JETHRO TULL THIS WAS 1968 UK STEREO 1st A/B GLEAMING VINYL SUPER AUDIO EX+/EX+

	£		75
	$		99

JETHRO TULL - THIS WAS

A beautiful condition and eminently presentable copy, along with superb sound quality, of this increasingly rare and highly sought after 1968 UK 1st press Jethro Tull prog rock gem, with earliest A / B vinyl matrix numbers on the coveted rough textured 'orange/black circle eye' 1st press Island record label, STEREO, ILPS 9085

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1    ILP + 9085 + A 

Side 2    ILP + 9085 + B

The appearance and overall condition of the flat and truly heavy duty vinyl is a solid excellent (EX), at least. In normal daylight each side of the vinyl comes across as in gleaming and virtually unmarked condition with a beautiful jet black sheen; it is only with close scrutiny under a bright light that a few of the wispiest of wispy small hairlines on each side of the vinyl come into view - nothing "feelable" or below the surface, and all very trivial and purely superficial. Clearly this vinyl has been sparingly played and it's condition remains nothing less than remarkable, especially considering it's 52 year old antiquity!

The condition of the labels is also excellent plus (EX+). Gorgeous condition labels : earliest 1st press rough textured labels with the coveted "orange/black circle eye' with black text upon the iconic pink background, each in  pristine condition. There are a couple of small and very, very light spindle trails (not easy to identify, even under a bright light) adjacent to the centre hole; and on the side 2 there is a minor manufacturing fault where a small segment of the label is missing (see photo) - if anything this just adds to the charm and uniqueness of the record.

The condition of the outside-laminated gatefold sleeve is excellent plus (EX+)...difficult to fault, in fact. The first thing to notice is the massive spine : the width of the spine is an incredible 0.9mm, even wider than the 0.8mm mono copy that I sold a few weeks ago on ebay. All edges remain firm with no scuffing whatsoever (remarkable in itself), each corner is a well defined right angle with no rubbing on each. The spine is in great shape with all spine text perfectly intact...and none of the usual spine buckling or laminate creasing adjacent and perpendicular to the spine. No cardboard creasing. No laminate lifting. The opening edges remain firm with no feathering or fraying and there is no unwanted writing or doodles or score marks anywhere. The inside of the gatefold is pristine : 1st press non-laminated inside with perfect condition glue tab top edges. The colours, photographs, text and artwork on both the outside and inside of this iconic album cover remain rich and vibrant with perfect definition and clarity. Wonderful! Well, I did say that this gatefold copy is hard to fault!!

The quality of the audio is excellent plus (EX+). Great tone and clarity throughout, even at higher volume and on higher frequencies. There are no skips, jumps, repeats, sticks, clicks or even faint background crackle/interference. I did notice x2 very faint background clicks towards the end of "Serenade To A Cuckoo" but after gently wiping that track with a warm cloth the clicks disappeared so there may be the odd dust particle still lodged in the grooves through decades of storage. I have to say that this really is outstanding STEREO audio quality, with every track still making for a great listen even after all of these years. What an important record in the evolvement of prog rock during the late 60's this LP has turned out to be, and it is now very difficult to get hold of UK 1st pressings of this wonderful LP in condition as impressive as this. Brilliant!

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

1.  MY SUNDAY FEELING

2. SOME DAY THE SUN WON'T SHINE FOR YOU

3. BEGGAR'S FARM

4. MOVE ON ALONE

5. SERENADE TO A CUCKOO

Side 2 :

1. DHARMA FOR ONE

2. IT'S BREAKING ME UP

3. CAT'S SQUIRREL

4. A SONG FOR JEFFREY

5. ROUND

Comes with original poly-lined "PLASTIC BAGS CAN BE DANGEROUS", "British Patent No...." and "MADE IN ENGLAND" inner sleeve with no rips, no tears, and no seam splits but there is some mild corner creasing and a little age discolouration, though of course remaining fully functional. Note that I always use a new, plain white replacement inner sleeve for shipping purposes in order to protect the original.

In summary a truly wonderful condition copy of this increasingly rare and sought after 1968 UK very first 1st press Jethro Tull prog rock gem - now becoming very difficult to find 1st pressing copies in condition as impressive as this - the whole LP remains a brilliant listen, is a "must have" for any serious prog rock vinyl collection and will only continue to gain in value.

 If you require any further information, including photos, then let me know and I'll do my best to oblige. 

If this record interests you then take a look at my other 60's & 70's classic vinyl listings.

A bit about myself : I have been collecting vinyl for more than 50 years and have amassed a huge collection covering a varied genre, but mostly of 1960's and 70's origin. Most of my records were originally bought by myself for my own collection, but during the past 30 years I have embellished my collection by buying records from a variety of sources : friends/acquaintances, car boot sales, auctions, and even through putting up a "vinyl wanted" notice in my wife's shop! I am now retired and take great delight in being able to spend more time scouring the country and attending boot sales and auctions in the hope of unearthing more vinyl gems...I am 65 years of age now and am still discovering bands and music of the 60's and 70's that I have never come across before. Wonderful! Richard

My ebay feedback speaks for itself so rest assured that you are buying from a trusted seller and in the very unlikely event that you are unhappy with your purchase just e-mail me and I'll sort out the problem. I offer a "no quibble" refund policy. 

On the subject of postage, I take great care in the packaging of all items, using a proper vinyl thick cardboard "crucifix" style mailer along with at least two thick cardboard stiffeners. I take great care in separating the record from the outer sleeve in order to help prevent sleeve damage in transit and I always insert the vinyl, outer sleeve and inner into a clear plastic sleeve, thus adding further protection. 

For this item postage & packaging will be UK £4.00, Royal Mail 1st class, signed for; 

Continental Europe £12, and Rest of the World £16 respectively, Royal Mail 1st class international Airmail tracked and signed for

 I DO discount post & packaging costs for multiple purchases. I do NOT profit from postage.

Good luck with your bidding!

NOTE : My vinyl descriptions comply with the official Record Collector vinyl grading guidelines :

Mint

The records itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items, such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.

Excellent

The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and /or creasing.

Very Good

The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

Good

The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discolouration, etc.

Fair

The record is still just playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents are torn, stained and/or defaced

Poor

The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents are badly damaged or partly missing.

Bad

The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection-filler