JETHRO TULL This Was RARER ORIG UK 1968 NEAR MINT ISLAND LP & COVER – FANTASTIC.

	£		208
	$		275

ONEADAYRECORDS – Serving-up a Christmas & New Year Feast of Entertainment

I would like to wish all my customers, regulars and newcomers, a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR

Over the Holiday Period, I am offering some interesting Christmas ‘Crackers’ – the theme this year being ‘Rock Classics’ – ENJOY!

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, and records WILL arrive damaged in them at some time as most record buyers will already know. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS including full side protection and bubble wrap, the records removed from the covers of course. All this very safe packing means I lose money on every box I post, but safe delivery is, and will always be paramount. You WILL see the difference when my packet arrives. Also, I will pay for 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 if possible. PLEASE NOTE: I will NOT send any item, no matter what its value without a Royal Mail or courier tracking number. ALL my items must be signed and traceable to comply with Ebay delivery rules. Please do NOT ask me to make any exceptions to this rule as no country offers 100% reliable service without it.

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 ‘2-day’ rule for non-payment to keep things moving – cash-flow is important for any small business.

FINALLY: Late payers, non-payers and ‘0’ bidders will now be blocked or cancelled at my discretion. As will any bidder who cancels a bid. I do not like this practice as it is most often used to phish out the price to beat. Ebay does not approve and neither do I – so only bid on my items if you want them.

Artist or Band: JETHRO TULL

Album Title: This Was

Producer(s): Terry Ellis and Jethro Tull

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/Conditions: Island – first pressing with eyeball logo and matt, rough textured surfaces. Both in stunning ultra clean fresh conditions with the most beautiful shade of pastel pink colour. Just a couple of three tiny, ultra fine and faint spindle traces. Yes, another from the collection purchased new by one collector and cover-protected, again this looks hardly played with fantastic clean sound.

Catalogue Number: ILPS 9085

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 158 grams.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: This album was pressed on a variety, and just about all the early Island variant labels. So these first issues from 1968 were only available for a brief time before the format was changed again – and again – and again. First issues also included the prized very wide spine cover, the inside had top flipbacks, those omitted from later copies and had no cover credits. Finding this famous first-print cover in anything like mint condition is hugely difficult, and one retaining a mint spine even more so. Well take another look at this one, it’s fantastic, cover protected from new and the difference is immediately apparent. The record hardly played and this one superbly pressed – that never to be taken for granted – this plays with immense detailed stereo sound. One of the very best examples I have ever seen or heard and a rare opportunity for fans of this legendary rock band.

Original Year of Release: 1968

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

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

Brief Artist & Album Info: Jethro Tull’s debut classic and many agree it was never bettered, it even charted at 10 in the UK. A debut of incredible maturity that fitted in nicely between blues, rock 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 truly beautiful condition.

Cover Grade and Format: MINT(–): and arguably undergraded at that. A gatefold format with front and back laminate. The inside is mostly matt and smooth. The top edges both have laminated flipbacks, and the bottom edges both have wide laminate ends. This has the massive wide spine as seen, this a prized feature on the first covers and hear looking amazing. Printed and made in England, uncredited. The plain white inner sleeve is included as well.

Lamination – Front & Back: Beautiful artwork seen to near maximum advantage under very shiny, fresh and clear laminate that has hardly any lifting (a tiny one on the front bottom left corner tip end), and minimal traces of dulling, even under light. That far more unusual with such a heavy, thick record inside all these years. Any laminate creases fine and light – one small half moon and a gentle semi-crease near the top right on the front – two very fine spine edge hairlines on the back – few will have less than this. Both sides totally blow away their 50-years-of-age, and it will take something remarkable to better these stunning surfaces.

Cover Inner Gatefold: A fine surface crease apart (top left, look very hard), this incredible inner gate looks amazing. The two very large top flipbacks are immaculate, and the laminate on the top and bottom edges retains deep shine with no grubby end lines or lifting. Both matt surfaces are ultra clean and fresh with nothing to really fault as-seen. Any secondary creasing near the super-wide spine is minimal with just a couple of fine one at the bottom right of the fold. I have never seen this inside better.

Top & Bottom Edges: All four totally immaculate, smooth and unworn. All straight, and even shiny being perfectly flush and parallel from the perfectly folded spine.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, mostly very sharp with minimal traces of thickening, both are guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced in any way. The laminate end lines are still wide front and back, the exposed strips virtually unworn and clean. Record enters on the back edge.

Spine and Text: The spine on this cover has become quite famous on this cover due to its width – but only briefly available on the earliest copies. Rarely seen like this, most become flattened, compressed or even crushed over time. Just look at this beauty: this is practically as issued. Rigidly erect and upright with no compression or weakening of the folds that retain totally uncracked perfect laminate. Totall unaged, clean, clear and shiny with pristine perfectly centre text. Even the perilous ends are nigh-on perfect with any hint of a crease minuscule on the top. This spine is 100% natural, not rammed back into shape, just to immediately flatten again. The one owner from new simply know how to store records and their covers, and this is a prime case-in-point example. NOTE: when send this out to the winning bidder, I will support this spine with card so it makes the journey safely upright.

Corners: All corners are very close to as-made with hardly anything to fault – and rarely can this be stated on this one. Near mint shape retained with no knocks or dinks and barely a rub to be seen – incredible being honest.

Cover Summary: Fifty years old and still coming close to reminding of as-made, any blemishes minimal, certainly worthy of a second (or third) look. This a fantastic piece of rock history art and it should please many, if not most collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(+): a plain white unlined inner with all the edges unsplit with no repairs. Two crisp undamaged window circles and just two neat corner folds, often deliberate to stop the record sliding out. The paper lightly darkened to politely remind of age.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: MINT(–): a very fine visual copy that is very clean with equally fine shine and a typically heavily pressed first issue pressed by Pye. A copy appearing hardly played on all the evidence with any surface traces few, very light and faint as seen critically under bright light. No penetrating stylus scratches, viewed in average room light, barely anything even registers. Any visual blemishes purely within the pressing itself, and most collectors will know these pressings rarely avoid them. But these natural pressing traces seen under light are purely superficial and do nothing. In fact this record plays beautifully throughout and was a pure joy to play-grade. 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 snippets or joining grooves to check for sound quality and quietness – I play from the beginning to end via clinically revealing equipment, all listed further down.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This magnificent and classic album plays up to it’s high visual grading with hardly anything to fault. Offering strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear – sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed and this is an exceptional clean pressing with no tracking issues*, this never to be taken for granted. This was beautifully recorded and produced with stunning stereo imagery. It was also available in mono and that sounds superb as well, but just different, both versions are essential for fans and collectors. Few available copies will outperform this first stereo pressing significantly I feel sure, a copy never played on a mono record player and I doubt if this record has even seen light-of-day for decades – those labels are simply gorgeous as-seen. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very lightly and has been superbly stored and carefully handled within a non-smoking environment. Nothing of any note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. It will prove very difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended.

* As played-graded on a high-end Linn LP12 Sondek turntable with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Quintet Black moving coil cartridge tracking at 2.2 grams. Records are a ‘contact’ format, and few will avoid the odd minor sound blemish.

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 as I Play-Grade every record I offer in their entirety – also on higher-end equipment – 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 it’s 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 the item being offered with no digital enhancements. Room light factors can make things vary sometimes, that is hard to control, especially in winter. 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. 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 Quintet Black moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2.2 grams). Amps: Naim Supernait 2 with Project USB phono stage and Tellerium Black interconnects. Speakers: B&W 805 Nautilus (bi-wired with Tellurium Black terminated cable) with REL subwoofer. All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional Nessie 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 Nessie 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, better quality packaging costs, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners 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 minuscule in over 17­ 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. 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 TWO days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the bid, 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 as will any suspicious bids or bid withdrawals. 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] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £1 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 £2 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’.