THE ROLLING STONES, LET IT BLEED, 1969 UK BOXED DECCA MONO 2A/1A 1st PRESS

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Description

The records I offer for sale are from my extensive personal collection of 1960s and 1970s albums which I have built up over the last four decades. During that time I have added duplicate copies of some of my favourite albums to my collection. I've always sought out the very best copies available as I am very particular about the records that I own. Storage space limitations dictate that the time has come for me to pass on a few of these choice albums in order to downsize my collection.

Before I continue, it is important to debunk the widely-believed misinformation regarding first issues of Let It Bleed, which have somehow become accepted as fact, i.e. that all copies with boxed Decca logos on the labels are later pressings. This is not correct as both mono and stereo pressings, each with boxed and unboxed labelled variants were available upon release on 28th November 1969. Decca had been introducing labels with boxed Decca logos as early as August of that year. First pressing matrix numbers of Let It Bleed must end in either 1A or 2A on both sides and first issue inner sleeves must not have the London Bach Choir credit redacted. Now that I've got that out of the way!

On offer here is a superb copy of The Rolling Stones' iconic studio album titled Let It Bleed, Catalogue Number LK 5025. It's a 1969 UK mono first pressing on the Decca record label, with a first issue Upton Printing Group front-laminated sleeve which has the "FULL COLOR ROLLING STONES POSTER INCLUDED" sticker on the front cover. It comes with its original Decca red & white credits inner sleeve which does not have the London Bach Choir credit redacted. There is no poster. [The record matrix numbers are XARL-9363.P-2A and XARL-9364.P-1A. The inner sleeve is the earliest issue which has the "London Bach Choir" credit for You Can't Always Get What You Want, which was redacted soon after the initial release].

The sleeve is in EX condition with only light signs of wear and a few minor creases. The front cover is unmarked with the poster sticker fully intact. The back cover is also unmarked. It has the mono/stereo peephole in the top right corner. The spine is in excellent shape with all text clearly legible. It's a very well preserved example of this iconic sleeve. Please study the supersize photos carefully as they form an important part of the item description.

The solidly-pressed record is visually in VG+ condition. It retains its original shine and rotates evenly on the turntable. Visually there are just a few faint sleeve-removal/rub type surface marks evident when angled against bright light. These are only superficial and do not have any significant impact on the audio playback. The red boxed Decca labels are unmarked with only short spindle traces near the centres. There is minimal wear to the spindle hole. Both sides play excellently throughout with no discernible deterioration in sound quality and barely any unwanted noise at all. The monoaural sound quality is dynamic and vibrant with lots of wonderful guitar effects. It really is a top-playing copy.

The red & white Decca credits inner sleeve has no splits or tears, just a few creases.

Overall this is a superb mono first pressing of one of the Stones' most accomplished albums which will make a fine addition to any record collection.

GRADINGS

The records that I offer for sale have been critically play-graded, at loud volume, on a Pioneer PL-L1000 tangential tracking turntable fitted with a Nagaoka MP-300 cartridge. I will only sell records that play to a high standard. My grading is strict and in accordance with the following descriptions:

·         MINT- Record is superb, almost like new, with just a few sleeve removal type surface marks and no deterioration in sound quality. Sleeve is near perfect in all respects.

·         EX Record is a top quality example with just a few very light surface marks and virtually no discernible deterioration in sound quality. Sleeve has slight wear and/or creasing.

·         VG Record has some visual surface marks, but still plays to a high standard without any major deterioration in sound quality – just a few clicks or light surface sound in places. Sleeve has normal wear and tear without any major defects but is still very presentable.

     All records can be expected to rotate sufficiently evenly on the turntable for there to be no effect whatsoever on the audio playback. Minor warps or dishing will not be mentioned as virtually all records display these features to some degree and no record is perfectly flat.

    Vinyl is not a perfect medium and even the finest quality pressings will play with a degree of residual surface sound, however minimal. Where, in my opinion, unwanted noise interferes with the listening enjoyment of the record, it will be mentioned in the item description. It is unrealistic to expect a 40+ year old record to play with a background of complete silence. Please bear this in mind when bidding.

PACKAGING         

LPs are packaged with care and well protected to ensure that they arrive safely in the same condition as they leave me. Records are removed from both inner and outer sleeves in order to prevent seam-splits in transit.

INTERNATIONAL POSTAGE

LPs posted outside of the UK will only be sent International Signed-For with insurance at the following cost:   

Europe - £10.50

Worldwide - £14.50