JETHRO TULL This Was - MUCH RARER VERY 1st PRESS UK 1968 ISLAND PINK STEREO LP.

	£		118
	$		156

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World in Quality, Safe Packing.

Postage: UK £4.75 (£1 per extra record). Europe (including Russia) £12.50 (£2 per extra record). Rest of World (including ALL parts of the USA) £16.50 (£3 per extra record). All boxes signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes that offer virtually no protection at all – in fact I think these things should be banned as records WILL arrived damaged in them at some time. More details on my packing nearer the end of the listing.

Posting to Russia: Yes, I do post to Russia. But delivery can take up to 4 to 6 weeks from the UK. So please be patient. I will submit a tracking number to the winning bidder, and when the packet arrives there it can be followed online using the Russian post website.

ALSO: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment to keep things moving – cash-flow is important to any small business. I will always keep my P&P prices as low as possible, and even after yet another Royal Mail price hike from April this year, I have NOT raised my prices and will never compromise on solid, safe packing that is invariably heavier than most you will get. My P&P offers probably the best value-for-money for vinyl records available, and I even will pay for full insurance on any record that sells for over £100 at NO extra cost – that is UK and abroad. Also I aim to post the very same day after payment is received. You WILL see the difference when my packet arrives.

Artist or Band: JETHRO TULL

Album Title: This Was.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: My Sunday Feeling; Some Day the Sun Won’t Shine For You; Beggar’s Farm; Move on Alone; Serenade to a Cuckoo.

Side 2: Dharma For One; It’s Breaking Me Up; Cat’s Squirrel; A Song for Jeffrey; Round.

Label/Format: Island – ultimate first issue format with the rough textured labels and matt finish. What makes this a very first issue lies in the detail: first issue labels did NOT have ‘MADE IN ENGLAND’ at the 6 o’clock position of the rim. Also the ILPS number and publishing year is printed lower below the outline island logo also at the 6 o’clock position. Lastly, the word ‘STEREO’ under the hole is wider, slightly smaller and more spaced-out than on the second issue. These only available for the briefest time before being reprinted within the same year of issue prior to being changed as explained.

Label Conditions: Two super examples that have barely aged at all. Very clean, fresh and attractive with only three or four spindle marks on side one and hardly any at all on two. Incredibly hard to find this vintage classic in this condition, especially as a very first issue.

Cat Number: ILPS 9085.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 146 grams. A typical quite heavy pressing.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: First issue copies of this album with the true first pressing labels are harder to find in very lightly played condition. Also on this label, the cover had the very wide spine that is so often flattened, crushed or damaged, this one still nicely erect and not crushed. The inside of the cover had two external flipbacks on the top edges, later removed, these were not credited. A true original like this is getting quite rare and this one plays as good as it looks.

Original Year of Release: 1968.

Matrix Nos: ILPS + 9085 + A / ILPS + 9085 + B (these deeply punched and large)

Musicians: Ian Anderson - flute, mouth organ, claghorn, piano and vocals; Mick Abrahams - guitar, nine string guitar and vocal; Clive Bunker - drums, hooter and charm bracelet; Glenn Cornick - bass guitar.

Brief Artist & Album Info: Jethro Tull’s debut masterpiece and many agree it was never bettered, it even charted at 10 in the UK. For sure this is a rock classic, a debut of incredible maturity that fitted in nicely between blues and prog. Mick Abrahams was the darling of the clubs, and for a brief moment offered a challenge to Clapton, especially with his showpiece ‘Cat’s Squirrel’. Shortly afterwards he left the band to form Blodwyn Pig. Anderson became the undisputed leader and live he and the band were tremendous. On record they rarely got much better, ‘Dharma for One’ that opens side two has probably the best ever (short) drum solo ever - this just has to be heard on stereo vinyl that images brilliantly - breathtaking sound, as is the whole album and a truly super example to view and enjoy with one of the greatest Island covers in equally impressive condition.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(++): a gatefold format with front and back laminate. This ends on the inside on the bottom edges with no flipbacks. Also on the top edges on top of two large external flipbacks (these quickly removed on later covers). The inside is matt and smooth. This has the very wide spine, again changed to a standard spine on the next version, this one uncredited. Printed and made in England.

Lamination – Front & Back: Stunning artwork seen to absolute maximum advantage under very shiny, fresh and clear laminate that shows hardly any marks or dulling, any traces only seen with scrutiny under light on the back around the rim of the thick record. Few, if any will avoid that as a bare minimum. Practically all is fully adhered with with just a couple of small lifts on the front spine edge, one tiny – what a difference that makes to this beautiful cover. The lack of creasing or ageing makes this exceptional and that fantastic artwork looks magnificent. Both sides will prove very difficult to find much better.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Little short of as made with no grubbiness, pulling or sticking to those flipback ends. These are incredibly neat and clean, also fully adhered with no thickening to the ends. This middle area will also prove immensely difficult to find better.

Top & Bottom Edges: All four show barely any hint of wear and are still very straight with full laminate cover that has not scuffed, still silky smooth to the fingertip.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, mostly sharp to very sharp with minimal traces of wear again, both are guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced in any way. Any thickening or burring minor and little as seen viewed end-on. Record enters on the back edge.

Spine and Text: This has the famous first-made super-wide spine, and few standard covers had a wider one. Clearly prone to crushing and damage, but this is still erect and solid. A slight tilt to right is near impossible to avoid, but very straight and uncompressed with full laminate retention. Any wear to the vulnerable ends minor and light again, the top especially is crisp and very neat indeed. All text perfect and unworn under the clear and unpeeled or cracked laminate.

Corners: Minimal traces of any tip rubs and all retain crisp very fine to excellent shape. No dinks or bashes have ruined these, again that is quite unusual.

Cover Summary: A wonderful example of this famous old cover, not quite as old as the band look on the front but this is now around 46-years-old old, but gives few clues to the fact. This should please most-all collectors and will prove immensely difficult to find better – well worthy of a second look. The front graphic, one of rock’s true classics, this prime example could indeed prove a significant upgrade for many.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT: a plain white unlined inner is in fine condition as well. Very clean, little aged with with just one corner crease with all the edges unsplit with no repairs. Both window circles crisp and undamaged. This includes the text: ‘PATENT APPLIED FOR’

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT: a very fine visual copy that is clean, still fresh looking with fine shine and heavily pressed as these early Island albums were. Any surface blemishes light and faint, minor traces in the pressing seen under bright angled light, but this plays superbly with all the detail and sonic delivery you would expect from a first pressing.

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 snippets 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: This classic debut album plays even above it’s visual grading to the maximum with very little to fault. Stunning clean stereo sound that has a powerful mix and images superbly, check out that incredible short drum solo on ‘Dharma For One’. This plays with clean and dynamic sound and devoid of the dreaded distortions so many of the early copies have now inherited. The innermost songs with that delicate, difficult flute sections always are a concern for any copy played too many times on heavy equipment - no worries here, the sound is sharp with effortless tracking and clarity. It should now remain so for many years when played on a modern lightweight turntable. This is not an easy album and so often it disappoints even on clean visual copies. This plays practically devoid of irritating surface noise and no pops or significant clicks, anything unwanted is gentle, very infrequent and faint. The final short song, the delicate ‘Round’ plays very well too, I have heard this sound horrible on some copies with major pressing noise and distortions. The odd sporadic tick and crackle trace on a popular album dating back to 1968, and there is NO disputing this with these labels, is nigh-on impossible to avoid. This has little to fault at all and I enjoyed this powerful listening experience. This merits strong recommendation for those just wanting one of the first-made copies with a clean disc and beautiful looking cover. One of the best all-round examples I have had for some time.

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/Hercules/Cirkus with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Rondo Red moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with Terrarium Black terminated cable). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional VPI-17 vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too. Pictures taken with a Nikon D5000 SLR Digital Camera.

PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET.

What You Get: To confirm to the strict Ebay rules on shipping, I must now send ALL my packets ‘Signed-For’ with NO exceptions. Both buyers and sellers want their packets to have a safer journey and this is not a bad thing.

I now offer the fastest possible posting, often the very next day after payment is received or within two to three days maximum (unless on holiday). I only use FIRST-CLASS Mail. The record’s cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my new VPI-17 Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. 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. All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT Mailers, these do not offer any real protection). The record(s) are 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 at least TWO, ULTRA THICK stiffeners for maximum extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffeners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will even be Double Boxed if deemed necessary and possible. When larger boxes are used, the thick record and stiffener ‘sandwich’ is then thickly embedded into bubble-wrap to bulk out the record inside the box to centre the item inside to reduce the risk of damage still further. Printed address labels are used for clarity as well as a sender label. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if at all possible but ‘Signed-For’ posting is NOT an option anymore. I do not profit on posting and the cost of this lavish packing is NOT even charged for, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners and bubble wrap make a near impregnable fortress for safe shipping and this is used inland and overseas for ALL my records, not just the rare and expensive. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than one in two thousand+ based on over 10,000+ items sold in over 12 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. The only damage rate acceptable for this seller is ZERO and I think my packets will offer just that. It would take a vicious postman or postal service to damage these for sure. Even one of these stiffeners cannot be bent by hand, so what chance 2 inside a box? Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FIVE records per box (one double can sometimes be included subject to total weight). All postage costs are below and at the top of the listing.

NOTE: First Time Bidders: Please ask me first.

PLEASE NOTE: I now exercise my right to open a dispute after the Ebay rule of FOUR days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the, again after the mandatory FOUR days and then offer the item to the runner-up or relist. The non-payer will also be blocked from my Ebay site and they take the Ebay consequences (a strike or removal from the system). Small businesses need prompt payment to trade and these strict rules WILL be applied.

SHIPPING COSTS & CONDITIONS – THESE comply with EBAY’S RULES - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY:

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

1 LP (FIRST-CLASS Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4.75

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £8. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £2 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£50 maximum]) = £12.50 (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3). Add £3 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); South America; New Zealand; Australia; Canada; Japan and other Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£50 maximum]) = £16.50 (£17.50 for double sets). Add £3 per extra LP. (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3)

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders or direct payment into my bank account.

Potential Bidders: I will cancel any bids I feel are time-wasters. 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. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer, so read the item description carefully. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help. Thank You.

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 necessarily 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’.