THE ROLLING STONES Through the Past Darkly SCARCE ORIG UK 1969 LP, SUPER SOUND.

	£		42
	$		56

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World in Quality, Safe Packing.

Postage: UK £4.75 (£1 per extra record). Europe (including Russia) £12.50 (£2 per extra record). Rest of World (including ALL parts of the USA) £16.50 (£3 per extra record). All boxes signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes that offer virtually no protection at all – in fact I think these things should be banned as records WILL arrive damaged in them at some time. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS. Full details nearer the end of the listing.

Posting to Russia: Yes, I do post to Russia. But delivery can take up to 4 to 6 weeks from the UK. So please be patient. I will submit a tracking number to the winning bidder, and when the packet arrives there it can be followed online using the Russian post website.

ALSO: I now apply the Ebay ‘2-day’ rule for non-payment to keep things moving – cash-flow is important for any small business. I will always keep my P&P prices as low as possible, and even after yet another Royal Mail price hike from April this year, I have NOT raised my prices and will never compromise on solid, safe packing that is invariably heavier than most you will get. My P&P offers probably the best value-for-money for vinyl records available, and I even will pay for full insurance on any record that sells for over £100 at NO extra cost – that is UK and abroad. Also I aim to post the very same day after payment is received. You WILL see the difference when my packet arrives.

FINALLY: Late payers will now be blocked at my discretion. As will any bidder who cancels a bid. I do not like this practice as it is most often used to phish out the price to beat. Ebay does not approve and neither do I – so only bid on my items if you want them.

Artist or Band: THE ROLLING STONES

Album Title: Through the Past Darkly (Big Hits – Vol. 2).

Producer(s): Andrew Loog Oldham, The Rolling Stones, Jimmy Miller.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Jumpin’ Jack Flash; Mother’s Little Helper; 2000 Light Years from Home; Let’s Spend the Night Together; You Better Move On; We Love You.

Side 2: Street Fighting Man; She’s a Rainbow; Ruby Tuesday; Dandelion; Sittin’ on a Fence; Honky Tonk Women.

Label/Format: Decca – original unboxed stereo format with matt, smooth surfaces..

Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh and attractive with only a small few light spindle marks on side two, hardly any on one. In terms of this popular album, this appears very little played and offers fantastic clean sound accordingly.

Cat Number: SKL 5019.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 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: 140 grams. A typical solid weight from Decca.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Moderate in terms of numbers sold. But like Beatles albums, it’s the condition that is the real factor. Most seen have the hexagonal shaped cover damaged and the records heavily played, even trashed. This is a lovely 1969 issue, also a late one as the new boxed format came only weeks after issue, so these are seen far less.

Original Year of Release: 1969, originally, and quite briefly on the unboxed Decca labels. From 1970 onwards, the new small Decca boxed logo took over.

Matrix Nos: XZAL-9067.P-1W / XZAL-9068.P-2W

Mothers / Stampers: 1 UG / 1 UH

Musicians: Mick Jagger – lead vocals, percussion, harmonica; Brian Jones – guitar, harmonica, sitar, piano, tambura, mellotron, recorder, organ, backing vocals; Keith Richards – guitar, backing vocals, bass guitar; Mick Taylor – guitar; Bill Wyman – bass guitar, keyboards, backing vocals; Charlie Watts – drums, percussion.

Brief Info: Issued after the tragic death of Brian Jones, this was the follow-up to the 1966 compilation Big Hits – High Tide and Green Grass. More brilliant, mostly later singles, it sold well and peaked at No. 2 in the UK and US album charts. The American version includes a different songs. Originally issued in a distinctive, but somewhat fragile hexagonal gatefold cover. So never easy to find without issues, or sometimes even intact. The small half size spine often splits and becomes weakened. No issues from that on this one. Also, and somewhat strangely, I have heard a few of these with pressing issues, that almost unheard of for any Decca record. Again no issues on this superb example that offers lovely clean sound throughout with no unwanted pressing noises. The inside has a short poem for Jones which reads:

“When this you see, remember me, and bear me in your mind. Let all the world say what they may, speak of me as you find.”

Most will know the songs, so on to the conditions.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(++): an octagonal gatefold format with the front and back being laminated. The back has the mono/stereo peep-hole, here filled with the blue inner sleeve to denote a stereo copy inside. The inside is matt and smooth with two external flipbacks on the right top and bottom. Storage for the record is from the inside against the thin card spine, hence so many are seen damaged or split. Printed and made in England by Garrod & Lofthouse and includes the shaped unlined inner sleeve. A soft clear inner is also included.

Lamination – Front & Back: Immensely fragile for obvious reasons, but one of the most solid and least worn I have yet seen. The only mild issue – and this nothing to do with wear, hence no reduction in grading – is the laminate adhesion is not total. So a little gentle crinkle is evident mainly on the front, this not too obvious with normal viewing. But to be clear, all the edge adhesion IS total, so the laminate is still solid, uncracked with no peeling, and has little chance of doing so. Being honest, there is little else to fault, this is almost as made with impressive neat edges and no creasing to the actual card. The colourful band graphic impressive and fresh. For good measure, this one is superbly folded square, so all those edges meet up flush and parallel. Few adhesion issues on the superb back, the peep-hole pristine.

Cover Inner Gatefold: You will be hard pressed to find this inside better. Both flipbacks are immaculate, totally unblemished, as is the entrance area and spine. This incredibly strong, totally unweakened or distorted, perfectly undamaged, few are seen as such. An rubbing to those fragile edges bordering on minuscule with a mere trace only on the bottom left.

The Edges: The open single thickness card edges are for most part crisp and sharp with minimal traces of thickening or burring. Any present being little and light, and even the storage edge one being the same. There are four closed folded edges, all are immaculate, that includes the left spine edge. Against the odds, this is totally unworn as stated. All the text pristine under the smooth, uncracked laminate.

Corners: Hardly any issues with the multiple corners on this lovely design cover. Most-all are crisp, neat with no dinks or creases.

Cover Summary: The mildish adhesion issue apart – that purely a natural manufacture issue, and not uncommon – this superbly preserved cover has little else to fault. It should please many, if not most collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(++): this was never lined – there are NO adhesion marks inside at all. Instead it includes a separate semi-shaped very soft lining as well, this apart from the odd light crease is as made and unsplit. Back to the main blue ‘stereo’ octagonal inner: it is clean, fresh and with minimal creasing, a little mild crinkle near the bottom edge. All edges crisp, no tears or edge splits (or repairs). All very impressive indeed.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT / EXCELLENT(++): side one has a surface scuff with is totally superficial and non-sounding (so not for the visual purist), that apart, it would have been graded as per side two which is superb. A very fine visual copy that is very clean with equally fine shine and very solidly pressed. A copy with minimal plays on all the evidence with any surface trace marks (the scuff apart) tiny, few, very light and faint as seen critically under bright angled light. Visually a super record that should please many, if not most collectors.

Album Played For Grading: Yes. [I play ALL records I offer before submitting to Ebay, also the record is played in its entirety unless clearly stated otherwise. I do NOT play snippets or joining grooves to check for sound quality and quietness – I play from the beginning to end via clinically revealing B&W speakers that include the legendary tweeter from their awesome Nautilus range that reveals every blemish or minuscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This fantastic collection of Stones classics play even above the high visual grading with barely anything to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed and this is an exceptional clean pressing with no tracking issues*. Unlike some I have heard, no pressing noises or distortions, this gave a brilliant account if itself, and I am sure this has been played little. Few copies will outperform this very early pressing significantly I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very lightly and has been expertly stored and carefully handled, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. It will prove very difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended.

* As played-graded on a high-end Linn LP12 Sondek turntable with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Quintet Blue moving coil cartridge tracking at 2.2 grams.

Now one of the most established sellers on Ebay and still offering the finest and most accurately described and graded records I can find. 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 as I Play-Grade every record I offer in their entirety – also on higher-end equipment – not just bits to guess a grade - 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 collector – 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 it’s 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. Room light factors can make things vary sometimes, that is hard to control, especially in winter. If any picture I take looks more flattering than the actual item for any reason, I will clearly state the fact in the advert and vice-versa. 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, sticks, warps or writing on covers or labels unless clearly stated to the contrary. Thanks for your interest and Good luck – MIKE.

Deck: Linn LP12/Hercules/Cirkus with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Quintet Blue moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2.2 grams). Amps: Naim Supernait 2 with Project USB phono stage and Tellerium Black interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with Tellurium Black terminated cable). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional VPI-17 vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too. Pictures taken with a Nikon D5000 SLR Digital Camera.

PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET.

What You Get: To confirm to the strict Ebay rules on shipping, I must now send ALL my packets ‘Signed-For’ with NO exceptions. Both buyers and sellers want their packets to have a safer journey and this is not a bad thing.

I now offer the fastest possible posting, often the very next day after payment is received or within two to three days maximum (unless on holiday). I only use FIRST-CLASS Mail. The record’s cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my new VPI-17 Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. You will NOT get tired, dull looking, dust infested records inside worn and foggy covers with tatty inners from this seller and that’s a promise and guarantee. All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT Mailers, these do not offer any real protection). The record(s) are REMOVED from their main cover to avoid edge splits and placed within a brand new polylined inner. The record’s original inner will be included if available. The boxes are then reinforced with at least TWO, ULTRA THICK stiffeners for maximum extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffeners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will even be Double Boxed if deemed necessary and possible. When larger boxes are used, the thick record and stiffener ‘sandwich’ is then thickly embedded into bubble-wrap to bulk out the record inside the box to centre the item inside to reduce the risk of damage still further. Printed address labels are used for clarity as well as a sender label. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if at all possible but ‘Signed-For’ posting is NOT an option anymore. I do not profit on posting, better quality packaging costs, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners make a near impregnable fortress for safe shipping and this is used inland and overseas for ALL my records, not just the rare and expensive. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is minuscule in over 14 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. The only damage rate acceptable for this seller is ZERO and I think my packets will offer just that. It would take a vicious postman or postal service to damage these for sure. Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE – they offer next-to-no-protection, and should be banned, no ‘professional’ should consider using them in my opinion. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FIVE records per box (one double can sometimes be included subject to total weight). All postage costs are below and at the top of the listing.

NOTE: First Time Bidders: Please ask me first.

PLEASE NOTE: I now exercise my right to open a dispute after the Ebay rule of TWO days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the bid, again after the mandatory FOUR days and then offer the item to the runner-up or relist. The non-payer will also be blocked from my Ebay site as will any suspicious bids or bid withdrawals. Small businesses need prompt payment to trade and these strict rules WILL be applied.

SHIPPING COSTS & CONDITIONS – THESE comply with EBAY’S RULES - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY:

Posting & Packing: UK & CHANNEL ISLANDS all now sent via Recorded Delivery:

1 LP (FIRST-CLASS Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4.75

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £1 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£50 maximum]) = £12.50 (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3). Add £2 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); South America; New Zealand; Australia; Canada; Japan and other Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£50 maximum]) = £16.50 (£17.50 for double sets). Add £3 per extra LP. (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3)

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders or direct payment into my bank account.

Potential Bidders: I will cancel any bids I feel are time-wasters. A maximum 3 days for communication and 7 days for payment to arrive - if not I will relist the item or offer to the runner-up. Fast deals get great feedback from me. Any questions - please ask and thanks for looking.

My Guarantee: If any winning bidder is not satisfied with their purchase I will offer a complete refund. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer, so read the item description carefully. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help. Thank You.

SOME GENERAL GUIDES TO WEAR AND CONDITIONS TO HELP YOU DECIDE

My Use of Description Terminology: Surface Marks = Superficial, usually light marks, hairlines or light scuffs that rarely sound. Scratch = a needle mark that goes below the record’s surface, some will sound, some will not, my play-grade will inform. Original = a record that has been pressed with the first label design which does NOT necessarily mean a very first pressed record. First Pressing = A record that I believe or know to be a genuine very first pressed record. I do not claim to always know for sure, and that’s why I state the stamper and matrix numbers if at all possible, for those who claim to know what they all mean, the information is there for the collector to decide. I prefer to use terms like ‘Early Copy’ rather than ‘First Pressing’ if I am not totally sure. Surface Sound = Mild, light sound, usually light crackle or similar. Distortion = Break up of the actual sound caused by groove wear or damage from a chipped stylus – the most undesirable form of unwanted sound, vintage mono records were the most prone to this happening but not exclusively so. The symptoms of distortion are high frequency clipping, moderate constant crackle or an echo type sound quality. Violin, piano and vocals are most prone to groove-wear distortion. Feathering = Fraying or softening of the entry edge of a cover. Covers with feathered entrance edges are more likely to have had the actual record inserted and removed more than a non-feathered, sharp-edged cover which are always far more attractive. Set Off, actually a printer’s term for dark ink leaving mild residue on pale or white ink when rested upon. e.g. when a gatefold cover has black ink closed against white, this can leave some black residue on the pale area – this is mostly unavoidable or course.

The Argument for Vinyl Original sound and mix (mono mixes are rarely available on CD), high quality sound on clean copies (played on a hi-end dedicated analogue system – breathtaking sound!), beautiful, large format covers, artwork, inserts and even full size posters etc; huge investment potential, and the pleasure of owning ‘the real thing’.