ROLLING STONES Beggar's Banquet Stunning N/M UK LP

	£		45
	$		60

Hi, I am Mike, I am 46 and have been a music collector and enthusiast for over 33 years now. We all wish we could turn back the clock and buy those wonderful brand new records from the 60s and 70s, but alas, this is not possible; so I always try to offer the finest and most accurately described and graded records I can find. No vinyl/music lover really would choose to buy second-hand, but this is only way now to own these valuable, prized and ellusive items now. 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, hence the name - time rarely allows for more as I Play-Grade virtually every record I offer in their entirity, not just bits to guess a grade (on a Rega 3 deck with Ortofon cartridge) - 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 reader – 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. The only thing I cannot guarantee one hundred percent is exact colour matching - this depends on the lighting at the time and that is out of my control, but I feel sure most items will be very close to the actual real item. Variation can sometimes occur too in colour of the label scans and labels taken next to the sleeve with a digital camera, the scanned full label pictures should be the most accurate. If any picture I take looks more flattering than the actual item for any reason, I will clearly state the fact in the advert. 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 or sticks or writing on covers or labels unless clearly stated to the contrary. Thanks for your interest and Good luck – MIKE.

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. 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. Item wants are always welcome - email me with anything needed, you never know - I may just have a copy in stock. I by quality single items and collections also (Email me please if you have quality items for sale).

Debutant Bidders: Many sellers refuse first time buyers: I do not follow this practice (everybody has to start somewhere), but I would appreciate any first timer letting me know their intentions of their intended payment method and very prompt communication, preferably before any bid or soon after the auctions ends. This gives confidence that their intentions are honourable, and I in return guarantee extra special good feedbacks to get zero rated Ebayers off to a flying start to help them with future transactions. NOTE: I WILL NOT ACCEPT BIDS FROM UNREGISTERED USERS, I will cancel them immediately, and sorry, I cannot give valuations on people’s personal items just for their own curiosity, no item can be accurately valued blindly.

Please read all the information carefully - these adverts take an age to compile properly - so it’s well worth a few minutes of your time to read the details thoroughly. I really cannot take any responsibility if any bidder fails to read any facts that are clearly stated in the advert - Thankyou.

Artist or Band: THE ROLLING STONES

Album Title: Beggar’s Banquet

Track Listing: Sympathy for the Devil; No expectations; Dear Doctor; Parachute Woman; Jig-saw puzzle; Street Fighting Man; Prodigal Son; Stray Cat Blues; Factory Girl; Salt of the Earth.

Cat Number: SKL 4955 Stereo.

Label/Format and Condition: Decca blue label with boxed logo. ffss (Full Frequency Stereophonic Sound). Immaculate examples with very deep rich colour and with only a couple of light and faint spindle traces on each side. This stunning copy has probably been played no more than 2 to 3 times most, once by me for play-grading, from all the evidence. (Please see label scans for all information needed).

Country of Manufacture: England, UK

Rarity: Boxed Decca Stones albums are more common than the unboxed versions, or at least they were because even these seem to be drying up now. Stones collectors usually want both versions and finding near pristine copies of the later pressings is getting difficult now too.

Original Year of Release: 1968

Matrix Nos: XZAL 8476-1K and XZAL 8477-2K

Brief Artist & Album Info: A breathtaking masterpiece from 1968 - the Stones emerged into the post-flower power age with this declamatory selection. Producer Jimmy Miller was instrumental in rekindling a musical power that possessed renewed forcefulness and focus. R&B remained rooted at the group’s core - their version of R. Wilkins’ ‘Prodigal Son’ is captivating, while menace and anger ooze from what remain some of their finest compositions. None better than the two sublime moments: ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ and ‘Street Fighting Man’. Their career as ‘the world’s greatest rock ‘n’ roll band’ began with this album. This charted at 3 in the UK and 5 in the US, by this album’s standards, quite modest. Although this is a later pressing with the boxed logo type (they changed in 1970), even these seem to be disappearing now. And this one is in superb condition - it looks hardly played and this one plays near perfect. The cover too is gorgeous and its condition does full justice to the contents inside. A copy to be played and enjoyed and not to be dismissed simply because its a slightly later pressing. I am equally proud and committed to offering later pressings of high quality albums in superb condition, not everyone who enjoys the vinyl experience is in a position or chooses not to want to spend high amounts of the rare originals. This is a wonderful copy and will please both the average vinyl collector or the specialist audiophile that simply want clean lightly played records to enjoy.

Cover Condition and Details: Mint(-), gatefold type, laminated front and back. Printed in England by Robert Stace & Co Ltd. Without doubt one of the best covers I have seen for this classic, one for the connoisseur. Even though its laminated, this is often seen yellowed or even grubby. This one is clean and attractive, it looks fresh and although quite basic, it has class with the lovely gold bordering and fine script text.

Cover Lamination: Close to faultless unless being hyper-critical. This is super clean, shiny and virtually unmarked. No peeling or dry areas and almost devoid of creasing. Any present are the faint hairline types that hardly even show. This is near reference standard laminate, if only all covers looked this good and even though a later pressing, this is still quite an old vintage.

Cover Front: Clean and still very white, any ageing discolour is very light and minimal indeed. Hardly any surface marks to be seen, I can hardly imagine finding this front better.

Cover Back: Almost the same as front, the faintest hint of a press mark if again being really critical.

Cover Gatefold Inner: Immaculate, close to perfect, no rubbing or marks.

Cover Edges/Corners: Top: unworn. Bottom: unworn. Record entry edge (right): virtually perfect, clean and sharp, tiny crease on the front fact right at the very bottom (light and tiny). Spine: Solid and square and unworn, all text is pristine under the uncracked laminate - a stunning clean spine, this has the habit of cracking and becoming tatty quickly - you will not find this neater or more precise. Corners: All four show little wear at all and are still nicely shaped with strong pointed tips. Summary: A fantastic all round example of this lovely cover, one that would prove near impossible to find much better. This super item should please just about all collectors.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EX+/Mint(-) A superb copy, side one has one hairline type mark and side two has a another but smaller and even light. BOTH are superficial surface marks and no sound whatsoever. Its super clean and shiny and still pressed on heavy Decca vinyl - this label still did not compromise on quality even on their later repressings. Still deep grooved and superbly pressed. This copy has clearly been hardly played and bar these two light and minor marks this is still one of the cleanest copies of this album I have seen for some time.

Sound Quality: Decca always were one of the very best labels around, even the slightly later ones. This is no exception: my play-grade was a pure joy. This plays near perfectly, I can remember nothing untoward at all. Stunning detailed stereo sound with not even a hint of distortion or sound degrading - to be quite honest I can’t remember not a single derisory thing to mention. No pops, ticks, jumps or sticks, even surface sounds were generally conspicuous by their absence. This record will blow away any CD version, even the new card cover issues. I heard detail on this copy I simply have never heard before. Any vinyl fan will not want to miss out on this super strong, lightly played copy.

Mono vs Stereo: Always a matter of opinion. For any serious collector where there is a choice e.g. Beatles, Stones, Hendrix etc. both are essential. True Stereo albums give great imagery and presence whereas mono albums usually are more dynamic, louder and present the detail more clearly. Mono albums are far harder to find in genuinely top playing condition. Most were heavily played, particularly the truly great bands and artists, often covered in mark and scratches, many severe and labels that were a mass of spindle marks. The majority were played on vintage and unsubtle decks with heavy tonearms and thick styli (often sapphire, not diamond, that chipped more easily) that rendered heavy wear in a very short time to many a fine classic record. Wear to the delicate groove walls, particularly the innermost tracks to the labels were most vulnerable where the tracking angle became more severe and the backdrag actually stripped the delicate groove walls. This resulted in surface noise and mild/moderate distortion or worse. These old decks tracked by sheer weight and little of any refined engineering. Next time you see such a deck at a local record fayre, feel the weight of the arm, it almost makes you wonder how any records survived at all. The point of this paragraph is emphasise that when a truly clean, lightly played and great sounding 60s mono album (or stereo come to that) is offered, treasure it, because for sure they are truly getting vary rare and precious - beware - demand only play-graded records.

Album Played For Grading: Yes.

Final Summary: As soon as the stylus makes contact with the record and the first moments of ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ come out of the speakers you know you have a very special moment in popular music history. The unmistakable Jagger vocal - ‘Please allow me to introduce myself…’ - this still sends a shiver down the spine and sounds so much better on its ‘home’ album rather than compilations. Beggar’s Banquet for many is the Stones finest ever work - a tough call, but for sure its ONE of their best. Make no mistake how difficult it is now finding near mint and hardly played Stones LPs, okay a later pressing, but what the heck, if you want a copy that looks and plays near perfect, dont overlook this copy. It still has the look and feel of the original with that wonderful solid laminate with the mirror-like shine. The sounds embedded in these vintage grooves is testament to the greatness of this record and band. One to enjoy via the essential vinyl source for many years, no modern deck will wear this copy out - its almost close to new - enjoy it. – Mike.

Having the Powerseller Logo: This is recognition from Ebay for the highest possible customer services, satisfaction and quality, it should reassure any potential bidder that all items are described, graded and shipped to the highest standards possible. Customer care of the highest order is a standard feature here and I am proud to have achieved this recognised standard of excellence from Ebay with help from collectors and buyers from all over the World - I thank you all.

Payment Details please read carefully - I know its boring but essential:

UK First Class: = £3.00; Recorded Delivery (Recommended) = £5.50 Special Delivery (Next day, insured up to £250), the best service available = £7.00

Europe Air Mail: = £4 Insured: £8.00

Overseas, non-Europe e.g. USA, Japan, Australia etc. Airmail:= £7; Insured with recorded delivery (where available) = £11.00

Singles: (Packed to the high standards of the LPs)

UK First class: = £2.00 Insured: £4

Europe Air Mail = £3.00 Insured: £5.50

Overseas, non-Europe (as above) Airmail £3.50 Insured: £6.00

Doubles add extra £1, triples add extra £2. Box sets add extra £3 (£4 overseas and Europe)

Any item that sells for over £85 will be sent Special Delivery in the UK at no extra cost. Items over £125 get the same service Overseas. This is gives peace of mind for the winning bidder and myself for valuable items. Reduced postage of course for multiple items.

The winner bidder chooses his/her posting method and if uninsured is chosen, its their decision and they have to stick with it, I can accept no responsibility if an item is lost in the post. I can only try to claim at standard levels if no enhancement is chosen (£28). PLEASE NOTE: I will NOT use surface mail, its too slow, with a higher risk of loss and damage.

Mailing Details: Please note I do NOTprofit on postage (my packing standards are high and the package weighs a little more and I often actually lose money on this part of service - I simply refuse to compromise with poor packing. All records are sent in plastic covers with the record taken OUT of the sleeve and sent in professional mailers with FOUR professional stiffners for extra protection (if space allows), I do NOT use old cardboard boxes or cereal packets for protection. More expensive items are also inserted into a de-luxe heavy duty padded bag AS WELL to give that extra protection. I truly want ALL my items to arrive to their destination in the same condition they leave me. I will also include in most cases a brand new lined inner, but will include the original inner if available and in a condition to be worthwhile.

I can accept cash for payments worldwide in UK Pounds Sterling, Euros or US Dollars - but this at the senders OWN risk. Please send registered and insured if this method is chosen. I cannot accept responsibility if any cash payments do not turn up. This system is very reliable and rarely goes astray. The same goes for any shipped uninsured item, I can only try to claim for any undelivered or damaged article at basic insurance levels if no enhanced insurance is requested and paid for (unless the value threshold is high enough for me insure as standard, see above)

Overseas bidders please note conversion rates for Pounds to Dollars and Pounds to Euros will be charged at 1.7 to cover PayPal or cash conversion costs.

PLEASE NOTE: Any PayPal user can now pay me with UK Sterling if they wish with no need to convert to US dollars (although they still can if they wish to). Any instant PayPal transaction from anywhere in the world will mean the item will be sent immediately - it makes deals fast and very efficient.

Potential Bidders: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are timewasters. I now only accept PayPal, International money orders or cash from overseas bidders (UK Sterling, US dollars or Euros). Cash, cheques, postal orders and PayPal are fine from the UK. I allow maximum 3 days for communication and 7 days for payment to arrive - if this does not happen I will relist the item and may send negative feedback unless an explanation is given. Fast deals get great feedback from me. Any questions - please ask. Please keep watch on my Ebays, I have other interesting items coming very soon. Thanks for looking.

My Guarantee: As listening to every single record I offer all the way through is difficult timewise, can I make it clear if any winning bidder is not satisfied with their purchase I will offer a complete refund minus the Posting and All Ebay costs as long as the item detail has been read and understood. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer. I still endeavour to play all the items in their entirity for grading if at all possible and is usually the case.