Rolling Stones RSM1 album to promote their 1969 US tour, £6600 at Fieldings, with a signed inner poster.
RSM1, a compilation album of old songs - with just one new track, Love In Vain - was released by London record company Decca on October 30 that year to promote the tour, targeting mainly Stateside radio stations. The cover includes the words ‘A special radio promotion album in limited edition. Not for sale.’
Just 200 copies were pressed with the US cover and Decca UK record for British coverage. A US version known as RSD1 ran to about 2000- 2500 copies, meaning that the UK release is far rarer.
It is thought that 20 copies of the latter were signed by band members with maybe 18 coming to light since.
Rolling Stones RSM1 album to promote their 1969 US tour, £6600 at Fieldings, with the signed inner poster shown.
When a copy of RSM1 appeared at auction in the West Midlands on February 28, sold with an inner poster signed to the reverse by Mick Jagger, Bill Wyman, Keith Richards, Mick Taylor and Charlie Watts (as Charlie only, possibly done by Wyman on behalf of him), the value of this rare release for collectors became obvious.
At Stourbridge saleroom Fieldings (26% buyer’s premium inc VAT) it sold for £6600 against an estimate of £3000-5000.
As a webcast auction the bidding battle took place online only and RSM1 went to an international buyer.
Hanging out at the BBC
This copy was gifted to the vendor who was in her late teens at the time.
When the Stones were doing press and radio shows in the UK after their two-year break they attended BBC Broadcasting House.
The vendor said: “During the 1970s I did a lot of modelling and extra work. I lived a fabulous life in London in my 20s, hanging out with the musicians and actors.
“I was often in and out of BBC Broadcasting House - I was hanging out in the green room a lot. Sadly, my memory is not what it used to be. I do remember I was gifted this record by Ted Beston, BBC radio producer. I have several signed records that were gifted to me during this time.”
Fieldings director Rachel Holland added: “She was selling it as it has sat in a drawer along with other signed records she collected during the 1970s until now. Even her children didn’t know she owned it!”
As the record came fresh to the market this seems to be the 19th signed version that has emerged.
Signed and unsigned
An unsigned example offered by Bonhams in December 2017 had been given to the vendor while working as the fan club secretary for the band, 1964-72. It made £1875 including premium.
An autographed version consigned from the John Peel archive took £11,475 with premium in June 2022, also at Bonhams. Another signed RSD1 from the collection of an Immediate Records executive who worked for the Stones in the 1960s-70s made £3200 at Omega Auctions in April 2021.
