The Beatles "Abbey Road" Japanese LP Pressing - AP-8815 / YEX 749 & 750

hi all,

The Beatles "Abbey Road" Japanese LP Pressing - AP-8815 / YEX 749 & 750.

just picked up a mint copy of this LP with the above mentioned dead wax info. my question is, did i score one of the better Japanese pressings?

if there is anything else that is needed, please let me know and i can attach photos, more deadwax info, etc.

spinning it right now, and it sounds very nice - then again, nothing much else to compare it to.

(very quiet vinyl, too! )

thanx all!

 

BUMP

 

Is this RED vinyl?

I am not a Beatles expert or a Japanese Beatles expert but from what I understand, your cat. no. is that of a red vinyl release (original Japanese pressing). This goes for good money.

 

The YEX 749 and YEX 750 identify the EMI master tape codes, not the pressing information. There should be ore information in the dead wax which identifies the specific pressing that you have. Yes, the AP-8815 is the original serial number for the Japanese Abbey Road LP. The LP was available with that serial number in both red and black vinyl. The red vinyl, of course, was the standard EMI Japan limited first edition.

 

hi PMC7027,

here's all of the deadwax info on my copy that i can find:

side 1:

YEX-749 1S3 (with a small 1, 23 and some kind of circle with a squiggly line in it)

these are on about the top left hand of the Apple label, if you are looking at it stem up

5-7W

this is on about the right hand side of the Apple label, if you are looking at it stem up

side 2:

YEX-750 2S (with a small 23 and some kind of circle with a squiggly line in it)

these are on about the top right hand side of the Apple label, if you are looking at it stem up

can any of the Beatles experts confirm what pressing i have, and how it fares in sounding against all others?

thanx very much!

 

BUMP

oh, and it's black vinyl.

 

BUMP - can anyone help shed some light on my version? thanx Beatles experts!

 

Pics

here's some pics of the front and back cover, labels and also accompanying lyric sheet.

 

and here's the rest of the pics:

 

It's hard to go wrong with any (pre digital) Japanese pressing of Abbey Road. The different Japanese issues have their own proponants as to which is best depending on individual taste (or should I say "ears"). The AP series (which is well regarded for its sound quality) dates to the early and mid 1970s. Since you are in Japan, and if Abbey Road is a particular favourite, keep an eye out for the EALF 97001 edition (Pro Use). This version is generally regarded as the best sounding pressing of Abbey Road, ever. I have a copy and it's my favourite.

BTW, I understand that the price of Japanese vinyl is just as expensive in Japan as it is on eBay or in a retail store in the West. Is that correct?

 

hi Jack White,

thanx very much for the reply!

yeah, this LP version i have is very nice, indeed! i'm hearing textures and sounds i've never heard before, being only familiar with an old, worn US original and of course the widely available CD.

just trying to figure out exactly which version i have here.

i will keep an eye open for that Pro Use edition!

in regards to your question about vinyl being expensive in Japan, it really isn't that much different than in the US - depends on where you go. if that person is really into vinyl, collecting, etc., then things tend to be more expensive. but, if you go to a smaller shop where they are just selling vinyl in addition to their main selection of used CD's, you can find really awesome deals.

what i have noticed here is that most of the vinyl is in very, very good shape! either the stores clean the vinyl, or the original owners kept them in very good condition! for example, the "Abbey Road" LP i scored from a used CD shop, that also has a decent selection of used vinyl, cost me about $6.00 US!

hope this helps, and please if anyone else knows more about my particular pressing and/or other best pressings, please do post!

thanx again, Jack White!

 

Here is the link for the info on the RED VINYL counterpart to what you purchased. Yours may be a later pressing or reissue of the red vinyl version. You can sometimes extrapolate on the approximate date by looking at the original list price.

http://yokono.co.uk/collection/beatles/japanese/lp/emi_lp_op_ap2.html##16

 

hi sungshinla,

thanx for the link!

looks like i probably have a first pressing, albeit not the red vinyl version.

either way, this one sounds great! i will still search for a Pro-Use version, but i'm not sure how much it can beat this one in terms of sound.

thanx again, and please post your thoughts and comments re: the pressing i have.

 

I think saying that this is GENERALLY regarded as the best sounding pressing EVER is a bit of an overstatement. There are certainly some who may agree, but I would guess that it might not even be the majority opinion. I personally prefer the 1st UK pressing to the Pro-use pressing.

 

Hey, I have this copy, Toshiba/EMI Pro-Use... Yeah it does sound pretty damn good. How much do you guys reckon its worth?

 

I don't have either, but from what I've gathered here, the majority prefer the UK 1st press.

 

Here is one just like yours (except the condition was described as Very Good/Very Good, from a Japanese seller that I trust). The bidding ended at $18.50. BTW, this seller's VG/VG is sometimes better than a NM/NM by many other sellers.

 

What kind of condition is it in? Does it have the OBI strip?

 

Its been inside a plastic sleeve, cover is in good condition, corners may be a bit bent.

Yup, has the strip...

 

You need to be more specific about condition...in a plastic sleeve means what exactly??? That it's never been played? That the cover has been kept in plastic?

FYI, "Good" condition is actually NOT good condition in vinyl-speak.

FWIW, I would guess that a VG+ (vinyl & cover) Pro-use series w/ OBI might go for $75-$100 -- largely because of the OBI. IMHO, it seems that this LP was generally bought by people who keep care of their LPs and most used copies are still in NM condition, so VG+ would not be a particualrly desirable copy. NM w/ OBI might be closer to $150-$200+.

You'll need to look at the Goldmine grading system to find out where your LP might fall on the grading scale.

 

hi all,

thanx for the replies to this thread!

i'm pretty sure what i have is an original, 1st Japanese LP pressing (non-red vinyl). it sounds fantastic, and keeps getting better as i've given it more spins!

the place i bought it from listed it as VG+ - almost all of the used vinyl i've bought here in Japan so far has been kept in meticulously good shape! i have been very pleased, most of the LP's i've gotten have been in what i would consider MINT, or NM.

if you are buying LP's here in Japan, or from a Japanese seller, you might want to consider that sometimes the grading system, and the way the LP's have been kept, is not always quite the same as in the East / US.

hope this helps.

now, for the Beatlemaniac who has both - which do you prefer, the original Japanese LP pressing, or original UK - differences, opinions, etc. welcomed!



thanx all!

 

I have this same press and it's a good one. It's not particularly valuable--I guess in NM with Obi it would generally run around Y2,500 or Y3,000 at a record shop (US$20-$25).

It's a good sounding edition, WAY preferable to later EAS editions, except of course the Pro-Use, which is clearer, a bit drier, and has a flatter high end.

Except for the 80s red vinyl monos, I don't know that Japan red vinyl editions are anything special for the audiophile. They are collectible, and on a Pink Floyd site someone asserted that the red vinyl editions were limited to the first 500 presses of any particular title. A Japanese record store guy I talked to last year said he thought that was hogwash--lots more than 500 were pressed in red vinyl. Those editions do command a collector's premium, though.

With what you paid for your AP Abbey Road, you can't go wrong. A Pro-Use will run you around Y20,000 in Tokyo in visual near-mint. I bought a still sealed Pro-Use last year from Germany or the US--can't remember now. I think I paid $180 or so. I considered it a deal at the time -- I've seen ss go as high as $300.

Dale

PS: I'm listening to my AP right now. It does sound VERY nice. I listen to most all my records with tone defeat--I do think there is a bit more high end on the AP than on the Pro-Use.

 

hi Dale,

thanx very much for the reply!

glad to know i've got a very, very good sounding version of "Abbey Road" for not too shabby of a price!

i would like to hear a Pro-Use, though - i will search around and see if i can come up with one. but, as The Beatles are perhaps the most famous group all over the world, i do not expect to find it for any less than close to what you paid for yours.

right now, i am content having the LP i have, and do agree that the highs may be just a little bit "up there", but they sound very nice on my modest set-up, and i must say that i am hearing this album all over again - as if i've never really "heard" it the first time!

thanx again, and if others would like to share their comments, please do so!

thanx!

 

I've never heard an original Jpn pressing, sorry.

 

hi marcb,

thanx for the reply!

anyone else heard both and can comment?



thanx!