JETHRO TULL This Was RARER UK Island PINK 1st Press

	£		89
	$		118

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Postage: UK £4.25. Europe £11.75. Rest of World £15.75. ALL signed for. – NOTE: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment. I try to keep my P&P as low as possible after the very significant Royal Mail price increases.

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 – original orange and black ‘eyeball’ logo with deep inner ring ridge. Side one has the original block around the hole. Both labels are also heavily textured. (Please see my label scan)

Label Conditions: Two fantastic looking first issue labels, ultra clean, fresh and as attractive as they get. Spindle marks are light and very light, faint and faint and only really evident under angled light. Evidence from the labels of only very modest usage.

Cat Number: ILPS 9085.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Warps: A light pressing ‘ripple’ is seen on rotation around half way, it caused no issues in terms of sound and tracking is uncompromised, effortless and easy. This only really notices as it catches light with minimal movement of the deck’s arm.

Weight of this Record: 165 grams. A massive weight for any standard record, but not untypical for the very early Island records.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Scarce: and not only was this format quite soon changed to the other Island variants up to 1970, only this first version included that massively wide spined cover with the internal flipbacks. One of the most beautiful Island covers ever and rarely seen as superbly preserved as this one – more on that further down.

Original Year of Release: 1968.

Matrix Nos: ILPS + 9085 + A / ILPS + 9085 + B [these are the very deeply punched, pronounced style matrixes]

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 rarely 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 than this and ‘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 with breathtaking sound. One of the greatest covers and albums ever put on to the legendary early Island label.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(++): this going beyond critical, this is a mere whisker off full Mint(-) which for this original cover is almost miraculous. This the unique original with the laminated front and back and massively wide spine (as seen on my close up pictures). The laminate ends on the top and bottom edges of the inside, the top left and right being external flipbacks that disappeared on all subsequent versions that included the black block and pink i pressings. Printed and made in England with no credits.

Lamination – Front & Back: Stunning artwork seen to absolute maximum advantage under very shiny, fresh and clear laminate that shows hardly any marks, friction marks or dulling. Not only that, adhesion is nigh-on total with just one minuscule lift on one corner that, being honest, is barely worthy of mention. Both surfaces are in incredible condition and with barely any creases at all, one tiny tip one on the top right corner tip is probably the only reason this (just) failed to get a Mint(-) grading. Even the back has hardly a trace of rim pressing, and with a 165 gram record inside for best part of 44 years, that is little short of remarkable. Quite honestly, this cover is little short of reference standard and could indeed be the ultimate upgrade for any serious needing one. An Island masterpiece of a cover and a slight shame with ever new pressing the standard slightly fell away – this IS THE ULTIMATE version.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Superb again and including those to top exterior flipbacks in fantastic condition. The laminate endings on all four edges shows minimal traces of any dust adhesion to what would have been (initially) mildly sticky – this is rarely avoided along with potential pulling of which these have none. So often with very thick spines – and they hardly got thicker than this – the area near the central folds aquire waves or secondary creases, but this has minimal traces of either and this inside will prove immensely difficult to ever find better.

Top & Bottom Edges: All four show barely any hint of wear and are still very straight with full laminate cover that has barely scuffed at all.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, very neat and almost as sharp as when made and both guaranteed untrimmed. Both the edges shows the wide unlaminated strip that remains ungrubbied or chipped. Any thickening or burr traces are beyond minuscule and rarely again will these fragile areas be found better. Record enters on the back edge.

Spine and Text: A spine almost as famous as the album itself and this really is the backbone of this gorgeous cover. With an emormous 10 mm width, few standard covers ever matched or exceeded it. This has barely any wear with practically no compression at all. Still fully erect, rock solid, straight and totally uncrushed or damaged with full laminate retention. All text perfect and unworn with crisp ends. This one folded very squarely, so the edges meet up very closely and parallel and I consider this important for ultimate visual pleasure. Lop-sided and out-of-square folding simply does not look as good as crisp flush sides. Even the spine’s folds are crisp and undinked and without any doubt, this cover has been very carefully handled and stored over the decades. Being ultra critical, the merest hint of the tiniest compression near the top, but this is almost nick-picking for the sake of it. If a better available example of this fantastic spine construction can be found, well grab it fast.

Corners: Again these have survived in terrific shape, the merest hint of a small tip crease on the top right front as mentioned already, but truly this is tiny with just a tiny tip rub. There is little else to fault and all retain excellent to near mint shape – and how many really ever will?

Cover Summary: A truly wonderful, ageing defying example of this famous old cover, not quite as old as the band look on the cover but this is now around 44-years-old. This should please most-all collectors and will prove immensely difficult to find much better – well worthy of a second look. The front graphic, one of rock’s true classics and just about all areas of this sleeve is little short of connoisseur standard.

The Inner Sleeve: NEAR EXCELLENT: the plain white unlined inner is in fine overall condition as well. Bearing in mind the sheer weight of the record inside, it has stood up well. Clean and little aged, one smallish edge split and one corner crease with a minor adhesive darkening near the edge seams. The window circles crisp and neat, one small tear only that I repaired very neatly. Clearly, I could have swapped this for a similar inner, but I prefer to keep the original if at all possible (warts n all) to keep the set as original as possible, but this has little to fault overall.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT: and a very fine looking piece that without doubt has been played only very modestly and I would suggest, overall carefully. Any surface blemishes tiny, few and faint as seen under bright angled light. An intense black record with a fine shine and massively pressed on super-heavyweight vinyl. On rotation on the turntable, a fairly mild pressing ‘ripple’ is seen that is less than obvious when holding the record, in fact it would probably go unnoticed. This has practically no effect on the sound of the record, anything that may (potentially) be present, is simply masked by the sheer power and volume of this incredibly loud and dynamic recording. So this pressing blemish would only be of concern for the visual purist or perfectionist. Visually a lovely and massive record, and one that will 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 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 mostly above it’s visual grading and much up to the maximum with little to fault. This has that deep groove detail, volume and dynamics with a powerful mix that images superbly, check out that incredible short drum solo on ‘Dharma For One’. This has avoided those dreaded pressing distortions so many of the early copies have now inherited. The mild ripple seen on rotation has no effect on sound. A little gentle surface sound was heard on the quiestest areas on side one – this via VERY sensitive equipment as listen further down – most apparent on ‘Some Day the Sun Won’t Shine For You’. This is not crackle, but just a mild ‘hiss’ only. So for collectors with massively revealing equipment or intended to be played at thunderous volumes, this could be an issue. But for more average listeners with average to very fine stereos, I feel it will be of little to no concern – you the buyer decide this. Little to nothing was heard elsewhere on the music areas, any other present being gentle and faint but traces between songs on side one were just evident. Side two plays superbly well. 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 – even that fragile short closing song ‘Round’ that on occasions I have heard plays badly. This is not an easy album and so often it disappoints even on clean visual copies – I know I have said is before (and will probably continued to do so in future), but Island pressing quality was always pristine. Certainly better than some labels of the time, but nothing is guaranteed. Often brand new records failed to offer pristine sound as many collector friends, several older than me, will verify. This plays practically devoid irritating pops or significant clicks and the music itself is sharp and focused, so those groove walls have not been shredded by old heavy tracking stylus of the time, anything unwanted is really light and gentle. But if total silence is mandatory, this is not quite that. A record that still offers hugely enjoyable sound that most will relish with just enough to remind of what it is you are actually listening too – that being a 44-year-old record, and not a clinical silent digital format. The full-on performance with the immense detail and power more than compensates. And with that stunning cover to hold and view, well that speaks volumes as well. So read and decide, even with the relatively minor gentle surface sound traces in places, this is still an impressive record and for many, it merits strong recommendation.

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 8,000+ items sold in over 10 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 as 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] = £4.25

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]) = £11.75 (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 [£46 maximum]) = £15.75 Add £3 per extra LP. (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’.