‘Aftermath’ Rolling Stones – Rare Mono LP 1st Press – Version 2 Label

	£		98
	$		130

‘Aftermath’ Rolling Stones – Rare Mono LP 1st Press – Version 2 Label

Decca Mono LP LK 4786

Matrix nos:

Side 1 – XARL-7210-1B-1-U

Side 2 – XARL-7209-1A-1-U

This LP was a milestone for the Stones being the first to feature only songs written by Jagger & Richards, but instrumentally it’s Brian’s creativity that seeps through every track. I bought this copy on its first release in 1966 and I've cherished it ever since.

Having done some research I believe that this copy has all the characteristics of a first press of Aftermath:

• Lowest possible Master lacquer numbers on both sides – 1B & 1A - Apparently the letters denote the engineer who created it (B=Ron Mason; A=Guy Fletcher, since you ask!)
• Lowest possible Metal Mother numbers for both sides – ‘1’ – and only the 2nd stamper – ‘U’ – taken from that Mother.
• Decca Label design no 4, version 2 ie ‘MICK, KEITH, CHARLIE, BRIAN & BILL’ printed in upper case bold Times New Roman font below the band name credit – not the lower case font used on most subsequent presses
• Unboxed Decca and ‘ffrr’ logos
• Red labels with silver text and logos
• BIEM and NCB label credits are boxed with ‘Mirage Music’ above and ‘MCPS’ unboxed below.
• ‘K/T’ without an ‘S’, above the LK4786 label catalogue number
• Grooved inner ring under label

This is a genuine classic, a great rarity, and much sought after, especially a 1st press in such good condition. I'm confident you won't be disappointed - hence my starting price.

I am not a dealer. This record comes from my own collection which I have been selling here on eBay for a few months. I don’t exaggerate the condition of my records.  Please take a look my feedback and you’ll see that previous buyers feel I have accurately graded my records in the past.

Cover

This LP has been housed in a clear plastic outer sleeve since purchase, therefore it is still in Excellent+ condition with no creases or scuffs. It has a laminated front with only some minor lifting of laminate adjacent to the spine, and a matt back cover. As you can see from the pictures it is clean and in outstanding condition with no writing or pen or pencil marks. It has no other significant marks and no tears. The spine is intact and legible and the corners are perfect. The inner sleeve is the poly-lined original with three boxes of technical text concerning the record, playing equipment, and stylus advice. Although this inner sleeve shows some slight age discolouration, overall it is in excellent condition.

Record

It has no visible blemishes at all that I can see.  The labels are clean and unmarked, with no writing, pen or pencil marks. There are just a few faint spindle marks on both sides.  The playing surfaces have no visible scratches and look as good as new. The reproduction quality is about as good as it got from a 1966 vinyl pressing - it's never going to be digital quality, but pretty good nevertheless. There are no audible scratches or crackles and any low level surface noise audible between tracks I’d say is par for the course with albums of this vintage. The lead in and play out grooves are clean and glitch-free.

However, it has one notable flaw. There is one skip towards the end of ‘Doncha Bother Me’. However the rest of the album plays perfectly well. So, if it were not for this glitch the record itself I would otherwise grade Excellent+. With this one glitch, I'll leave it to you to judge how you would grade it yourself. I have test played both sides from start to finish and given the inherent limitations of the technology the album still sounds as great as ever.

I believe this is an excellent copy of this very rare 1st press. Although this record was a big UK hit, 1st press examples so well-preserved will be very hard to find.

I'm happy to mail worldwide so if you want a price quote for p&p before you bid please let me know. Likewise if you have any questions I'm happy to answer. Thanks for looking.

Peter

Terms and Conditions

This record will be sent Royal mail 1st Class Signed For @ £5.00 p&p for the UK.  I mail all overseas destinations using ‘Royal Mail International Signed For’ with additional compensation protection for higher value items.

I use purpose made cruciform cardboard mailers. The record itself will be placed in a new inner paper sleeve and packed separately from the outer record sleeve and the original inner sleeve to avoid seam splits in transit. Within the cardboard mailer, the whole package will travel in a clear plastic outer sleeve packed in bubble-wrap.

If once you have received the item you are not satisfied, then if the item is significantly different from the description given here I will refund the purchase price provided that the item is returned in the condition it was sent - return p&p will not be refunded.