JETHRO TULL Stand Up SCARCE Textured Island Pink Rim EX

	£		29
	$		38

Artist or Band: JETHRO TULL

Album Title: Stand Up.

Producer(s): Terry Ellis & Ian Anderson.

Engineer(s): Andy Johns.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: A New Day Yesterday; Jeffrey Goes to Leicester Square; Bourée; Back to the Family; Look Into the Sun.

Side 2: Nothing is Easy; Fat Man; We Used to Know; Reasons for Waiting; For a Thousand Mothers.

Label/Format: Island – Pink rim format. The first pressing on the new label design that has very deep texturing and deep ridge. Most pink rim examples have smooth labels which are slightly later. Only a tiny percentage of copies on this design will have the textured finish. Not only that, these early pink rims were very heavily pressed, often exceeding the 60s pink pressings.

Label Conditions: Both look fantastic, these earliest pink rim pressings are very special and far more elusive than even the pink pressings. These were not available for very long before being issued smooth. Both are very clean and highly attractive with any handling marks very light and faint, as are spindle marks. The texturing can be seen and felt and hopefully visibility is possible on my scan.

Cat Number: ILPS 9103.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: A very impressive weight of 161 grams. [These days, many modern Audiophile reissues are pressed on super-heavyweight 180 gram vinyl. Only a small percentage of ‘vintage vinyl’ was ever pressed this heavy. Records pressed in the 1960s averaged around 140 to 150 grams. Records pressed in the 1970s were usually lighter and averaged more around 115 – 125 grams. Some records pressed around 1973 were very thin and light due an oil crisis and shortage around this time. Some records were even issued on recycled vinyl from this period and sounded poor with crackle and surface noise evident from the very first play. If any record I buy is deemed ‘recycled’, I will never offer it, I have a very simple test to detect these records if I suspect this to be the case other than audible imperfection. Some records from this period were even pressed on other materials the most notable was ‘Dynaflex’, used by RCA around this time. Although inferior to vinyl, this at least mostly sounded reasonably acceptable but pressings on this material were wafer thin and flimsy. Beyond the 70s, records often became thinner and lighter still but most played fine but were never quite the quality as from the ‘Golden Era’]. (This was based on ‘average’ weights for 20 records from these eras. Later pressings were usually lighter still).

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Scarce on the textured first pressed pink rim labels. I have found far more copies of this title on the pink labels where sales would have been more abundant.

Original Year of Release: 1969

Matrix Nos: ILPS+9103+A2 / ILPS+9103+B2 (quite unusual this, the playing time grooves on side two run so close to the middle or label rim, the matrix has actually been pressed into the label’s rim, this I have not seen many times before), also the matrixes are just the same as the last pink copy I offered.

Musicians: Ian Anderson - flute, acoustic guitar, Hammond organ, piano, mandolin, balalaika, mouth organ and vocals; Glen Cornick - bass guitar; Clive Bunker - drums, percussion; Martin Lancelot Barre - electric guitar, flute.

Brief Info: Within the genre of ‘classic’ rock, there are few better albums than this second Jethro Tull set. Everything about this album is perfect – great songs, sublime packaging, fantastic sound and performance and issued on one of the best labels ever – no collection is complete without a fine copy of ‘Stand Up’. Following the brilliant debut album, Mick Abrahams departed for form Blodwyn Pig, this was never going to be easy but the band rose to even greater heights. Beautifully packaged with its ‘working’ woodcut design cover, the details on the front are little short of remarkable. Musically, for me anyway, this is Jethro Tull’s best album, not a second of wasted time, every track is sublime and beautifully recorded too. Blending heavy and mellow songs with gorgeous instrumentation including strings, the details hidden within these vintage grooves are never-ending. This may not be an actual first pressing but definitely is a first pressing on the new pink rim format and is no way inferior. Still a very heavy, thick record with deep wide grooves with no space wasted on the playing areas. All the evidence points to a copy little played including superb sound quality that has no distortion and minimal unwanted sounds – slight and minor surface sound was briefly noted on the quiet beginning of ‘Reasons for Waiting’ but disappeared fast – the only blemish on this outstanding copy and album. This can never be taken for granted on these types, an album with many flute parts and this instrument often can distort or clip on overplayed copies. This one is fully focused, sharp and clear and most fans of genuine classic rock will enjoy this lovely copy that includes an attractive cover with the pop-up feature totally pristine and undamaged.

Cover’s Potential for Wear (and Damage): Very high. The delicate pop-up bends and tears easily and always nice to see one in pristine condition. The cover’s back is seldom seen devoid of heavy grubbiness, ringwear and ageing and this has very little – few will ever avoid it especially with the heaviest pressings inside all these years.

Cover Grade and Format: A very fine EX with the main faces looking great. An unlaminated gatefold format with the original ‘pop-up’ cut out feature inside (this is perfect and undamaged). Printed and made in England by Island Records and includes the Chrysalis logo on the back.

Cover Front: A very fine example of one of the most sublime covers ever made. The detail of the woodcut design cover is wonderful. This has little wear and few blemishes, just slight encroachment of top edge rubbing just creeps into view. This one has that lovely yellowish tinge, many are paler and less dynamic, this allows the great details in the woodcut to be fully appreciated. This retains great freshness and the lack of rubbing, creasing or ring marks is always a bonus.

Cover Back: This back is near impossible to find without some marks or grubbiness. Being white with a thick record inside makes this darken with ringwear and rubbing and is often very dirty. This one has largely avoided these traumas with only very light traces of handling grubbiness and the odd faint surface crease with close inspection. The lack of ringwear on the early pressed examples is rare and certainly noteworthy, this difficult back still looks fine with only small clues to its great age.

Cover Inner Gatefold: It’s rare that the inner gatefold is equally susceptable to damage as the outer, but in this case it’s probably true. The cut-out, that stands up erect when the cover is opened is very delicate and to find one with no bends or creases is unusual. The base is fully stuck down and rock solid with no blemishing or stresses. Both front and back look lsuperb with all the delicate cut out edges pristine, razor sharp, this stands up to attention perfectly and folds up the same (please see close up pictures of front and back). There is no damage, creasing, splits of tears, all the outlines are crisp and sharp with NO burring. Quite possibly the best I have seen thus far and the rest of the inside cover is equally immaculate.

Top Edges:Both have moderate rubbing, without this, I would have graded EX++.

Bottom Edges: Only light rubbing on these two.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Quite sharp with little wear and no feathering. Record entered on this right outside back edge.

Spine and Text: Very solid and quite thick, straight, minimal compression and square, both right edges meet up perfectly together and parallel too. All text is unworn and the white surface shows minimal darkening or ageing, a fine spine for a difficult cover.

Corners: Minor tip rubbing in context with their respective edges. Fine shape is retained by all.

Cover Summary: An very attractive all round example of this very fragile early 70’s cover, one that will prove quite difficult to find much better. With any wear minimal and no sticker tears for which this cover often suffers and a perfectly working, immaculate pop-up, this is a splendid early example. Yes there is some top edge wear but all the main faces look lovely especially the lovely yellow-hued front and inside. This will prove difficult to find substantially better.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Strong EX is hardly doing a splendid copy like this full justice but with a a few light surface marks and hairlines (all totally superficial and non-sounding blemishes only), this is correct going by the book. A very fine visual copy that is super clean, shiny, intense black and massively pressed on super thick vinyl with deep and wide grooves for maximum sound quality – this is an exceptional pressing and in real terms, possibly the best ever made. A copy with very modest plays on all the evidence. Visually a super record that should please many, if not most collectors.

Album Played For Grading: Yes. [I play ALL records I offer before submitting to Ebay, also the record is played in its entirety unless clearly stated otherwise. I do NOT play snippetts or joining grooves to check for sound quality and quietness – I play from the beginning to end via clinically revealing B&W speakers that include the legendary tweeter from their awesome Nautilus range that reveals every blemish or miniscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: My belt-driven Linn rarely struggles to get up to speed like my previous Rega III did, but this one really did test it out with an extra second or two to make it. Records of this weight are scarce and will be immediately apparent to any winning bidder. This beautiful record plays even above its high visual grading with nothing to fault bar very mild surface sound trace at the start of ‘Reasons for Waiting, as mentioned above already’. This is minimal and faint and very brief indeed, on less sensitive equipment, it will barely even register. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is astonishing with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound – this is a real hi-fi recording and a pleasure to listen too. Barley any other surface sounds or no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing for (at times) a fairly demanding album. Few copies will match or outperform this still early pressing significantly I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp and all remains focused. Practically nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. This copy will prove difficult to find significantly better and is highly recommended.

Now one of the most established sellers on Ebay and still offering the finest and most accurately described and graded records I can find. I pride myself on offering a variety of genres to keep my site as interesting as possible. I will rarely offer any record that falls below a true Excellent grading, unless its of a certain rarity which will justify offering a lesser grade. I try, to the best of my ability to describe as accurately and as honesty as I can all items I offer for sale with all the relevant information I can think of to help any potential bidder and collector. You may notice I only submit records sparingly on Ebay - on average ONEADAY, a couple more at weekends if time permits, hence the name - time rarely allows for more as I Play-Grade virtually every record I offer in their entirety, not just bits to guess a grade - visuals alone do not always tell a true or full story. I will mention any defects or flaws no matter how small that I notice to be fair as possible to any interested collector – I am very fussy and my buyers have the right to be too. Every record I offer, whether it be a common or rare item deserves the same respect as far as I am concerned and will be treated the same - just because an item is rare does not always mean its good. I get just as much pleasure offering a relatively common record in stunning near mint condition as the real rare items. All the pictures I use for your guidance are taken with a digital camera or scanned - they are NOT improved, cleaned-up or made better looking than they are with camera trickery or enhancing with digital programmes. What you see is what you get and scanned labels will give a more accurate representation of the genuine colour than flash photography where light is variable. I cannot guarantee total accuracy for colours however but most will be very close. If any picture I take looks more flattering than the actual item for any reason, I will clearly state the fact in the advert and vice-versa. I hope the item below is to your liking - any questions can be emailed and I will do my very best to answer you. I am enthusiastic, and have a fair degree of knowledge about many genres and I promise quality items - bid with confidence - excellence comes as standard and so does Near Mint regularly. Please assume all records I offer have NO jumps, sticks, warps or writing on covers or labels unless clearly stated to the contrary. Thanks for your interest and Good luck – MIKE.

Deck: Linn LP12 with Ittok Mk IV arm and Ortofon Samba Moving Coil cartridge (tracks at 1.8 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional Moth vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too.

First-time, zero-rated bidders, who do not ask permission to bid, will be cancelled immediately and blocked – NO exceptions. For winning bidders who I consider excessively slow to make contact or submit payment, I will use my right to block future bids. If any bidder who wins in the final seconds is present to do so, surely they can at least email me to inform of intention and payment method? If swift or promp payment is a problem, please do not bid.

POSTING & PACKING: What You Get: I usually post on Fridays, most will arrive Saturday to make signed-for delivery easier. All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT mailers) with the record(s) REMOVED from their main cover to avoid edge splits and placed within a brand new polylined inner. The record’s original inner will be included if available. The boxes are then reinforced with TWO thick stiffners for even extra protection. The cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW heavy duty soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my Moth Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. Printed address labels are used for clarity and well as sender label. You will NOT get tired, dull looking, dust infested records inside worn and foggy covers with tatty inners from this seller and that’s a promise and guarantee. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if at all possible but NOT surface mail abroad. I never make profit on posting and offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends, with the total costs including ‘standard’ or ‘optional extra insurance’ P&P – ALL UK and Russian packets go out non-negotiable Recorded Delivery. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 4,000+ items sold in over 7 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional.

PLEASE NOTE: I will now only send packets to Russia with Recorded Delivery at a cost of £7 per single LP. If this is unacceptable to Russian collectors, please do not bid. I only want my records to arrive safely and this gives packets a better chance to do so. Also ALL UK packets will be sent with either Recorded or Special Delivery as standard (both have to be signed for). All shipping costs and rules can be found after my description. If they are not acceptable, please do not bid.

NOTE: First Time Bidders: I will cancel ALL first-time bidders with no feedbacks or excessive negatives who do not ask me if its OK to bid first – NO EXCEPTIONS.

Please Note: I will now offer any item to the runner-up after the mandatory Ebay 3 days if no contact is made by the winning bidder unless prior notice of any delay is given beforehand. The same applies if no payment is received within the mandatory 7 days so any bidder who has just lost out can still email me to reserve the item as priority second chance – it’s always worth asking.

SHIPPING COSTS & OPTIONS:

Posting & Packing: UK & CHANNEL ISLANDS all now sent Recorded Delivery:

1 LP (First Class Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4 (OPTIONAL).

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: ALL EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA (NOT RUSSIA, see below) (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £5.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £9 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: RUSSIA (Recorded Only, if this is unacceptable, please do not bid):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ only £7) = £9 (OPTIONAL extra insurance as above).

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (any part); Australia; Canada; Japan and other Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £8.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £13 (OPTIONAL).

* If Rules allow for that country.

PLEASE NOTE: I always get a Royal Mail ‘Proof-of-Posting’ receipt for ALL packets that are sent out and I am happy to prove this to any customer who wishes to see it via email.

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders.

The customer can choose their method of shipping with the exception of second class or surface mail overseas – these I will NOT use. The winner bidder chooses his/her posting method and if uninsured is chosen, its their decision and they have to stick with it, I can accept no responsibility if an item is lost in the post. I can only try to claim at standard levels if no enhancement is chosen (£35).

Potential Bidders: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are timewasters. A maximum 3 days for communication and 7 days for payment to arrive - if not I will relist the item or offer to the runner-up. Fast deals get great feedback from me. Any questions - please ask and thanks for looking.

My Guarantee: If any winning bidder is not satisfied with their purchase I will offer a complete refund minus the Posting and All Ebay costs as long as the item detail has been read and understood. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help.

SOME GENERAL GUIDES TO WEAR AND CONDITIONS TO HELP YOU DECIDE

My Use of Description Terminology: Surface Marks = Superficial, usually light marks, hairlines or light scuffs that rarely sound. Scratch = a needle mark that goes below the record’s surface, some will sound, some will not, my play-grade will inform. Original = a record that has been pressed with the first label design which does NOT neccessarily mean a very first pressed record. First Pressing = A record that I believe or know to be a genuine very first pressed record. I do not claim to always know for sure, and that’s why I state the stamper and matrix numbers if at all possible, for those who claim to know what they all mean, the information is there for the collector to decide. I prefer to use terms like ‘Early Copy’ rather than ‘First Pressing’ if I am not totally sure. Surface Sound = Mild, light sound, usually light crackle or similar. Distortion = Break up of the actual sound caused by groove wear or damage from a chipped stylus – the most undesirable form of unwanted sound, vintage mono records were the most prone to this happening but not exclusively so. The symptoms of distortion are high frequency clipping, moderate constant crackle or an echo type sound quality. Violin, piano and vocals are most prone to groove-wear distortion. Feathering = Fraying or softening of the entry edge of a cover. Covers with feathered entrance edges are more likely to have had the actual record inserted and removed more than a non-feathered, sharp-edged cover which are always far more attractive. Set Off, actually a printer’s term for dark ink leaving mild residue on pale or white ink when rested upon. e.g. when a gatefold cover has black ink closed against white, this can leave some black residue on the pale area – this is mostly unavoidable or course.

The Argument for Vinyl Original sound and mix (mono mixes are rarely available on CD), high quality sound on clean copies (played on a hi-end dedicated analogue system – breathtaking sound!), beautiful, large format covers, artwork, inserts and even full size posters etc; huge investment potential, and the pleasure of owning ‘the real thing’.