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The Rolling Stones : Beggars Banquet 2K / 3K 1st Press Unboxed Stereo 1968

This first pressing is stunning and more rare than people think!  The vinyl itself is in beautiful condition and has clearly only been lightly played, it has been so well preserved as has the iconic cover.  The clarity and depth of the audio is so impressive notwithstanding the usual 'thin' sound mainly towards the end of each side, it is unavoidable as any Stones audiophile will know.  There are no clicks, pops or static and only one minor static tick on a fade out.  It is easily one of the finest versions of this classic LP that I have ever encountered.

The cover is so clean and the only issue is a little compression of the spine.  It is the very first version of this cover made by G & L with the Patents pending info on the back.  The poly-lined inner sleeve is in excellent shape although it is probably not the original.  It's an Emitex one as opposed to one the Stones used but still from the same era.  Unless they did use the Emitex ones from time to time!

The 2K / 3K is the first matrix on this first pressing and it has the first label version on both sides also with no speed indication.  In conjunction with the Patents pending cover you can see this is one of the first unboxed stereo version from December '68. 

SKL 4955  //  XZAL-8476-2K  UH 1   ---   XZAL-8477-3K  BK 1

The audio S1 is Mint(-) (T5 Near Mint)

The audio S2 is Mint(-) (T5 Near Mint)

The gatefold is Ex++

The inner sleeve is Ex+

The Decca labels are Mint-

Visual description

The vinyl is in superb condition and still has an immaculate jet-black glossy sheen with no marks or scratches.  Even when I look under a bright light I can only see a small number of ultra faint hairlines and there is nothing that stands out, it really is in lovely condition!  The run outs are very clean and you can easily read the matrix info and the JT tax code on both sides.  The Decca labels are close to perfect with only very minimal spindle wear.

Play grading

The unmistakable percussive intro on 'Sympathy For The Devil' plays with perfect clarity and Jagger's opening vocal section is equally as impressive, there is literally no background.  It builds with very strong, clear audio and there are no ticks, clicks, pops or static.  Richards' mid instrumental is superb and it continues in the same precise way.  It has that ubiquitous raw Stones sound and it really could not play any better, every Woo woo plays perfectly!  The power and definition of the audio is high end and remember this is an album that is often impacted by distortion, both the mono and stereo version.  From start to finish the playback is so impressive and even the long fade out has not so much as a dust tick.  This is an exceptional Mint version.

The acoustic intro on 'No Expectations' again has no intrusion and I noticed something here I have never heard before, that's a good measure of the clarity on offer.  There's a percussive sound in the background and having 'looked it up' it's Watts playing the Claves.  A couple of wooden sticks essentially!  Every vocal and instrumental section plays with sublime clarity, I cannot fault this version and again Mint is 100% deserved.

The acoustic 'Dear Doctor' plays with impeccable quality once more.  There is a real sense of humour in the lyrics and the clarity of sound is first class.  Undeniably a Mint version.

'Parachute Woman' has an even more raw sound and perhaps just a minor amount of distortion.  However, I am convinced this 'sound' was there when first played in '68 and it's just down to how it was produced / manufactured.  I prefer to be 100% complete with my gradings and it still sound damn good!  There is no interference and again the long fade out plays beautifully.  I'll say Mint- because I don't think it's fair to downgrade it too much!

The intro and opening vocal on 'Jig-Saw Puzzle' do actually play with great clarity and as it progresses there is only minimal inner groove distortion.  This is also termed as a 'thin' sound and you cannot escape it on the first / early pressings.  It's powerful track and is still one of the cleanest versions I have heard in a long time - the only background is one very light static tick on the fade out.  It's often said this 'sound' was caused by how it was mixed but I'm not an expert!  Regardless of that I will grade it as Near Mint I think that is fair.

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The intro on 'Street Fighting Man' is 'as new' and the opening vocal section is very similar.  From then on it plays with that by now familiar raw power and depth.  Very much a social commentary but instrumentally this track is superb.  Indebted mainly to Jones' Indian themes and the audio is very clean throughout with hardly any of that 'thin' sound.  Hopkins' piano can easily be heard and especially on the long fade out which has no background whatsoever.  Mint-

'Prodigal Son' plays with phenomenal quality throughout.  Clean and clinical with no intrusion and... Mint

The gentle intro on 'Stray Cat Blues' plays with stunning clarity and this sleazy rocker then plays with real power and strong definition.  The quieter section is 'as new' and the closing instrumental is flawless.  Mint-

'Factory Girl' again impresses on every level.  A little of that 'thin' sound but nothing intrusive and there is no background, not one static ticks etc.  Mint-

'Salt Of The Earth' begins perfectly and Richards' opening vocal has no intrusion.  From then onwards there is no interference and the only intrusion if you can it that is the 'thin' sound that cannot be avoided.  I don't want to dwell on that really because the overall clarity on the entire album is stunning and there is no actual interference anywhere.  It's often the instrumental sections that have a stronger more well defined sound and this track is no exception.  The end instrumental here for example is very impressive.  Near Mint is a fair assessment of the audio.

The Gatefold & Inner Sleeve

The laminated G & L Patents pending cover is in superb condition when you consider its 'style'.  The edges have no marking / rubbing and the spine remains 100% legible with only some compression which is common.  Better that than a lot of wear which you so often see.  The corners are very clean with hardly any wear and the opening edge is extremely clean also.  The front cover is stunning with only one tiny laminate crease and no real marking and the back cover is just as impressive.  The inside of the gatefold is immaculate.  Because of some compression on the spine I will say Ex++ but aside from that it is very close to Near Mint, it is a superb example of this rare cover.

As stated I'm not sure if this is the original inner but it remains in great condition with no side splits or tears and is only a little fade with age.  Some light creasing also.

SKL 4955  //  XZAL-8476-2K  UH 1   ---   XZAL-8477-3K  BK 1

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

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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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!!

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