RARE Rolling Stones Misprinted Label Honky Tonk WOMAN

	£		115
	$		152

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 Honky Tonk Heaven!

Honky Tonk Women is regarded by many Stones fans as their favourite song and it has indeed stood the test of time.  I've been listening to their music for 45 years and have to admit that it's probably my favourite.

The song was released in July 1969, 2 days after the death of Brian Jones and 1 day before the legendary Hyde Park concert at which homage was paid to Brian and the song was performed live for the first time by the remaining members of the band, Mick Jagger, Keith Richard, Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts and new recruit, Mick Taylor.

Although the title of the song is HONKY TONK WOMEN, it has been referred to wrongly as HONKY TONK WOMAN on countless occasions, even by record dealers offering copies of the single at top prices!  At least they could have spelled it correctly!

This brings us to the two records that are for sale and to a story of mystery and intrigue!  I have two copies of the record, but one is significantly different and much rarer than the other.  One copy is correctly titled on the label as HONKY TONK WOMEN, the other however, has a glaring spelling mistake and is titled on the label, HONKY TONK WOMAN and this is where the fun began for me!

I could not believe my eyes when I saw WOMAN instead of WOMEN and at first thought that it must have been a trick of the light.  I began researching the title and have spent many hours searching the internet, asking experts, fans, dealers and webmasters, all to no avail.  No-one has been able to offer any information on what must be a very rare misprint.  I've now reached a point where I have little information for a disproportionate amount of time spent on research. I know, it's only rock and roll but I like it!!
However, it now seems that the WOMAN is somewhat of a rarity, particularly as it does not appear to have been documented anywhere that I can find and that includes dozens of websites, dealers, fan sites and forums.  My current financial circumstances are such that I am selling the record, along with a correctly spelled version, so you'll have both copies for comparison.  I really do need the cash as I'm in between jobs and a bit 'pink lint'! (for non Brits = skint = broke!).  So, how much is it worth?  That will be for the bidders to decide, but I'm sure there will be a lot of interest from Stones collectors looking for a very rare copy of this classic song.

I have put photos of both copies, the wrong and right spelling, below so that you can compare the differences in the labels.  There are slight variations on other copies I have seen in regards to the positioning of the date, matrix number being inverted and arrangement of the Mirage Music BIEM NCB GEMA, but nowhere have I found WOMAN in the title.  I know that collectors will want to know the matrix numbers stamped into the run off area so I have listed them all below and have included photos that also show them.

The matrix numbers are:

HONKY TONK WOMAN - MISPELLED VERSION
Side 'A':    XDR - 45283 - T1 - 3C
Side 'B':    XDR - 45284 - T1 - 1C

JT is stamped separately in the run off area on both sides,

HONKY TONK WOMEN - MY OLD COPY
Side 'A':    XDR - 45283 - T1 - 1C
Side 'B':    XDR - 45284 - T1 - 2C

Much has been said about matrix numbers but no-one has been able to give me a definitive explanation of their significance; I wish I could have found an engineer who worked for Decca to corroborate what I have surmised from information available.

However, I think I can now shed some light on the matrix numbers/letters but cannot verify an exact dating system for the numbers.
I cannot guarantee that what I have found is 100% correct, but I have spent an inordinate amount of time researching this matrix 'mystery'.
From all the information I have received and scoured from the internet:

The letters XDR are still unexplained - some early Stones singles share these letters but a 1970s Thin Lizzy single has ZDR.

The 45283 was the main number assigned to a particular song so that the record could be identified and the correct label applied, hence the different numbers for each side - the numbers do not always run consecutively as some numbers were assigned when the song was recorded rather than when it was pressed, eg Honky Tonk Women/Sympathy with the Devil.

The T1 indicates Take 1, the first take/version of a song. Later pressings might be done with a revised, re-recorded or remixed version and would be referred to as T2, T3 etc.

The 1C, 2C, 3C indicate 1st Cut, 2nd Cut etc. A Mother copy would be used to produce a number of master copies used for pressing, that number depending on how many records were to be pressed. When a master copy showed signs of wear, damage or a loss in quality. it would be replaced with another master taken from the Mother, so it's possible that you could get a better quality pressing from an early 2C than a late 1C. So much for all the bullshit that some sellers/dealers give us about first pressings etc. Unless you know the engineer who pressed it, there's not much chance of knowing whether a record was first off the press or 5,000th.

As I stated above, I cannot guarantee that this interpretation of the matrix numbers is 100% accurate but is based on available information.  I do not wish to mislead anyone in any way and I am always honest with my descriptions.

I've just had another email from someone with a good knowledge of the Stones and of Decca labels - you can see his site at peterice.com/Stones.htm.  Apparently, there was a change in label design around August 1969 when the matrix numbers on the label were changed from being inverted to the correct way up, which, according to Peter, makes the misspelled copy an early, or first, pressing and the correctly spelled version a later pressing.  This however, does not necessarily match the numbers theory and cannot be conclusive.

If you happened to be a Decca pressing engineer in the 1960s, would you please contact me and solve this riddle, wrapped in a mystery, cloaked in a conundrum?!!!

The rare WOMAN copy is in excellent condition and looks to have been played very little as the vinyl is very clean, shiny and clearly defined; It does have that 'as new' look.  The WOMEN copy has been played considerably more and has some surface marks from use.  I cannot give a report on the audio quality as I sold my turntable some time ago, but on a visual inspection I would expect the WOMAN to play very cleanly while the WOMEN would probably have some noise on it.  However, it's the WOMAN version that is the real gem here and judging by the lack of knowledge regarding its existence, it's been like finding the Holy Grail!

If you have any questions or queries, however trivial they might be, please ask well before the end of the auction as I want the winning bidder to be completely satisfied with their purchase.  Please remember though, a winning bid is a legally binding obligation to buy, so be sure before you hit the button.

Best wishes and good luck.  John.

WOMAN

WOMEN

WOMAN

WOMEN

WOMAN

WOMEN

WOMAN

WOMEN

WOMAN

WOMEN

WOMAN

WOMEN

WOMAN

WOMEN

WOMAN

WOMEN

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