ROLLING STONES 'BEGGARS BANQUET' 1968 1ST UK PRESS STEREO SO RARE

	£		46
	$		61

YOU ARE BIDDING ON AN IMPOSSIBLY RARE UK 1ST PRESSING OF THE ROLLING STONES 'BEGGARS BANQUET'!!!

Here is the background to the record courtesy of Wikipedia:

Following the long sessions for the previous album in 1967 and the departure of producer and manager Andrew Loog Oldham, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards hired producer Jimmy Miller, who had produced the Spencer Davis Group and Traffic. The partnership would prove to be a success and Miller would work with the band until 1973.

In March, the band began recording their new album, aiming for a July release. One of the first tracks cut, "Jumpin' Jack Flash", was released only as a single in May 1968, becoming a major hit.

Beggars Banquet was Brian Jones' last full effort with the Rolling Stones. In addition to his slide guitar on "No Expectations", he played harmonica on "Dear Doctor", "Parachute Woman" (along with Mick Jagger) and "Prodigal Son"; sitar and tambura on "Street Fighting Man"; mellotron on "Jigsaw Puzzle"and "Stray Cat Blues", and sang backing vocals on "Sympathy for the Devil".[7] Jones also played an acoustic guitar part on Sympathy for the Devil, but it is not audible in the final mix of the song.

On 7 June 1968, a photoshoot for the album, with photographer Michael Joseph, was held at Sarum Chase, a mansion in London.[8]Previously unseen images from the shoot were exhibited at the Blink Gallery in London in November and December 2008.[9] On 9 September 1968, an WABC Radio News report stated that the release was delayed due to artwork for the album cover, a California artist's work was considered "too dirty to release".

Critics considered the LP as a return to form.[10] It was also a clear commercial success, reaching No. 3 in the UK and No. 5 in the US (on the way to eventual platinum status).

Early LP pressings of the album did not credit Rev. Robert Wilkins as the writer of "Prodigal Son" although the Stones' original "bathroom" cover did. The error was corrected on later pressings. Wilkins' performance of "Prodigal Son" at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival was included on the Vanguard LP Blues at Newport, Volume 2; that performance is similar to the Stones' cover.

On 10–11 December 1968 the band filmed a television extravaganza entitled The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus featuring John Lennon, Eric Clapton, The Who and Jethro Tull, Marianne Faithfull among the musical guests. One of the original aims of the project was to promote Beggars Banquet, but the film was shelved by the Rolling Stones until 1996, when it was finally released officially.

YOU ARE BIDDING ON AN INCREDIBLY RARE COPY OF THE FIRST EVER 1968 'UNBOXED' DECCA UK PRESSING OF AN 1968 ALBUM BY THE ROLLING STONES CALLED 'BEGGARS BANQUET'!!


ARTIST OR BAND: ROLLING STONES
ALBUM TITLE: BEGGARS BANQUET
TRACKLIST:
SIDE ONE: SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL, NO EXPECTATIONS, DEAR DOCTOR, PARACHUTE WOMAN, JIG-SAW PUZZLE
SIDE TWO: STREET FIGHTING MAN, PRODIGAL SON, STRAY CAT BLUES, FACTORY GIRL, SALT OF THE EARTH
LABEL: 1ST PRESSING 'UNBOXED' DECCA LABEL (UK). EXCELLENT CONDITION SMOOTH BLUE / SILVER DECCA  RECORDS UK PRESSING FOR EARLIEST EVER 1ST STEREO PRESSING!!
LABEL CONDITIONS: BOTH EXCELLENT CONDITION, WITH MINIMAL SPINDLE MARKS AND NO LABELS DAMAGE AT ALL!! NO WRITING, SMUDGES, SPINDLE DAMAGE WHATSOEVER!!
CATALOGUE NUMBER: SKL 4955 EARLIEST EVER AND IMPOSSIBLY RARE 1968 PRESSING IN STEREO!!
RECORD SPEED:  '33 1/3rd r.p.m.'
WARPS: PLEASE ASSUME THAT THE RECORD LIES FLAT AND PLAYS WELL
COUNTRY OF MANUFACTURE: LABELS ARE MARKED 'MADE IN ENGLAND BY THE DECCA RECORD CO.LTD, LONDON'
RARITY: DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE RARITY OF THIS RECORD!! HERE IS A LIST OF REASONS WHY THIS IS SUCH A SPECIAL AND 'AWESOME' CONDITION RECORD THAT IS FOURTY FOUR YEARS OLD!!:

THIS PRESSING WAS ALMOST IMMEDIATELY DELETED!! MOST SELLERS ARE OFFERING MUCH LATER SEVENTIES AND EIGHTIES RE-PRESSINGS, WITH THE COMMON DECCA LOGO ENCLOSED WITHIN A BOX!!
ORIGINAL 1968 1ST PRESSING ON 1ST PRESS 'UNBOXED' DECCA  BLUE / SILVER LABELS
GATEFOLD SLEEVE WITH WIDE SPINE TEXT ONLY AVAILABLE ON EARLIEST PRESSINGS!
1ST PRESS 1K STEREO MATRIX ENDINGS
1ST PRESS GARROD & LOFTHOUSE GATEFOLD  & OUTER LAMINATED  COVER, WITH 'PATENTS PENDING'!!! (SEE PHOTO'S)
ORIGINAL YEAR OF RELEASE: 1968
MATRIX NUMBERS: SIDE ONE  XZAL - 8476-1K SIDE TWO XZAL - 8477-1K
STAMPER CODES: 'GA / UG / JT' SUCH AN EARLY PRESSING!! 
RUN OUT ETCHINGS: NONE ON RECORD
BRIEF INFO: SIMPLY STUNNING RECORDING AND RETURN TO FORM BY THE GENIUS THAT IS THE ROLLING STONES!! 
COVER GRADE & FORMAT: THIS IS AN EXCELLENT 'GARROD & LOFTHOUSE' COVER IN EXCELLENT  CONDITION!! THIS IS THE 1ST PRESSING GATEFOLD EXTERNALLY LAMINATED COVER PRODUCED BY GARROD AND LOFTHOUSE, WITH 'PATENTS PENDING' CLEARLY MARKED!! (SEE PHOTO'S)
COVER FRONT: A REALLY GOOD EXAMPLE OF THIS SUPER ALBUM!! MOST COPIES OFFERED ARE MUCH LATER EARLY SEVENTIES COPIES ON 'BOXED' DECCA LABELS *** THIS IS A GENUINE 1968 1ST PRESS!!*** VERY FLAT FRONT PANEL, WITH TINY IF ANY  EDGE WEAR ON THE FRONT TOP AND BOTTOM EDGES OF THE PANEL. COVER IS NICE AND SHINY WITH MINIMAL 'RUBBING' AND MARKS  WITHIN THE LAMINATE PANEL. MINIMAL CREASING AND LIFTING WITHIN THE LAMINATE. THIS IS NOT AN ULTIMATE UPGRADE COPY IN MINT CONDITION, BUT VERY PRESENTABLE AND IN EXCELLENT CONDITION NONE THE LESS OF A RARE ALBUM
COVER BACK: VERY MUCH LIKE THE FRONT PANEL AND EXCELLENT CONDITION, THIS COVER IS BRIGHT AND CLEAN WITH MINIMAL / TINY  RUBBING WITHIN THE LAMINATE, WITH VERY MINIMAL / TINY, TINY  CREASING!!! GREAT COVER!! SLEEVE EAR IS MARKED 'C.1968 THE DECCA RECORD COMPANY LIMITED, LONDON'. AND THE ALL IMPORTANT 'SLEEVE PRINTED BY GARROD AND LOFTHOUSE INTERNATIONAL LIMITED. PATENTS PENDING'!!
COVER CENTREFOLD: THIS IS A DOUBLE GATEFOLD  SLEEVE THAT DOES OPEN OUT INTO A COLOURED GATEFOLD SLEEVE, IN SUPER / EXCELLENT CONDITION!!'!!
TOP & BOTTOM EDGES: TOP EDGES ARE IN EXCELLENT CONDITION, AND PROTECTED BY LAMINATE ON ALL EDGES, WITH NO SPLITS OR TEARS
RIGHT EDGE: SIMPLY EXCELLENT WITHIN MINIMAL CREASING AND MINIMAL IF ANY EDGEWEAR ON THE OPENING EDGE!
SPINE AND TEXT: SUPER RARE EXTRA WIDE SPINE COVER!! SO RARE!! INCLUDES THE WORDS ' LUMPY GRAVY - ABNUCEALS EMUUKHA ELECTRIC SYMPHONY ORCHESRA & CHORUS
CORNERS: ALL ARE IN EXCELLENT CONDITION, WITH MINOR WEAR ON ALL EDGES OTHER THAN THE TOP LEFT PART OF THE SPINE, WHICH HAS MODERATE WEAR ACROSS 2-3MM OF THE EDGE
THE INNER SLEEVE: AT LEAST EXCELLENT CONDITION!! MINIMAL CREASING AND YELLOWING POLY-LINED SLEEVE!! (SEE PHOTO'S). PLEASE REMEMBER THAT THIS IS THE ORIGINAL, 1ST PRESS INNER FROM FORTY FOUR YEARS AGO!! CONTAINS THE WORDING 'PATENTS APPLIED FOR' AND 'MADE IN GREAT BRITAIN'. MINIMAL PENCIL MARKS ON TOP RIGHT HAND CORNER BUT UNOBTRUSIVE.
VINYL CONDITION: THIS RECORD IS VERY GOOD PLUS (+) CONDITION!! I GRADE VERY CRITICALLY!! HEAVYWEIGHT PRESSING WITH MINOR PAPER SCUFFS AND A COUPLE NAIL MARKINGS. STILL RETAINS A VERY NICE SHINE AND VERY, VERY SOLID COPY OF THIS SUPER RARE ALBUM!!
ALBUM PLAYBACK: MY ALBUMS ARE ALWAYS PLAYED ALL THE WAY THROUGH TO ENSURE ACCURATE GRADING AND FULL CUSTOMER SATISFACTION. I AM SO DELIGHTED THAT THIS RECORD PLAYS AS WELL AS IT LOOKS!! PLAYBACK MUST AS EXCELLENT (-) MINUS THROUGHOUT MY PLAY THE RECORD DID NOT JUMP OR STICK AT ALL! I NOTICED NO NASTY POPS, WITH MINOR CRACKLE / BACKGROUND NOISE WITHIN THE QUITE SECTIONS AND RUN-IN'S ON THE PLAYBACK!!
SO THERE YOU HAVE IT!! A SUPERB PRESSING FOR ANY ROLLING STONES  FAN!! I OFFER FANTASTIC SERVICE, WITH SUPERB AND SAFE PACKAGING, AND SUPER FAST DELIVERIES.
BID WITH CONFIDENCE!!!