"THE BEATLES"
(A.K.A. THE WHITE ALBUM)
PARLOPHONE P-PCS 7067/68, (DOUBLE LP SET), STEREO
RELEASED 11/22/68

INCREDIBLY-RARE 1968 U.K. EXCLUSIVE EXPORT ALBUM
ON THE YELLOW & BLACK PARLOPHONE LABELS

FEATURING THE EARLIEST FIRST MATRIX STAMPERS.
A GORGEOUS COMPLETE FIRST PRESSING EXPORT STEREO SET AND THE RAREST OF ALL EXPORT ISSUES

ITEM#: PAR341
PRICE: ------

THE FIRST ALBUM ISSUED BY THE BEATLES ON THEIR APPLE LABEL WAS SIMPLY TITLED "THE BEATLES", ALTHOUGH IT IS MORE COMMONLY REFERRED TO AS "THE WHITE ALBUM" IN RECOGNITION OF ITS CLASSY WHITE COVER. THE RECORD WAS ISSUED BY PARLOPHONE ON NOVEMBER 22, 1968, EXACTLY FIVE YEARS AFTER THE RELEASE OF THE GROUP'S SECOND ALBUM "WITH THE BEATLES". THE TWO-RECORD SET CONTAINS 30 SONGS (PLUS AN UNACCREDITED LINK TRACK) AND HAS A RUNNING TIME OF OVER 93 MINUTES. FOR MANY FANS, IT IS THE ALBUM'S SCOPE AND VARIETY THAT MAKES THE SET THEIR FAVORITE BEATLES ALBUM.

EMI ALSO EXPORTED ITS RECORDS TO COUNTRIES AND TERRITORIES THAT HAD LIMITED MANUFACTURING CAPACITY. IN ADDITION, THE COMPANY SENT DISCS TO BRITISH AND AMERICAN MILITARY BASES THROUGHOUT THE WORLD AND A FEW OTHER OUTLETS. DURING 1965 AND 1966, EMI MANUFACTURED ALBUMS FOR SALE AT U.S. BASES. THESE ALBUMS WERE SOLD AT THE PX, A MILITARY POST STORE WHERE GOODS ARE SOLD TO SERVICEMAN AT REDUCED PRICES. THE COVERS TO THESE ALBUMS WERE MANUFACTURED BY GARROD AND LOFTHOUSE LTD. AND ARE ESSENTIALLY THE SAME LAYOUT WITH THE STANDARD LAMINATED COVERS.

THINGS CHANGED A BIT IN AUGUST 1968 WHEN EMI BEGAN PRESSING ITS NEW BEATLES RECORDS WITH APPLE LABELS. BECAUSE BEATLES ALBUMS WERE BEING SENT TO COUNTRIES WHERE THE APPLE TRADEMARK HAD NOT BEEN ESTABLISHED, THE DECISION WAS MADE TO PRESS APPLE ALBUMS INTENDED FOR EXPORT WITH PARLOPHONE LABELS. THESE EXPORT ALBUMS HAVE THE SAME CATALOG NUMBER AS THE DOMESTIC LP'S, BUT WITH A "P" ADDED TO THE FRONT OF THE CATALOG NUMBER PREFIX.

WHILE THE 1968 ALBUM "THE BEATLES" WAS PRESSED BY EMI WITH APPLE LABELS, THE EXPORT EDITION OF THE DOUBLE-LP HAS THE BLACK AND YELLOW PARLOPHONE LABELS. THE PCS 7067 AND PCS 7068 CATALOG NUMBERS WERE CHANGED TO P-PCS 7067 AND P-PCS 7068. THESE EXPORT ALBUMS WERE PACKAGED IN THE SAME STEREO COVERS MANUFACTURED FOR THE DOMESTIC RELEASE AND CAME WITH THE POSTER AND FOUR PORTRAIT PHOTOS.

FAB 4 COLLECTIBLES PROUDLY OFFERS THE INCREDIBLY-RARE 1968 PARLOPHONE complete FIRST STEREO EXCLUSIVE EXPORT Pressing of "the Beatles" (White Album). THE RECORDS HAVE the FIRST Matrix STAMPERS, and THE "TOP LOADER" OPENING LAMINATED Cover. FEATURING THE ORIGINAL STAMPED NUMBERED FORMAT laminated, flipbacK 'Garrod & Lofthouse LTD.' MANUFACTURED cover, WITH "THE BEATLES' RAISED EMBOSSED LETTERS. THIS SET IS TOTALLY COMPLETE WITH ALL THE ORIGINAL INSERTS INCLUDING THE LARGE 33¾" X 22½" LYRICS / PHOTO COLLAGE POSTER, THE FOUR 8" X 13½" JOHN KELLY HIGH QUALITY GLOSSY PORTRAIT COLOR PHOTOGRAPHS OF EACH BEATLE, THE CREAM COLORED "PHOTO SEPARATOR SHEET" (FOUND ONLY IN EARLY COPIES OF THE ALBUM), AND THE TWO ORIGINAL DIE-CUT BLACK INNER DUST SLEEVES.

THIS IS AN ORIGINAL NUMBERED COPY (No. 0518590), AND IS A RELATIVELY EARLY NUMBERED BATCH, FOR THIS IS ACTUALLY STEREO #0518 AS U.K. STEREO MARKED COVERS ONLY BEGAN AT #0350000. THIS VERY FIRST STEREO ISSUE, IS DICTATED BY AND FEATURes THE COVER THAT LOADS THE RECORDS FROM THE TOP. THIS FULLY LAMINATED RECORD COVER ON THIS EXAMPLE GRADES A BEAUTIFUL NEAR MINT MINUS.  CONSTRUCTED FROM HEAVY CARD STOCK WITH A super CLEAN, HIGH-GLOSSY LAMINATE, without any signs of ring wear or splits. Some occasional very light minimal insignificant laminate creases. The interior gatefold is in great condition without any signs of wear. Some very light barely noticeable corner wear, which is probably not even worth mentioning. THE SMALL ’STEREO’ INDICATOR IS PRESENT IN THE UPPER RIGHT CORNER OF THE BACK PANEL. BOTH PANELS INSIDE ARE IMMACULATE. THE SPINE IS CLEAN AND SOLID AND TAKE NOTE THAT THE EXPORT EDITION OF "THE BEATLES" DOES NOT HAVE THE SPINE PRINT. ALL SEAMS ARE SMOOTH AND UNSTRESSED.

THE TWO RECORDS HAVE BEEN CAREFULLY PLAYED. SIDES 1, 2 AND 3 GRADE A STRONG AND SHIMMERING VG++, AND SIDE 4 IS A BRILLIANT NEAR MINT MINUS. ALL FOUR SIDES DISPLAY UNWORN HIGH-GLOSS SURFACES WITH JUST A FEW LIGHT ABRASIONS FROM THE BLACK INNERS. ALL FOUR PARLOPHONE LABELS REMAIN VIBRANT, BOLD AND GRADE NEAR MINT TO NEAR MINT MINUS.

THE DISCS INCLUDE THE VERY FIRST EXPORT MATRIX NUMBERS. DISC ONE ARE: "YEX 709-1 / 710-2",  AND STAMPERS ARE: "GGD-2 / GDR-1"  THE MATRIX NUMBERS ON DISC TWO ARE: "YEX 711-1 / "YEX 712-1". THE STAMPERS ARE: "GPT" -3 / "GOG""-3.

THE FOUR Photos ARE A STUNNING NEAR MINT, AND THE ACCOMPANYING RARE CREAM COLORED "PHOTO SEPARATOR SHEET" IS NEAR MINT. THE Poster IS NEAR MINT. THE ORIGINAL BLACK DIE-CUT Inner DUST sleeves ARE A GREAT VG++ (ONE HAS A SMALL SEAM SPLIT AT THE BOTTOM, AND SOME TINY SLIT TEARS AT THE EDGE WHERE THE RECORDS ARE INSERTED).

THESE EXPORT ALBUMS WERE PRESSED IN SIGNIFICANTLY FEWER NUMBERS THAN THEIR DOMESTIC COUNTERPARTS, IN PARTICULAR "THE BEATLES" (WHITE ALBUM). THEIR RELATIVE SCARCITY MAKES THEM HIGHLY COLLECTIBLE AND EXTREMELY VALUABLE. TAKE NOTE THAT ONE OF THESE RARE SETS IN NEAR MINT CONDITION SOLD ON EBAY IN 2015 FOR $12,834.