ROLLING STONES Big Hits UK Rare Unboxed Mono N/M LP

	£		147
	$		195

Hi, I am Mike, I am 46 and have been a music collector and enthusiast for over 33 years now. We all wish we could turn back the clock and buy those wonderful brand new records from the 60s and 70s, but alas, this is not possible; so I always try to offer the finest and most accurately described and graded records I can find. No vinyl/music lover really would choose to buy second-hand, but this is only way now to own these valuable, prized and ellusive items now. I pride myself on offering a variety of genres to keep my site as interesting as possible. I will rarely offer any record that falls below a true Excellent grading, unless its of a certain rarity which will justify offering a lesser grade. I try, to the best of my ability to describe as accurately and as honesty as I can all items I offer for sale with all the relevant information I can think of to help any potential bidder and collector. You may notice I only submit records sparingly on Ebay - on average ONEADAY, hence the name - time rarely allows for more as I Play-Grade virtually every record I offer in their entirity, not just bits to guess a grade (on a Rega 3 deck with Ortofon cartridge) - visuals alone do not always tell a true or full story - I will mention any defects or flaws no matter how small that I notice to be fair as possible to any interested reader – I am very fussy and my buyers have the right to be too. Every record I offer, whether it be a common or rare item deserves the same respect as far as I am concerned and will be treated the same - just because an item is rare does not always mean its good. I get just as much pleasure offering a relatively common record in stunning near mint condition as the real rare items. All the pictures I use for your guidance are taken with a digital camera or scanned - they are NOT improved, cleaned-up or made better looking than they are with camera trickery or enhancing with digital programmes. What you see is what you get. I hope the item below is to your liking - any questions can be emailed and I will do my very best to answer you. I am enthusiastic , and have a fair degree of knowledge about many genres and I promise quality items - bid with confidence - excellence comes as standard and so does Near Mint regularly. Please assume all records I offer have NO jumps or sticks or writing on covers or labels unless clearly stated to the contrary. Thanks for your interest and Good luck – MIKE.

Please Note: I will now offer any item to the runner-up after the mandatory Ebay 3 days if no contact is made by the winning bidder. The same applies if no payment is received within the mandatory 7 days so any bidder who has just lost out can still email me to reserve the item as priority second chance. Item wants are always welcome - email me with anything needed, you never know - I may just have a copy in stock. I by quality single items and collections also (Email me please if you have quality items for sale).

Debutant Bidders: Many sellers refuse first time buyers: I do not follow this practice (everybody has to start somewhere), but I would appreciate any first timer letting me know their intentions of their intended payment method and very prompt communication, preferably before any bid or soon after the auctions ends. This gives confidence that their intentions are honourable, and I in return guarantee extra special good feedbacks to get zero rated Ebayers off to a flying start to help them with future transactions. NOTE: I WILL NOT ACCEPT BIDS FROM UNREGISTERED USERS, I will cancel them immediately, and sorry, I cannot give valuations on people’s personal items just for their own curiosity, no item can be accurately valued blindly.

Please read all the information carefully - these adverts take an age to compile properly - so it’s well worth a few minutes of your time to read the details thoroughly. I really cannot take any responsibility if any bidder fails to read any facts that are clearly stated in the advert - Thankyou.

Artist or Band: THE ROLLING STONES

Album Title: Big Hits [High Tide and Green Grass].

Track Listing: Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?; Paint It, Black; It’s All Over Now; The Last Time; Heart of Stone; Not Fade Away; Come On; (I can’t get no) Satisfaction; Get off of My Cloud; As Tears go By; 19th Nervous Breakdown; Lady Jane; Time is on My Side; Little Red Rooster.

Label/Format: Decca (Turquoise, Large Unboxed Decca with ear logo. ffrr (Full Frequency Rnge Recording).

Label Condition: Superb clean examples that show only light+ spindle traces - very defined but not heavy, looks like the original owner was a bit of a ‘spindle searcher’ type - these look to me the types that show little use but took a few seconds to locate that centre hole. Vitally important, here is no wear around the actual centre hole which is an even clearer indication for lack of plays, this one still fits very snuggly to my Rega spindle. Its pretty rare to find Stones mono albums with the total lack of such wear which is a massive bonus for a mono record - the fewer plays the better on those vintage crude technology decks. (Please see label scans for all information needed - sorry the quality is below my normal standard, the silver ink for the titles reflects off the scanner and never will reproduce clearly, I guarantee these labels look immaculate).

Cat Number: TXL.101.

Mono or Stereo: Mono (this was issued in stereo too, and in my experience far easier to find).

Country of Manufacture: England, UK

Rarity: Super clean mono copies of this hugely important album are quite rare now - lesser copies show up sometimes, but the more lightly played monos are far more ellusive (or simply not available to offer).

Original Year of Release: 1966 (this is a slightly later pressing)

Matrix Nos: XARL 7503-1A and XARL 7504-3A. The stampers are 1UU and 2C U11. The tiny letters KT can be see at the twelve-o-clock position on both sides too.

Brief Artist & Album Info: Not just a compilation album, far from it. These Stones early classic singles are all in beautiful mono and they never sounded better than in this dynamic and detailed format mix, many appearing for the very first time at 33.3 rpm - few appeared on the earlier studio albums. Always one of the most beautifully packaged Decca albums, this early mono example has the booklet strongly stapled into the centre - later copies were separate booklets. This copy has the small peep-hole mono/stereo indicator on the back - the inner fills the hole with a colour code identifier - mono is reddish colour and the stereos were blue. This one includes the original red lined inner (this has some creasing and a small tear at the top, that apart not bad at all). Another important note for this album is the UK copy varied considerably from the US version with a different cover and track listing - the UK version being vastly superior (in most people’s opinion - that said both are still essential for the serious Stones collector). Another curiosity is the latest CD reissues did NOT include a UK version of this album, a bizarre choice of omission, why were not both released? This is a lovely all round vintage copy. A very solid cover that looks great with only a couple of minor blemishes. The record is one of the very best I have seen, certainly for some time, this album rarely gets seen looking (and sounding) this good. Visually superb and playing the same with next to no damaging wear or abuse from those early Dansettes or similar. An early pressing (with the desirable 1A matrix), this fine record should please many Stones collectors.

Cover Grade and Format: EX+, gatefold format with stapled booklet in the centrefold. Laminated front and back and with the small mono/stereo peep-hole in on the back. Printed in England by Robert Stace.

Lamination: Very attractive, this is prone to creasing due to the single card thickness but this one has virtually no creasing at all. The laminate is very solid indeed, it has a more semi-gloss sheen rather than a deep gloss. There is one very small laminate peel on the top right of the back, it might just about show up on the back picture. Any dry areas are very small and confined to the very top and bottom spine edge, these really are miniscule compared to some and detract very little at all. The laminate has no deep indentations, a very light pressmark is just visible on the back if searched for. Normal viewing sees this laminate looking quite immaculate.

Cover Front: Superb, one of the definitive 60s covers, the young Stones thru the fish-eye lens. Very clean and fresh and barely a mark to be seen. Strongly coloured artwork under that lovely semi-gloss laminate and no ringwear at all.

Cover Back: Bar the two minorish blemishes this would rank close to perfect and it replicates the lovely front closely. The peep-hole is neat and untorn and well defined.

Cover Inner Gatefold/Booklet: Very nice indeed, all the pages are near perfect, no tears or marks or creasing. The odd minor ‘ripple’ maybe, but this delicate stapled book, which is still rock solid, fully intact is so often seen in poor condition. The book pages are only paper thickness, not card, and so prone to damage. Well this centrefold example is a very high standard and should please most again.

Top and Bottom Edges: Light, minor feathering only to the very thin ‘leaf’ edges, the normal thicker edges have only faint rub traces - these vulnerable and frail edges are often seen looking real bad. These are way above average and for their great age in remarkably neat condition.

Right Edge(s), and Type: All edges including the leaf booklet edges are clean, very sharp with no wear. Record entered on right outside back edge.

Spine and Text: An immaculate spine that is unlikely to ever be found better. This early cover has the dual mono and stereo prefixes. All the text is pristine under the beautiful solid and uncracked laminate.

Corners: All four show very little wear. All still nicely shaped too. None of the common dog-eared or creased corners on this fine example.

Cover Summary: A fantastic all round example of this very fragile 60’s cover, one that could prove hard to find much significantly better.A couple of minor blemishes yes, but look around and see if this turns up looking much nicer than this one. A strong item that should please many collectors.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Mint(-) A superb visual copy the likes you rarely see on Rolling Stones monos - let’s get this into true perspective: this band’s albums were played and played often into submission, rarely do copies show up that look almost unplayed. Only very rarely have I seen such an immaculate mono copy of this one. Marked, worn, even trashed copies are far more the normal for these. This one is super clean, shiny, jet black and very heavily pressed. Barely a mark to be seen, this looks pretty stunning. A copy with minimal plays on all the evidence, the spindle traces are only a guide, a host of these can gather from only a couple of plays from someone who is a little less patient locating that often obscured vintage spindle. Visually this record could hardly ever be matched, let alone beaten.

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This super record plays up to its high visual grading with little to fault. Strong, dynamic mono sound lacking distortion that often blights popular mono records, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is astonishing with strong detail and a very full sound - Stones songs in quality mono are a joy to behold. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed, and few copies will play much better than this. Both channels are clean and sharp, I feel very sure this record has been played very lightly and has been generally well stored and looked after, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Little, if anything spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this classic. This mono copy could prove near impossible to find significantly better.

Mono vs Stereo, an overview: Always a matter of opinion which is better or more important. For any serious collector where there is a choice e.g. Beatles, Stones, Hendrix etc. both are essential. True Stereo albums give great imagery and presence whereas mono albums usually are more dynamic, louder and present the detail more clearly. Mono albums are far harder to find in genuinely top playing condition. Most were heavily played, particularly the truly great bands and artists, often covered in mark and scratches, many severe and labels that were a mass of spindle marks. The majority were played on vintage and unsubtle decks with heavy tonearms and thick styli (often sapphire, not diamond, that chipped more easily) that rendered heavy wear in a very short time to many a fine classic record. Wear to the delicate groove walls, particularly the innermost tracks to the labels were most vulnerable where the tracking angle became more severe and the backdrag actually stripped the delicate groove walls. This resulted in surface noise and mild/moderate distortion or worse. These old decks tracked by sheer weight and little of any refined engineering. Next time you see such a deck at a local record fayre, feel the weight of the arm, it almost makes you wonder how any records survived at all. The point of this paragraph is emphasise that when a truly clean, lightly played and great sounding 60s mono album (or stereo come to that) is offered, treasure it, because for sure they are truly getting vary rare and precious - beware - demand only play-graded records. As a general guide to rarity, mono was the far more common format from 61–65; Around 66–67 the balance was roughly equal, then from 68-69 the balance swung more to stereo, making monos from these dates far scarcer, even rare - this guide is important and effects values greatly.

Album Played For Grading: Yes.

Final Summary: Probably the first ‘serious’ album I ever bought (not this copy though) way back on a holiday with my parents in Bournemouth, so this album always has a special place in my memories. Every track here is a classic and sounding incredibly clean and precise on the slowed down speed. This, in my opinion, blows away the stereo version, some of these songs sound pretty fake on the stereo copy. This mono record, when played at volume can simply thrill - the sounds embedded in these vintage unworn grooves are the real thing and no remastering ever quite matches the sound and feel of the early vinyl formats, they act as a time-tunnel back to the glorious days when music quality was at an unsurpassed high. This gem of a record should please just about all collectors of quality, most Stones collectors should love it. I strongly recommend this lovely album – Mike.

Having the Powerseller Logo: This is recognition from Ebay for the highest possible customer services, satisfaction and quality, it should reassure any potential bidder that all items are described, graded and shipped to the highest standards possible. Customer care of the highest order is a standard feature here and I am proud to have achieved this recognised standard of excellence from Ebay with help from collectors and buyers from all over the World - I thank you all.

Payment Details please read carefully - I know its boring but essential:

UK First Class: = £3.00; Recorded Delivery (Recommended) = £5.50 Special Delivery (Next day, insured up to £250), the best service available = £7.00

Europe Air Mail: = £4 Insured: £8.00

Overseas, non-Europe e.g. USA, Japan, Australia etc. Airmail:= £7; Insured with recorded delivery (where available) = £11.00

Singles: (Packed to the high standards of the LPs)

UK First class: = £2.00 Insured: £4

Europe Air Mail = £3.00 Insured: £5.50

Overseas, non-Europe (as above) Airmail £3.50 Insured: £6.00

Doubles add extra £1, triples add extra £2. Box sets add extra £3 (£4 overseas and Europe)

Any item that sells for over £85 will be sent Special Delivery in the UK at no extra cost. Items over £125 get the same service Overseas. This is gives peace of mind for the winning bidder and myself for valuable items. Reduced postage of course for multiple items.

The winner bidder chooses his/her posting method and if uninsured is chosen, its their decision and they have to stick with it, I can accept no responsibility if an item is lost in the post. I can only try to claim at standard levels if no enhancement is chosen (£28). PLEASE NOTE: I will NOT use surface mail, its too slow, with a higher risk of loss and damage.

Mailing Details: Please note I do NOTprofit on postage (my packing standards are high and the package weighs a little more and I often actually lose money on this part of service - I simply refuse to compromise with poor packing. All records are sent in plastic covers with the record taken OUT of the sleeve and sent in professional mailers with FOUR professional stiffners for extra protection (if space allows), I do NOT use old cardboard boxes or cereal packets for protection. More expensive items are also inserted into a de-luxe heavy duty padded bag AS WELL to give that extra protection. I truly want ALL my items to arrive to their destination in the same condition they leave me. I will also include in most cases a brand new lined inner, but will include the original inner if available and in a condition to be worthwhile.

I can accept cash for payments worldwide in UK Pounds Sterling, Euros or US Dollars - but this at the senders OWN risk. Please send registered and insured if this method is chosen. I cannot accept responsibility if any cash payments do not turn up. This system is very reliable and rarely goes astray. The same goes for any shipped uninsured item, I can only try to claim for any undelivered or damaged article at basic insurance levels if no enhanced insurance is requested and paid for (unless the value threshold is high enough for me insure as standard, see above)

Overseas bidders please note conversion rates for Pounds to Dollars and Pounds to Euros will be charged at 1.7 to cover PayPal or cash conversion costs.

PLEASE NOTE: Any PayPal user can now pay me with UK Sterling if they wish with no need to convert to US dollars (although they still can if they wish to). Any instant PayPal transaction from anywhere in the world will mean the item will be sent immediately - it makes deals fast and very efficient.

Potential Bidders: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are timewasters. I now only accept PayPal, International money orders or cash from overseas bidders (UK Sterling, US dollars or Euros). Cash, cheques, postal orders and PayPal are fine from the UK. I allow maximum 3 days for communication and 7 days for payment to arrive - if this does not happen I will relist the item and may send negative feedback unless an explanation is given. Fast deals get great feedback from me. Any questions - please ask. Please keep watch on my Ebays, I have other interesting items coming very soon. Thanks for looking.

My Guarantee: As listening to every single record I offer all the way through is difficult timewise, can I make it clear if any winning bidder is not satisfied with their purchase I will offer a complete refund minus the Posting and All Ebay costs as long as the item detail has been read and understood. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer. I still endeavour to play all the items in their entirity for grading if at all possible and is usually the case.