ROLLING STONES Exile on Main Street + RARE PROMO LETTER

	£		137
	$		182

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Artist or Band: THE ROLLING STONES

Album Title: Exile On Main Street.

Producer(s): Jimmy Miller.

Special Note: This is a very early pressed copy of this Stones classic, it belonged to a Radio One DJ of the late 60s and early 70s. It comes with a promotional letter typed out on paper which confirms the original intended date of issue which was Friday May 26. It explains the packaging and confirms dates of the 30-day tour of Canada and America beginning on June 3rd. I have scanned this rare promo letter and hope its big enough to read. A very rare original piece that enhances this album still further. Both these records play with fantastic sound and must rank as the best yet, both are almost like new. Rolling Stones Records were not quite as ‘polished’ as their previous label Decca and sometimes they do crackle but not these barely played pair. The set includes a Mint full set of se-tenant cards, both inners and a cover (for a change) with little wear. This evergreen classic that many regard as their greatest ever will rarely be found earlier or better than this - the promo letter is a lovely artifact for the connoisseur collector.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Rocks Off; Rip This Joint; Hip Shake; Casino Boogie; Tumbling Dice.

Side 2: Sweet Virginia; Torn & Frayed; Black Angel; Loving Cup.

Side 3: Happy; Turd on the Run; Ventilator Blues; Just Wanna See His Face; Let it Loose.

Side 4: All Down the Line; Stop Breaking Down; Shine a Light; Soul Survivor.

Label/Format: Rolling Stones - Please see label scan, all are practically the same.

Label Conditions: All four near immaculate: supremely clean and highly attractive with between one and three spindle marks. This copy is again from the DJ collection recently acquired and in barely played conditions.

Cat Number: COC 69100.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Warps: Assume all records I offer have no warping of any significance and all tracking is easy and effortless and should play on all turntables and even ‘budget’ decks.

Weight of these Records: 135 / 126 grams. [These days, many modern Audiophile reissues are pressed on super-heavyweight 180 gram vinyl. Only a small percentage of ‘vintage vinyl’ was ever pressed this heavy. Records pressed in the 1960s averaged around 140 to 150 grams. Records pressed in the 1970s were usually lighter and averaged more around 115 – 125 grams. Some records pressed around 1973 were very thin and light due an oil crisis and shortage around this time. Some records were even issued on recycled vinyl from this period and sounded poor with crackle and surface noise evident from the very first play. If any record I buy is deemed ‘recycled’, I will never offer it, I have a very simple test to detect these records if I suspect this to be the case other than audible imperfection. Some records from this period were even pressed on other materials the most notable was ‘Dynaflex’, used by RCA around this time. Although inferior to vinyl, this at least mostly sounded reasonably acceptable but pressings on this material were wafer thin and flimsy. Beyond the 70s, records often became thinner and lighter still but most played fine but were never quite the quality as from the ‘Golden Era’]. (This was based on ‘average’ weights for 20 records from these eras. Later pressings were usually lighter still).

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: I guess logic would say a fairly common album, it charted at one in the UK and US, and for sure it does show up reasonably often. But the early pressed copies included a strip of postcards depicting scenes from the ‘Fall From Exile on Main Street’ and they are not easily found now especially fully intact, complete and pristine Mint. How many of these would have been separated, used and lost? This vintage copy includes all 12, all still se tenant with no perferation pulls, all in fantastic condition. Also as mentioned above, this includes a pre-release promotional letter (please see my picture scan of this rare item - guaranteed original). Also this is a title that is more often seen with very poor covers. Tatty, grubby and often damaged from the inner gatefold storage. Both records are stored in the same right-side area putting huge stress on a single thickness spine. This usually results in splits and badly damaged spines. The problem exasperated still further by two card inner sleeves that were often rammed inside cause even more damage. Not only that, the front face is single thickness card and often is seen very creased with severely burred edges and highly prone to sticker tears too. This album when found complete, with two practically Mint records inside and all contents in superb conditions is quite rare, make no mistake about it. And lastly, the records are seldom heard devoid of some surface sounds, these are not Decca records which were usually immaculate. This pair are wonderful: well pressed and quiet throughout and totally devoid of that irritating crackle that marrs so many copies. I have heard this title many times and yet to hear one much better than this.

Original Year of Release: 1972

Matrix Nos: COC 69100 A2 / COC 69100 B1 / COC 69100 C2 / COC 69100 D2

Other Etchings: ‘ROLLING STONES RECORDS’ on all four sides. Also other italic numbers: ST RS 722507 / ST RS 722508 / ST RS 722509 / ST RS 722510

Brief Artist & Album Info: Regarded by many as their greatest ever album – not a view I personally share being honest. It’s a very fine album for sure but I still prefer Sticky Fingers, Beggars Banquet, Let it Bleed and Their Satanic Majesties Request. Unlike previous albums, this rampaging double set offers a thicker sound mix and balance that has always been something of a mystery. Faster material, more up-tempo, laden with riffs this is a very uplifting and entertaining and does include some wonderful songs. ‘Exile’ offered a new sound and a new dirction which most fans loved, and most thought it worked perfectly. This is a fantastic complete copy with both inners and one set of 12, still joined postcards, two immaculate quite thickly pressed early records and a very fine, little worn, neat, clean cover - also the rare promo letter. All four sides play beautifully, devoid of irritating crackle, and never take this for granted on this album. For Stones fans needing this gem, well this one sets a very high standard and will not be beaten easily.

Cover Grade and Format: EX (or very close too) and one of the better ones I have seen for some time. A gatefold format, unlaminated cover with central storage and single thickness front. Printed and made in England by Shorewood Packaging Ltd. Immensely difficult to find with such little wear or damage.

Cover Front: So vulnerable - wear and damage prone, this still looks very nice and has little to fault. A faint surface crease (but look hard), odd surface mark and a trace of toning on the left edge which is very mild indeed. These minor blemishes apart, little else to fault and this still looks very nice.

Cover Back: Clean, attractive, odd tiny crease. The most noteworthy blemish is a pressmark towards the top central - the culprit is obvious - that zip from ‘Sticky Fingers’. The owner stored his albums chronologically and this rested against the famous metal zip. Marks as small and light and only really show with angled viewing. No ringmarks or rubbing to either outer faces and both have more than stood the test of time well.

Cover Inner Gatefold: A few very light surface creases that again show little, being honest, I have seen few examples that avoid these. There is minimal wear and little stressing to the ultra delicate inner spine area and no splits to that delicate and vulnerable entrance edge. Just a tiny trace of feathering to the very top of the top but no splits which is again a real bonus. Both faces look attractive with just the odd minor surface mark or tiny blemish.

Top Edges: The top back edge has thickened a little on the very edge, this is often caused by storage within a protective outer sleeve, this cover is almost too thick for these especially the heavy-duty PVC ones – it’s pretty minor anyway. The thin front is still sharp, the main back edge has the odd small rub mark but finding these much better will prove difficult.

Bottom Edges: Mild thickening to the front, the thicker back has light+ surface rubbing.

Right Edge(s), and Type (the spine): A sealed edge where most records are stored, these are entered from the centre of the centrefold. Many covers like this see splits to the inner fold area and tearing to the actual entrance areas – this has none. This edge is the spine in affect as it has the title text etc which remains fully present and unworn bar a tiny chip on the ‘R’ in ‘STREET’. Little other wear up to the corners but some darkening to the white area or possible set-off. The delicate front edge is still quite sharp with just the odd minor, small burr to the end

Left Edge: The traditional spine edge, this has no text printed and has a few light patchy surface rubs, nothing major at all.

Corners: Overall these are in fine condition and these are so prone to wear and often major damage. The odd small tip crease and light tip rub but little more. All retain nice shape too.

Cover Summary: A strong all round example of this very fragile early 70’s cover, one that could prove hard to find much better. A very wear prone cover to say the least and this is still one of the better ones I have seen for some time. Any ‘box-like’ cover is more prone to wear and damage that most other types. This strong item should please many collectors but not the perfectionists - but finding this ‘perfect’ is a near impossible task these days.

The Illustrated Cards: All Mint as new and all still joined with no pulled perforations. Untorn, clean, no splits or creasing. Again these are seldom found like this and in most cases missing altogether or incomplete.

The Inners: Both mint as made, unlined card inners with no splits, clean and attractive and no creasing or ringmarks from the records. Try finding these better.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Tempted tograde this pair Mint but still reluctant to use that word even though these have clearly hardly been played. Often stored directly inside the hard inners which could never be kind to the playing surfaces, that’s why discerning collectors placed their records inside polylined inners as was the case here. These appear practically mark-free and look fantastic. I just about detected one ultra fine surface trace when closely scrutinised but worth mentioning almost for the sake of it.Both intense black, very shiny and very solidly pressed, thicker than later pressings. A pair barely even ‘run-in’ in vinyl terms, how many others will be found like this? The owner played records once or twice only and went on to the next batch of often free titles. Visually super records that should please all collectors.

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 snippetts 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 miniscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This super set play up to their high visual grading with nothing to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is as good as it ever can get with a very slightly muted production. Played loud this still has tremenous power and detail and is heard to best advantage. Unusually, barely any surface sounds at all and this is a SUPERB pressing, my best ever. Clearly little handled, both these records and the inside contents could pass for new. This sleeve does suffer discolour very easily and is so prone to rubbing etc, but the contents are almost factory-fresh as made. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this high class album, still considered a classic and one of the genuine all time greats by the vast majority. These records will prove nearly imposisble to find better than this and that’s a promise and guarantee.

End Piece: Delighted to offer another super copy of this album. As stated, it’s not too hard to find but few make the grade I wish to offer. Without doubt, this must rank as one of the very best I have seen or heard and, and those set of Mint cards and the rare promo letter are a real extra bonus too.

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 with Ittok Mk IV arm and Ortofon Samba Moving Coil cartridge (tracks at 1.8 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired). 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.

POSTING & PACKING: What You Get: I now offer the fastest possible posting, mostly the very next day after payment is received or within 48 hours maximum. All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT mailers) with 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 TWO thick stiffners for even extra protection. The cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW heavy duty 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. Printed address labels are used for clarity and well as sender label. 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. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if at all possible but NOT surface mail abroad. I never make profit on posting and offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends, with the total costs including ‘standard’ or ‘optional extra insurance’ P&P – ALL UK and Russian packets go out non-negotiable Recorded Delivery. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 4,000+ items sold in over 7 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional.

PLEASE NOTE: I will now only send packets to Russia with Recorded Delivery at a cost of £7 per single LP. If this is unacceptable to Russian collectors, please do not bid. I only want my records to arrive safely and this gives packets a better chance to do so. Also ALL UK packets will be sent with either Recorded or Special Delivery as standard (both have to be signed for). All shipping costs and rules can be found after my description. If they are not acceptable, please do not bid.

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 & OPTIONS:

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

1 LP (First Class Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4 (OPTIONAL).

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: ALL EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA (NOT RUSSIA, see below) (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £5.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £9 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: RUSSIA (Recorded Only, if this is unacceptable, please do not bid):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ only £7) = £9 (OPTIONAL extra insurance as above).

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

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £8.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £13 (OPTIONAL).

* If Rules allow for that country.

PLEASE NOTE: I always get a Royal Mail ‘Proof-of-Posting’ receipt for ALL packets that are sent out and I am happy to prove this to any customer who wishes to see it via email.

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders.

The customer can choose their method of shipping with the exception of second class or surface mail overseas – these I will NOT use. 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 (£39).

Potential Bidders: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are timewasters. 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 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. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help.

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 neccessarily 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’.