Sold Date: August 16, 2016
Start Date: August 9, 2016
Final Price: £157.00 (GBP)
Bid Count: 14
Seller Feedback: 4244
Buyer Feedback: 52

"THE HAND OF FATE" (Mick Jagger / Keith Richards)

The hand of fate is on me now,
  It pick me up and knock me down,
  I'm on the run, I'm prison bound,
  The hand of fate is heavy now,
  I killed a man, I'm highway bound,
  The wheel of fortune keeps turning round ,
  Turning round, turning round,
  I should have known it was a one horse town.
 
My sweet girl was once his wife,
  He had papers the judge had signed,
  The wind blew hard, it was stormy night,
  He shot me once, but I shot him twice.
  The hand of fate is on me now,
  It pick me up and it kicked me right down,
  Kicked me right down,
  Kicked me right down.
 
I had to save her life,
  Yeah, I gunned him twice,
  Yeah, and I watched him die, watch out boy,
  Yeah, I watched him die.
 
He was a bar room man, the violent kind,
  He had no love for that girl of mine,
  Then one day in a drinking bout,
  He swore he'd throw me right of town,
  The hand of fate is on me now,
  I shot that man, I put him underground,
  I put him underground,
  Yes, I did>

I'm on the run, I hear the hounds,
  My luck is up, my chips are down,
  So goodbye baby, so long now ,
  Wish me luck, I'm going to need it child.
  The hand of fate is on me now,
  Yeah, it's too late,
  Too late baby, too late now,
  The hand of fate is on me now,
  The hand of fate is heavy now,
  It pick you up and knock you down.
ROLLING STONES: "Black And Blue" LP.  THE VERY FIRST UK PRESSING, ISSUED 23rd APRIL,1976.


ROLLING STONES RECORDS YELLOW, RED & BLACK LABELS: COC 59106
"Black & Blue" was the final Rolling Stones studio album with the original 'COC' prefix, in 1977 the live album "Love You Live"
was the last time 'COC' was used, the first Stones studio album with the prefix changed to 'CUN' was "Some Girls" in 1978.


UNIQUE TO THE FIRST PRESSING, THE LABELS HAVE MATT, ROUGHLY TEXTURED PAPER, PLUS THE CONCENTRIC
RINGS THAT DATE BACK TO THE 1971 "Sticky Fingers" LABELS FOR THE FINAL TIME.
Perfect to detect the slightest spindle contact from, there are none on either side and still with delicate shavings of microfilm
thin  vinyl in the centre holes from the pressing process.  Undocumented, but two versions exist for the labels but they are still
first pressings if they have a 'COC 59106 . A . 1 / COC 59106 . B . 1' maitrix and mastering details.  Either these black & blue
labels or the standard yellow background, personally I feel there was a split between matching the labels and LP title, by using a
section of the gatefold's inside artwork.... or standard yellow labels.  As ever, both were printed in advance of the vinyl being
pressed and applied at random, as I constantly state, the details in the molten vinyl are definitive as I will now demonstrate for
a very first pressing regardless of the colour of the labels. 
MAITRIX: COC 59106 . A . 1 / COC 59106 . B . 1
Literally the very first UK pressing ever made, as usual CBS made all the records.

ALSO HAND SCRIBED IN THE RUN-OUT GROOVES; "Rolling Stones"

1976 VERY FIRST PRESSINGS OF "Black & Blue" HAVE A MACHINE STAMPED "Sterling 2" LOGO, IT WAS MASTERED
IN NEW YORK'S LEGENDARY 'STERLING SOUND' STUDIOS.
There are two connected hand scribed additions alongside and beneath the "Sterling" logo, I have always assumed the '2' referred
to 'Studio 2' in 'Sterling Sound' because vinyl mastering is only made the once, especially globally respected sound engineers
like Lee Hulko.

On the right hand side of "Sterling" is 'LH', the logo of Lee Hulko, the current top sound engineer in Sterling Sound studios, this
week I was praising the sound he achieved on the UK first pressings of Sandy Denny's "The North Star Grassman & The Ravens."
  They also have the same "Sterling" & 'LH', details like this are priceless because they are made on records at the very point the
  molten vinyl is being pressed by the stampers or metal stamping plates per side of the record.  Providing first pressings are not
  heavily played or damaged during even the initial first plays, logo's like the above guarantee absolutely stunning sound, exactly
  how the artists, record producers and record companies heard and approved of after hearing a Test Pressing before production
  began.  For example, in the same 1970's decade, Britain had George Peckham's equal expertise, his logo's were his childhood
  nicknames, "Porky" & "Pecko",  George's great sense of humour made it fun by adding personal messages to the artists. Few even
  looked at the run-out grooves back then, so it was entirely for those involved with the recording and pressing the records, today
  those scribed or stamped logo's and indexing methods become the definitive identification of genuine first pressings, counterfeit
  records and decades later re-issues simply cannot and do not have items like this. The reason I spend hours trying to take clear
  and focused pictures, they are often hard enough to see by eye, let alone for a digital camera to distinguish.  Mint records do
  not have a network of scratches and scuffs obscuring the information in the run-out grooves, most people into vinyl are aware
  of this essential info, but I also write descriptions for the inexperienced to help them avoid being sold non originals.
 
 FIRST ISSUE, THICK CARD "Master Tape Spool Box" INNER SLEEVE, TOP QUALITY AND A DISTINCTIVE SHAPE,
  PLEASE SEE MY PICTURES OF BOTH SIDES FOR THE SHAPE.
  This is in unused condition, a truly wonderful, essential inner sleeve providing you with the details from the recording session,
  you can read handwritten details about who played which instrument and sang vocals on individual tracks. Side 1 & 2 are on
either side,  I wish all albums gave such comprehensive details, a vital companion to the album and ideal to have on your lap
while listening to the album.

  There is no wear/fading to the navy blue borders, the printing is in pristine condition and unlike most most originals, the top
opening is sharp and crisp from non use, and positively no splits to the side and bottom centres from the record.  Just a very
   gentle record impression, once the inners split the record's edges come into direct contact with the cover, great to find this
this without the commonly found damage to three central positions.
THE INNER SLEEVE IS IN MINT CONDITION.


THE STRICTLY VERY FIRST ISSUE ONLY GATEFOLD COVER WITH DISTINGUISHING FEATURES, FIRSTLY THEY WERE
MADE FROM FROM  EXTRA HEAVYWEIGHT CARDBOARD AND MOST TELLING OF ALL, A WIDE SQUARE SHAPED SPINE.
  THE INSIDE OF THE BACK STORAGE COMPARTMENT IS A SHINY WHITE AND NOT NATURAL COLOUR OR TEXTURED,
UNTREATED CARDBOARD.  THE PRINTER WAS UNCREDITED CREDIT WITH "Made In England" ON THE INSIDE OF THE
GATEFOLD, LOCATED ON THE RIGHT HAND PANEL.
That "Made In England" will be familiar to many for 1970's UK covers, for example Black Sabbath's 1973 "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath"
  gatefold cover had that on the very first pressings, then the printer owned up and 'Howards Printers, Slough Ltd.' was printed on
the back. Like the Sandy Denny LP I just mentioned ,"The North Star Grassman & The Ravens," also had a similar gatefold cover
and  they all had one thing in common with "Black And Blue" first issue covers.  There are many other examples but the pair just
named are enough, they all came  in deluxe, extra thick and heavy cardboard types, I can best describe the top surface as being
more like an American gatefold cover, so was the heavy duty construction.  Without the immediately following later "Black & Blue"
covers placed side by side, the best way to tell them apart is by the really wide and square spines.  Instantly suffering from
fading ink as early as late 1976!   I recently wrote exactly the same about the 'Howards' "North Star"cover and it's not the usual
ebay seller speculation, you can actually feel the rough surface with your fingers, let alone see the porous top surface finish.
This perfectly stored, unused cover does not have even they lightest possible fading, I was pleasantly surprised because even an
unused first edition cover normally has some degree of fading if not rubbing on the back record storage compartment.  Does any
70's cover matt gatefold cover exist without anything connected to being assembled and glued together?  Another surprise was not
finding any of the glue droplets that was applied by hand, usually liberally dropped onto glued areas.  I criticise covers but I
also praise them, this happens to be one the finest very first edition "Black And Blue" covers I have been privileged to offer.
The record impression is too light to mention and just a few related edge lines that form naturally, only the spine endings have
the merest rubbing and although a matt finish, there was an extremely thin sheen on the top surface, non use of the LP is the
reason that sheen is still acting as the only barrier between the usual extreme wear these very first made covers suffered from.
  The artwork colours are still superbly toned and this does not have common problem of severe colour fading, often you see the
spine with full colour loss.   For a 1970's 'Howards Printers, Slough Ltd' gatefold cover, which this is without any question,
credited or not, this is in remarkable condition but I will grade it accordingly,even if I cannot help finding it absurd for such
perfect storage and a Mint/Unplayed record inside, unremoved since April, 1976.
A SUPERB VERY FIRST ISSUE "Black & Blue" COVER, AND I MUST INSIST SUCH A PERFECTLY STORED, UNUSED
BEAUTIFUL COVER LIKE THIS HAS TO BE GRADED NEAR MINT CONDITION.

THE RECORD IS AS IMMACULATE AS THE LABELS, PLEASE SEE MY PICTURES FOR THE DELICATE VINYL SHAVINGS
FROM THE PRESSING PROCESS, ARE STILL IN THE THE CENTRE HOLE.  I WILL NOT RISK DISTURBING THAT
'JUST PRESSED' APPEARANCE, I ALWAYS CHECK FOR PRESSING PLANT AND RECORD SHOP HANDLING EVEN  FOR
SUCH EASILY MARKED TEXTURED LABELS.   JUST ONE FEATHER LIGHT, NEAR INVISIBLE TRACE AND OFTEN THEY
ARE THE IMPRINT FROM ULTRA FINE LINES ON THE METAL STAMPING DISCS.
THE RECORD IS IN UNPLAYED MINT CONDITION.
SIDE 1
"Hot Stuff"
"Hand Of Fate"
"Cherry Oh Baby" (Eric Donaldson)
"Memory Motel"
 

SIDE 2
"Hey Negrita"
"Melody"
  "Fool To Cry"
"Crazy Mama"

 

  Mick Jagger - lead and backing vocals, electric and acoustic pianos, rhythm guitar & percussion
Keith Richards - guitars, backing vocals, bass guitar, electric piano & bass.
  Ron Wood – guitars & backing vocals
Bill Wyman -  bass guitar & percussion
  Charlie Watts - drums & percussion
 

  Billy Preston - piano, organ, keyboards, string synthesiser, backing & harmony vocals
  Nicky Hopkins - piano & organ
Harvey Mandel - electric guitar
Wayne Perkins - acoustic and electric guitars
James Keely - horns & mandolin
  Ian Stewart - percussion
Ollie Brown - percussion


All Songs Written By Mick Jagger & Keith Richards, Except "Cherry Oh Baby" (Eric Donaldson)
Recorded December,1974 - February,1976.
Produced By The Glimmer Twins (Mick & Keith)
The catalogue number digits after the prefix of '59,' ending with '106' tells it's own story about the Rolling Stones own label,
"Rolling Stones Records" had been formed for five years by the release of "Black And Blue," in the spring of 1976.  The first
album issued was in May,1971, "Sticky Fingers"  started it it all with the catalogue number ending '100.'  Now a major personnel
  change occured for only the second time since the band first signed with Decca, Mick Taylor had joined the Stones for their 1969
"Let It Bleed" LP, after the release of the 1974 "It's Only Rock & Roll" LP, Mick Taylor left in December,1974.  Ron Wood was
the natural replacement him, he was at the "It's Only Rock & Roll" recording sessions, then initially for touring and in June 1975
he joined them  for a tour of America and by the end of the tour, Ron Wood was installed on a permanent basis, where he still is
today.  Apart from a 'Greatest Hits' compilation,"Made In The Shade" and a few solo albums, there was not a new Rolling Stones
album released between 1974 and 1976.  Not many bands could get away with that two year period of time without losing fan's
interest, music never stands still and a great deal of changes were happening, Punk was just taking off and a new generation was
buying records.  The Stones adapted to the introduction of Ron, who in his time with Jeff Beck, the Faces and every Rod Stewart
solo album until Rod 'crossed the Atlantic,' had played just about every musical style possible.  Where Mick Taylor was rooted in
blues only, Ron Wood could play anything you named and that gave the band the flexibility required to survive the second half of
the 1970's musical upheaval.  I might be a Jeff Beck Group and Faces fanatic but I dearly love the Stones and in Ron, Keith had a
soulmate and their guitars formed a mighty alliance, so flexible, the band could rock as hard as ever but if a funkier sound was
  required, they could hold their own with anyone, reggae was easily slipped into the repertoire, yet "Black & Blue" is still vastly
  underrated. Did they go too far into that funkier groove directly after "Black & Blue"?  I should keep my opinion to myself but I
  earn the right to criticise them after buying every album right from their 1964 debut, I felt their "Black & Blue" material had a
   perfect balance and was still following the direction established on "Sticky Fingers", "Exile On Main Str.", " Goat's Head Soup"
  and the previous "It's Only Rock & Roll."  The production had the usual 'Glimmer Twins' logo and also playing on the album the
  other musicians included Billy Preston and Nicky Hopkins, who were almost band members by 1976 .  The recording sessions
  took place as early as 1974 in non British studios, 'Musicland' in Munich, 'Mobile' in Rotterdam and 'Casino' in Montreal, so the
album was recorded around the solo projects and tours and was completed in 1975, little wonder the connections to albums like
  "Exile" were still so strong.  Changes had been happening to most bands who were adapting to the new decade, unlike their 60's
  recordings, a more casual approach was taken to putting an album together, there was no longer Decca nagging and demanding
  schedules were met. Allowing of course for the loss of Mick Taylor, the first tracks recorded dated to the December,1974 period
  when Taylor left to join the Jack Bruce Band.  I often wonder if anyone is really interested in the background to an album, if not,
  I enjoy piecing it together anyway and all those years of reading three weekly music papers when all this was happening means
  I do not need references books.   The hardest part is when it dawns on me  that although these seem to be such recent events when
  compared to the 1960's Stones era,"Black & Blue" is an astonishing 40 years of age!  That figure alone does make this stunning all
  round condition first pressing, an exciting prospect to offer on ebay.

Both labels are in pristine, as new condition, without any traces of spindle use at all, an uplayed record and all the pressing
  details have been detailed in my main headings, including the first edition only UK gatefold cover. The record itself also has no
  traces of being on a turntable and positively never placed on a spindle, any near invisible/ invisible handling traces were made
  in the CBS pressing plant in 1976.   All later pressings have a 'CUN' prefix to the catalogue number, mostly all German and Dutch
  imports, as was the 1970's custom after the first UK pressing.  With the rarity of true Mint genuine UK very first pressings, I
  will keep the unplayed status I bought this in.
{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.
"There Are No Problems, Only Solutions" (John Lennon)
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FROM 'V.G.' ( VERY GOOD), TO THE ULTIMATE 'MINT' CONDITION.


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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
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our UK First Class, Recorded Delivery cost for albums up to the value of £46.  A temporary reduction this week means we can
now post LP's for £5, but who knows how long before the Post Office return to £7?

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 13 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  £5.00
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
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USA, JAPAN ETC. AIRMAIL VIA INTERNATIONAL SIGNED FOR £12.00


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