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The Rolling Stones : Goat's Head Soup A2 / B3 1st Press 1973

This early pressing plays to a very high standard with barely any intrusion.  There are three light ticks during 'Coming Down Again' and that's about it really!  There is some inner groove distortion on 'Star Star' but that is common.  The clarity, depth and power of the audio overall is very impressive and the vinyl is in great condition also.

The gatefold is in lovely condition with hardly any wear and the two inserts are practically 'as new'.

Is this a first pressing?  I'm not sure it matters so much with this album.  It is either a first or second and has the 'Made In UK' text on both labels.

COC 59101 A2 / B3 // ROLLING STONES RECORDS etched on both sides

The audio on S1 is Mint(-) (T3 Near Mint-)

The audio on S1 is Mint(-) (T3 intro Near Mint- / T4 Near Mint / T5 Ex+)

The gatefold is Near Mint-

The inserts are Mint / Mint-

 The labels are Ex++

Visual description

The vinyl is in excellent condition and still has a strong glossy sheen with no marks or scratches.  Under a bright light I can see a small number of faint hairlines but there is nothing that stands and there is no groove wear either.  The run out grooves are very clean as are the labels which just have some spindle wear but not an excessive amount.  One tiny spot on each label also.

Play grading

The intro on 'Dancing With Mr. D' plays perfectly and Jagger's opening vocal has a clarity that is equal to that.  The first chorus has no intrusion and it continues in the same way with nothing getting in the way of the audio.  It plays with that usual strong raw Stones sound and you cannot fault the quality of the audio.  No ticks, clicks, pops or static it is Mint from start to finish including the fade out.

The brief intro and opening vocal section on '100 Years Ago' plays with great quality and the powerful You're gonna kiss... vocal passage plays so clearly and with no distortion.  The following vocal (quieter) plays with stunning clarity and then the high octane closing section is superb - again no distortion, just pure power and depth and no intrusion.  Mint

The gentle piano intro on 'Coming Down Again' plays beautifully with only a couple of barely audible statics and the opening chorus is just as impressive.  Richards' first verse has no background either and the standard does not drop as it progresses.  I did notice a couple of minor ticks which are very quiet and non-intrusive and three other slightly more obvious ticks in the middle section but again not loud by any means.  The rest of the track plays with stunning quality without any background.  The vast majority is Mint but overall Near Mint- is fair.

'Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)' plays with superb audio through every section.  The clarity and power of the audio is outstanding and Mint is richly deserved.  Great separation also, every note so clean and precise.  A stunning version.

The quiet intro on 'Angie' is so close to perfect with just one minor static and Jagger's opening vocal does indeed play with sublime clarity.  It continues in the same exact way and I cannot express enough just how pristine the audio is here.  I do not think I have heard a cleaner version and for a final track the sonic quality is stunning.  An emotive track the strings are the perfect accompaniment and they have no intrusion whatsoever.  A superb Mint- version.

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The intro on 'Silver Train' is faultless and Jagger's first vocal is strong and clear with no interference.  As it progresses the sonic quality is so impressive - a lot going on here and yet nothing is lost.  It is a very 'clean' track and again there is no distortion.  Another Mint track.

'Hide Your Love' plays with exceptional quality and... no interference.  Once more showing just how well this vinyl has been looked after there is no background to speak of, Mint audio from start to finish.

The only background on 'Winter' is 3/4 light statics at the beginning of the intro, the rest of the track plays with genuine quality.  The production on this album is sometimes criticized but that is a little unfair, take this track for example.  This is another 'busy' track in certain sections and yet the sonic quality to my ears is very strong, there is no 'muddiness' to the sound and there is certainly no distortion.  I will grade the intro as Near Mint- and the remainder as Mint

The very quiet intro on 'Can You Hear The Music' plays with incredible clarity and the next section has only a couple of mega quiet statics.  The first vocal is strong and clear and correct me if I'm wrong but the vocal on this track does seem to have some kind of affect on it, it's nothing to do with the production I'm sure.  Reading the reviews you can see why 'lazy' was thrown at them as this isn't really one of their strongest tracks.  In saying that there is no interference although there is perhaps just a hint of inner groove distortion towards the end?  The quiet ending plays with perfect clarity.  Near Mint

'Star Star' ends the album with no interference as such but there is a little more inner groove distortion.  Perhaps that is a common feature of this track but there are no ticks, clicks or pops.  Debateable lyrics you could say!  Ex+

The Gatefold & Inserts

The gatefold is in superb condition with hardly any wear.  The edges have barely any rubbing and the wide spine is so close to perfect with just one tiny rub and no obvious wear on the corners.  The other corners are in great shape also and the opening edge has no handling wear either.  The front cover has just one tiny white 'speck' below their name and a handful of minor rubs next to the bottom edge.  The back cover is very clean also with only a couple of minor indents no doubt caused by a Sticky Fingers zip.  The inside of the gatefold is immaculate and the colours inside and out are as strong and vivid as they were when it was first produced.  A fine example overall.

The picture / credits insert is in perfect condition and the GHS one just has a minimal touch of faint rubbing on the bottom edge, it hardly warrants a mention.

Play tested on my Rega P2 with AT-VM95EN Cart / Denon PMA-520AE Amp / B&W 684 Speakers

This record has been cleaned on my Pro-Ject VC-S machine

COC 59101 A2 / B3 // ROLLING STONES RECORDS etched on both sides

I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.

Any questions please feel free to ask

Please pay within 4 days of auction end

Recent Feedback

Postage & Packaging

I will only send items items worldwide via tracked shipping.  This provides 'peace of mind' in case of loss or damage.  The shipping costs are shown below and combined shipping is always offered.  Any over-payment will always be refunded.

The Royal Mail only insure up to a value of £250 so if an item sells for more it may be wise to use a courier service (e.g. Parcelforce or DPD).  An extra insurance premium will be required but I will not know the exact amount until the final sale price is known.  Because of this I will sometimes have to estimate the cost and this will be shown in the listing.  Please wait for the invoice before making payment and if you have any questions please feel free to ask.  Many thanks.

All vinyls are packaged in strong over-sized custom made mailers with plenty of extra cardboard protection.  They are placed inside separate poly-lined inners outside the cover so as to avoid seam splits in transit and then placed inside a PVC sleeve to provide even more protection.  I pride myself on my high quality packaging as my feed confirms and if any customer has any specific requirements I am more than happy to help.

The mailers I use cost £1.00 each and I will use anything between 3-5 cardboard stiffeners which cost approx £0.18 each.  There is also the cost of the poly-lined inner and PVC sleeve to consider, it all adds up!  Not forgetting that eBay take 10% of the shipping fee also!!

UK Postage Rates (First Class Recorded - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £6.50 up to 1kg then £1.00 per extra item 

EUROPE (Tracked - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £13.95 then £2.00 per extra

USA (Tracked - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £24.95 then £2.50 per extra 

REST OF WORLD (Tracked - Max 2kg)  

LPs/12" singles : £21.95 then £2.50 per extra

If you are not entirely happy with your purchase please contact me before leaving feedback and I will always resolve any issue, 100% guaranteed.  If you would prefer to send the item back I will also pay the return shipping cost if I am at fault, I am only human after all!!