Rolling Stones BEGGARS BANQUET UK 1st MONO Unboxed NM

	£		89
	$		117

The Rolling Stones - Beggars Banquet

• CATALOGUE: LK4955
• DECCA "MONO" PRESSING
• MATRIX NUMBERS: XARL 8476-4A / XARL 8477-3A
• MOTHERS / STAMPERS: 1 CI / 1 UM

THIS IS THE VERY RARE MONO PRESSING OF BEGGARS BANQUET.

ISSUED IN DECEMBER 1968 AT A TIME WHEN THE UK RECORD BUYING PUBLIC HAD LONG SWITCHED FROM MONO TO STEREO PRESSINGS. THE REVOLUTION REALLY STARTED IN 1966, AND CONTINUED THROUGH 67, AND BY THE TIME 1968 CAME AROUND, MOST OF THE RECORD SOLD WERE NOW IN STEREO. THE FEW DIEHARDS WHO INSISTED ON MONO WERE CATERED FOR BY THE MANUFACTURER'S WHO PRESSED SOME COPIES IN MONO, BUT THESE WERE NOW BEING OUTSOLD BY STEREO AT THE RATE OF NEARLY 10/1. AND AS THIS RECORD WAS SO LATE IN DECEMBER IT MIGHT AS WELL BE 1969

THEREFORE FINDING A MONO PRESS.ING OF THIS CLASSIC LP IS HARD ENOUGH, BUT TO FIND ONE THAT YOU WOULD ACTUALLY WANT TO PUT ON YOUR TURNTABLE AND PLAY IS NIGH ON IMPOSSIBLE, AS MOST OF THE MONO COPIES BY NOW ARE ALREADY IN COLLECTIONS OR NOT IN A CONDITION THAT ANY SELF RESPECTING RECORD COLLECTOR WOULD WANT IN THEIR COLLECTIONS.

THIS STONES LP WAS THE FOLLOW UP TO THEIR SATANIC MAJESTIES REQUEST , AND IF YOU CONSIDER FOR A MOMENT THAT SATANIC WAS ISSUED IN 1967 AT THE SAME TIME AS THE BEATLES SGT PEPPER, WITH A SIMILAR PSYCH SLEEVE, AND THAT THE BEATLES FOLLOW UP ALBUM WAS "THE WHITE ALBUM" HOW PREDICTABLE WAS IT THAT THE STONES WOULD ISSUE THEIR NEXT LP WITH A PLAIN WHITE SLEEVE.

THE SLEEVE

THE FULLY LAMINATED GATEFOLD SLEEVE, IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. TAKING THE FRONT SURFACE FIRST, THE FIRST THING TO MENTION IS THAT THERE IS NO RING WEAR AT ALL. SECONDLY THERE ARE NO HEAVY CREASES, AND NO LIGHT CREASES EITHER. THE SURFACE IS REALLY FLAT AND CLEAN. THERE ARE A FEW LIGHT LINES NEAR THE SPINE, WHICH IS MORE THAN NORMAL FOR ANY LP SLEEVE. THE SLEEVE WAS NEVER A PURE WHITE, BUT IT IS FAIR TO SAY THAT THERE IS A TRACE OF YELLOWING, BUT ONLY A TRACE. THE TOP AND BOTTOM EDGES ARE UNWORN AND DISPLAY NO SHELF WEAR. THE OPENING EDGE IS SHARP AND UNFEATHERED, THERE ARE A COUPLE OF REALLY SMALL THUMB NAIL NICKS BUT THESE ARE REALLY MINUSCULE AND ARE ONLY THERE WHERE THE LP HAS BEEN CAREFULLY REMOVED FROM THE SLEEVE. THE SPINE IS THE ONLY PART OF THE SLEEVE THAT HAS SUFFERED. THE WRITING IS PERFECTLY LEGIBLE, BUT THE SPINE HAS LOST ITS LAMINATE. THERE IS ALSO ONE REALLY TINY NICK AT THE TOP. I WILL SHOW THIS IN THE PICTURES.

THE BACK OF THE SLEEVE IS EVERYBIT AS CLEAN AS THE FRONT, THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS THAT THERE IS ONE SMALL CREASE LINE WHICH PROTRUDES FROM THE SPINE FOR ONE INCH.

OPENING THE GATEFOLD THE TOM WILKES PHOTO IS UNBLEMISHED.

THE LABELS.

THESE NATURALLY ARE THE UNBOXED DECCA RED LABELS INDICATING A MONO PRESSING. BOTH THE RED LABEL AND THE SILVER TYPEFACE ARE IN SUPERB CONDITION. IMPORTANTLY THE SPINDLE HOLE SHOWN NO SIGN OF WEAR INDICATING FOR SURE THAT THE RECORD HAS NEVER BEEN ANYWHERE NEAR AN AUTOCHANGER. I ALWAYS INSPECT VERY CAREFULLY THE SPIDER LINES AROUND THE SPINDLE HOLE AS THIS IN ITSELF USUALLY TELLS A FASCINATING STORY.

I CAN COUNT 8 ON SIDE ONE AND 10 ON SIDE TWO. I SUPPOSE THEREFORE SIDE ONE WAS PLAYED A COUPLE OF TIMES MORE THAN SIDE 2. WHAT ELSE I CAN SAY FROM THIS IS THAT THE ORIGINAL OWNER WAS NOT QUITE AS CAREFUL AS THEY COULD HAVE BEEN HANDLING THE LP, BUT THAT THE LP HAS NOT HAD MORE THAN 15 PLAYS LIFETIME, AND THIS WILL BEAR OUT WHEN YOU READ THE PLAY TEST REPORT.

ALL IN ALL A STUNNING PAIR OF LABELS.

THE VINYL LOOKS SUPERB, LOVELY GLEAMING VINYL, LOOKS BRAND NEW IN FACT, AND IN DAYLIGHT I CANNOT SEE ANY HANDLING MARKS WHATSOEVER. IT ALSO FORTUNATE THAT THE SUN IS SHINING AS I TYPE THIS AND EVEN IN SUNLIGHT THERE ARE NO MARKS EITHER. I TURNED ON MY SPOTLAMP AND ONLY UNDER THIS INTENSE ILLUMINATION AM I ABLE TO MAKE OUT A FEW WISPY HAIRLINES, WHICH I AM CERTAIN WILL NOT AFFECT THE SOUND IN ANY WAY.

GENTLY LOWERING THE STYLUS ONTO SIDE ONE I CAN REVEAL THAT THERE IS NO SURFACE NOISE WHATSOEVER ON THE RUN IN GROOVE. THIS IS A FANTASTIC START. AS THE OPENING TRACK "SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL" OPENS UP I AM IMMEDIATELY LISTENING FOR ANY SIGNS OF DISTORTION TO THE SOUND WHICH WOULD MEAN THAT A BADLY WORN / DAMAGED OR TOO HEAVY STYLUS WEIGHT D AT SOMETIME BEEN USED. ONCE AGAIN THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NONE. NOW WE CAN SETTLE BACK AND LISTEN TO THE ALBUM IN ALL IT'S GLORY. AS ONE TRACK LEADS INTO ANOTHER THERE IS NO SIGN OF ANY BACKGROUND CRACKLE EITHER IN THE ACTUAL TRACK OR MORE IMPRESSIVELY BETWEEN THE TRACKS IN THE SILENT PASSAGES. SPINNING THE DISC OVER TO SIDE 2 THE SAME HIGH CLASS QUALITY AS APPARENT THROUGHOUT THE LP. IF I AM BEING ULTRA PICKY, I DID DETECT A TINY BIT OF THE LIGHTEST STATIC IN A COUPLE OF PLACES, BUT THIS IS JUST PROBABLY WHERE THE VINYL NEEDS ANOTHER CLEAN, AND JUST THE VERY ODD LIGHTEST POP ON ONE OR TWO OCCASIONS, AND EVEN HERE I MAY BE EXAGGERATING. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY A STUNNING COPY OF THIS RARE LP, AND I CAN WITHOUT DOUBT GRADE IT NEAR MINT.

ANY COLLECTOR WOULD WELCOME THIS IN THEIR COLLECTION AND WHILST I BELIEVE IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE TO UPGRADE THE SLEEVE VERY SLIGHTLY, THE VINYL IS ANOTHER MATTER AND I DOUBT IT COULD BE DONE EASILY