Sold Date: February 13, 2022
Start Date: February 6, 2022
Final Price: £130.00 (GBP)
Bid Count: 14
Seller Feedback: 1972
Buyer Feedback: 0

THE ROLLING STONES - LET IT BLEED

Increasingly rare and sought after truly excellent condition 1969 UK very early press 12" LP, ROLLING STONES gem on the UK DECCA label, STEREO, SKL 5025

Matrix Numbers : Side 1  XZAL - 9363 - P - 1W with stampers "1" and "U U" at 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock respectively, and the "JT" tax code at 12 o'clock

 Side 2  XZAL - 9364.P - 5W with stampers "2 D" and "B C" at 7 o'clock and 1 o'clock respectively, and the "JT" tax code at 10 o'clock

Both sides of the flat and nicely weighted vinyl gleam with the original jet black lacquered sheen, and appear to be in virtually unmarked condition. It is only with close inspection under a bright light that it is just possible to detect a few very wispy hairlines and the occasional very small, circular smudge...each very trivial, strictly surface only, non-feelable and not impinging upon the brilliant STEREO audio quality at all. Clearly this record has been sparingly played and well looked after and I have no hesitation in grading the appearance and quality of the vinyl as a solid EXCELLENT (EX).

The condition of each of the labels is EXCELLENT PLUS (EX+). Beautiful condition with not even the hint of the usual one or two faint spindle trails, with the iconic boxed DECCA logo and all silver text remaining in perfect definition. The only blemish (too strong a word!) is a small deeper blue circular mark adjacent to the centre hole on the side 1 label - very trivial.

The condition of the iconic Upton Printing Group front side only laminated outer sleeve is EXCELLENT PLUS (EX+)...hard to fault, in fact. All of the edges remain firm with no scuffing and the opening edges remain similarly firm with no fraying. Each corner remains a near perfect right angle with barely any rubbing, there is no laminate lifting, all colours remain rich and vibrant and crystal clear as does the art work/photos/text. The spine (with 1st press "nipped" ends) is faultless with all of the spine text in perfect order, and the all important front-side "FULL COLOUR ROLLING STONES POSTER INCLUDED" sticker is again in perfect condition. Terrific!

The increasingly rare original Rolling Stones poster is of course included - again, near perfect with no creasing, no tears, no pin holes in the corners, no blue tac residue - EXCELLENT PLUS (EX+) yet again!

The audio quality is stunning. No skips, repeats, pops, clicks, or jumps and with background crackle at an absolute minimum (most would say non-existent, I am sure) - just the hint of some extremely mild crackle during a couple of the intermissions on side 1 but this really is negligible and does not impinge upon the overall superb stereo quality one bit. Great tone and clarity throughout even at higher volume and frequency. Hard to believe that a 53 year old piece of vinyl such as this remains in such excellent condition and plays so beautifully and with such great tone and clarity...but it is and it does! EXCELLENT PLUS (EX+).

The track listing is :

Side 1:

1. GIMMIE SHELTER

2. LOVE IN VAIN

3. COUNTRY HONK

4. LIVE WITH ME

5. LET IT BLEED

Side 2 :

1. MIDNIGHT RAMBLER

2. YOU GOT THE SILVER

3. MONKEY MAN

4. YOU CAN'T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT

Comes complete with original DECCA stereo blue and white "ROLLING STONES/LET IT BLEED" inner sleeve (with the "With The London Bach Choir" text, censored on later releases), again in excellent plus condition with no seam splits, no tears, no edge fraying, and no age discolouration.

An overall solid excellent condition copy of this increasingly rare and sought after UK original press Rolling Stones classic - arguably the Stones' finest LP - complete with front side sticker and original poster, and a real "must" for any serious vinyl collection.

Note that I always insert the vinyl(s) into a new plain white poly-lined inner sleeve in order to protect the original during postage, and separate this from the sleeve itself  to prevent seam splits. I use thick cardboard stiffeners and take great care in my packaging to ensure as far as possible that these precious records reach their destination in exactly the same condition as when they leave me.

POSTAGE COSTS :  

For the UK £5 using Royal Mail 1st class signed for; 

for continental Europe £14 using Royal Mail 1st class tracked and signed for, 

and for the rest of the world £19 using Royal Mail 1st class tracked and signed for. 

NOTE : Poste Italiane is now so unreliable that henceforth I will ship to Italy via UPS for a flat fee of £16 (this includes tracking). 

I do provide posting and packaging discounts for multiple purchases. I make no profit from postage.

 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 listings for more 60's and 70's classic vinyl.

A bit about myself : I have been collecting UK vinyl for over 50 years from a variety of sources : my own collection, friends and family, car boot and garage sales, door-to-door leaflets, and even through placing an advert in my wife's costume hire shop window! I believe that 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 will sort out the problem. I offer a "no questions asked" refund policy. If you require any further information, including photos, then let me know and I'll do my best to oblige. There is NO RESERVE on this item. Richard

Descriptions of any records I sell comply with the Rare Record Price Guide grading guidelines :

Mint  The record 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, discoloration, 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 will be torn, stained and/or defaced.

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

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