I will declare a lower amount on the customs form for all countries so as to avoid / decrease high import charges.  However, in the case of the EU all purchases are subject to VAT which eBay generally collect at point of sale.  No shipping to Russia currently.

The Rolling Stones : Goat's Head Soup A-2 / B-1 1st Press + 2 Inserts 1973

This first pressing plays to a very high standard with only minimal interference.  The only obvious intrusion is a couple of light clicks towards the end of 'Coming Down Again' and some inner groove distortion on 'Star Star' but that is a common thing.  In the main the clarity, depth and warmth of the audio is very impressive and the classic 'Angie' in particular plays with stunning quality.

The gatefold is in superb condition with only minimal shelf wear and only one of the inserts, Goat's Head, has a minor crease and some spotting on the back.  The other insert is perfect.

Some of the first pressings were issued with a John Pasche Goat's Head Soup sticker and the previous owner decided put it on the S1 label.  It's good that it's included but the winning bidder can decide if it's good over the label!  It is label sized of course and looks like a label so arguably was meant for this reason anyway??  I have graded the S1 label as VG for this reason but I guess it is difficult to grade!

COC 59101 / A2 B1

The audio on S1 is Mint(-) (T3 Ex)

The audio S2 is Mint(-) (T4 Near Mint / T5 Ex+)

The gatefold is Near Mint-

The inserts are Mint / Ex+

The labels are VG / Near Mint

The inner sleeve is Ex

Visual description

The vinyl is in excellent condition with a strong glossy look and no scratches.  Under a bright light I can see a few faint hairlines and one very small hairline 'scuff' on S1 that has no affect on the audio.  As stated the S1 label has the Goat's Head sticker on it and S2 is very clean with only minimal spindle wear.

Play grading

The intro on 'Dancing With Mr. D' plays perfectly and Jagger's opening vocal section is just as good.  It has that deep, rich sound you only associate with 'clean' records and it continues to play to a very high standard.  The choruses have no distortion and the only background, if you can call it that, is a handful of barely audible statics.  Why I mention them I do not know!  The clarity and depth of the recording is superb and Mint- is deserved.

The intro / first verse on '100 Years Ago' have no background and then the second verse then plays very clearly but with two light ticks at the start.  The first chorus is faultless and from then onwards it plays with great power and depth.  The high octane vocal You're gonna kiss and say goodbye section could not play any better and the final quieter vocal once again plays with great clarity.  The instrumental end section is STUNNING - it is so powerful and you can blast it up to max without losing any of the sound quality!  Another Mint- track at the very least.

The intro on 'Coming Down Again' plays very clearly with only a small number of minor statics and the first chorus is perfect.  Richards' first verse is close to that with only a couple of very quiet ticks - the second verse has a few more static ticks but they are quiet, not clicks I hasten to add!  From then on there is very little background and the sax solo is flawless.  There are a couple of clicks towards the end, of which only one is 'obvious' and then the closing vocal plays with exceptional clarity and warmth as does the fade out.  It may seem that I listed a number of 'things' but as my regulars know I mention any background even if very minor.  This is still worthy of an Ex grade.

'Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)' plays with tremendous power and depth from start to finish and with no interference.  A couple of minor statics near the start but no clicks or pop.  Superb sonic quality on this one.  Mint-

Taylor's acoustic intro on the classic 'Angie' plays beautifully and Jagger's opening vocal is just as impressive.  As the volume increases the playback is so clean and it proceeds in much the same way.  The mid section strings arrangement plays with sublime clarity and the remainder does not disappoint either.  For a final track the sonic quality is so strong and I am confident in grading it as Mint- such is the quality.  A very Sticky Fingers type track if you ask me.

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'Silver Train' on S2 plays loud and true with no interference.  If I'm being super critical there are a couple of very minor distorted moments but they are so brief and you would only notice them if you listened very intently!  And in actual fact the more I hear the more I am impressed by it.  It's a powerful track and the clarity cannot be faulted really.  I still think it's worth a Mint- grade it just gets better with every listen!

The piano intro on 'Hide Your Love' has not even a single dust tick and the opening vocal is equally as strong and clear.  It continues in the same way and I only 'heard' a couple of minor statics throughout the entire track, no clicks or pops at all.  Superb guitar work here.  Mint-

The intro on 'Winter' has only the bare minimum of light static and the first (long) vocal section plays with stunning clarity and warmth.  A couple of mega light statics soon after and then the instrumental section plays with genuine precision and... no intrusion.  The final vocal passage plays with genuine quality also and Mint- is again deserved.

'Can You Hear The Music' has one light tick on the intro and then plays very clearly from that point on.  The clarity is perhaps not quite on the same level as the preceding tracks but only slightly below.  Near Mint

'Star Star' completes the album with powerful audio throughout.  There is no interference but as always with this track there is a little inner groove distortion mainly during the chorus sections.  As I often say it seems a bit harsh to downgrade it due to that because this is vinyl!  Like I say there is no intrusion but I will say Ex+ just to err on the side of caution.   

The Gatefold & Inserts

The cover is in lovely condition with very little wear.  The edges have hardly any rubbing and the wide spine is still strong and clean with only minimal wear on the corners.  The right hand corners have hardly any wear and the opening edge is very clean also with barely any handling wear.  The front cover is stunning with just one minor rub by the bottom edge and the back cover has only a small amount of fading / ringwear by the bottom edge and a few indents in the centre no doubt caused by a Sticky Fingers zip, a very common occurrence with this LP!  The inside of the gatefold is immaculate, a superb example overall.

The credits insert is perfect and the Goat's Head one just has one minor crease in the lower right corner and some spotting on the reverse.  The plain white die-cut inner has barely any marking, just some creasing here and there.

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 B1

I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.

Any questions please feel free to ask

Please pay within 4 days of auction end

Recent Feedback

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GREAT AS DESCRIBED BEST SELLR OF ALL THE UK PEOPLE AND I HAVE BOUGHT FROM ALL OF THEM

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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!!

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 : £22.95 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!!