Vinyl Asylum

Welcome Licorice Pizza (LP) lovers! Setup guides and Vinyl FAQ.

Return to Vinyl Asylum

Message Sort: Post Order or Asylum Reverse Threaded

recognising Exile on Main Street first pressing

193.203.82.194
Posted on September 23, 2009 at 08:04:45
raphsdad
Audiophile

Posts: 502
Location: top of hill
Joined: August 1, 2006
 I found this piece of advice:

First pressing came in Unipak design with a sheet of postcards. UNIPAK Patent Pending on inside spine.

Second pressing (1973) came with two pockets for each record.


But I'm not sure what it means. Does anyone have the Unipak - can you explain? Did both discs go in one half of the gatefold, the other being glued together, or what?

Cheers all

Rob (pleased to be in London with shops full of uK pressings - let me kow if you want anything!)

 

Hide full thread outline!
    ...
RE: recognising Exile on Main Street first pressing, posted on September 23, 2009 at 08:15:47
Pappas3278
Audiophile

Posts: 206
Location: NYC
Joined: March 12, 2007
 I believe Unipak, in the case of Xile, refers to the storage of the two records by flipping the gatefold open and stashing them in the single pocket that is located in the center. Does that make sense? Now, if the records are stored in side-pockets, like most albums are, you probably have a 2nd press.

-Mike

 

Front cover was a single-thickness flap, posted on September 23, 2009 at 08:25:27
ToddM
Audiophile

Posts: 1613
Location: Atlanta, USA
Joined: May 15, 2001
Contributor
  Since: June 13, 2005
 The two lps fit together in individual inner sleeves in one side of the outer sleeve package, and the "outside" covers were/are one continuous sheet with the crease/fold at the pocket opening - seemingly not very durable, but mine has lasted ~37 years so far, albeit missing the postcards - not sure anymore if it's the UK or US pressing (COC or CUN - jeez, that looks horrible to type), now I'll have to dig it out this evening ... I have a couple more LPs like this, must have been some 70's thing (the other notable one is a Chet Baker compilation on Liberty)

 

RE: recognising Exile on Main Street first pressing, posted on September 23, 2009 at 08:31:41
Dave Garretson
Audiophile

Posts: 2448
Joined: June 14, 2005
 Correct. In the US pressing, the inside of the binding has the wording Unipack and patent number. There are three sets of four joined, perforated 4"x 6" postcards, captioned Scenes 1-12 "of the Fall from Exile on Main Street"-- in which the Stones all fall down.

Contrary to popular opinion, SQ on this early pressing is damned good.

 

RE: recognising Exile on Main Street first pressing, posted on September 23, 2009 at 08:42:28
cactuscowboy@bresnan.net
Audiophile

Posts: 7738
Location: Powell, Wyoming
Joined: July 23, 2007
 I've always viewed Unipak as a cheap version of a gatefold cover. I have a copy of Exile On Main Street with a Unipak cover. The glue has failed on my copy, so these photos show how it's made.

It's a three panel wide design. The middle portion has flaps top & bottom that are folded inward. Glue is applied and the right portion is folded over and glued to the center. This creates a pocket for the LPs with the opening at the center of the gatefold. Once the record is in the pocket, the left portion is folded over so that the record can be filed on the shelf.

Unipaks were fairly common in the '70s. I find buying used Unipak LPs to present two scenarios:

1. Since the Unipak cover was a PITA to deal with, the previous owner rarely played the record, leaving it in VG+ to NM condition.

2. For the same reason, the previous owner left the records out of the cover, leading to the vinyl being in P/F/G/VG condition.







 

RE: recognising Exile on Main Street first pressing, posted on September 23, 2009 at 08:43:27
musetap
Audiophile

Posts: 31931
Location: San Francisco
Joined: July 8, 2003
Contributor
  Since: January 28, 2004



With the original/early issues, both custom inners slid into the right side of the gatefold(single pocket) cover.

The left side is a plain sheet. First issue UK pressings had die-cut custom inners (pictured).

Versions with the single pocket sold well and that version was used for many years - they are plentiful, but really clean copies are tough to find. BTW, there are 12 cards and they came attached.

"Once this was all Black Plasma and Imagination"-Michael McClure



 

RE: recognising Exile on Main Street first pressing, posted on September 23, 2009 at 08:59:40
cactuscowboy@bresnan.net
Audiophile

Posts: 7738
Location: Powell, Wyoming
Joined: July 23, 2007
 The USA release (which I bought new in the early 70s) also has the printed, heavy innersleeves & postcards. I agree with previous comments about sound quality. It is a great sounding record. Spinning it right now. :-)

 

RE: recognising Exile on Main Street first pressing, posted on September 23, 2009 at 10:19:24
pretzel_logic
Audiophile

Posts: 2919
Location: NE Illinois
Joined: October 30, 2002
 Mine only has one inner sleeve opening and no post cards but I did buy it in the late 70's. I'll have to give it a spin and see how it sounds. I don't think I've listened to it at least 6 or 7 years.

 

Distinction: Sgl sleeve Unipak covered many pressings..., posted on September 23, 2009 at 11:14:58
J.D.
Audiophile

Posts: 6873
Joined: August 31, 2000
 There's a distinction to be made here.

The first pressing was in fact a Unipak, as described below, and so were many pressings thereafter.

It was a good long while (a year or more, if I recall) till they shifted to the more standard double-pocket sleeve for Exile.

So by no means are you assured of having a first press if you have a Unipak, ----nor is there any chance of having a second pressing if you have the double-pocket.
Nor does the presence of the postcards indicate much, as they went with the album long into it's release & multiple pressings....

This title sold in the Multi Millions and went thru numerous pressings.

Finding a first is way more difficult than implied here.

Wish I could say I had one.

J.
housepet in a box ©

 

40th Aniversary of Get Yer Ya Yas Out 3 LPs !!!, posted on September 23, 2009 at 11:59:13
3Fates
Audiophile

Posts: 940
Joined: December 8, 2000
 Amazon selling Ya Ya's

 

RE: recognising Exile on Main Street first pressing, posted on September 23, 2009 at 12:11:02
Tao


 
If I remember correctly only first U K pressings came with 12 joined postcards and center die cut inners. If the coc matrix ends in a, b, c and d 1 or 2, you know for sure it’s a first pressing. Mine has a2 b1 c2 and d1

 

90 bucks, huh........, posted on September 23, 2009 at 12:20:32
beach cruiser
Audiophile

Posts: 7081
Location: so cal
Joined: September 24, 2003
 I saw a "kind of blue" package with the same kind of deal, throw in a couple of bucks worth of ancillary products and charge three prices to a new customer base, created, hopefully, by the new product.

This album has a personal history with me. I bought an imported copy when it first came out, which was soon stolen out of it's cover along with my mono Chuck Berry's greatest hits at a house party with poor guest list control. (none)

It took me decades, not years , decades, to find another copy with the "limited edition colored vinyl" to replace that loss. (Dutch colored vinyl sound good to me, no problems.)

The interesting thing is that the album now holds little interest for me. The taste for the bombast of my youth has passed , I suppose. Good thing I only had a casual search on. Still a big fan of the group, but now favor the simpler recorded approaches to song.

 

Speaking of Chuck, I've always liked the grind the Stones have on the cover ......, posted on September 23, 2009 at 12:39:54
hcman
Audiophile

Posts: 6374
Location: S.E.Washington
Joined: February 5, 2005
 of Berry's "Carol" on YaYas. "Little Queenie" ain't bad either.

 

RE: recognising Exile on Main Street first pressing.....Well, I got Screwed!!!!!!!!!!, posted on September 23, 2009 at 14:37:01
Tom B.
Audiophile

Posts: 4355
Joined: October 5, 1999




I've had my original Exiles that I purchased in....I think Christmas of 1971? It's been through far too many parties and I'd grade it as VG-. Soooo, I decided to get a cleaner issue....but the earliest pressing I could get. I thought I had all the label info right. Purchased a pristine copy with postcards and discovered I was wrong. I didn't know all the label info after all. The vinyl is NM......but is about half the vinyl thickness of my beat up old copy. Needless to say, I play my old copy with all the scratches ......hey....it's only rock n roll .....THE noise sorta reminds of the boys at Altamont....they were pissed....and played the best that I ever witnessed.









BAD !!


GOOD !!


OLD COPY/TAPED


Tom B. Rock n Roll Runaway

 

Haven't seen the postcards in years but.........., posted on September 23, 2009 at 15:18:04
richardl
Audiophile

Posts: 3557
Joined: September 5, 2002
 The records fit into a gatefold with an extra large slot on one side. The other side is just thin cardboard. Each record comes in its own cardboard package if that helps.

 

RE: recognising Exile on Main Street first pressing.....Well, I got Screwed!!!!!!!!!!, posted on September 24, 2009 at 00:50:11
Supernaught
 Well, maybe not. The "bad" pressing does appear to be earlier by the rim text but in all likely hood was pressed concurrent with your first copy, just at a different plant with older labels. Any difference in sound quality and weight is more likely to be attributed with being pressed at different plants, Columbia Santa Maria (CSM) vs. Presswell (PR).

 

RE: recognising Exile on Main Street first pressing.....Well, I got Screwed!!!!!!!!!!, posted on September 24, 2009 at 08:37:43
Tom B.
Audiophile

Posts: 4355
Joined: October 5, 1999
 Thanks for the info kind sir. The only additional information I forgot to mention is the NM issue is the single pocket design, which everybody posting has mentioned as being the earliest one. I'll have to check out the dead wax info to see which plant pressed both albums.

Tom B.

 

RE: recognising Exile on Main Street first pressing.....Well, I got Screwed!!!!!!!!!!, posted on September 24, 2009 at 09:33:12
Tao


 
on the weight issue....UK first pressing are heavier (they around 150 grams) than subsequent UK pressings.

 

The pressing plant is on the labels (nt), posted on September 24, 2009 at 14:04:48
Supernaught
 .

 

RE: Speaking of Chuck, I've always liked the grind the Stones have on the cover ......, posted on May 26, 2010 at 02:04:39
Richo78
Audiophile

Posts: 19
Location: Melbourne
Joined: May 18, 2010
 Couldn't agree more hcman. The Stones rock.
Spinnin at 33 1/3

 

Page processed in 0.043 seconds.

[ Top Top of Page ] [ Contact Us ] [ Support/Wish List ] [ Copyright © 2024, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
[ General ] [ Speakers ] [ Tubes ] [ Vinyl ] [ Digital ] [ Hi-Rez ] [ Video Asylum ] [ Cables ] [ Tweaks/DIY ] [ Music ] [ Films ]