The Rolling Stones : Beggars Banquet

This 4A/3A pressing is the most stunning, immaculate red Decca mono that I have ever had the pleasure in listening to.  With no clicks or pops, static or crackle the playback is the 'cleanest' I have heard.  Visually stunning it would be nigh on impossible to find a better one and the gatefold is also very clean.

Based on Decca's BUCKINGHAM system it also has the earliest stamper 'B1' on S2!  This means it was pressed with the first stamper and S1 is also very early and was pressed with only the 18th. 

LK 4955 // XARL - 8476 - 4A / XARL - 8477 - 3A // BH 2 B / B 1

The audio on S1 is Near Mint (Mint- for the vast majority)

The audio on S2 is Mint- (track 5 Near Mint)

The gatefold is Ex-

The labels are Near Mint-

The original inner sleeve is Near Mint-

Visual grading

This is the most impressive mono 'Beggars Banquet' that I have ever seen and to say it is visually stunning is an understatement!  It has an incredible jet-black glossy sheen and at first glance it looks 'as new' not 51 years old!  It is only on closer inspection that you can detect a small number of the faintest hairlines imaginable, they are very difficult to spot.  There is just one mega small hairline on each side that is a little more obvious but as detailed below they have no affect on the stunning quality of the audio.  There is no marking, no scratches and not a great deal of spindle wear either.  There is some on S1 and a little more on S2 but this is not a record that has been played excessively.  It has been preserved beautifully down the years and the labels and run out grooves are also super clean.  What a fantastic find!

Play grading

'Sympathy For The Devil' begins superbly with stunning quality on the percussive intro.  Aside from 3/4 mega faint swish sounds that are barely audible the audio could not be any better.  This classic then plays with impeccable quality and this level of clarity is so rarely found a mono red Decca pressing.  I cannot adequately explain just how well this plays!  A Near Mint grading is a fair assessment although the vast majority plays better than that!  The mid guitar solo has no distortion and that is a real rarity.  It is no exaggeration to say that 99% plays 'as new' and the depth and definition of the audio is just so impressive.  The long fade out just has to be heard to be believed!  There is not even a single dust tick let alone anything more.  An absolutely stunning version.

'No Expectations' continues this immaculate standard with a wonderfully clear intro that has no 'background' at all.  As the vocal comes in there is no decrease in quality and the entire track plays with sublime clarity from start to finish.  Again I cannot impress enough just how 'high end' this audio is!  As stated this vinyl has not been played a great deal and that is reflected in the clarity.  They say mono recordings have more 'sound' than their stereo counterparts and it is hard to disagree when you hear this as each note plays with such sharp definition.  Mint- is the highest grade I can use and quite honestly this track deserves it.

'Dear Doctor' again plays with wonderful quality and there are just no negatives.  From the first note to the last there is no interference and the playback is stunning.  Another immaculate fade out also.

Any Stones' collector will know these mono pressings always play with some distortion on the final two tracks, there is no escaping it, and it is just a matter of how much.  I am pleased to say 'Parachute Woman' still plays with exceptional quality and as per the rest of the side there are no clicks or pops and no static or crackle either.  Yes there is a little distortion on the top end but you have to accept that as a given so it is non-intrusive.  The harmonica end section plays with perfect precision and I have never heard a 'cleaner' fade out.

The intro on 'Jig-Saw Puzzle' is so impressive with no interference whatsoever.  A perfect start in anyone's book - the clarity is stunning and remarkably there is no distortion.  The first vocal is stunning and continues in exactly the same way.  It is only at the halfway point where there is a minimal amount of distortion and I only mention this to be complete in my grading as it does not intrude on the quality of the listen at all.  It is so minor and maybe not even worthy of mention!  Remember I am playing this through a stereo system.  Whilst there is perhaps a little more distortion towards the end this is undoubtedly the strongest version of this track that I have ever heard on a mono pressing and again the fade out is just stunning with no 'background' of any kind.  What an absolutely stunning, immaculate sounding side!

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  The classic 'Street Fighting Man' plays with stunning dynamic power from the very first groove.  It has such a strong 'raw' sound and there is no interference...again.  Just pure Mint- audio from beginning to end.  Such a strong bass sound also.  So often the piano on the end section is lost in the mix but that is certainly not the case here.  A sublime version and yet another perfect fade out.

'Prodigal Son' has a couple of mega light dust ticks on the quiet intro but is as close to perfect as could be.  On a record such as this it is difficult not being repetitive but the clarity and depth here could not be any better.  There is just no 'background' and the sonic quality is equal to that of any high grade vinyl pressed recently!  I am running out of superlatives once more!

'Stray Cat Blues' is a just immense!  You can turn this up to loud without fear of distortion, the playback is immeasurably strong and distinct.  This is the finest version I have ever heard on any pressing!  Even the relatively quiet section after the '...scratch my back' line plays 'as new' which is how you can categorise this track.  As I sometimes say I know Mint when I hear it and this is it!  The 'high octane' end end section plays with a power that is so rarely heard and the fade out is again sublime.  No clicks, no pops, no static or crackle - no 'background' at all!  Wow!

The quiet acoustic intro on 'Factory Girl' demonstrates perfect clarity and this continues when Jagger's vocal begins.  You won't be surprised to hear this plays with Mint- from beginning to end.  There is no distortion whatsoever which is so rare when you consider we are approaching the end of the album.

'Salt Of The Earth' ends the album in immaculate fashion.  The intro is 'as new' and there is no let up in quality as you progress.  There is only a minor hint of distortion on the top end but as per S1 does this really need to said?!  It could be eradicated when played through a mono set up?  The crescendo end section is so incredibly strong and yes it can be turned up loud without it hurting your ears!  A stunning version that impresses from the first note to the last.

In summary this FINAL UPGRADE ARCHIVE mono pressing plays with a 'high end' quality that I have never heard before and as my regular customers know I do not over-grade my vinyls, I just write what I hear.  This may be a bold statement to make but I suspect this is better than any later stereo version that I have heard.  The clarity and depth is second to none and there is near complete silence in the dead wax between every track.  It plays so powerfully and the lack of distortion is a thing to behold!  The early stampers may go part of the way to explaining that (B1 on S2!) as any vinyl will sound 'fresher' at the beginning of any production 'run'.  Together with a very impressive gatefold this will no doubt command a lot of interest and quite rightly so!  A stunning, practically Mint album all the way through.

The Gatefold

The fully laminated G & L Mono cover is easily the most impressive I have seen in quite a long time.  It so often has a fair amount of wear but this one is very clean overall with only superficial shelf wear.  The edges have no rubbing or marking at all and the wide spine whilst it is a little compressed remains 100% legible and how rare is that?!  It has a couple of areas of discolouration and a very minor stain on the bottom corner but is definitely one of the 'cleaner' ones that you find and has no laminate splitting either which is again a rarity.  All the corners are in great shape with only the bare minimum of wear.  The opening edge is very clean with hardly any handling wear.  The front cover is also impressive and has just a little fading around the edges and some light marking top right.  The back cover is similar with some light fading/marking around the edges and a very small red pen mark.  There is no laminate splitting or lifting on either the front or the back and the inside of the gatefold is immaculate, I have never seen better.  Whilst not perfect this is a highly creditable example of this iconic cover because as we all know they are notoriously difficult to keep clean.

Inner sleeve

The original Decca poly-lined sleeve is in superb condition and is quite possibly the cleanest I have ever seen from the 60s. In fact it has 'Foreign Patents Pending' printed lower right just below the UK Patent number.  It has no splits or tears and barely any creasing.  It has a little fading around the edges, only minor, but is very clean throughout with no marking.

The Labels

They are in superb order and have lost none of their original deep red colour.  There is some spindle wear but not a massive amount and there is no marking or writing.  The JT tax stamp is on both of the super clean 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 4955 // XARL - 8476 - 4A / XARL - 8477 - 3A // BH 2 B / B 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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