THE ROLLING STONES Their Satanic Majesties… RARE ORIG UK 1967 MONO LP.

	£		300
	$		398

Artist or Band: THE ROLLING STONES

Album Title: Their Satanic Majesties Request

Producer(s): Rolling Stones.

**THIS ITEM IS NOT THE REPRODUCED ITEM THIS IS THE ORIGINAL 1ST UK PRESS, THESE ARE VERY RARE AND SOUGHT AFTER ITEMS AND IN THIS CONDITION THEY ARE VERY VERY HARD TO COME BY, THIS IS A REALLY COLLECTABLE PIECE OF MEMORABILIA TO ANY COLLECTOR**

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Frontside: Sing This All Together; Citadel; In Another Land; 2000 Man; Sing This All Together (see what happens).

Side 2: Backside: She’s a Rainbow; The Lantern; Gomper; 2000 Light Years From Home; On With the Show.

Label/Format: Decca – original unboxed turquoise mono format with matt smooth surfaces with deep ridge.

Label Conditions: Both are very clean, fresh and attractive and at last, a mono copy without swathes of spindle marks. In fact, this has the least I have seen on a mono copy of this record. Just a tiny few, very light, fine and faint ones and this record looks very little played. The one blemish is the name of the one and only original owner on side two. This written neatly and quite inconspicuously in a blue-green colour that comes close to matching the actual label, so this really does detract little, and being honest, I did not even initially notice it. So the side two label has a blemish that may concern the purist, but this immensely difficult and quite elusive mono copy will never prove easy to find much better. Especially one offering quality looks and clean sound, always so difficult on this hugely complex album and recording.

Cat Number: TXL 103.

Mode / Speed: Mono / 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 this Record: 146 grams. A very good weight for any record.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Mono versions are difficult to find in lightly and carefully played condition. Most listeners at the time who chose the mono format (where there was indeed a choice), did so to play on the appropriate record players of the era. A supremely recorded high fidelity production with complex sounds and information. Highly intolerant of heavy-tracking and thick and often worn mono stylus. Most are seen in very poor conditions with sound to match, at it’s best, this is a phenominal recording with stunning dynamics, details and clarity. Finding lightly played examples is imperative, especially if they are to be played on more critically revealing stereo equipment. Personally, I regard it as one of the very best mono albums ever made, the delivery of the music and content is quite different from the stereo version, and this record does it nigh-on maximum justice.

Original Year of Release: 1967

Matrix Nos: ARL-8126-T2-3K / ARL-8127-T2-3K

Stamper Codes: 1 H / 1 H

Brief Artist & Album Info: This Stones will forever be compared to The Beatles Sgt Pepper - their 1967 psych album, many of the major acts of this time were producing albums in this style. Satanic Majesties has never received the full recognition I believe it really deserves. For sure, a massive change of direction from the previous albums and it all may have been too much for many of their fans. Often described as a ‘flawed classic’, but I have heard few flaws myself. A brave and compelling album, a little weird (by their standards) for sure but many moments and songs of true genius - ‘She’s a Rainbow’ and ‘2000 light years from Home’ always sound so much better on this ‘proper’ album rather than compilations, and both songs remain personal favourites within their singles catalogue. This album is a barrage of sound with brass, psychedelia and effects and for The Stones, a real one-off. For me it’s one of those albums that’s totally essential in both mono and stereo as they sound very different. The mono version is more robust with a more punchy sound with greater bass depth and warmth. The stereo version has wonderful imagery and presence. Take the brass blasting out of the speakers at the very start of side one - it hits you full in the face, and the album just does not let up - this is a very intense experience. Play this album loud and you will be left spinning. So often seen in a trashed state, or at best just well played (a sign of those times) with worn, often badly focused sound and even distortion and heavy crackle. The sonic delivery and complex production embedded in these grooves always made this one of the most prone-to-wear records ever made in this period. Early heavyweight mono record players quickly wore into those intricate grooves which ruined the sound. I have heard so few of these that play perfectly throughout, but this splendid copy gives of it’s very best with very little unwanted. With truly astonishing sound and detail and totally lacking that unwanted groove wear and scratch sounds, this is a diamond for more discerning Rolling Stones fan. Even the very intense start to side two plays to an exceptional standard and devoid of the focus loss and major crackle heard on so many. It’s quite clear to me this record has been played only lightly with any surface marks few, fine and light. No arm drops or jolts have occurred on this one and devoid of penetrating scratches. The odd trace of surface sound on the odd very quiet passage is near unavoidable on a 46-year-old mono record, especially when played on a super-critical LP12 stereo front-end turntable. But few available examples will better this significantly I feel sure unless clinical digital silence is mandatory. The cover shows little wear either and the ultra fragile, thin paper inner sleeve is beautiful and totally unsplit. Such copies do not come along often and are to be prized and treasured when they do.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High: very prone to damage and oven severe warping due to the adhesion of the 3D picture on the cover front. Atmospheric conditions e.g. humidy, cold and heat react with the glue and make this cover bow, often very badly so it becomes mishapen and even badly bent. Few of these will ever lay dead-flat these days.

Cover Condition and Details: EXCELLENT(++): the very famous 3D textured plastic tile cover – a gatefold format with a laminated front and back. The inside is matt, unprotected and smooth. It has the TXL mono prefix and was printed and made in England by Robert Stace. This is the very first format, original, NO peep-hole mono/stereo indicators, they came later in 1969. Includes the red and white inner sleeve.

Cover Lamination: This has always been a difficult cover and it can and does vary considerably in manufacture. The front laminate is superbly adhered and devoid of the crinkles or poor contact many seem to have. Both sides have no lifting and retaining a fresh deep shine, freshness and clarity. Quite possibly the least creasing – barely any of note – I have ever seen on this cover and no dulling, even viewed under angled light. No press marks or scuffs on the shiny card areas and the front lies generally flat with very little hint of bowing from which this cover can often suffer badly, as the 3D box plate adhesive reacts to temperature and humidity. Both sides remain very attractive indeed with rich deep unfaded colour.

The 3D Picture: This famous feature is also in very find condition. I have seen some of these saucer-shaped but this has reacted little to environment or changes over the years. There are some light surface marks and minor scuffs, again, seen mostly when viewed under angled light. Full-on viewing reveals little at all. A little fogging around the very edges where the adhesive was applied – this can vary immensely depending on how liberally it was applied, again this is one of the neater ones I have seen for this. The one small issue, purely within manufacture, it is not quite squarely mounted with a very fine strip of turquoise (the box guide for application) just seen to the right edge, and a super-fine trace on the top – this again is not at all unusual. I presume these 3D squares were hand-applied, and neatness to fixing again highly variable.

Cover Inner Gatefold: In terms of wear, this centrefold has barely any at all. The colour of the gorgeous artwork rich, clean and deep. No creasing, ring marks or ageing, just a faint trace of waving near the centrefold hinge being quite critical, this area will prove very difficult to find better.

Top Edges: Barely any rubbing at all, the back especially very neat and crisp. The single thickness front has only very mild traces of thickening with the odd small and light burr trace – again being very critical.

Bottom Edges: A little natural thickening, indeed very little indeed for a 46-year-old cover’s storage edge. With no damage or scuffing the printed areas of these edges, this is near remarkable.

Overall this Album LP is in extremely Excellent/very good condition for its age you will not see another item on eBay in the condition for a first press. I will post worldwide and shipping will be £15 outside of the UK standard, for the value of the item shipping in the UK is £7 for insurance purposes.