The Rolling Stones : No. 2 1A/1A 1st Press Unboxed & Grooved Red Decca Mono 1964 (Factory Sample)

This first pressing on the unboxed grooved Decca label is absolutely stunning!  The clarity, power, depth and warmth of the audio is so impressive and it has obviously not been played that much at all.  Remarkably there is no interference and this is a record that has been so well preserved down the years.  Not surprisingly it is visually stunning with an immaculate glossy 'look' with only a couple of hairlines that are a little more obvious but still faint.  There are two rare features on this album -

1) This is a rare 1A/A first pressing has a 'Sample Record (Not for Resale)' sticker on the S2 label.  I do not know the provenance of this album but it is clearly a genuine sticker as it has that authentic 'old' look with a font to match.  Perhaps this LP was sent to a radio station / given to a Decca Executive.

2) It has the rare 'Paste Over' cover on the back.  The 'Blind Man' text was eventually omitted but as many covers had already been produced they printed a single paper sheet with the 'censored text' to be glued on top.  It is only found on the non-flip covers and is relatively rare.  It is far more common to see a cover with the 'Blind Man' text than with the 'Paste Over' as I do not think many Decca employees / record shop owners bothered to do it! 

The cover is also in very good condition with only a little wear here and there but it is certainly one of the better 'Paste Over' covers I have seen.  If this cover was sent to a radio station maybe that is why it has the 'Paste Over' cover i.e. they didn't want to send it with the 'Blind Man' text as it was somewhat controversial at the time! 

LK.4661 // XARL-6619-1A / XARL-6620-1A // HG 1 / HA 2B

The audio on S1 is Near Mint (Mint- for the vast majority)

The audio on S2 is Mint(-) (T6 Near Mint)  

The 'Paste Over' cover is VG+

The labels are Near Mint / Ex+

The original inner is VG+

This vinyl is in fantastic condition with a lovely jet-black glossy sheen and has not been played very much that much is obvious.  There are no marks or scratches, no groove wear and only a couple of faint hairlines on each side that are a little more obvious.  I'm not sure I've ever seen a 1A/1A pressing before but this is truly stunning example of its kind.  The run out grooves (with KT tax stamp codes) are so clean and the labels are also in great condition with only minimal spindle wear.  S2 has just a faint mark on the 'Long Playing' and 'Ear' logos either side of the 'Sample Record' sticker.

Play grading  

The intro on 'Everybody Needs Somebody To Love' plays so well with great depth and warmth and there is no interference.  Jagger's opening 'vocal' is just as good and it continues to play with superb clarity.  There are no ticks, clicks or pops and and only a handful of barely audible static 'moments'.  It has that typical raw Stones power and this is an exceptional start to the album and easily qualifies as Near Mint if not better.

'Down Home Girl' is of the same standard with no intrusion on the audio and it is the clarity of sound that really stands out.  With only a small number of dust ticks this also deserves a Near Mint grade.

'You Can't Catch Me' plays with a more enhanced 'sound', a greater depth you could say.  This is no doubt due to the fact that it was recorded in a different studio and on a well preserved vinyl such as this the sonic quality is even more impressive.  This is a stunning Mint- version for sure.  Fade outs always give a good idea of the clarity on offer and this particular one is crystal clear.

The intro on the classic 'Time Is On My Side' is close to perfect with only a couple of light ticks.  The first vocal has no 'background' and it proceeds in the same way with a clarity that cannot be faulted.  There is nothing that gets in the way of the listening 'experience' and Near Mint is about right even if the majority is better than that!

'What A Shame' plays with outstanding quality from the first note to the last with no interference.  The audio is so rich and deep - each vocal section is so clean and precise and the instrumental sections are stunning.  A hugely impressive Mint- version.

'Grown Up Wrong' plays so clearly for a final track and this is a mono record being played through a stereo set up.  In fact the clarity is STUNNING in every way and there is no inner groove distortion at all, how rare is that?!  This is another example of a record that has been so well preserved and not played very much.  I cannot emphasise enough just how strong the audio is and Mint is an honest appraisal of the audio, no minus is required!

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'Down The Road Apiece' on S2 is fantastic!  The audio has such depth which is helped so much by Wyman's deep bass of course and there is no interference either which is a bonus!  Jagger's vocal is as 'fresh' as it was back n '65 and the long instrumental end section is just breathtaking.  Mint- for sure.

The intro on 'Under The Boardwalk' has no 'background', not even a solitary dust tick, and as it continues this clarity is maintained.  Once again I cannot overstate just how good the playback is.  The audio again has such depth and I do not think I have not heard a better version than this and this is a 1A/1A first pressing!  Mint

'I Can't Be Satisfied' plays with supreme audio throughout with no interference.  No need to say anymore this is Mint in every sense.

'Pain In My Heart' keeps up the good work and plays with sublime quality from start to finish.  A couple of mega light ticks that is all but there is no intrusion on the audio.  Once more I cannot believe just how rich and deep the audio is.  Mint-

The intro on 'Off The Hook' is 'as new' and it proceeds in much the same way.  There is no obvious distortion on the vocal and the playback is very clean indeed.  No ticks, clicks, pops or static.  So often this track is badly affected by inner groove distortion but in no way is that the case here.  A superb Mint- version.

'Suzie-Q' ends the album in fine style with no interference and again you can turn this up to 'loud' with only minimal distortion towards the end.  This is without question the strongest version I have heard on mono pressing and Near Mint is a fair assessment of the audio.

In summary this first pressing plays to a wonderful standard with a clarity that is out of this world!  There are no clicks or pops and next to no static either.  I cannot praise it highly enough, sonic quality such as this is so rarely found today.  I do not know the history of 'Sample Record' but it has clearly hardly ever been played.  I would go so far as to say it is the most impressive mono version I have ever listened to!  S1 is so impressive but S2 is just on another level.  The clarity, depth and warmth of the audio on both sides is stunning to say the least.  A FINAL UPGRADE time-warp classic and housed inside a rare 'Paste Over' cover makes it even more collectable.

The Cover & Inner Sleeve

The 'Paste Over' cover is in excellent condition with not very shelf wear.  The edges are superb clean with barely any rubbing and the thin pinched spine is near perfect with only minimal wear on the corners.  The right hand corners are also in excellent shape with just minimal creasing and the opening edge has only a little handling wear.  The front cover has some faint laminate creases on the right side (mainly central) and some laminate lift down the left side but it is very clean with no marking.  The back cover is so often found in poor condition but that is not the case here.  There are some light some faint spots, a little fading around the edges, one 'arrow' written next to one of the tracks and a very faint name top right but this has largely been removed.  Yes a few 'points' but this is definitely one of the cleaner 'paste over' covers that I have seen.

The original Decca poly-lined inner has some wear but not an excessive amount.  There are no side splits but the top edge has one small tear and some age related fading.  The central 'window' has a couple of small tears but overall it is very clean with not much marking and very little creasing.

Play Tested on my Pro-Ject Essential III Turntable / B&W 684 Speakers

This record has been cleaned on a Pro-Ject VC-S machine

LK.4661 // XARL-6619-1A / XARL-6620-1A // HG 1 / HA 2B

I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.

Any questions please feel free to ask

Please pay within 4 days of auction end

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Postage & Packaging

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