This copy of the long player, “Beggars Banquet” is the epitome of what record collecting is all about, to me, anyhow.
Many moons ago, I found this very early British pressing out in the wild. Flipping through a stack, I came to a screeching halt when I felt the flimsy glossy sleeve, knowing that it was not from the USA. Sure enough, the album was from England. To say I was excited when I looked at the vinyl and saw that after a good cleaning it was easily going to be NM to VG++ is a major understatement. The record’s label showed that it was definitely an early issue.
I got it home and used the vacuum record cleaner to bring the vinyl back to life and put it on the turntable. The stylus hit the opening grooves and my mouth dropped open. The glorious mono soundstage was actually wide and full of depth. And, the detail of the recording was like nothing I had previously heard on this album. The way the record was mastered and cut raises the music way above the noise floor.
I have several versions of this album on vinyl, cd, sacd, etc. and nothing remotely comes close to this record. I have to believe it was cut from the first generation master tape made for the record’s production. For many years more contemporary pressings have been made from tapes many generations removed from the originals as they are worn and fragile.
So, this is my holy grail long player for “Beggars Banquet,” and it takes me back into the studio with The Rolling Stones every time I listen to it.
Ron Kern Photographer and Author 