THE ROLLING STONES - S/T

A truly excellent (at least) condition and highly presentable copy of this increasingly rare and sought after 1964 UK early press (1st pressing, 2nd issue) Rolling Stones debut classic, on the maroon/silver, "ear" and circular "deep grooved" DECCA record label, MONO, LK 4605

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1    XARL-6271-1A  with stampers "2 B" and "G K" at 8.30 and 9.30 o'clock respectively, along with the "KT" tax code at 11.30 o'clock

Side 2    XARL-6272-4A  with stampers "5 1" and "11  1.1" at 8 and 2 o'clock respectively, along with the "KT" tax code at 11 o'clock

In normal daylight the appearance of the vinyl is excellent plus (EX+). Glossy, completely flat and nicely heavy vinyl with jet black lacquering and a beautiful sheen. Upon close inspection under a bright halogen light just a few wispy hairlines (superficial and strictly surface only) come into view but these very minor aberrations do nothing to diminish the overall truly excellent plus condition of this vinyl, which has clearly been only sparingly played. So rare to come across early 1964 UK pressings of this landmark LP - brilliant!

The labels are excellent plus (EX+). Impressive labels with all text, all colouring, and the DECCA logo with silver writing upon the smooth textured maroon background all remaining in perfect condition with just a couple of small and very faint spindle trails adjacent to the centre hole on each label. Notice the "K/T" tax codes on each label, the circular groove on each label, and the "ear" logo on each label all of which are key identifiers for very early UK pressings of this classic LP.

The condition of the front-side laminated MacNeill Press flipback outer sleeve is excellent (EX). All edges remain firm with no scuffing at all, each corner remains a nicely defined right angle with barely any rubbing, the colours, art work, and photos all remain in great shape with richness and clear definition, there is no unwanted writing or doodles, no creasing, no laminate lifting, and the reverse side flipbacks remain in excellent shape. The opening edges also remain firm with no fraying. The spine itself ("nipped" at both ends - yet another very early UK press identifier) is firm with all spine text perfectly intact, but there are two very light laminate creases on the front side adjacent and perpendicular to the spine which do impinge upon the spine itself slightly, and there is a single "nick" about half way up the spine, with the nick itself being the width of the spine, which does actually penetrate the cardboard - not immediately obvious but it is there. Apart from this minor glitch there are just a couple of superficial shelf wear surface marks on the reverse side. Very impressive and hard to believe that this vinyl and sleeve are more than 55 years of age!

Finally, the quality of the audio is excellent (EX). There is great tone and clarity throughout even at higher volume and frequencies. There are no skips, jumps or repeats and upon playback I could detect no obvious clicks at all. There is just the hint of a little background crackle at the very beginning and very end of each side but this is virtually insignificant and the overall sound quality is truly excellent or better throughout, with every track making for a great listen. What a landmark LP this is.

The tracks are :

Side A :

1. ROUTE 66

2. I JUST WANT TO MAKE LOVE TO YOU

3. HONEST I DO

4. I NEED YOU BABY

5. NOW I'VE GOT A WITNESS

6. LITTLE BY LITTLE

Side B :

1. I'M A KING BEE

2. CAROL

3. TELL ME

4. CAN I GET A WITNESS

5. YOU CAN MAKE IT IF YOU TRY

6. WALKING

Comes with original poly-lined "THE EQUIPMENT"  inner sleeve with  "Made In England" and "Patent Applied for" horizontal text, with no tears or splits, no fraying and no unwanted writing - just some mild creasing in one corner and a little browning/age discolouration towards the edges, and remaining 100% functional. Note that I always post the vinyl in a new plain white inner sleeve in order to protect the original.

In summary a great copy of this increasingly hard to find and sought after 1964 very early UK press Rolling Stones classic - a worthy addition to any serious vinyl collection and only continuing to increase in value.

 If you require any further information, including photos, then let me know and I'll do my best to oblige. 

If this record interests you then take a look at my other 60's & 70's classic vinyl listings.

A bit about myself : I have been collecting vinyl for more than 50 years and have amassed a huge collection covering a varied genre, but mostly of 1960's and 70's origin. Most of my records were originally bought by myself for my own collection, but during the past 30 years I have embellished my collection by buying records from a variety of sources : friends/acquaintances, car boot sales, auctions, and even through putting up a "vinyl wanted" notice in my wife's shop! I am now retired and take great delight in being able to spend more time scouring the country and attending boot sales and auctions in the hope of unearthing more vinyl gems...I am 64 years of age now and am still discovering bands and music of the 60's and 70's that I have never come across before. Wonderful! Richard

My ebay feedback speaks for itself so rest assured that you are buying from a trusted seller and in the very unlikely event that you are unhappy with your purchase just e-mail me and I'll sort out the problem. I offer a "no quibble" refund policy. 

On the subject of postage, I take great care in the packaging of all items, using a proper vinyl thick cardboard "crucifix" style mailer along with at least two thick cardboard stiffeners. I take great care in separating the record from the outer sleeve in order to help prevent sleeve damage in transit and I always insert the vinyl, outer sleeve and inner into a clear plastic sleeve, thus adding further protection. 

For this item postage & packaging will be UK £4 signed for, Royal Mail 1st class; continental Europe £10 and Rest of the World £15, Royal Mail 1st class international Airmail, tracked and signed for.

 I DO discount post & packaging costs for multiple purchases. I do NOT profit from postage.

Good luck with your bidding!

NOTE : My vinyl descriptions comply with the official Record Collector vinyl grading guidelines :

Mint

The records itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items, such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.

Excellent

The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and /or creasing.

Very Good

The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

Good

The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discolouration, etc.

Fair

The record is still just playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents are torn, stained and/or defaced

Poor

The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents are badly damaged or partly missing.

Bad

The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection-filler