Vinyl: BEATLES A Hard Days Night LP 1st UK PRESS 1964 IN MONO, 3N/3N MAITRIX, Nr MINT

You say you will love me, If I have to go, You'll be thinking of me, Somehow I will know. Someday when I'm lonely, Wishing you weren't so far away, Then I will remember, Things we said today. You say you'll be mine, girl, 'Till the end of time, These days such a kind girl, Seems so hard to find. Someday when we're dreaming, Deep in love, not a lot to say, Then we will remember, Things we said today. Me, I'm just the lucky kind, Love to hear you say that love is luck, And though we may be blind, Love is here to stay and that's enough..... To make you mine, girl, Be the only one, Love me all the time, girl, We'll go on and on. Someday when we're dreaming, Deep in love, not a lot to say, Then we will remember, Things we said today.

THE BEATLES; "A Hard Day's Night" LP. FIRST UK PRESSING IN MONO, 10th JULY, 1964. A recently described 1964 Stereo "A Hard Day's Night" LP, means I will still be writing about the same background for this Mono first pressing, hopefully I will produce some fresh details but facts cannot be re-written. A quick comment about the release date, 1964 might have been the year 'Beatlemania' was at it's peak, but it actually took eight days after the 10th July to reach No.1 in the UK. Seven days are the minimal time period for sufficient, but "A Hard Day's Night" required 'eight days a week' to hit the Top on the 18th July, 1964. For mere mortals that would be a great feat but forward one year to August, 1965, and their second film soundtrack,"Help!" sold so many copies it went to No.1 on the day of release, that was the album charts! I have the original 'Record Mirror' from that week and the front cover has an EMI promo for the album, the back cover had the albums and singles charts. The single was released 6th August and was at No.1, the album's release was on the 23rd August, the album charts showed "Help!" at No.1 on the same day as it was released due to advance orders from record shops alone. The singles charts had the astonishing sight of "Help!" the album also sitting in the singles charts at No.19! That was how many were sold on advance orders, not all the music press or the BBC charts included the album "Help!" in the singles charts because it was not their policy, that is a little known fact about the staggering volume of albums sold in the summer of 1965, then that continued! The actual chart duration was 41 consecutive weeks, but if the race was a marathon, "A Hard Day's Night" won by spending 43 consecutive weeks in the UK charts. The film was a tremendous success and "A Hard Day's Night" LP was a massive selling album and remained a high charting album, taking the continuous pressing cycle right into the next year's summer, June 1965 was only a matter of weeks before "Help!" was released. Like the phenomenal 1960's earliest selling Beatles LP's, a continuous pressing cycle of approaching a year of pressing records took "A Hard Day's Night" through EMI's revisions and re-designs to covers and label text alterations.. For the records themselves, the first pressing maitrix has to be examined in conjunction with the album titles' specifically allocated end digit rises, along with all the printed items. Mono and Stereo versions of the same titles differed completely and a pattern was set from 1963 into 1964, once more as 1964 moved into 1965 when stability settled in until mid-1969, then a complete overhaul for Parlophone and EMI's Columbia label. Unlike the previous "With The Beatles" LP, for the Beatles third album, "A Hard Day's Night", EMI returned to the 1963 system of a common maitrix ending on both sides for mono albums, 'XEX 481 - 3N/XEX 482 - 3N', the usual stamping codes gave the necessary indexing. Variations exist of course but not for the records made before the 10th of July, 1965, they all have one thing in common, the printing on the labels had the lettering in very thick font, even records made slightly later in 1964 but still with 'XEX 481 - 3N/XEX 482 - 3N', had the labels printed in standard size font, but specific details unique only to the year of 1964, remained consistent until changes were introduced in January 1965, then once again in August 1965. So it's easy to identify the non 1964 pressings, like the genuine 1968 "White Album" pressings alone, did not have "An EMI Recording", that first Apple Beatles LP's cross-over into 1969 pressings, can be easily identified in mono and stereo by having that credit. This is a first Mono pressing of "A Hard Day's Night" with 'XEX 481 - 3N / XEX 482 - 3N', I will give all the 1964 details now but I thought an introduction to the album would help place a perspective onto the sheer volume of records made, for around 90% of the mono albums, today the covers and records are rarely better than Very Good. They were played to excesses unknown to LP's before the Beatles arrived, normally the rare Stereo pressings had more chance of surviving in top condition, this Mono cover and record are in exceptional condion and become only the second time I have offered first pressing in 12 years on ebay. YELLOW & BLACK PARLOPHONE TEXTURED LABEL: PMC 1230. MAITRIX: XEX 481- 3N / XEX 482 - 3N. For the complete 43 weeks there never was any lower digits than '- 3N /- 3N' on both sides, logic does not enter the equation and EMI reverted to a fixed maitrix, only to change it at the end of 1964! The first Mono pressings of "Beatles For Sale" also started with '- 3N /- 3N' on both sides, but then the digit ending's were increased, by "Help" in August 1965, a fixed '-2 / -2' was favoured once again. As I said, logic did not play any part, it was the random selections of a time that was not computer controlled. EMI STAMPING CODES: ATO 1 / AHM 1 LIKE ALL 1964 PRESSING'S MADE BEFORE 10th JULY, THE LABELS HAVE UNIQUE WIDER FONT PRINTING, AS WELL AS THESE FEATURES: 1.) "Sold In UK" (The text had first been introduced at the beginning of 1964) 2.) THE PUBLICATION YEAR FORMAT: "Recording First Published 1964" 3.) The RIM TEXT: "PARLOPHONE Co. Ltd" 4.) THE UK TAX CODE "KT" EMBOSSED ON THE CENTRE OF ONE SIDE'S CENTRE. ( SIDE 2 FOR THIS RECORD) 5.) FRONT COVER TOP RIGHT: 'Mono' & 'Stereo' IN 'MEDIUM' SIZE LETTERING. (Large letters in 1963)* ORIGINAL 1965 'Use Emitex ' INNER SLEEVE, BARELY USED WITHOUT ANY TEARS OR SEAM SPLITS, JUST A VERY GENTLE RECORD IMPRESSION AND SOME NATURAL AGING OVER THE LAST 49 YEARS. IN EXCELLENT+++ / NEAR MINT CONDITION. 1964 VERY FIRST ISSUE 'Garrod & Lofthouse' PRINTED, LAMINATED FRONT, FLIPBACK EDGES MONO COVER. *WITH "Mono" IN 'MEDIUM' SIZE LETTERING ON THE FRONT TOP RIGHT CORNER, A SIZE DOWN FROM 1963, AFTER DECEMBER 1964, THE SMALL SIZE LETTERING WAS INTRODUCED TO REMAIN UNCHANGED UNTIL 1969. AS THE FIRST ISSUE COVER, THE BACK'S BOTTOM FLIPBACK EDGE HAS THE TEXT, "Patents Pending." A REALLY BEAUTIFUL AND STUNNING COVER COVER WITHOUT ANY REAL WEAR BEYOND LIGHT RUBBING TO THE POINTED SPINE ENDING'S OR LEFT SIDE CORNERS. A superb cover any other blemishes, certainly no other wear to detail, just an unavoidable e record impression and the usual related tiny laminate edge lines. The front's artwork and the title's deeply toned orange colour are in exceptionally bright, vivid colours, no ageing due to such minimal handling and as perfect storage as time allows. The top title strip is indeed a totally unyellowed brilliant white and the 'Mono' lettering's black colour on the top right corner, really stands out in contrast against the purest white, so does the black lettering title of "The Beatles." The spine is in perfect condition with perfectly clear titles under the thick and unscuffed laminate, the central title can be seen in a close up picture. For once I considered not taking a close up because the cover was assembled with the spine edge beginning on the front left side edge. My side view of the cover clearly shows how perfect it is and the complete lack of any ageing/discolouration, I couldn't resist taking a picture because that central position was usually worn by the thick edge of the record, the pointed top rubbing is as minimal as it gets for this cover in Mono & Stereo. The top left and top right corners are near perfect, square shaped and unworn with only standing pressure. The opening edges are also in remarkable barely used condition, so are the top and bottom edges, a few ripples that settle in. The matt back panel is in outstanding condition, ultra clean with an almost pure white background, ageing is too minor to be an issue, I would like to see a 1980's bacl panel cleaner and whiter than this! All the text and four pictures are their unfaded, original 1964 jet black ink colour. All three flipback edges are superb, acouple of naturally formed laminate lines only, a fantastic cover and one I am proud to offer. THE COVER IS IN A MINIMUM OF EXCELLENT++++ / NEAR MINT CONDITION. THE IMMACULATE LABELS ONLY HAVE ULTRA FAINT SPINDLE TRACES OF 3 / 4 EXTREMELY CAREFUL PLAYS. THE RECORD DOES NOT HAVE ANY SCRATCHES OR MARKS, ONLY FEATHER LIGHT TO NEAR INVISIBLE HANDLING TRACES. WITH PERFECT MONO SOUND ON EVERY TRACK, THE RECORD IS IN NEAR MINT CONDITION.

SIDE 1 "A Hard Day's Night" "I Should Have Known Better" "If I Fell" "I'm Happy Just To Dance With You" "And I Love Her" "Tell Me Why" "Can't Buy Me Love" SIDE 2 "Any Time At All" "I'll Cry Instead" "Things We Said Today" "When I Get Home" "You Can't Do That" "I'll Be Back" All Songs Written by Lennon & McCartney JOHN LENNON Lead, harmony & background vocals Rhythm and acoustic guitars & harmonica Lead guitar on "You Can't Do That" Piano & tambourine on "Things We Said Today" (The piano was wiped during the final mixing but not quite, it can still be heard on original vinyl....if unworn.) PAUL McCARTNEY Lead, harmony & background vocals Bass guitar & piano GEORGE HARRISON Lead, harmony & background vocals Lead electric guitar, 6 & 12-string acoustic & Spanish guitars Lead vocals on "I'm Happy Just To Dance With You" Harmony vocal on "Things We Said Today" Claves on "And I Love Her". RINGO STARR Drums, tambourine, maracas, cowbell & tambourine George Martin - piano Recorded In Studio 2, Abbey Road, Between 25th February And 2nd June 1964. George Martin - Producer, Arrangements & Mixing

To avoid repetition I will try condensing background details, but without leaving anything out, this is a very special Beatles LP. The Beatles first two UK 1963 albums contained a mixture of originally written songs and cover versions, so to write this entire album for a 1964 film soundtrack, was a major test for them. John and Paul's songwriting was now developing at such a staggering rate, especially when you take into account how little time they had between the global touring, TV and radio appearances, coping with hysterical fans and the media. 'Conquering and invading' America was a sensational feat in 1964, I sincerely believe that is still not appreciated or understood, the sheer scale of going to the homeland of r&b/blues and rock & roll, then leaving there in triumph, has been distilled with time and taken for granted now. They opened the way for all who followed them and their first ever USA TV and radio appearances and debut tour was fitted in between going to perform in Paris, while there recording German language versions of "I Want To Hold Your Hand" & "She Loves You" & recording and filming "A Hard Day's Night." Not forgetting also recording four exclusive tracks for their "Long Tall Sally" EP during the same "A Hard Day's Night" sessions, in fact just now listing the instruments and vocals on the album, it reminded me that there was yet another 'first' for an extraordinary third LP. Unlike their two 1963 albums, Ringo did not have his customary lead vocals on one of the thirteen tracks, instead he gave a very rousing rendition of "Matchbox" for the "Long Tall Sally" EP, recorded right at the end of the sessions. Only the "Let It Be" album was the other not to feature Ringo singing, plus after "A Hard Day's Night", their next two albums included cover versions and it was not until late 1965, when "Rubber Soul" became the second UK Beatles album with every single track self composed. The filming began the 2nd March 1964 and the recording of the film's songs had a real urgency as the recording sessions began in in earnest on the the 25th February. Their first priority was to record John's newly written "You Can't Do That", it was needed for the B-side to "Can't Buy Me Love,"which became the first ever Beatles single to also appear on an album after the 1963 debut album. Deliberately titled "Please Please Me" to include their recent first ever No.1 of the same title, that seemeed like a long time ago due to such momentous happening's worldwide, but in reality, the filming began only 12 months after their debut album was first released, the 60's had just taken off, was it any wonder they never wrote two exclusive tracks for a single, early '64! As well as recording nine takes, but with only the fourth complete, on that same day they also started work on "And I Love Her" and "I Should Have Known Better," two really important songs. They were the perfect examples of Paul and John's creativity for individually writing the basics and then taking the songs into the studio to work on, both have one thing in common, absolutely stunning melodies. The Beatles multiple takes of song were the time consuming part of the recording process, George Martin was like minded, it was the perfect relationship between artists and the record producer, all five were perfectionists and they never accepted second best, today their records are masterpieces because of such an intensive input. Not that it was all serious or the endless takes just musical breakdowns or mistakes, John Lennon loved to find different ways of of adding humour to what should have been a simple "1, 2, 3, 4" count-in, his endless variations of jokes had the others collapsing with laughter, many takes did not get beyond the count-in! This carried on throughout all the following years and humour was how the Beatles held on to their sanity in all the crazy frenzy that erupted around them during public appearances,the film gave a perfectly acurate portrayal of "Beatlemania" in 1964. "A Hard Day's Night" as only their third album, to have every one of the thirteen new song on this back cover credited as; "Words and music: John Lennon and Paul McCartney" was a really incredible feat. The sheer quality of the songs was astonishing and even looking back now, it is hard to believe how they were nearly all written on tour in the hotel rooms etc. I must sound like a besotted fan, even living through every stage of the amazing 'fab four' is still as exciting relating today as experiencing every successive single, EP and LP. The writing was mostly made with acoustic guitars, those instruments were now becoming used for the recording with a folk style emerging. The new melodic Beatles sound can actually be traced to the first recording sessions I just highlighted for this album, because on the 25th February, George had brought his new 12 string acoustic guitar along with him and with John Lennon's own love of playing an acoustic guitar, the Beatles were heading for a new course. Not too much of a drastic change from the very earliest musical influences, from traditional music in Liverpool, skiffle music in the late 19590's via Lonnie Donnegan and the blues/r&b records sailors were bringing over from the USA. America continued in that strong influence because Bob Dylan had been discovered by them in 1964, above all else, the Beatles always had a burning ambition and determination to make the greatest records of all time. The album was only partially a soundtrack, but not in the sense the USA 'United Artists' LP included four George Martin tracks of instrumental orchestral recordings, it would be repeated in the following year for "Help!". The UK LP was purely the Beatles and Side One contains songs from the movie soundtrack, Side Two has the songs written for, but not included in the film. Inspiration for songwriting was normally evenly split between Paul and John, the songs per album were equal numerically, but Lennon was in a rich vein for songs, he wrote nearly all the thirteen tracks. That was why I highlighted the opening day recording session, Paul contributed "And I Love Her" and because normally the writer sang the lead vocals, Lennon was really busy in that department. "A Hard Day's Night" was an absolute classic of a 1960's film and the first of it's kind, but the music on the album is certainly not dependent on the film's visual images, the reverse is true. This is a truly magnificent Beatles album in it's own right and it remains the most underrated of them all. I love Beatles cover versions, I spent long enough collecting the unofficial variety, but original material of this astonishing standard and those amazing melodies, should be re-assess and the genius recognised. I'm not sure how much was written for the Stereo LP but I can only write in my usual fashion, I will leave it here and turn my turntable and amp on. Side 1's run-in grooves are ultra smooth with only an extremely low level of vinyl's natural static, which is precisely how even unplayed Mint records would perform, possibly needing several plays to arrive at these problem free initial grooves. Confirming such meticulous care taken back in 1964, the last time this record was played before I bought it from the one original owner! Now in astounding mono power and absolutely stunning audio clarity, the singular guitar chord intro to "A Hard Days Night" rings out. The first chord was double tracked, or there were two separate and slightly different recordings made and mixed together to give a stronger impact. Those two recordings were mixed from the original stereo only recordings, to arrive at the fantastic mono mix, creating an intended tremendous impact, courtesy of the fifth Beatle, producer George Martin. John's lead vocals have staggering clarity and all the power 1960's mono generates, the instruments are heard in pin-point definition and I can only name this sheer perfection. At this early stage I must quickly say how over these last few months, I have been hearing and listing on ebay some of the finest vinyl I've been privileged to offer, this record is being reviewed with my ears accustomed to audio perfection and not directly after a crackling, distorted mess. A valid point about anyone grading records for ebay, when the previous record's standard differs so widely a listener will accept just about anything, back to the music, Paul's superb bass has incredible power and detail, as loudly as this record was mastered, there's not even a hint of the distortion caused by either wear or the dreaded blunt 1960's mono needle. The guitars sound amazing, with even the most minor part of Ringo's percussion, a cowbell, heard in acutely sharp edged sound. The first set of linking grooves run as close to silence as you could wish to hear from any decade's vinyl, giving a wonderfully clean intro for the first of the LP's acoustic tracks, Lennon's brilliant"I Should Have Known Better". John's harmonica intro is immaculately clean and clear, his acoustic rhythm guitar is closely locked into Paul's bass and Ringo's drums, giving a really 'punchy and bright' sound, I know how rarely that is heard from the average condition originals. This is such a tough track to find without severe crackles and clicks, the astounding audio clarity is breathtaking, the acoustic guitars are crystal clear and the purity of that harmonica sound is absolutely stunning. I always pay the strictest attention to John's loudly blown harmonica, partly because I love his style, but on worn out, overplayed original vinyl, those notes degenerate into terrible distortion, plus these original pressings have a colossal bottom end or bass. Enough said about chart duration related pressings for one day, I'm more in awe of the music signals still at their full original strength, essentially so for one of the album's greatest songs and also the best example of the Beatles emerging folk style, with the melody all important. George's lead guitar solo here is very telling about how the electric guitar was successfully blended with the acoustic ones, the film and this music inspired the Byrds to leave the cinema with a new direction, they were still folk music artists in 1964 and they literally heard music that changed their careers and lives. The Beatles influence in America was that sensational, to this very day I do not think those outside my generation fully understand how great an achievement that actually was. It was not just the music, society itself underwent a major change across Europe, Japan and America, if you check how many world wide original Beatle records were pressed, from India to South America, it was a global phenomenon we will never see the like of again. Hearing this album brings back warm memories of this period, the power of these Beatles recording's will never lessen or date, the film might be in black and white, but Dick Lester produced it in such a definitive fashion, he succesfuly captured the Beatles magic, as for the music, this is mono but there's nothing black and white about it, this is the equivalent of being in dazzling colour. The faded out ending is worthy of inclusion because of the very delicate nature of the next track, those gradually faded notes are ultra clean, no surface sound, the gap is again completely silent! Then an almost acapella intro to the LP's most gentle and certainly quietest track,"If I Fell," has John singing alone with only his acoustic rhythm guitar, his voice is superbly projected along with the guitar before those really deeply beautiful three part harmonies, in staggering clarity, the sound is just staggering! Considering how this is such a wide open, totally exposed song to the likelihood of having some form of background vinyl playing sounds, even with my volume turned way up, this is a truly amazing sounding record without the merest surface sound, just the beautiful melody to "If I Fell." The sound of a Mint record and not just any old record, the most underrated of all the Beatles albums for having such fantastic original songs, even their next 1964 album "For Sale" contained many so rock & roll cover versions, there was nothing wrong with that! There is such a great balance in this crafted mono mix, the vocal harmonies are perfectly level with the gentle backing, George's lead guitar sounds superb,I know this a rapidly lengthening description but because of my selective policy, I do get starved of Beatles albums and I'm not about to rush through sensational sound quality. The lack of an crackles or clicks in the gap means as George's guitar intro powerfully erupts, yet another perfectly clear and clean intro, now it's George Harrison singing lead vocal for the electric guitar sound of "I'm Happy Just To Dance With You." Often thought of of as one of George's compositions because he sings it, but was another Lennon / McCartney gem, here in stunning mono sound, Ringo's drums and Paul's bass form the very solid backbone and John's rhythm guitar really drives this along as well. Fantastic harmonies on the chorus have Paul and John giving George the fullest support, such perfection in audio is a joy to hear but I had better get this description under a tighter control and move on. Amazingly for the track I always hope will not become the cause of me using the term 'surface sound' for the first time, definitely does not need that, from another silent gap there is a supremely clean intro here yet again, back to the acoustic guitars for an intro to Paul's deeply beautiful melody, "And I Love Her". This audio is both extremely powerful, yet crystal clear on a delicately performed very gentle love song, the tone from the acoustic guitars is astonishing. John's rhythm acoustic guitar blends in with Paul's bass and Ringo's subtle percussion, George's lead acoustic guitar is the 12 string I mentioned earlier on, complimenting the rhythm superbly. Even for such a gentle love song, if you listen to the three individual guitarists you can clearly hear how the song itself was created and constructed. This mono mix offers that kind of perfect insight into the actual recording's, or you can just enjoy the overall effect, which is stunning from such ultra sharp edged audio. Without any form of surface or pressing background sounds, really remarkable for a fragile and very delicate nature of "And I Love Her", Paul's sublime vocal is in immaculately clean, clear sound. The next gap is smooth running and silent, without the usual rumbles and clicks before "Tell Me Why" erupts with the most wonderful impact. This could have easily have been released as a single, then "A Hard Day's Night" was a complete album of outstanding original songs and you could take your pick out of every one for a 45. The mono mix has the greatest depth, with all the individual instruments superbly balanced, the powerfully sung vocals are re-creating the liveness of the original recording. As with all 60's UK Beatles pressings, this has such fantastic clarity on the quieter acoustic songs, then the electric tracks offer the same, bursting with the power this era's records were mastered with. To finish the first side, the track that did get released as a single in 1964, "Can't Buy Me Love." Quite a rarity to include a current Beatles single in this period, because normally at least the B-side would have a non-LP track, you do have to excuse that with the filming and touring, plus for the very first time they released an album of self composed songs. Let's not forget their nearest 'rivals' in England were the Rolling Stones, who were in fact close friends, but in 1964 they only wrote one track on their album, granted it was a debut though. The gap continues this side's standards of excellence by remaining silent, for the last track once again a problem free intro for the acoustic guitars. Acoustic guitars featured on a Beatles A-side was the beginning of theirnew era and they are the main instruments even though this is at quite a fast tempo r&b recording. George's guitar solo from is outstanding and he plays it on an electric guitar, it was a stepping stone that would become the next stage in the Beatles studio work and an incredible musical journey until the end of the decade. The magnificent lead vocal from Paul fairly bounces along, he really put everything into this and his sheer exuberance and joy made it so accessible to every individual taste in music. Check out Ringo's drumming as well, he really pounds this out and Paul's bass guitar sound is massive, all in stunning audio defintion. A truly great song and the finest illustration of how the Beatles were now writing and performing r&b with a magical mixture of John's acoustic rhythm guitar and George's electric lead guitar together in perfect synch. Side 2's run-in grooves are again so close to being silent, I only have to mention faint static, so another perfectly clean intro to the fantastic, "Any Time At All", one of my personal album favourites. What a side opener this is! It comes powering it's way in with such a stunning impact, Ringo hits his drum with a great force, immediately following is John Lennon's voice bursting straight into singing the chorus. I really love this mono version, so dramatic, with one of the really great Beatles intro's as they just tear straight into the song with their energy levels really pumping away. Featuring very dynamic use of John's double tracked voice, George Martin's uncanny ability to record these amazing songs had all the electrifying energy perfectly captured. Which is the very reason why even from the very earliest Beatles recordings, they still sound so fresh and bursting with life all these years later, well, more like decades now. Such a magnificent Lennon lead vocal, he was well supported by Paul but all the credit for this 'bristling sound' belongs to George Martin's outstanding production. If you listen very closely to George's lead guitar, you will hear the 'jangling' sound that was instrumental in the Byrds changing from being folk artists into forming an electric band, their lead guitarist Roger McGuinn was the most influenced. Not just the Byrds, because the "A Hard Day's Night" film had a massive influence on so many other fledgling artists, the film's role from the 1960's should never be forgotten or underestimated just because it was in black and white, from these very roots the muti-coloured,psychedelic late 60's era evolved. It is so good to hear "Any Time At All" in pristine sound quality, this second side is just awesome, next starting from a silent gap, the wonderful "I'll Cry Instead." The mono mix here is magnificent, placing the fullest emphasis on the superb percussion, still keeping the balance with the rhythm guitar and the bass. I casually mentioned the gap but I'm aware how rare it was to run as smooth as silk and silently, then all the fantastic dynamics for the pulsating, driving force of this track, a typical George Martin production. Paul's deeply melodic bass guitar lines are exceptionally clear, and the volume levels were set extremely high with every single sound on the track in absolutely perfect audio definition. The next linking grooves are again no more than waiting for the next musical sounds to begin, so a perfectly clean and clear acoustic guitar intro for the glorious melody of "Things We Said Today". In simply stunning sound quality! With the main acoustic guitar riff heard as clearly as the day the record was pressed, Paul's double tracked lead vocal in in the same immaculate audio perfection, I maintain the highest possible expectations and demands from any UK original pressing of "A Hard Days Night," but this is unbelievable mono sound. I report parts of records most sellers ignore or give a token gesture I forced, by stressing how they affect an intro and an outro, but for the actual music, I get to thoroughly enjoy it while writing time consuming descriptions like this. When I first realised the enormous possibilities of writing a 'live' description I grabbed it with both hands,even though I had to learn how to type at the same time. What a fantastic sounding record, as you move into the tracks the sound quality consistently hits unbelievable peaks of audio perfection, never dipping under them on the quietest to the loudest recording's. Making the fourty nine years of age irrelevent, the ending fades out into a silent gap and no surface sound as my needle glides into one of the greatest ever Beatles tracks,"When I Get Home." This has staggering sound quality and perfectly capturing the sense of urgency John injects into his outstanding vocal delivery, once again this dynamic rhythm benefits from the very powerful mono sound, with Lennon's electric rhythm guitar dominating the superb backing track. Not that John's rhythm guitar is isolated, you would struggle to find a better example of the Beatles locked together as a tight band but as I type that sentence "You Can't Do That" blasts out of my speakers! Another silent gap, this was also issued as the B-side to "Can't Buy Me Love," in 1964 I wore my original single's B-side down to flat grooves, played into submission, this has the Beatles as a rock band playing purest r&b. An awesome backing track with the electric guitars used to such great effect, featuring John Lennon's rhythm guitar taking the song to it's very limits and even as the lead guitarist. Ringo's super drumming sounds just as razor sharp edged, what a Lennon lead vocal, this has the very sound from "The Cavern" in their earliest days. Sometimes I pick up a Beatles album for sound grading and for a split second I think, "How can I possibly write anything fresh after so many other descriptions for this same titled album?" Within seconds of the music starting, I'm in exactly the same raptures as I first felt all those years ago in the 60's. Of course the special effect is only generated by the quality of the sound, this may well appear an over long description to some, but this music is pure magic! Great bass sound, complimenting Ringo's very solid drumming, the cowbell he uses on the the off-beat has a real to life tone, even with such massive volume, this track is still crystal clear. Now for one of the album's strongest tracks, the final gap is a major problem on 95% of all the UK mono originals and is normally full of noise, "I'll Be Back" has now become associated with the severest crackles, clicks and irritating distortion, not on this record though! I can only keep repeating pressing indexing of mass produced vinyl to fulfill lengthy chart residencies, positively did prevent that from happening, if anything it serves to emphasise how important the condition of a record approaching half a century of age still is. The gap is completely silent, yes silent, and that tells me I am now about to hear fantastic sound quality and now into just stunning,perfectly defined mono sound. "I'll Be Back" as a song, is an early Beatles composition of the highest standards, the two acoustic guitars are a form of folk music, so is the melody, you can only really call this the unique sound of the Beatles. "I'll Be Back" has exactly the same outstanding, stunning sound quality as the entire album, without the slightest background crackles for the whole of the track's duration. I am extremely fussy when it comes a much loved Beatles album and sure, vinyl can only ever sound.... like vinyl, but this has not been abused like the average conditions. Excessive playing and using unmaintained blunt needles wrecked so many 60's mono and stereo records, a real shame but it was a rather long time ago and that era was very, very different to today's. A brilliant song with that perfect combination of rhythm acoustic guitars and delightful Lennon and McCartney vocals singing the harmonies together, a 1965 record in the most fantastic sound quality you could wish to hear, without any vinyl irritants. {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. Over twenty years ago now 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 RESPONSIBITY FOR A RECORD WHEN A CUSTOMER RECEIVES EITHER A SEALED OR AN UNPLAYED RECORD. MY DESCRIPTIONS WILL ALWAYS BE 100% HONEST AND TOTALLY ACCURATE ON ALL GRADINGS FROM 'V.G.' ( VERY GOOD), TO THE ULTIMATE 'MINT' CONDITION. ANY QUESTIONS ON OUR ITEMS ARE WELCOMED AND WILL BE PROMPTLY REPLIED TO. WE ARE FULLY EXPERIENCED AT SHIPPING WORLDWIDE AND NO EFFORT IS SPARED TO PROTECT RECORDS AND COVERS ETC. WE WELCOME BIDDERS FROM ANY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD. ALL RECORDS ARE REMOVED FROM THEIR SLEEVES AND PLACED INTO NEW PROTECTIVE CARD SLEEVES AND THEN PLACED INTO NEW, HEAVYWEIGHT PLASTIC OUTER SLEEVES. THE GREATEST ATTENTION IS PAID TO MAKING THE PACKAGING EXTREMELY STRONG & SECURE. EVERY POSSIBLE EFFORT IS MADE TO ENSURE A SAFE DELIVERY AND WE ONLY USE THE VERY BEST QUALITY PACKAGING MATERIALS, THE COST OF THE ITEM IS IMMATERIAL, EVERY RECORD IS TREATED EXACTLY THE SAME. WE DO NOT TREAT POSTAGE AS A MONEY MAKING PROJECT, POSTAGE IS LESS THAN COST, USING ONLY PROFESSIONALLY PACKED BOXES WITH SUBSTANTIAL PROTECTIVE PACKAGING THAT DOES WEIGH A LITTLE EXTRA. UNDER PAYPAL & EBAY'S GUIDELINES, ALL RECORDS WILL BE SENT VIA A FULLY INSURED TRACKABLE SERVICE. We have kept all our charges at the same level for years now, but due to the Post Office's new price increases, regretfully we will have to increase the cost of LP's, however, singles will remain unchanged. Ebay were aware of that happening and have increased their minimum postal cost for LP's to £7.00, that figure has been enforced by the UK Post Office and it will become our UK First Class, Recorded Delivery cost for albums up to the value of £46. For LP's valued above £46, the cost will be £9, we are unhappy about either increase but our high standard of packaging has meant in 12 years of ebay trading, there has not been one record damaged, we are determined to maintain that in the present and future. IN THE UK RECORDS UP TO THE VALUE OF £46 WILL BE SENT RECORDED DELIVERY, OVER £46 WILL BE SENT SPECIAL DELIVERY. FOR THE REST OF THE WORLD ALL RECORDS WILL BE SENT VIA 'INTERNATIONAL SIGNED FOR.'

POSTAGE COST FOR LP's UK: UP TO VALUE OF £46, FIRST CLASS RECORDED DELIVERY £7.00 UK: OVER VALUE OF £46, FULLY INSURED SPECIAL DELIVERY £9.00 EUROPE: FULLY INSURED VIA INTERNATIONAL SIGNED FOR £15.00 USA,JAPAN & REST OF THE WORLD FULLY INSURED VIA INTERNATIONAL SIGNED FOR £20.00 POSTAGE COST FOR EP's & 7" UK: UP TO THE VALUE OF £46 FIRST CLASS RECORDED DELIVERY £3.00 UK: OVER THE VALUE OF £46 FULLY INSURED SPECIAL DELIVERY £6.00 EUROPE: AIR MAIL VIA INTERNATIONAL SIGNED FOR £10.00 USA, JAPAN ETC. AIRMAIL VIA INTERNATIONAL SIGNED FOR £12.00

PAYMENT DETAILS. WE WILL SEND ALL WINNING BIDDERS AN INVOICE WITH THE FULL PAYMENT AND POSTAL DETAILS, AS NEAR TO THE AUCTION ENDING AS POSSIBLE. OUR AIM IS TO MAKE YOUR PURCHASE SMOOTH AND TROUBLE FREE. FOR UK BUYERS; WE ACCEPT: PAYPAL, CHEQUES, POSTAL ORDERS & BANK WIRES. FOR OVERSEAS BUYERS; WE ACCEPT: PAYPAL, INTERNATIONAL MONEY ORDERS IN POUNDS STERLING ONLY. OR BANK TO BANK WIRE TRANSFERS. WE WILL NOT MAKE FALSE STATEMENTS ON CUSTOMS DECLARATION FORMS AND WILL ALWAYS CONDUCT ALL OF OUR BUSINESS WITH TOTAL HONESTY. AS MUCH AS WE SYMPATHISE WITH THE WAY SOME COUNTRIES CHARGE SUCH HEAVY IMPORT DUTIES, WE WILL NOT LIE.