The Smiths Meat Is Murder Unreleased Mayking Test Press 7" Morrissey
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Description
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 - 'Meat Is Murder (Live)' Mayking Test Press 7" - 1985
Catalogue no. RT 186 - Rough Trade
This is an original 1985 test pressing by 'Mayking' for the proposed UK single release of a live Smiths EP, which was scrapped in favour of 'That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore'. This test pressing accordingly bears the Rough Trade catalogue number RT 186, which was retained for the release of 'That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore'. The A-side of this test press is 'Meat Is Murder' (recorded live in Oxford), which eventually became the B-side of the 'That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore' single, while the B-side bears two tracks 'Nowhere Fast' and 'Stretch Out And Wait' (also recorded live in Oxford) which made it onto the B-side of the 12" for 'That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore' along with 2 other live tracks. I have owned this 7" for a number of years, and have debated several times about listing it on ebay before now finally deciding to go ahead. The Smiths collector will know how rare and sought-after this record is, being placed as highly as Number 5 in Record Collector's 'Top 100' Smiths Rarities article in 2005 (see photo), and it has been a pleasure and privilege to own. I have studied the record carefully, and there are several factors which have reassured me that the item is genuine. One is that the hand-written catalogue number on the 'Mayking' A-Side label is sufficiently similar to the style of the catalogue number of the example which was photographed for the Record Collector article (see Photos 3 and 8 for comparison) in order to convince me that it is the real article. Another factor is that the run-out groove etchings on the A-side, which read "RT 186 A1" and "OUR SOULS, OUR SOULS, OUR SOULS" in very small letters, are actually identical in style and positioning to the run-out etchings on the B-side to 'That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore' (in the case of first-run pressing examples, and not the later pressings with "RT 186 B-2U-1-1-" etc) but with the "A" of "A1" scratched out and with a "B" inserted before it to change the matrix number to "B1". Since the 'Meat Is Murder' track became the B-side of 'That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore', it is clear that the A-side plate of this test press was re-used for the B-side of the 7" which was actually released (once the amendment to the matrix number etching had been made). The etching "OUR SOULS, OUR SOULS, OUR SOULS" was then repeated (in larger letters) on the A-side of the 'That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore' 7" where it would have expected to be found, which would explain why the same message appeared twice on the released single. The test pressing being auctioned here has the message on the A-side only, as would have been originally intended, and the B-side plate for the test press (containing the 2 live tracks) is found only here and was not used anywhere else. This re-use of the pressing plate and run-out groove details is not documented anywhere that I have seen, and provides further evidence in my view that this is genuine. 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 vinyl and labels are in near mint condition, having been painstakingly looked-after; the vinyl retains its original 'sheen' and there are no visible marks on the surface of the vinyl. The labels are also clean and unmarked. This is a beautiful example of this extremely rare collectable. 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.
All my auctions start at 1P and have NO RESERVE. They are all 100% genuine, original versions. Some are in mint/new condition and some are used; all will go to the highest bidder. I offer a money-back guarantee if anything is described incorrectly. Postage and Packing is 2.80 in the UK for untracked and uninsured standard postage, this is subsidised by myself and the actual costs to me will usually be higher. Please do consider paying the extra 70p for tracked postage since there is nothing that can be done to find out what happened if the parcel is lost when standard postage is chosen. Shipping costs are greater for overseas buyers, but still subsidised and very good value; please check prices by using the options above or feel free to ask. Extra items are sent at no extra postage charge to the buyer (see below). I always take great care to package items well with strong mailing materials.See my other auctions for related rare items here. If multiple auctions are won at the same time (within a week), I will charge only the postage cost for the heaviest item and pay the remainder myself. This is the case wherever you live. If you are planning to bid, but cannot be around at the end of the auction, I have found this free site to be useful; note that I am not affiliated with the site in any way!
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