ROLLING STONES 2A/3A Unboxed RED DECCA 'MONA' Credit *Stunning* AUDIO EX+/NMINT
£
88
$
117
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Description
The Rolling Stones
This highly collectable mono pressing has the rare 'Mona' credit on both the label and the cover. This is a genuine rarity as so often the 'Mona' credit is on the label but has the correct credit of 'I Need You Baby' on the cover or vice versa. Mega early single stampers (H1) also add to its rarity and not only that but the audio, accept for one minor exception, is of a very high standard.
Any audiophile will know just how rare and collectable this 2A/3A unboxed Red Decca album is and I cannot emphasise enough just how well it plays. A full audio grading is given below.
The 'Mona' cover is in very good condition with and 'cleaner' than so many you see today. There are many other errors on it that were soon rectified with the next 'pressings'. The 'Hurran and Calvert' credit for 'Honest I Do' is wrong and the spelling of 'Bozier' on 'Can I Get A Witness' should be 'Dozier'. 'You Can Make It If You Try' has IF missed off! Plus 'Gene' and 'Phil' are printed the wrong way round on 'Now I've Got A Witness'. Just a few errors!
This is the first label that was ever issued for this LP. It has 'Mona' of course, 'Recording First Published 1964' and the incorrect credit for 'Honest I Do' plus the 'Cromwell Music' publishing credit for the same track. Top text reads as 'Made In England etc..' and the KT tax stamp is on both run out grooves.
LK 4605 // XARL - 6271 - 2A / XARL - 6272 - 3A // H 1 / H 1
The audio on S1 is Near Mint (track 6 Ex+)
The audio on S2 is Ex+ (Near Mint in many sections / track 1 intro VG for 2/3 seconds)
The cover is a strong VG+
The labels are Ex+
The inner sleeve is Ex-
Visual grading
The vinyl is in lovely condition for its advanced years and retains a strong glossy sheen. There are only a small number of hairlines on each side of which 4/5 are a little more obvious but there are no scratches or marks. It is certainly the cleanest 'Mona' vinyl I have ever seen. You can see that it has been played a number of times by the amount of spindle wear but this just further exemplifies just how carefully it has been handled and preserved down the years. So many 60s records are heavily marked but this is not one of those and you cannot fail but be impressed by its visual 'look'. It is a great example of this rare album.
Play grading
For an album of this age you would expect a fair amount of static/crackle on the run in grooves but there really is very little here so you have high hopes for the audio and it does not disappoint! 'Route 66' plays with great clarity from the first note to the last and with only a couple of light 'ticks' this is sound quality of a very high standard. There are no clicks or pops and remarkably no static or crackle either. A superb start to the side.
With hardly any static in the dead wax 'I Just Wanna Make Love To You' then plays to a very similar standard. There is just a minimal touch of distortion but maybe I should not even be saying that?! You expect it when playing a mono record through a stereo system. It plays loud and 'raw' and again there is no interference whatsoever, not even a dust tick on the fade out. Wow! Thus far the audio on this side is absolutely stunning!
The first relatively quiet track 'Honest I Do' is very impressive and again plays with wonderful clarity and depth. If I'm being super critical there is just the faintest of light static in the background but it really is so quiet and obviously does not interfere with the playback. I sit incredibly close to my speakers and this may well be the only reason why I am hearing it! A stunning version without doubt and again not a single click or pop.
The quiet intro on 'Mona / I Need You Baby' is as close to perfect as could be with only a couple of light dust ticks. When the vocal comes in the clarity of the recording is sensational! As it continues there is no decrease in quality and in all honesty I am stunned by the quality of the audio on this rare album. Once again there is no 'background' and it plays as Near Mint from beginning to end if not better! Because the quality is so good you lose none of the sonic quality so the definition of the audio is just so impressive. Each note can be heard perfectly and once more the fade out play with 'crystal clear' precision.
'Now I've Got A Witness' is Mint- we can dispense with the Near Mint gradings! The audio could not be any clearer and there is no distortion, no interference at all, just a couple of mega quiet dust ticks on the fade out.
'Little By Little' ends this stunning side with excellent audio but with a little distortion on the top end. I only mention this to be complete in my grading because, let's be honest, most would not. You expect it on any final track and especially one from the early 60s and to repeat mono through stereo. It still plays with wonderful power and clarity and yep...no clicks, pops, static or crackle. Plus another perfect fade out it is worth noting.
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The intro on 'I'm A King Bee' has a faint hiss sound for one brief second and a barely noticeable skip and then plays with great depth and clarity for the remainder. A shame about the skip but it is so fleeting and is easy to miss as there are so many 'beats' here anyway. There is no distortion and it has a wonderful rich deep bass sound again.
'Carol' plays loud and true from start to finish and only minimal distortion on the top end. I often mention fade outs (as well as intros) as they do give a good indication of the overall clarity and the long fade out here has no 'background' at all. This is a superb version and again there is no interference.
The classic 'Tell Me' has an intro that is immaculate and each note plays with incredible precision. Stunning. From then on the audio does not disappoint. Of course there are many quiet sections and yet they all play with such sharp definition and no interference. Another breathtaking track from start to finish. This is the longer 'correct' version by the way.
'Can I Get A Witness' and 'You Can Make It If You Try' both play with impeccable audio and no 'background'. You could say there is a little distortion but this will be due to the same aforementioned reasons. To give you further evidence of the clarity - the intro on the latter track where there is Jagger's voice only has no interference whatsoever, it is stunning.
'Walking The Dog' ends the album with excellent audio. A little more distortion perhaps but an impressive final track nonetheless with no interference at all.
In summary this is without doubt the most impressive 'Mona' pressing I have ever seen and heard. The clarity and depth is 'high end' and the total lack of interference, aside from the S2 intro, is just astounding. This is such a rare pressing and is hardly ever seen in this condition today and the fact that it has a very clean cover also can only make it more collectable.
The Cover
The laminated 'Mona' cover printed by 'MacNeill Press' whilst not perfect is in very good order with no major shelf wear at all and there are many aspects of it in excellent condition. The top edge is 'as new' and the bottom edge only has a small number of faint crease marks on it but is otherwise in great shape. The thin pinched spine remains 100% legible and again has a few small crease marks there. Three of the corners have only very minor wear, the bottom right one just has a little more. The opening edge does have some wear and this can mainly be seen on the front cover where there is a small amount of fraying. The front cover itself is very clean with no marking just a few small laminate creases and some creases around the edges also. The back cover is very clean and has no bad marking/staining like so many. Yes there is some minor marking/fading but I honestly believe this is one of the 'cleanest' examples of this cover that you find today.
Inner sleeve
The original poly-lined inner sleeve is in excellent condition for a 55 year old piece of paper! It has no splits or tears, just some creasing as you expect and there is no marking either. It has the British patent number and Foreign Patents pending printed on the text side.
The labels
The grooved labels are in excellent shape with no marking or writing but there is a fair amount of spindle wear. The KT tax code is stamped on both run out grooves.
Play tested on my Pro-Ject Essential III Turntable // B & W 684 Speakers
This record has been professionally cleaned on a Pro-Ject VC-S machine
LK 4605 // XARL - 6271 - 2A / XARL - 6272 - 3A // H 1 / H 1
I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.
Any questions please feel free to ask
Please pay within 4 days of auction end
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