JETHRO TULL This Was VERY RARE UK MONO ISLAND EX+ LP

	£		127
	$		168

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Postage: UK £4. Europe £10. Rest of World £14. ALL signed for. – NOTE: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment.

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 heavily textured ‘eyeball’ logo with deep inner ring ridge. Technically speaking, this is a ‘second’ pressing with the small ‘BIEM’ text below the eyeball logo and ‘MADE IN ENGLAND’ at the base of the rim, probably from 1969. The absolute first issue in mono omitted these details. (Please see my label scans)

Label Conditions: Beautiful colour with genuine freshness retained. A clear flaw on side two with a small area removed that the original said was there from new. Spindle marks are light, fine and very faint and these beautiful early labels on this album, particularly in mono are becoming very hard to find.

Cat Number: IPL 985.

Mode / Speed: Mono / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 160 grams. A typical heavyweight pressing.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Rare: and arguably even rarer than the 1968 pressing as fewer still of these would have been made as the mono format was becoming more phased-out towards the end of decade. ‘This Was’ in mono, is regarded as one of the most elusive, collectable and spectacular albums within the entire Island catalogue and is becoming ever-more difficult to find, especially in anything like decent conditions.

Original Year of Release: 1968. This particular pressing from early 1969. The only real differences are the labels have the ‘BIEM’ text below the logo and ‘MADE IN ENGLAND’ at the 6 o’clock position, both not not present on the very first run. Also, the cover omits the inside flipbacks. But it DOES still have the very wide spine (as seen in my close up pictures) and with the white inside edges. The price guides do not differentiate between these ‘specialist’ pressings and now put a very hefty price value tag on this album in mono.

Matrix Nos: ILP + 985 + A / ILP + 985 + B (deep punched and pronounced)

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 than this and ‘Dharma for One’ that opens side two has probably the best ever (short) drum solo ever – especially in mono, this has incredible dynamics and breathtaking sound, as is the whole album and this is a strong all-round copy.

Cover Grade and Format: VERY GOOD++: but with a reference number written inside the gatefold (top left corner area), one crossed out. Also a moderate pull to the surface inside right, mirrored opposite – clearly this has become stuck at sometime in the past. I cannot base a definitive grade with that in mind, I simply mention these issues are there. A gatefold format with laminated front and back. The inside is matt finished and smooth with no exterior flipbacks, but the white edges remain. Printed and made in England with the correct IPL mono catalogue number and very wide spine.

Lamination – Front & Back: Stunning artwork seen to near maximum advantage under still shiny, fresh and clear laminate that shows minimal friction marks or dulling. A few light creases show little and all is practically fully adhered, which is a real bonus on a cover with such a wide spine, a mere trace of lift on the front spine top edge (but look hard). Under light, some light press marks and minor blemishes are seen but little detracts from this quite fragile mono cover. The back has light rim impression which is hardly a surprise with such a thick, heavy record inside for over 40 years. Overall, this is attractive and will not prove too easy to find an available one a great deal better.

Cover Inner Gatefold: The main factor is the writing on the top left – clearly a reference from the distant past, the first crossed out. This, I suppose will be an issue for the more discerning, but as this white area is unlaminated, it cannot be removed. I emphasise again, this is flat with no exterior flipbacks, but the laminate does end on the bottom inside, the top is folded inside, so the main edges are all laminate protected. One more issue is a moderate pull of the surface to the left of the text towards the right edge that is mirrored opposite. So the main problems are inside, which is better than outside (in my opinion). So make up your mind before bidding.

Top & Bottom Edges: Practically unworn up to the tips with full laminate cover that is smooth to the fingertip.

Right Edge(s), and Type: The front is sharp and open, the back has thickened a little with minimal burring and any wear mild. This record traditionally enters on the back edge. There is no adhesive line on the front, so it’s likely this was not stuck in the first place, but there is a mark towards the centre inside.

Spine and Text: This has the original very wide spine – only the early late 60s pressings ever did – later to be changed to a standard with version. This is still fairly erect with a slight tilt to left but is not crushed or flattened. A mild compression in the centre caused by one vertical crease. Still quite solid, and reasonably straight with all text perfect and unworn. The ends have rubbed a little. Many of these are seen totally flat and tatty, although this is not perfect, it is still very respectable and attractive – and unique to the first ‘eyeball’ label pressings.

Corners: All the corners have rubbed which range from light to moderate. Fine, and some very fine shape retained and few of these will avoid some corner wear.

Cover Summary: A flawed gem of a cover, nice to have a mono example with a very decent spine and very attractive front and back. The main issues are the pulls inside and the reference numbers in writing. But in the great scheme of things, little detracts from what is now regarded as a very rare cover. With the main outside areas looking so nice, this will please many collectors, but not the more discerning of course. The polylined inner is included, a plain white one with solid weight construction. Aged a little with some creasing but modest discolouration. Two very crisp window circles and clear lining, all edges unsplit with no repairs.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+): and a wonderful looking piece that without doubt, has been quite modestly played. Any surface marks tiny, few and faint. An intense black record, very heavily pressed that retains a fine freshness and no penetrating marks at all. A small pressing 'bump' at the end of 'Beggar's Farm' has a few very light and gentle 'taps' at the end, most evident between songs. Visually impressive, especially for it’s era and mode, this will please many 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 up to it’s visual grading and much even exceeds it to the maximum. The mono mix is quite different to the stereo with a massively powerful and dynamic kick to the presentation, check out that incredible short drum solo on ‘Dharma For One’. This plays with largely clean and forceful sound and devoid of the dreaded distortions so many of the early copies have now inherited. A small pressing 'bump' at the end of 'Beggar's Farm' has a few very light and gentle 'taps' at the song's end, most evident between tracks – that a natural blemish of course – but minor. The innermost songs with that delicate, difficult flute sections always are a concern for any copy played too many times on heavy tracking equipment, the sound is sharp with effortless tracking and fine clarity. Any surface sound is gentle and infrequent, traces on the utmost quiet passage is incredibly hard to avoid on a recording like this as is the odd sporadic light click. The final short song, the delicate ‘Round’ is the only real exception. This DOES have a little brief moderate surface sound at the beginning and a little right at the very end. This short piece is always difficult and I have seldom heard this ever play ‘perfect’, and is a near impossible ask in mono where surface sound almost seems the norm. Production is strong and the mix is very loud, so any minor imperfections are largely hidden within the music, ‘Round’ again being the real exception. A thrilling listen on my LP12 for which this mono record was not really designed for. With this album largely drying up in this mode, this one merits strong recommendation, but again not for the perfectionist. Sometimes a little compromise has to be made, I just turned it up and enjoyed the music – yes, I rather enjoyed this one – my first mono copy good enough to offer for some considerable 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 QED Silver 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 7,000+ items sold in nearly 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 3 or 4 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). I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included here and on ALL of my adverts. Details below:

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.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (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 [£46 maximum]) = £10. (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]) = £14. Add £4 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’.