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The experience of buying records on Ebay is ruined if, when they arrive,
you discover that they are either not in the condition stated or have been damaged in
the post For this reason I describe all my items in detail, and only post using strong
sturdy packaging in a box mailer with the record outside the sleeve to avoid seam-splitting.
They are also from a non-smoking and pet-free home.
I accept returns and offer a full refund if you are not happy
with your purchase.The Smiths - Reel Around The Fountain UK Unreleased Test Press 7 - 1983
Catalogue no. RT 136 - Rough Trade Records
After owning this original and genuine yellow-green label test pressing 7 for some time, I have finally decided, after some consideration, to part company with it. Smiths collectors will know that this test pressing for Reel Around The Fountain is one of the most desirable collectables owing to its unreleased single status and its place in the history of the Smiths back catalogue. Reel Around The Fountain was originally planned as the second single after the release of Hand In Glove , before the plans changed and This Charming Man was released instead. The original release plans made it as far as the test pressing stage, and these resulting yellow-green label test press 7 records which were produced have consistently been ranked amongst the most sought-after Smiths collectables in the literature for example, the 2005 Record Collector Smiths Top 100 Collectables article see photo estimated that 25 copies are in existence and ranked it second highest behind the negative sleeve Hand In Glove 7 mispressing. The sleeve artwork was clearly intended to be the Jean Marais image which was eventually used for This Charming Man , since an advertisement for the Reel Around The Fountain single appeared in Jamming magazine featuring the familiar artwork normally associated with This Charming Man but with the Reel Around The Fountain title see photo this original and rare advertisement has been carefully removed from the magazine and will be included with this auction. The catalogue number for this test pressing 7 is RT 136 , which was, of course, subsequently retained for This Charming Man when the plans were changed. Consequently, a record dealer looked up the catalogue number for this test pressing, in the early days of Smiths collecting, and wrote Smiths and T.C.Man on the green label for the B-side when the value of this test pressing was far lower than it is today see photos . I have played the record on high-quality audio equipment to verify that the pressing does, indeed, carry the Reel Around The Fountain track rather than This Charming Man . The matrix numbers on the run out area of the A-side are RT 136 A-1U-1-1-1 and those for the B-side are RT 136 B-1U-1-1-1 with the etching SLAP ME ON THE PATIO as also subsequently appeared on the B-side for the This Charming Man 7 . I have studied the record carefully, and there are several factors which have reassured me that the item is genuine. One is that the record has anti-slip serrations in a ring around the inner label area on both sides, which is often-cited as an indication that the record is genuine. Another factor, which would be practically impossible to fake, is that the hand-written capital letters of the SLAP ME ON THE PATIO run-out groove etching on the B-side are actually identical in style and positioning to the run-out etching which appeared on the officially-released B-side of the This Charming Man 7 due to the re-use of the Jeane pressing plate for the B-side of the record in the subsequent official release. This is immediately evident in the close proximity of the words ME and ON , for example, but also stands up under closer scrutiny in the style and positioning of all of the letters and, indeed, in relation to the position of the stamped RT 136 B-1U-1-1-1 matrix number on the opposite side of the record. The record comes in a plain black die-cut outer sleeve, which I have no reason to believe is anything other than the original sleeve with which it was paired. This is an extremely rare opportunity to obtain a genuine piece of Smiths record collecting history which has been carefully stored and looked after over the years and, consequently, has remained preserved in superb condition see below . As in the case of all of my auctions, I will accept returns and give refunds on items if you believe that I have described anything incorrectly.
The record has only the lightest of superficial surface marks on the highly-glossy vinyl in a few places, and there is nothing which would affect playback. It has been lovingly looked-after and there are just a few very faint spindle marks on the bright yellow-green labels, other than the aforementioned dealer-written Smiths and T.C.Man on the B-side label, which suggest that the record has been played just a few times. As such, the record is graded near mint and it really is a terrific example of this iconic rarity. The thin outer black die-cut sleeve has some mild wear at the edges and corners and there is a single seam-split in the middle of one edge. Please see the accompanying photos for more detail note that the Ebay ID lettering is just on the pictures and not on the item itself.
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