ROLLING STONES Let It Bleed 1969 Decca 1st Stereo MINT ARCHIVE

	£		39
	$		52

Firstly, I am NOT a record dealer, but I am a record collector. The LP's I am selling are from my personal collection that I am selling due to a combination of downsizing and upgrading. 
This is something REALLY special! Here is a seriously rare ORIGINAL pressing of the Rolling Stones' 1969 LP 'Let It Bleed'. This was their last album to feature Brian Jones (albeit with him making minimal contributions) and is also regarded as one of their best albums. This is the FIRST edition of the album on the boxed Decca label, circa 1970/71. HOWEVER it carries the SAME matrix as the initial 'unboxed' Decca label pressings: -1W on side one and -2W on side 2. This is the EARLIEST stereo mix of the album and the vinyl is the same quality as the 1969 pressing. Not only that, it also features the ORIGINAL poster, which was only included on initial pressings and was lost on many of them! As if that wasn't enough, this particular copy is IN MINT CONDITION!!! I doubt you'd ever find a better copy. This has clearly been VERY well looked after from new (I've taken extremely good care of it during my ownership too) and it can't have had many plays in its lifetime at all. This is a serious upgrade for serious Rolling Stones' fans - DO NOT MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY TO ACQUIRE THIS COPY!!!
**NOTE** Please read the description thoroughly before bidding. I've gone into extreme detail about every little thing about this LP as I do not want the winning bidder to be disappointed. Please bear in mind that I am describing EVERY little flaw as a SERIOUS COLLECTOR like myself would view it. I'm sure the winning bidder will be delighted with this LP!!! 

The cover is beautiful. The front laminate is stunning with NO CREASES, NO DELAMINATION, NO RIPS, NO TEARS and NO WRITING. The laminate stops short of the opening edge of the sleeve by three to four millimetres, as this was how it was pressed. The TINY unlaminated section has collected a little dirt from the original glue and I'm sure you could clean this off if you so wish. IT DOES NOT detract from the over all appearance of the sleeve. Moving on to the spine, there is one TINY crease in the spine about half way up (less than 1cm, but I'm mentioning it) and it is only visible under STRONG light. The spine is PERFECT otherwise. It is FULLY LEGIBLE and the edges are PERFECT with no damage. The back cover retains its full colour. The laminate wraps onto the rear cover by about 1cm. The rest of the rear is unlaminated. It includes the 'poster included' text. There is also a TINY number '32' written in pen in the far top left corner. Other than that it is near perfect. REMEMBER - I'M BEING MEGA, MEGA STRICT WITH THIS COVER AS I'M ADVERTISING IT AS MINT AND I DO NOT WANT THE WINNING BIDDER TO BE DISAPPOINTED!!! I'm grading the cover a MEGA STRICT Excellent+++ according to STRICT RECORD COLLECTOR GRADING STANDARDS TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT. This record has not been overgraded in any way. The poster is included, and I've carefully opened this up to check its condition. I'm grading it Very Good. Despite it looking like it has never been opened, there's some slight moisture marks along one fold. But other than this, it is in amazing shape (please examine photos!!)
The Decca labels are STUNNING and reveal no signs of use. They're PERFECT and free from damage - just look at the pictures!!!. 
As a result of the record grading Mint, I am going to describe and grade each track individually to emphasise the stunning condition of the record. I've tried to keep each description brief, so please take your time to read the following description: 
Each track is described and then the grading for that track follows at the end of the description (emphasised in BOLD).
SIDE 1:
1. GIMMIE SHELTER  The run in to the track is virtually silent with only the typical vinyl 'rumble' audible. Once the first few guitar notes start, the clarity is beautiful and the 'rumble' is soon forgotten. The drums sound sharp and the bass sounds gorgeous!! Mick Jagger's vocal is clear and prominent in the mix. There is NO SURFACE NOISE TO SPEAK OF AT ALL and the audio is so flawless, that it could be mistaken for a CD!! Being MEGA strict, when listening through headphones, there's the odd TINY 'built in' crackle audible early on in the track. This is down to how records are pressed and NOT down to deterioration. I've had brand new LP's from a shop that have more noise than this!! NEAR MINT
2. LOVE IN VAIN There are two VERY MINUTE "built in" crackles between 'Gimme Shelter' and 'Love In Vain', but once the acoustic guitar starts, the sound is stunning. Charlie Watts' drums sound fantastic and the clarity is beautiful. I'd say much better than the current CD release! I can hear one little crackle on the guitar solo section towards the end of the song, but I only noticed this through headphones. NEAR MINT++
3. COUNTRY HONK Beautiful clarity, especially on the violin part. Of course, this track is the predecessor to 'Honky Tonk Woman', and although it is not quite as good as the latter single, is certainly a strong track from the album. There is one click/pop on the final chorus just after the line "she's a Honky Tonk...". But other than that, it sounds superb! EXCELLENT+
4. LIVE WITH ME The pounding bass at the begging sounds great! Huge depth in the sound on vinyl. The track sounds amazing, stunning clarity - especially on the saxophone solo. Charlie's pounding drums sound crystal clear throughout. No faults to report, not even built in ones! MINT
5. LET IT BLEED Totally silent link between 'Live With Me' and 'Let It Bleed'. Again, the clarity is stunning. If I'm being MEGA picky, there's some VERY SLIGHT distortion on the cymbals towards the end of the track (if you know how a vinyl is pressed, then you'll know why this is). This is a built in floor and is NOT deterioration of the sound. Also, there is ONE light pop at the end of the track as it's virtually faded out. This DOES NOT interfere with the audio much as it's virtually faded out completely by this point. NEAR MINT-

Side 2:
1. MIDNIGHT RAMBLER The run in to this track is virtually silent, aside form the usual built in vinyl 'rumble'. The sound is very crisp and clear, especially on Mick's vocal. This track is notable as being one of only two tracks on the album that Brian Jones played on, with him playing percussion. The drums sound wonderful and sharp, and the bass has a great depth to it. Fault wise, there is one tiny crackle in the first verse. Even the quiet section in the middle is free from any faults other than the off little very light crackle when I listened through headphones. NEAR MINT
2. YOU GOT THE SILVER Brian Jones' other contribution is to this track, he plays a mouth harp. This is also the first vocal solo track from Keith Richards. The run in from 'Midnight Rambler' to 'You Got The Silver' is silent. The clarity is stunning, especially the drums and the slide guitar. No flaws to report at all - stunning! MINT
3. MONKEY MAN Great track. The light high register piano motifs at the beginning sound fantastic on vinyl! The track sounds stunning, especially on vinyl. The bass has a wonderful depth to it. There is one TINY crackle during the introduction that does NOT detract from the sound. I'd suggest that this crackle is of the 'built in' static type. The drums sound fantastic, especially on the solo section after the chorus. NEAR MINT+
4. YOU CAN'T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT What an epic track to end the album with! This was the most elaborate Rolling Stones' track to date! The 60 piece choir sounds much better in stereo than in mono. The link between 'Monkey Man' and 'You Can't Always Get What You Want' is silent, but during the acapella choir section, there is some VERY LIGHT crackle, barely noticeable through speakers, but I noticed it a little bit through headphones. Fantastic sonic quality to this track, sounding very sharp on vinyl. The whole track plays through amazingly with no noticeable flaws. NEAR MINT
Thank you for taking your time to read the description. If you need anything clarifying, or would like more info or even sound clips, then do not hesitate to ask me. I will add that this vinyl and sleeve has NOT been cleaned by me, so there may be chance for you to make it even better by cleaning it. Chances to buy this LP in this condition do not come up often, so DO NOT MISS YOUR OPPORTUNITY to acquire this AMAZING album!! 


Postage will be £3.00 for First Class post to the UK Only. Mainland Europe (excluding France and Italy) will be £7 for standard delivery. I will also post to America, but please contact me BEFORE BIDDING for an exact quote. If you're wanting me to post to another country, please ask BEFORE BIDDING! It is my policy not to over-charge on postage, so any over-charges will be refunded. All LP's are sent in custom mailers, with card packing, a protective sleeve and the record removed from the sleeve to avoid damage. 
Finally, the auction will start at £39 with NO RESERVE and will continue to the end. Any questions at all, feel free to ask. Happy bidding and good luck!!!