THE ROLLING STONES No 2 STUNNING N/M UK 1965 -1A/-1A LP

	£		292
	$		387

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Artist or Band: ROLLING STONES

Album Title: The Rolling Stones No 2.

Producer(s): Andrew Loog Oldham.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Everybody Needs Somebody to Love; Down Home Girl; You Can’t Catch Me; Time Is On My Side; What a Shame; Grown Up Wrong.

Side 2: Down the Road Apiece; Under the Boardwalk; I Can’t be Satisfied; Pain in My Heart; Off the Hook; Suzie-Q.

Label/Format: Decca – original red unboxed mono format. (Please see my label scans).

Label Conditions: Two STUNNING labels with just one or two spindle marks that show little. Indeed side one has just one trace and to say this vintage Stones album is in unbelievable condition is something of an understatement. Given this highly popular record’s great age and format, these represent possibly the least spindle usage you will ever find on this ultimate early pressed record. These early ‘beat’ Stones albums were simply played to destruction and on less than sympathetic mono record-players. This incredible copy looks barely played at all with two immaculate, little short of pristine playing surfaces and it offers Mint sound, yes Mint, this breathtaking example plays to absolute perfection start to finish and that’s not all…

Cat Number: LK 4661.

Mode / Speed: Mono / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 146 grams. A very good weight for this record.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: The earliest pressed copies of this album in anything like decent conditions are becoming very rare. This album when first issued included a highly controversial cover that caused a fair amount of controversy. Known as ‘The Blind Man Cover’, this included text that many thought highly offensive. The back cover stated amongst it’s text:

“Cast deep in your pockets for loot to buy this disc of groovies and fancy words. If you don’t have the bread, see that blind man knock him on the head, steal his wallet and low and behold you have the loot, if you put in the boot, good, another one sold!’.

Please see my close-up picture of this text on this cover’s back. Hardly surprising at the reaction this caused and Decca decided to withdraw this paragraph – so when reprinted, this offensive text was removed. As an intermediary action, the remaining unused covers were censored and ‘covered-up’. The new back panel text was pasted atop the existing ‘blind man’ covers, in a similar way to the US Beatles ‘Butcher Covers’. This is an original with the text there to be seen, this too on a cover that is as amazing as the record itself. Printed on the thinnest card almost possible to use, this ultra fragile sleeve is seldom seen in decent conditions, and this one is beyond decent, it merits close to the my top grading of Mint(-). Also this example has the two exterior rear flipbacks which are far rarer than the smooth-backs. Last, but hardly least, this record has the ultimate -1A / -1A matrixes has looks barely even played and offers sound that is totally pristine from start to finish. An original record and cover that time and the original owner has over-looked. I doubt if either have seen light-of-day for decades and this is a passage back to 1965 to experience what a once brand new copy of this legendary album looked and sounded like when first purchased. Only the inner sleeve has aged a little with the usual darkening. Not only is this the very best and earliest example of this album I have ever seen or heard, it’s quite possibly the very best 1960s Stones Decca album as well. The actual record has not too hard to find, but in this condition it’s incredibly difficult and few of this quality will be put on to the open market – this truly is a very special copy and even the connoisseur collectors can consider this one. A near ultimate copy and the possibly the best upgrade possible.

Original Year of Release: 1965

Matrix Nos: XARL-6619-1A / XARL-6620-1A

Stamper Codes: 2 C / 1 GU

Musicians: Mick Jagger – Brian Jones – Keith Richard – Bill Wyman – Charlie Watts.

Brief Artist & Album Info: Without doubt, as my 10th anniversary of selling on Ebay approaches, this has to be one of the most impressive items I have yet offered. Finding a copy of this early Stones classic like this is little short of remarkable. For all the reasons I have outlined above, this is an incredible find. Following on in a similar vein to the debut, this second album is slightly more polished and again produced by Andrew Loog Oldham. It also features three Jagger-Richard compositions. Classic beat-era Stones and including the original withdrawn or censored ‘Blind Man’s’ Cover as explained above. The ultimate -1A/-1A pressed record has barely been played and looks simply incredible. The much rarer flipbacked cover is also in exceptional condition. Most fans and collectors will know that album well enough for me not to waste time in long descriptions, I will concentrate more on the amazing conditions because, truly, I have or am unlikely to ever find another better than this.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High+: this was made with very flimsy thin card and rarely escapes heavy creasing and major laminate issues. Non-adhesion, blistering, even peeling are factors on this cover so often and any simply spoil it’s appearance. This one has the fragile flipback construction and they also present their own problems. The backs brown and grubby so easily too and few will avoid it, even if kept carefully. When one is seen largely devoid of these common ‘flaws’, you know you have something special, and this beauty really delivers.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(++): a single format and laminated with Clarifoil. This covers all the closed edges and ends via the spine and on to two rear external flipbacks (top and bottom). It was printed and made in England by James Upton Ltd on incredibly thin card. This has the prized original, uncensored ‘Blind Man’s’ text on the back panel as seen in my close-up photograph. This was later cover up and later removed altogether.

Lamination & Front: The front is little short of stunning: as fresh as manufacture day and incredibly, ALL is fully adhered with no lifting or blistering at all. Many are seen with massive blisters especially on the spine edge, but this has none and what a difference this makes for visual pleasure. With card so thin, few will ever avoid some creasing, this has very few indeed and any present are very fine and light and with normal visibility, they are even show. The laminate is ultra clear, very shiny with barely a trace of friction rubs or dulling. Any record impression is almost as light and inconspicuous as it ever could get. Card this fine is obviously intolerant of thick records, but without doubt, this has not been subjected to any undue pressures to make this impregnate into either side to any great degree. Again, any rim impression is only really seen under light and unless any owner removed the record from day one and never stored it inside from then on, all will show light record impression at the very least. Most will be heavily dulled around the rim and label areas but this is not the case here. Even with scrutiny under light, the laminate has barely any marks at all, even hairlines have been avoided and this surface has the lustre and freshness of a cover only a month or two old not 46 years. The care in preserving this fragile sleeve is more than commendable and I can only tip-my-hat to the original owner. The white borders are still just that – white, with no toning or darkening at all. Even the edges are crisp with only a tiny few ultra fine and small hairlines and a minuscule tip semi-crease bottom right corner tip. I am almost nit-picking now because for me, nothing is ever ‘perfect’, but this sensational front sets the standard and totally blows away it’s fantastic age. The lovely dark early Stones portraits will rarely, if ever, be seen better than this, and that is a promise.

Cover Back: Nice to see those rare flipbacks on this cover, most are smooth-backs. Just the two, top and bottom, the spine is standard flat. Both are thinner than seen on most flipbacked covers e.g. the E. J. Day and Garrod & Lofthouse types and these carry no text but are laminated. You can simply imagine how delicate these will be on card this thin. So many will burr and bend, become softened and lift and crack. Both here are very solid and clean and even retain a fine shine. The ends have minimal traces or burring with only ultra fine hairline surface creases that show little. The spine edge laminate end is clean and untoned and the main back panel is still a very fine shade of white with any discolour or grubbiness tiny. Barely any creasing to the matt surfaces and the lack of rubbing and ringwear is amazing. All the graphics and important text are pristine. The odd tiny tone spot or two (but look very hard indeed) and such a fragile back will prove immensely difficult to find better, this complements the outstanding front almost perfectly.

Top Edge: Unworn and very thin indeed, given that fact, this has remained as straight as it possibly could have been. Still fully laminated and dead smooth to the fingertip.

Bottom Edge: Exactly as above, not even a single scuff trace at all.

Right Edge(s), and Type: An incredibly fragile entrance edge indeed. This has remained sharp and still very white too. Minimal traces of any burring, thickening or softening and this is guaranteed untrimmed – and worth pointing out – NO tape has ever been applied to these edges, that would more than obvious. All this evidence more than reitterate, and almost proves the record has hardly ever made the trip outside. You can imagine the stressing such a thick and quite heavy record would put on this fragile edge. The total lack of thumb or pressure creases on this area (or anywhere) also emphasises this still further.

Spine and Text: Yes again, this sets a very high standard: no surprise again, this is thinly made but retains overall very fine shape with minimal traces of any compression. The ends are gently tapered in manufacture. A huge bonus here is the text is superbly centred on the limited depth of the spine and all is fully present and totally undamaged under the solid, clear and unpeeled laminate, even this retains a lovely shine and clarity.

Corners: One fine crease on the bottom left flipback end but anything else is tiny. Few corners this delicate and sold will ever get close, all retain exceptional shape with hardly any noteworthy wear.

Cover Summary: A classic Stones cover that really does take you back down memory lane. A beautiful example and probably undergraded EX(++), this is as close to Mint(-) as they ever could almost get and for such a ruthlessly uncompromising flimsy cover, this goes beyond exceptional. Certainly one I will not forget in a hurry and one from now on I will have to compare others to. One for the most discerning collector, this rarer flipbacked example almost speaks for itself and looks even better when seen for real. If any collector needs this, well they seldom get seen or offered better.

The Inner: EXCELLENT or close to. This patented Decca inner (with ‘Foreign patents pending) has only aged with the usual glue darkening on the seams that all remain intact. The polylining is secure and still very clear seen on two immaculate crisp circle windows. The corners have been lightly folded which was often done to secure the record inside to stop it sliding out. This vintage inner is date coded 056 and I feel looks just right for it’s considerable vintage.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: MINT(-): and I have rarely, if ever been more tempted to grade any mono record from the mid-60s full Mint than this. An incredible time-piece of excellence that totally blew me away. Barely any marks to be seen at all on two playing surfaces that in vinyl terms, are barely even run-in. This retains a lovely shine, freshness with even ultra fine hairlines hard to locate even under bright light. No scuffs, bag rash (for which these Decca inners are known, especially when not removed for decades) or barely a noteworthy blemish at all. Without any shadow of doubt, this record has hardly been handled or played and no damaging piledriver mono ‘needles’ have inflicted any ‘pain’ or distress to these immaculate wear-free grooves. Remember, just one play on a worn-out or chipped sapphire tipped pick-up or a single jolt or arm drop and the resulting damage was catastrophic – we have all seen and heard the results of such. These old record players tracked with massive down-force, often exceeding 10 grams, it’s no small wonder these precious vintage records were often close to being worn out within a few weeks. To find a classic like this – and a -1A/-1A example at that – still close to reminding of new is little short of a miracle. This is no exaggeration, just a plain fact. How many copies of this record will be found at fairs in this condition?, most written off with a maze of congested spindle marks and threadbare hole rims. Playing surfaces reminding of a battlefield rather than a brand new piece of polished glass. Price guides still do not value such diamonds highly enough as collectors know. In stamp collecting (another hobby of mine), catalogue values put realistic prices on ‘Mint’ examples – but ALSO put premium added values on exceptional pieces, and this copy is just that – exceptional. This is a 1965 mono record for the connoisseur, it’s that simple.

Album Played For Grading: Yes. [I play ALL records I offer before submitting to Ebay, also the record is played in its entirety unless clearly stated otherwise. I do NOT play snippets or joining grooves to check for sound quality and quietness – I play from the beginning to end via clinically revealing B&W speakers that include the legendary tweeter from their awesome Nautilus range that reveals every blemish or minuscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This remarkably preserved mono record even exceeds it’s Mint(-) visual grading and offers pristine perfect sound. This too being played on a highly revealing Linn-Naim system, a mono record that was not really designed to be played on high end stereo equipment. These early Stones albums are highly prone to all types of wear and abuse simply from overplaying, trips to parties and heavy-handed abuse on vintage, thick needled and heavy-armed record players. Many had chipped and poor quality pickups, rarely diamond. As the Decca inner sleeve reminds: sapphire tipped needles could only safely play around 100 sides before needing replacement and many chipped if dropped or the edge of the record was missed (please see my close of this vintage inner that shows this fact). This resulted in major damage to the whole record with the delicate groove walls stripped resulting in horrendous distortion and loss of focus – this has nothing like that whatsoever. Not even the remotest trace infact, this is totally focused, precise and one heck of a listen and totally devoid of any surface sounds, pops or clicks – one that Oldham and the boys themselves would be proud to listen to. My Rondo Red moving coil cartridge picked out details I swear I had never heard previously, and the power and dynamics of this unworn record was a delight I have hardly the words to express. The whole record came to life like never before, early Stones are not high fidelity masterpieces, but offer a raw and exciting sound that encaptures the era perfectly when they play as when first made. This simply took me back to the small smoky Working Men’s club in Halstead my parents (and grandparents) took me too back in the mid-60s where they played bingo most Saturday nights. After the games, the music played loud with all the ‘beat’ gems of the day that sent me to bed with slightly ringing ears, but laid down the foundation for my love of music thereafter. I can honestly say, there can be few copies around (that will be made available), that will match or better this incredible record that simply plays perfectly from beginning to end. My highest possible recommendation is mandatory, an absolutely STUNNING piece of recording history from the evergreen legends that are THE ROLLING STONES.

Now one of the most established sellers on Ebay and still offering the finest and most accurately described and graded records I can find. I pride myself on offering a variety of genres to keep my site as interesting as possible. I will rarely offer any record that falls below a true Excellent grading, unless its of a certain rarity which will justify offering a lesser grade. I try, to the best of my ability to describe as accurately and as honesty as I can all items I offer for sale with all the relevant information I can think of to help any potential bidder and collector. You may notice I only submit records sparingly on Ebay - on average ONEADAY, a couple more at weekends if time permits, hence the name - time rarely allows for more as I Play-Grade virtually every record I offer in their entirety, not just bits to guess a grade - visuals alone do not always tell a true or full story. I will mention any defects or flaws no matter how small that I notice to be fair as possible to any interested collector – I am very fussy and my buyers have the right to be too. Every record I offer, whether it be a common or rare item deserves the same respect as far as I am concerned and will be treated the same - just because an item is rare does not always mean its good. I get just as much pleasure offering a relatively common record in stunning near mint condition as the real rare items. All the pictures I use for your guidance are taken with a digital camera or scanned - they are NOT improved, cleaned-up or made better looking than they are with camera trickery or enhancing with digital programmes. What you see is what you get and scanned labels will give a more accurate representation of the genuine colour than flash photography where light is variable. I cannot guarantee total accuracy for colours however but most will be very close. If any picture I take looks more flattering than the actual item for any reason, I will clearly state the fact in the advert and vice-versa. I hope the item below is to your liking - any questions can be emailed and I will do my very best to answer you. I am enthusiastic, and have a fair degree of knowledge about many genres and I promise quality items - bid with confidence - excellence comes as standard and so does Near Mint regularly. Please assume all records I offer have NO jumps, sticks, warps or writing on covers or labels unless clearly stated to the contrary. Thanks for your interest and Good luck – MIKE.

Deck: Linn LP12/Hercules/Cirkus with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Rondo Red moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with QED Silver terminated cable). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional Moth vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too.

First-time, zero-rated bidders, who do not ask permission to bid, will be cancelled immediately and blocked – NO exceptions. For winning bidders who I consider excessively slow to make contact or submit payment, I will use my right to block future bids. If any bidder who wins in the final seconds is present to do so, surely they can at least email me to inform of intention and payment method? If swift or promp payment is a problem, please do not bid.

PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET - PLEASE SEE MY TYPICAL PACKING BOX PICTURE.

What You Get: To confirm to the strict Ebay rules on shipping, I must now send ALL my packets ‘Signed-For’ with NO exceptions. Both buyers and sellers want their packets to have a safer journey and this is not a bad thing.

I now offer the fastest possible posting, often the very next day after payment is received or within two to three days maximum (unless on holiday). I only use FIRST-CLASS Mail. The record’s cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my Moth Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. You will NOT get tired, dull looking, dust infested records inside worn and foggy covers with tatty inners from this seller and that’s a promise and guarantee. All records are posted in professional thick boxes (NOT Mailers or Cruciforms, these do not offer maximum protection). The record(s) REMOVED from their main cover to avoid edge splits and placed within a brand new polylined inner. The record’s original inner will be included if available. The boxes are then reinforced with THREE or EVEN FOUR ULTRA THICK stiffeners for maximum extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffeners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will even be Double Boxed if deemed necessary and possible. The thick record and stiffener ‘sandwich’ is then thickly embedded into bubble-wrap to bulk out the record inside the box to centre the item inside to reduce the risk of damage still further. Printed address labels are used for clarity as well as a sender label. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if at all possible but ‘Signed-For’ posting is NOT an option anymore. Please see my picture of a typical finished box packet that will now be used on ALL transactions as from now. I do not profit on posting and the cost of this lavish packing is NOT even charged for, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. These boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffners and bubble wrap make a near impregnable fortress for safe shipping and this is used inland and overseas for ALL my records, not just the rare and expensive. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than one in two thousand based on over 7,000+ items sold in nearly 10 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. The only damage rate acceptable for this seller is ZERO and I think my packets will offer just that. It would take a vicious postman or postal service to damage these for sure. Even one of these stiffners cannot be bent by hand, so what chance 3 or 4 inside a box? Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FOUR records per box (one double can sometimes be included subject to total weight). I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included here and on ALL of my adverts. Details below:

NOTE: First Time Bidders: I will cancel ALL first-time bidders with no feedbacks or excessive negatives who do not ask me if its OK to bid first – NO EXCEPTIONS.

Please Note: I will now offer any item to the runner-up after the mandatory Ebay 3 days if no contact is made by the winning bidder unless prior notice of any delay is given beforehand. The same applies if no payment is received within the mandatory 7 days so any bidder who has just lost out can still email me to reserve the item as priority second chance – it’s always worth asking.

SHIPPING COSTS & CONDITIONS – THESE comply with EBAY’S RULES - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY:

Posting & Packing: UK & CHANNEL ISLANDS all now sent via Recorded Delivery:

1 LP (FIRST-CLASS Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £2 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£40 maximum]) = £9. (insurance optional extra £3). Add £2.50 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); Australia; Canada; Japan and other Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £13. Add £4 per extra LP. (insurance optional extra £3)

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders or direct payment into my bank account.

Potential Bidders: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are time-wasters. A maximum 3 days for communication and 7 days for payment to arrive - if not I will relist the item or offer to the runner-up. Fast deals get great feedback from me. Any questions - please ask and thanks for looking.

My Guarantee: If any winning bidder is not satisfied with their purchase I will offer a complete refund. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer, so read the item description carefully. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help. Thank You.

SOME GENERAL GUIDES TO WEAR AND CONDITIONS TO HELP YOU DECIDE

My Use of Description Terminology: Surface Marks = Superficial, usually light marks, hairlines or light scuffs that rarely sound. Scratch = a needle mark that goes below the record’s surface, some will sound, some will not, my play-grade will inform. Original = a record that has been pressed with the first label design which does NOT necessarily mean a very first pressed record. First Pressing = A record that I believe or know to be a genuine very first pressed record. I do not claim to always know for sure, and that’s why I state the stamper and matrix numbers if at all possible, for those who claim to know what they all mean, the information is there for the collector to decide. I prefer to use terms like ‘Early Copy’ rather than ‘First Pressing’ if I am not totally sure. Surface Sound = Mild, light sound, usually light crackle or similar. Distortion = Break up of the actual sound caused by groove wear or damage from a chipped stylus – the most undesirable form of unwanted sound, vintage mono records were the most prone to this happening but not exclusively so. The symptoms of distortion are high frequency clipping, moderate constant crackle or an echo type sound quality. Violin, piano and vocals are most prone to groove-wear distortion. Feathering = Fraying or softening of the entry edge of a cover. Covers with feathered entrance edges are more likely to have had the actual record inserted and removed more than a non-feathered, sharp-edged cover which are always far more attractive. Set Off, actually a printer’s term for dark ink leaving mild residue on pale or white ink when rested upon. e.g. when a gatefold cover has black ink closed against white, this can leave some black residue on the pale area – this is mostly unavoidable or course.

The Argument for Vinyl Original sound and mix (mono mixes are rarely available on CD), high quality sound on clean copies (played on a hi-end dedicated analogue system – breathtaking sound!), beautiful, large format covers, artwork, inserts and even full size posters etc; huge investment potential, and the pleasure of owning ‘the real thing’.