper At The Gates Of Dawn," by then Norman Smith was more than ready for "Astronomy Domine".... and Barrett! Once I have settled pressing details, I relax and get into the actual recording and mixing into true Stereo, this record is first generation from Abbey Road's Master Tapes, that sound is all that matters, not the printing on labels. I give all my experience to identifying records and covers, but that experience and fantacism includes being immersed in the music on Beatles records, I hope to strike the correct balance between informing about label and cover designs, with the contents of such amazing records. The Beatles own 1963 debut album, "Please Please Me" only contained their 1962 single "Love Me Do" and the B-side as Mono only recordings, but later on in 1963 EMI, certainly were well ahead of their time with Stereo. It was during the recording sessions for this their second UK LP, "With The Beatles," the astonishing development of the Beatles recording suddenly underwent the most drastic change ever witnessed in the whole history of rock. The date of the greatest leap in recording sophistication occured on the 17th October 1963, for the first time in this decade of wonders, the Beatles and George Martin now had 4-Track tape installed in Abbey Road Studios. On that same day they were still perfecting the recording of "You Really Got A Hold On Me," they made an excellent use of the two extra tracks now available for the intricate three part vocal harmonies, 'Take 12' was recorded but they were far from finished yet. "With The Beatles" is rarely discussed in the light of the momentous technological advances, yet the same 4-Track tape recording machine was the same one used for "Rubber Soul, "Revolver" & "Sgt. Pepper." Without 4-Track tape and mastering Stereo recording techniques, that would have prevented the Beatles with George Martin making such revolutionary studio advances by 1966. This mid-1960's UK Stereo pressing of "With The Beatles" is a really special record indeed, because for the first time a Beatles album benefited from 'double tracking' being available for vocals & instruments, the vinyl 'sound' comes sharply into focus and becomes acutely important. My selective policy for original vinyl is the area I will never compromise over and only those few careful plays for 1969 was expectional, from this record you will hear that 1963 Master Tape sound in just astounding detail, clarity and impact! Unless an original UK Beatles 60's record blows you completely away for staggering sound, there is something drastically wrong, that's how I grade records and unless I've lost the plot, that should be the only criteria! I take great care when grading any 60's record Mint visually and audiably, the sound was so sensational I had to reflect that. For an old Beatles fan, my first Mono "With The Beatles" in November, 1963 also did not have the "Sold In Uk" text because it was not introduced until 1964, to me this 1969 record without that text looks more like the 1963 labels than the 1965 & 1967 Stereo pressings! I think I will continue the Stereo theme for "With Te Beatles," As far back as 1963 George Martin recorded in Stereo, then mixed downto mono, not the mis-conception he re-enhanced Mono to a fake 'stereo' with echo effects in one of the channels, if you read 'Stereo' on a 1960's EMI cover or label, it will indeed be....in True Stereo. The reason George Martin was recording in stereo, were due to the restrictions imposed on early recordings being limited by only having Two / Four Track Tape in 1963. Compare that to today's studio multi-track facilities and you can only marvel at the fantastic sounds on the incredible records. Overdubbing was always an essential part of Beatles records, right from this very album John Lennon was introduced to double tracking his vocals, two slightly different recordings were mixed together, straight away one of those earlier 1963 tracks on the tape was spoken for just to record the vocals, Stereo recording tape was always superior to be creative with. From all the basic simplicity of that, "A Day In The Life" etc. was always where the Beatles were heading towards, but without this learning curve of being able to add layers to a basic track or recording, had they been with Decca, Mono only would have restricted such a vital component that allowed their imaginations to roam free. Back in 1963, there were hardly backwards psychedelic guitars yet, there were still recording techniques necessary to make records, it was impossible to play an instrument, sing any more than a straight live single vocal & add handclaps or keyboards at the same time. There from day one in '62, for John Lennon to sing and play a harmonica at the same time. Other extra additions were called 'Edit Pieces', to be mixed onto the recorded main or basic track, then George Martin made two seperate mixes from the Multi-Track Tape in both mono & stereo. A view could be taken that during '63, the mono mix was all important but a Stereo recording was in reality the first and the original made before the final two format mixes were completed, mono was in fact a mix-down or a reduction from the Stereo recording. An original UK Beatles Stereo albums offer a far closer, more intimate sound and feel, individual elements of the tracks are heard perfectly separated, exactly as they were actually recorded and therefore placing you 'between' the vaious instruments and vocals. We have two ears, our senses naturally absorb and 'mix' different sounds coming from different directions, Stereo gives a liver effect and impact. Being so old, the world I grew up in was in Mono only, for most of my generation we only knew knew these records in Mono, that gave us a completely unique slant on digesting Stereo versions of the same titles after a decade of mono only. The reverse is true for others, but today Mono is mostly being heard through Stereo systems and 'true Mono' requires a Mono stylus. This is not only a subject ofgreat personal interest, also in direct response to the many questions I receive regarding, 'Are UK Beatles records in True Stereo?' In this era of digital sound and the last so called 're-mastering', apparently it was not digital re-mastering but ended up in digitally coded sound, not alalogue! I totally understand how confusing this appears but for those who grew up in the 60's as I did, it was a very straight forward matter of two formats co-existing, I never personally experienced stereo until new title records were no longer issued in mono. There is a refreshing honesty in playing a 1960's record today, CD's have their place but providing there is no wear or damage to the music signals, vinyl from all those decades ago contains staggering stereo sound, making the latest CD's and digital vinyl pressings just another re-vamp of the entire Beatles catalogue. I'm delighted the music is still loved and desirable, but all that began in 1969 before they broke up and personally, I have never heard anything that can possibly give such stunning sound as the UK originals, thanks to Abbey Road analogue mastering and EMI's pressings. Finally I arrive at the music, this redord contains all the incredible power of the UK Stereo mix, in crystal clear and undistorted audio. So it should, pressed before the "Abbey Road" album existed, rhere are no crackles & clicks including in the track gaps, of course this vinyl and not a CD but any natural static was there in 1969 and has to be there in 2017. That is absolutely minimal, I will try not to get carried away with the amount of text for the record description but will include the originalStereo mix and panning itself! Side 1 has exceptionally near silent run-in grooves, only light natural static only, which allows a perfectly clear, clean intro to the stunning sounding "It Won't Be Long," an original composition, in fact, eight out of these fourteen tracks were and that was remarkable for this era and only their second album. The amazing stereo is in perfectly separate channels of 'true Stereo', as individual parts of the track being panned from the left and the right channels. John Lennon's superb lead vocals along with the harmonies and the chorus, with an 'answering, "yeh, yeh, yeh" from Paul and George, are heard entirely from the right speaker. From the left speaker, Ringo's drums, Paul's bass, John's rhythm guitar and George's lead guitars. Apart from the very slightest 'bleeding' through from the complimentary Stereo channels, it's so complete, you can cut out the left speaker and listen to just those wonderful vocals as separatre entities. Conversely, should you share my love of all the details of a Beatles track, you can listen to their whole instrumental backing as another separate entity. Return your speaker balance to both channels and the full effect from this astonishing last 60's true Stereo record in such fantastic clarity, is comparable to hearing the Beatles perform "It Won't Be Long" 'live' in Abbey Road's Studio 2. A really powerful sounding record, that audio clarity is simply sensational! I genuinely mean comments like that, I was ten years old when I first heard and fell in love with this glorious album and this is the ultimate sound quality. The very reason British Beatles records have comanded the world's respect, that has been that way for as long as I have been selling them and in those days, a home computer generated internet was science fiction! Without any crackles or clicks, I resent even writing that for such a fantastic record because I know this could not be improved on, not even even any minor surface sound. I must add here that I believe this was a once played record when i bought it, I had one earlier play and this is only the second play in 48 years! Given several plays, any mentioned static will be played through, no need to keep on repeating that, 43 years old or not, EMI's high standard of pressing was so near to perfection, even those latest CD's cannot improve on perfection like this, that is the best way to describe how the whole album plays. Nobody is fussier about how the Beatles music sounds than me and this is audio perfection, "It Won't Be Long" finishes into a gap with only natural static, a very gentle guitar chord intro to "All I've Got To Do" is crystal clear and as clean as you could possible wish to hear. Lennon's sublime lead vocals are pure r&b, they are again panned in the right channel, with only harmonised vocals as "ooh's & aah's", until George & Paul emphatically repeat the song's title as the main chorus. Their instruments play opposite from the left, true Stereo in this awesome clarity makes you fully appreciate just how much the Beatles' vocals were such an integral part of their unique sound, that would soon be captivating the whole world. Plus the effectiveness of being centrally between the vocals and the instruments, is a wonderful way of hearing this great and strangely still underrated Lennon/McCartney composition and the track itself. The stunning sound quality continues on this slower tempo and really soulful performance, John's hummed final bars have a realism that brings renewed respect for EMI's mastering and pressing, also because nothing exposes a 1960's record to potential noise or distortion like an original stereo LP. A near silent gap, so a perfectly clean, clear intro to "All My Loving" and this very softly sung ballad features Paul as the lead vocalist for the first time on the album, I must remember my intention to resist the temptation to write too much, this is only the third of fourteen tracks, so I need to tighten things up from here. The same panning effects are as found on the two previous tracks, Paul's voice is from the right, apart from the "ooh's," his voice is double tracked and the sheer clarity of those vocals is awesome, I just cut out the left channel to listen to a section with only the vocals, this is some record, because with crackles and general noise, that becomes a really painful exercise for sensitive ears, these are totally unworn grooves and even with my individual stereo channel fascination, the whole song plays with outstanding sound quality. Another gap with only low static and yet another perfectly clean intro to George Harrison's only composition on the album,"Don't Bother Me." Ringo's great percussion really stands out in George Martin's skilfully made and crafted Stereo mix, George Harrison's vocals were double tracked, giving that much more sophisticated production than the one day only, recording for their debut LP, earlier on in 1963. This is where the recording in stereo provided the extra tracks those two slightly different recordings of George's voice were still placed together in the right channel, the advent of 4-track tape presented the luxury of two sets of vocals and that had to be a deliberate ploy while recording "Don't Bother Me". "Money" features two individual Lennon vocals, both separated in either channel, when compared to today's unlimited track space, this was indeed advanced recording techniques for the first time, plus there is a superb sound from George's vocals. I do love the opportunity to describe a Beatles LP in original 60's Stereo, I must keep control of the volume of text, now "Little Child" starts from trouble free gap with the same low static, Paul not George Martin played the piano here that forms the intro with John's harmonica, they are heard from the left speaker. John returns as the lead vocalist and following the pattern, the vocals are from the right channel, meanwhile your ears are kept occupied by his harmonica. That has exceptionally sharp sound, positioned from the left until the solo, when John Lennon's superbly blown blues now appears from the right speaker, it really is a revelation in such audio perfection, what an amazing record! The piano and harmonica are exactly the point I was making earlier, Paul could not play a bass guitar and the piano, so that and John's harmonica had individually made recordings George Martin mixed onto the basic track. In true Stereo there is that fantastic balance created from the edit pieces or overdubbing that created this, the finished item. In simply staggering audio clarity, to take you right inside the track, why this original stereo mix gives you a front seat in Studio 2, Abbey Road when the recording sessions took place. A near silent gap here, into the quietest song on the album, permitting the very gentle intro to be heard in ultra clean sound and this was now Paul's turn to sing the lead vocals on "Till There Was You". As much as I appreciate the need in '63 for various musical styles, I find this a rather bland track, that was my first reaction as a kid in 1963 and nothing has changed, a slow ballad with no substance that goes nowhere at all, when I would have far preferred some more of the r&b / bues or rock performances, personal opinions are unavoidable and I will never pretend to like "Till There Was You". I can say how perfectly this record presents it and such a gentle, exposed to needle noise track, is even more so in Stereo, yet this has crystal clear and razor sharp audio definition. With barely any form of background surface sound, the next and final track on this side is the magical "Mr. Postman," not only does this have a powerful impact, the original George Martin stereo mix sounds just amazing. "Mr. Postman" has been a real favourite since hearing it as a youngster, back then Tamla Motown and the Marvelettes were unknown to me, hearing the Beatles energetic, exuberant performance had me hooked. All these years later, there's still a freshness and an electrifying vitality when hearing it, mostly the brilliant John Lennon vocals make this such a special track. A great one to play from a 60's stereo album, my volume has been given an extra nudge up, not needed because it was rather loud before, but I guess favourite Beatles track's revive old habits. No wonder John Lennon was so taken with double tracking his vocals after George Martin first introduced the concept during the album's recording sessions, they are magnificent. His doubled up vocal inflections create a real sense of urgency and you can actually sense him chasing after the postman and begging him to 'wait a minute,' a cover version and for the second time on this album, this totally blew away the original. The other track that became the definitive recording over the original is on the end of Side 2, although I could include all of them! A personal opinion, formed after tracking down the originals to only find they disappointingly failed to have anything even approaching the Beatles impact. The same was true for an American girl group I do love, the Shirelles original "Baby It's You" is special, so is the Beatles version on "Please Please Me" but John's vocal in particular eclisped even the Shirelles, which really took some doing. Unlike my original Mono album, the last gap was near silent and the intro played cleanly as a just pressed record, I all but wore out the much loved but rather abused first LP but that was a very common story. This has such stunning sound quality, even the gradually faded out ending is into a total silence from the record itself, think of your finest sounding Beatles original album and this will equal, if not surpass it by a wide margin. Side 2 's run-in grooves only have the same low static in the empty band, I am starting to find it pointless being so over fussy, it really is wonderful having a crackle free and totally intro for the first track on this side of "With the Beatles". Now another electrifying performance as the Beatles show their mastery of rock, this is one loud record, as really powerful sound of George's lead guitar pumping out Chuck Berry's riff to "Roll Over Beethoven." A great driving rhythm gives the live earliest Beatles sound and one they perfectly captured in Abbey Road's recording studio by the 'fifth Beatle.' This is when you can get very close to the actual recording, George's lead vocals are in the right speaker with the hand claps boosting the pulsating rhythm. The effect of the smallest detail in this amazing true Stereo mix, projects those mega sharp hand claps as once again you experience a superb 'liveness' of the recording itself, tranfering down the decades with a freshness, vitality and sound perfection no words can give a true image of without resorting to more superlaives. The sound quality is simply incredible, just awesome sound and without any background surface sound at all, this record is a real joy to hear. The first gap on this side has the same static, I must be accurate, as soon as the track starts I cannot tell there's a record on my turntable, the next track returns to earlier in 1963, this was almost on their debut LP, "Please Please Me". Not that it was only played once either, considering how the sessions only lasted for the one day and evening,13 takes were recorded of this great Lennon & McCartney composition, "Hold Me Tight," earlier on in the year, in February. They were all rejected for this album and a brand new version was recorded, a pattern that would become the normal for such perfectionists over all the coming years. The audio is so superbly clear, you can hear all the parts of this track they were so determined to perfect before being released. The single recorded lead vocal features Paul, his voice and the backing vocals are perfectly seperated, panned in the right channel, an unusual chord construction has the melody descending, a flick of my speaker balance finds a really exceptional backing track, Paul's bass at a very loud setting with their guitars contributing to the pounding rhythm generated by Ringo's drums. Another Tamla Motown influence on the young Beatles was the great Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, from another of these wonderfully, near silent gaps, their brilliant version of "You Really Got A Hold On Me," a positive major highlight of "With The Beatles." Instead of fixating over printer's silly spelling mistakes, sellers who care more about that error than how their customer will hear this beautiful melody being performed, there should be perfect sound on every second! The song's slow r&b tempo features some really delicate three part harmonies, they are usually drowning in horrendous needle noise from original Mono records, in Stereo, any noise becomes magnified, that does not affect this immaculate sounding record though, the sound quality here is indeed just stunning and perfect! The gap is like the previously descibed ones, low natural static I sincerely believe will be gone after several plays, Stereo records do tend to 'double up' natural static due to the needle packing up both sides of the groove's 'walls. Mono music signals are at the bottom of the groves in the gaps, hence magnification until the cleaning process removes microscopic 'pips' from the pressing itself. The music sounds simply stunning! I must stress how the piano intro is ultra clean and clear, with the piano is panned from the right channel, accompanied from the opposite speaker by George's lead guitar panned on the left. Virtually all the vocals are positioned on the right, a truly delightful effect! The sound of those fantastic vocal harmonies is nothing less than staggering, I'm extra fussy about this particular track and this record contains the very reasons I am entitled to demand perfection. Lennon had a voice ideally suited to singing these slow, soulful r&b songs, it was just as much the harmonising voices of Paul &George that gave such an edge to the finished result. It's pointless to keep repeating it but I would like to know how the track banding behaves if considering buying a Stereo "With The Beatles," no crackles during the track is amazing enough, then the final guitar note fades away naturally into a near silent gap. Over to Ringo, who drums up a real storm while singing the lead vocals for the highly spirited, raucous rendition of "I Wanna Be Your Man", a much rawer and very exciting performance. The backing is loud and exciting rock, with the full scale attack of the instruments panned mostly into the left channel. I love this original stereo mix because the chorus features just Paul and John and their effectiveness when combining their voices together at full force, is something else, in such astonishing audio clarity, very special to hear. A song written for their good friends the Rolling Stones who needed an original song for a second single, John & Paul had only partially written "I Wanna Be Your Man" when they met the Stones in a club, to the amazement of Mick and Keith, they completed all the lyrics on a scrap of paper there and then. In that same November '63 as this album was released, the Stones took their version of "I Wanna Be Your Man" to No.12 in the charts. The next track is completely dependent on unworn vinyl for a full appreciation, near silent grooves then a superbly clean intro for the brilliant "Devil In Her Heart". Yet another song requiring the Beatles to sing intricate three part harmonies, the sound quality is once again simply staggering here, can this record really be 48 years old? There is no surface sound here at all and the USA girl group, the Donay's original is performed here to a degree of musical expertise that demonstrated both the Beatles r&b influence and why in only four months time, they would visit and 'conquer' America on a scale that had never been seen since Elvis Presley. George Harrison's lead vocals were superb on "Devil In Her Heart,"shame they seldom get mentioned, Paul is the strongest second voice, a distinctive sound the Beatles vocal ability created was becoming a real force now. The original stereo mix offers an opportunity to hear just the vocals, by cutting out the left channel, the sheer purity of the sound in one channel is the most revealing method I know and enjoy testing out, confirming a truly awesome playing Stereo pressing. Although all the vocals on the album were shared for the lead, it's fair to say John Lennon dominated the album. Another near silent gap, once again I can only continue praising how stunning the sound is on a much loved track. An unworn early 60's pressing gives breathtakingly pure sound reproduction, on a mid-tempo r&b absolute classic of an early Beatles performance, the acute rarity of the vinyl in this condition is a real shame, such unblieveable sound! I will immediately begin the hunt for another Stereo "With the Beatles" but quite when that will happpen is unknown. The Stereo mix for "Not A Second Time" is wonderful, with George Martin's piano panned from the left speaker, the extra sophistication gave glimpses into what the future had in store,"Not A Second Time" is one of the greatest Lennon / McCartney songs from the era. It really was a major piece of early songwriting and the vocals are just superb, with a classy touch on the piano, another reason to call George Martin 'the fifth Beatle.' The uniqueness of Lennon and McCartney's harmonised vocals during the chorus created the dramatic tension, John Lennon's lead vocal was exceptional. The drums, bass & guitars are panned in the left speaker with the piano, the vocals are projected from the right speaker, I often describe amazing 60's true Stereo channel separation, but I always say they are not isolated sounds but individual parts of the track combining together to produce the most stunning effects. Nobody should ever underestimate George Martin's ability to mix in either Mono or Stereo, he was a genius in both formats. To end this great album, from a silent gap, a blockbuster of a performance starts in massive power, the piano plays from the right, the guitar from the left, the intro to "Money" is perfectly clean and so clear. The Beatles end the album like it was the final song at a concert, they never played an encore but always picked this kind of raw, adrenaline pumping, pure energy to rock out with. They storm through this with every bit of energy they possessed, such scintilating sounds in this Stereo mix are sensational to hear! After all those delicate harmonies, this is the sound of the Beatles performing as a rock & roll band, Lennon's remarkable red hot lead vocals are for the first time on any record, split between the Stereo channels and leaving the instruments as the main panning force. Perhaps that extra impact was reason enough to take the Stereo mixing into areas that would become the foundations that would develop during the rest of the decade. For all the fantastic impact of the Mono album, I personally prefered the 45 RPM mono mix, as found on the UK , "All My Loving" EP. For me, the true Stereo version is vastly superior to the mono LP mix, I should also mention for all the massive volume there has been no distortion here or the other rock tracks. This has been a real pleasure to play and describe today, a really stunning record! {Roy}
R & M RECORDS. My lifetime's love of music and records began at a very young age, the arrival of the Beatles and the 1960's decade in general had a very profound effect. It was only natural to bring all my first hand experience of collecting vinyl into becoming a professional record seller. Nearly thirty years ago we entered into the wonderful atmosphere of record fairs with the highest possible standards set. When the Internet became the world's new market place for vinyl, in 2001 it was time to join ebay. Those standards were rigidly adhered to as they will always continue to be, the basics of honesty and integrity were very much part of the era the music I love originated in, so here is our friendly and very efficient service we are proud to provide; EVERY RECORD IS FULLY PLAYED AND COMES WITH A 'NO ARGUMENT' MONEY BACK GUARANTEE. I USE GOOD OLD COMMON SENSE AS WELL AS A GLOBALLY ACCEPTED GRADING TERMINOLOGY FROM THE U.K. "RECORD COLLECTOR PRICE GUIDE" BOOK. THERE IT CLEARLY STATES "Sound Quality" AFFECTS EVERY GRADING LEVEL AND THAT IS THE ONE AND ONLY POSSIBLE WAY TO ACCURATELY GRADE RECORDS. i.e. COMBINING A STRICT VISUAL INSPECTION WITH VERY CLOSELY LISTENING TO EVERY SECOND, UNLESS PERHAPS IN THE CASE OF GENUINELY UNPLAYED VINYL. EVEN THEN WE STILL TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR A RECORD WHEN A CUSTOMER RECEIVES EITHER A SEALED OR AN UNPLAYED RECORD. We take 100% responsibility after an item has been posted and offer our fullest support in the event of any problems.
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