ROLLING STONES Satanic Majesties UK orig 3D cover+inner

	£		111
	$		147

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. 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.

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Artist or Band: THE ROLLING STONES

Album Title: Their Satanic Majesties Request

Cat Number: TXS 103 Stereo (this was also issued in mono).

Label and Condition: Decca, orig green unboxed format with ffss logo (Full Frequency Stereophonic Sound). These labels, scarcely seen in green, most Decca stereos were blue, retain a lovely freshness and only show very light/light spindle traces. The hugely important areas around the centre hole show virtually zero wear, all the ink is still solid and uneroded. Fit around my Rega spindle is still firm, this has not been played too many times, that’s for certain. (Please see label scans for all information needed, sorry if my pictures are slightly less defined that usual, silver ink does not scan well due to reflection, I hope any information can be seen, if not just ask me for anything unclear that needs verification).

Country of Manufacture: England, UK

Rarity: Early copies of this album are now getting very scarce. This is a very strong copy that comes with the Original 3D cover and the delicate thin paper psych inner. Demand is exceeding supply of classic Stones albums, and this is one of the most sort after. Super copies that play well with strong covers are getting very ellusive these days.

Original Year of Release: 1967

Matrix Nos:

Brief Artist & Album Info: Issued in 1967, the summer of love, this psych classic did not meet with universal critical approval - the fans were probably shocked by its strange, even weird content, a large majority could not handle the huge change of direction after the early RnB format. But the previous albums hinted at progression and this came to full fruition on this highly adventurous set - even the cover, now one of the most famous from those surreal days, was unique. Beautifully packaged and containing some sublime songs this is a aural treasure trove and the sound and production were amongst the most powerful from those days. This album, especially the mono version, did not enjoy any abuse from overplaying or those heavy old decks. These complex grooves which embedded vast frequency ranges often got torn to shreds resulting in mild to heavy distortion and sound bread up. (Please see my paragraph on mono vs stereo further down). This vintage copy looks only lightly played and the sound reproduction proves this - this looks and plays supremely well. The cover is lovely and bar one small laminate peel on the front bottom right (this may just about show up, look hard to see it on the front cover picture) this will rank as one of the best I have seen for some considerable time. That important inner too, is superb and even unsplit, which is nothing short of remarkable, it is made from some of the thinnest paper you can imagine, how this has survived in this condition is pretty amazing. Satanic Majestieswas more than just a rival to Sgt Pepper, at times, for me, the Stones rarely sounded better. This is roller-coaster ride of an album - two of their very finest songs ever are included in ‘She’s a Rainbow’ and ‘2,000 Light Years From Home’ - these always sound so much better on their ‘home’ album rather than compilations where the feeling just goes. This is a unique psych experience. The sounds, even from the very opening, with the loud blaring horns that hit you right between the eyes are as intense as anything recorded from that greatest year ever in popular music - just look at the albums made in that year. Via vinyl this will blow you away and even those lovely CD reissues dont quite match this. The fine details and little sounds just dont quite make it through - and of course the cover, does a CD version ever come close to this - I think not. This fragile 3D picture is very nice with only light surface marks that are totally invisible under normal viewing. Under angled light they can be seen but this is among one of the very best I have had yet. Its dead flat too, this can bend and distort if kept in unappropriate conditions. e.g. too cold, damp or hot, the gum that attaches this thick picture to the cover will distort rather like the gum on a postage stamp. We all have seen them curl and bend at sometime, and the effect on this cover is the same, so store this cover carefully - this is dead flat. So a very strong copy that will appeal to most collectors, this is investment quality and will appreciate in value fast, its better than cash in the bank.Good enough for the connoisseur or serious Stones collector? - a close one, the smallish laminate chip and a few light surface marks to consider, but taken into context of age and what many are found like this is still strongly worthy of consideration. It looks lovely, plays superbly and sets a high standard and challenge to be beaten easily.

Cover Grade and Format: EX+, minus that small laminate peel this could be even close to the Mint(-) grading just. This is a gatefold format with the original 3D picture. It has NO mono/stereo hole on the back and it was made in England by Robert Stace. As most will already know, later pressings of this album did NOT have the 3D picture, it was replaced by a standard non-3D version - still very much worth having as well as the stunning artwork can be seen more clearly - both are essential for any Stones collector. This looks superb and sets a high standard, more below.

Cover Lamination: Yes, front and back, Lovely and clean with a deep rich shine. Last mention of that small peel on the front right edge, its approx 1in x 0.3 in, yes pretty small. No other peeling or dry areas and this shows little creasing bar the odd hairline type near the spine edge, almost impossible to find 60s cover devoid of this, its all minor and little even shows. Clean with no indentations, even surface traces are almost nil - the back is astonishing and close to perfect with a lovely fresh look and feel. No ringwear or even a pressmark, this has survived all these years in supreme condition.

Cover Front and 3D Picture: Majestic! - yes this looks real nice. The front border areas are a deep rich blue under the strong laminate. That small area apart this is near flawless. The 3D picture is strong, how many of these will appear as new would few I would guess. This is NOT as new, but as stated this looks lovely and its dead flat - when these curl they are damn near impossible to flatten again - I have seen some that resemble a banana in shape so beware, store this carefully avoid any moisture. There are some surface hairline type marks but these do not show unless the picture is closely scrutinized - normal viewing this simply looks superb. Still fully and firmly attached on all sides and corners and there is no wear to any of the pictures sides. A very fine example.

Cover Back: One of the very best examples I have ever seen for this back, this always seems to attract ringwear and creasing but this one is close to perfect and its very clean too, it could almost pass for new. The richness of the stunning artwork has to be seen.

Cover Gatefold Inner: Pristine, gorgeous artwork and this will never be bettered.

Top Edge: Faint rub hint on the centre area of the back face, very minor indeed.

Bottom Edge: Light, but neat rub only, a little more towards the very right side. This light rubbing does NOT encroach onto the front and back or centrefold main face viewing areas.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with little wear. Record enters on right outside back edge.

Spine and Text: Magnificent: Solid and square with no wear, text is near perfect and unworn under the uncracked laminate.

Corners: All show remarkably show little wear at all, even the tips have survived well. All still nicely shaped too.

Cover Summary: A very strong all round example of this fragile 60’s classic cover, one that could prove hard to find all round significantly better. This lovely item should please most collectors.

Inner: This is even harder to find in top shape than a 3D cover. Printed both sides in a lovely deep Crimson ink on the thinnest paper you can imagine. This is always found ruffled or creased at best. Finding one devoid of splits is close to impossible, beware of cleverly repaired examples or even fakes! This has to be the best one I have found - yes it’s unsplit, and very clean and neat. Virtually ruffle-free and any creasing is very, very light. No tears, repairs or stains, this inner does full justice to its importance, again this was not included in later pressings. I doubt if a better one will appear often.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EX+/EX++ A superb copy with just the odd faint surface mark or small light scuff - all, well 99.9 is superficial and virtually nothing sounds. The couple of marks are light, cannot be felt and the stylus simply ignores them on this vintage deep grooved copy. Clean with good shine, and jet black and of course pressed on thick heavy Decca vinyl. A copy with minimal plays on all the evidence. Visually a very nice record that should please most collectors again.

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: Sound grading on this album is vitally important - all records are, but this one especially as I find copies that can appear visually fine can often be let down by audio playback. Groove damage does not show visually. I have already stated this particular record does not tolerate any abuse or overplaying on old equipment, and I reiterate this again. High intensity hi-fi recordings this age with complex groove patterns were most intolerant of old tin boxes that often played them. That brass blast on the opening grooves often breaks into heavy distortion and clips horribly, things get worse towards the inner bands and can often be unlistenable. NOT ON THIS COPY. This super record plays up to its high visual grading with little to fault and even easily exceeds the strong visual playing for the most part near mint+. Superb, undistorted sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear. Very few ticks and no pops and a fine pressing, any surface sounds are minimal indeed. Any ticks, and there are VERY few at all, are very light and almost anything is lost in the very loud stereo mix. Both channels are clean and unstressed, I feel very sure this record has been played little and has been well stored and looked after, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Little, if anything spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this gem. The sheer intensity of the sound takes the breath away, I am sure the fine detail is simply not on the CD version, the mix too is very different to the mono version - both are essential of course. This copy will prove near impossible to find that will sound better.

Mono vs Stereo, an overview: Always a matter of opinion which is better or more important. 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. As a general guide to rarity, mono was the far more common format from 61–65; Around 66–67 the balance was roughly equal, then from 68-69 the balance swung more to stereo, making monos from these dates far scarcer, even rare - this guide is important and effects values greatly.

Track Listing: Sing this all together; Citadel; In another land; 2,000 man; Sing this all together (See what happens); She’s a rainbow; The lantern; Gomper; 2,000 light years from home; On with the show.

Album Played For Grading: Yes.

Final Summary: For me one of their very best, I prefer my music with an edge, and boy this certainly has that. The sound on this record can leave you awestruck, play it loud. Certainly a bold release, but most bands were making at least one psych album at this time, this maybe for some went a bit too far - its really not that commercial and if not having a Rolling Stones name on it, probably would have sold poorly. Time has seen this album more favourably and its more accepted now as another classic Stones album. The genius of Brian Jones is apparent throughout - what would this great Rolling Stone have produced if he had not been so tragically lost so young? This a very strong copy, quite likely without needing of upgrade, available UK copies are fast running out, so this one should not be let go lightly. I strongly recommend it to most collectors. – Mike.

Payment Details please read carefully:

UK First Class: = £2.50; Recorded Delivery (Recommended) = £4.00 Special Delivery (Next day, insured up to £250), the best service available = £6.00

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 not profit on postage (my packing standards are high and the package weighs a little more. 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 given.

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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.