Vinyl Nostalgia 
Below you’ll find an overview of the records I have. There are quite a few, and more are added each month. I divide them into (1) the Canonical Collection, which includes valuable items from the mainstream market, i.e., the UK; (2) the World Records Collection (especially Sgt. Pepper’s); and (3) the Iron Curtain Collection.
Canonical Collection
| My collection — original UK Beatles pressings (Parlophone / Apple) | ||
| 1963 |
Please Please Me PMC 1202 (mono) 4th or 5th pressing |
Matrices: XEX 421-1N / XEX 422-1N. Yellow and black Parlophone label with RECORDING FIRST PUBLISHED 1963 — no SOLD IN U.K. text. Pressing from the turn of 1963/64; catalogued as the fourth by most sources, fifth according to the Yoko Ono guide. The entire album was recorded in a single 13-hour session on 11 February 1963 at Abbey Road — one of the fastest album sessions in recording history. Issued in mono only; no stereo equivalent was ever released. |
| 1963 |
With The Beatles PMC 1206 (mono) 1st pressing |
Yellow and black Parlophone label with RECORDING FIRST PUBLISHED 1963. Two characteristic first-pressing errors: (1) YOU REALLY GOTTA HOLD ON ME instead of „You Really Got a Hold on Me” — the same misprint that appears on the sleeve; (2) incorrect publishing credit Jobete Mus. NCB instead of Jobete Music Co. Released on 22 November 1963 — the same day as the assassination of JFK. |
| 1964 |
A Hard Day’s Night PMC 1230 (mono) 1st pressing |
Rare Ernest J. Day & Co. sleeve — present only in the first run, before Garrod & Lofthouse took over printing for subsequent pressings. Yellow and black Parlophone label with SOLD IN U.K. The first Beatles album composed entirely of original Lennon–McCartney songs. Recording sessions were completed only a few weeks before the film’s cinema release. |
| 1964 |
Beatles for Sale PMC 1240 (mono) 1st pressing |
Matrices: XEX 503-3N / XEX 504-4N. Yellow and black Parlophone label with SOLD IN U.K. The relatively high stamper numbers (-3N/-4N) reflect the volume of lacquers cut to meet demand at release. Recorded under conditions of serious tour fatigue; Lennon and McCartney had to reach for covers because original material was in short supply. |
| 1965 |
Help! PMC 1255 (mono) 2nd pressing (1966) |
Matrices: XEX 549-2 / XEX 550-2. Yellow and black Parlophone label with THE GRAMOPHONE CO. LTD. and phonogram symbol (P) — a 1966 pressing. Sans-serif typeface characteristic of this label variant. The mono mix of Help!, overseen by the Beatles themselves, is widely considered to be the definitive listening version; stereo was produced as a secondary product with minimal band involvement. |
| Rubber Soul (1965) — PMC 1267 (mono) & remaster | ||
| 1965 |
Mono — „Loud Cut” 1st pressing |
Matrices: XEX 579-1 / XEX 580-1. The legendary first cut, taken directly from the master tape with significantly more volume and dynamic range than any subsequent pressing. An audiophile holy grail. Yellow and black Parlophone label with THE GRAMOPHONE CO. LTD. and (P). The entire album was recorded in four weeks — a remarkable pace given the artistic leap it represents.
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