JETHRO TULL-THIS WAS-ISLAND 1ST STEREO 1968

	£		93
	$		123

JETHRO TULL:THIS WAS TYPE SINGLE LP-STEREO LABEL/PRESSING INFO

ISLAND 1ST PRESS WITH PINK LABELS AND BLACK AND ORANGE LOGO

CATALOGUE NUMBER ILPS 9085 YEAR OF RELEASE 1968 COUNTRY OF RELEASE UK SLEEVE TYPE GATEFOLD WITH LAMINATED OUTER BOARDS WITH INNER FLIPBACKS-WIDE SPINE 1ST EDITION INSERTS/EXTRAS LINED INNER   GRADING/CONDITION DISC(s) NEAR EXCELLENT++ (THIS really has to be one of the nicest original copies anyone will see.I'm not too sure why I havnt graded a full EX++ its so clean,absolutely no sign of ever have being played,the amount of miniscule spindlemaks confirms that it has at least been on a turntable at some point in its life.Pressed on that lovely heavyweight vinyl that PYE used in the 60's,the only marks I can see under a slight are some whisps on the surface,the reproduction is almost flawless and everthing a vinyl record should be,and given the condition of the labels and sleeve below,this is one the best packages you will ever find) LABELS

EXCELLENT++(TWO LOVELY VIBRANT pink labels with that roughly hewn texture that you expect from early Island records.Completely unmarked with just a hint of spindleusage,near perfect)

SLEEVE

 

Outer Boards EX+ Both outer boards are clean and unmarked and free from any user interference,with a lovely clean feel to them.The laminate is complete and very shiny with no dulling throughg rubbing wear.There is no ringmarking or even a pressure mark where the record has sat,and as for creasing there is one small thumbnail type on the front and thats it. Inner boards EX+ The inner boards picture and writing are all in A1 condition. Flipbacks EX+ The inner flipback are complee wih no cracking crasing peeling or lifting Spine EX+ One of te best features of these early sleeves is the lovely white wide (possibly the widest they made) laminated spine with its almost dwarfed black writing,and this one is in great condition with complete laminate with no cracking anywhere along its length,and almost perfect definition and height and hasnt been squashed at all.There is what appears to be a bit of wear at the top,but this was usually caused at the printing stage and cant really be taken a sign of excessive wear) Top and bottom edge EX+ Both edges have complete laminate are straight and true and appear to completely unworn Opening EX+ The opening is crisp and sharp with absolutely no wear at all and is condusive with housing a barely played record Corners EX+ ALL 4 outer corners are square and show only very light storage and handling wear,bottom spine is showing just a little very light wear   INNER SLEEVE EXCELLENT+ (CLEAN and UNMARKED with just no rips tears or seam splits,inner bag is firmly held and the is just light overall wear) It might have become apparent to the few people that come across my listings that I have have been recently been listing some pretty scarce stuff,and you wouldn't be wrong. After a lifetime (seems like two or three) of collecting this stuff I have decided that owning pretty things is great but at some point its also nice to realise their potential and let someone else gaze at them lovingly as I have. I'm in no hurry and will just be putting a few choice examples from the collection on every week or so,and I suppose that after 40 years of searching scrubbing about in boxes and constantly upgrade and replenishing I have ended up with a fair few copies of some very rare stuff,like this for instance an the 1G/1G pressing of Piper at the gates of Dawn which I have also listed this week. So keep looking in and see wether there are any things you might fancy having in YOUR collection.

  DETAILS

Jethro Tull was very much a blues band on their debut album, vaguely reminiscent of the Graham Bond Organization only more cohesive, and with greater commercial sense.

The revelations about the group's roots on This Was -- which was recorded during the summer of 1968 -- can be astonishing, even 30 years after the fact. Original lead guitarist Mick Abrahams contributed to the songwriting and the singing, and his presence as a serious bluesman is felt throughout, often for the better: "Some Day the Sun Won't Shine for You," an Ian Anderson original that could just as easily be credited to Big Bill Broonzy or Robert Johnson; "Cat's Squirrel," Abrahams' big showcase, where he ventures into Eric Clapton territory; and "It's Breaking Me Up," which also features some pretty hot guitar from Abrahams. Roland Kirk's "Serenade to a Cuckoo" (the first song Anderson learned to play on flute), their jazziest track ever, is one of the best parts of the album. The drum solo on "Dharma for One" now seems like a mistake, but is understandable in the context of the time in which it was done.

The one number here that everybody knows, "A Song for Jeffrey," almost pales amid these surroundings, but at the time it was a superb example of commercial psychedelic blues. This would be the last album of its kind by the group, as Abrahams' departure and the lure of more fertile inspiration tugged them toward English folk music. Curiously, the audio mix here is better than that on their second album, with a much stronger, harder group sound overall.

  GRADING SPECIFICS All of my records are subject to close scrutiny before listing, and to ensure that I am accurate with my interpretation is carefully examined under a strong viewing light and played on a high end deck - I will never list a record that jumps,sticks,or is subject to so much background noise that the listening pleasure is radically impaired. I use the grading denominations as laid down in the Rare Record Collectors Guide,but with my own revisions as laid out below.

PLAYING SURFACE

MINT The record itself is obvious by its look and feel that it has never been removed from its inner sleeve,and typified by the very action of removal from a lined sleeve,where it has a very light friction against the poly,and a sheen across the playing surface that hasn't been dulled by the passage of a stylus,and requires no effort to remove any traces of foreign matter in the grooves,other than a cursory wipe with a soft cloth,and with a sound reproduction that you would expect from a piece of unplayed vinyl. MINT- Again a record that has been bought and stored away,but has been removed from its sleeves,either by the owner or more often some clumsy potential second user,and has some,but not many hairline marks across the playing surface due to the action of removal and insertion,these would not be noticeable unless viewed by rotation under a viewing lamp,and definitely have no effect on the reproductive quality. EXCELLENT++ A record that has endured only the lightest of playtime,say maybe only once or twice,and is perhaps only distinguishable by a spindlemark on the label or the presence of minimal hairline playmarks. EXCELLENT+ The majority of records that we sell fall into this category-the RRC defines EXCELLENT as:"The record shows some signs of having been played,but there is very little lessening in sound quality", but to take this a step further,there are a multitude of records that are far better than this and deserve a higher status. These are the records that you would feel more than comfortable in receiving,they have very light playwear and no abuse marks such as needle skating,edge scuffing,or feelable scratches,and the audio quality will be as such that any previous play will be completely inaudible. EXCELLENT As defined above-these are records that "show some signs" of being played,and by some signs we interpret ,lightish hairline markings (papercuts)that are the result of multiple removals from the sleeve,occasional visual playmarks and very light scuffing that cant be heard during playtime,and the record has the overall feel of one that has been popular but cared for. VERY GOOD/VERY GOOD+/VERY GOOD++/VERY GOOD+++ The definition of VG is of record that has been played many times but shows no "major deterioration" despite "noticeable" surface marks and scratches.We don't care for this sort of product and don't stock them,and are of the opinion that it doesn't really matter how many +++'s you suffix the grading with its still a VG (very good) LABELS MINT We are great believers in the fact that labels will tell you more about the life of a record than anything else,apart from playing it of course,the number and voracity of spindlemarks,the usage wear around the hole any tears stickers writing,attempts to remove or fill in blemishes all point to the previous care of the record itself,and we always detail pictorially and grade them accordingly .A MINT label is just that a perfectly clean and free from any signs that the disc has ever been near a turntable,and only used in conjunction with MINT or NEAR MINT vinyl gradings. MINT- Both labels are perfectly clean but there will be a hint of spindlemarking ,say one or two dectectable mark on 1 label EXCELLENT+ Again perfectly clean but with very light but noticeable spindlemarks that are the result of light but inaccurate placement on the turntable. EXCELLENT In keeping with grading system as a whole an EXCELLENT label grading is given to a record with clean and unmarked labels that have born the brunt of moderate play but have suffered in as much that the "player" has neglected to line the record accurately which has resulted in noticeable spindlemarkings, with the occasional wayward or spidery effect,dark rooms and alcohol can exacerbate this. EXCELLENT- Any label that has "neat" user embellishment -a small biro name ,initials or an unobtrusive sticker,obviously we will show this pictorially. VERY GOOD/+ it is rare that we offer for sale any record where the labels have been so defaced that cosmetically the record is unpleasing to the eye,this means major tearing due to amateur sticker removal,large scale writing, using felt tip pens or the like,this can apply to any grading of vinyl! -in a nutshell if we feel that it is ugly then we don't buy it. SLEEVE MINT A MINT sleeve is something that we do not believe in,you wouldn't even get one straight from the shop,they have always picked up even the slightest of knocks to the corners or a hint of a crease here or there,so you will never see a mint grading for one of our sleeves.   MINT- These are a reality ,but only very occasionally,and only where the initial purchaser has had so much pride in their collection that it has immediately been stored in a poly outer sleeve,and kept upright in an environment that has allowed to remain free from crushing,and external forces,sleeves of this calibre are perfectly clean with uncrushed spines no creasing and no wear to any edges,and not not even a hint of ringwear.   EXCELLENT++ A high quality of storage ,again in a protective sleeve,with no visible defects,but perhaps a very light wear to the opening or corner buffing,or a hint of ringwear etc,an exceptional sleeve but not quite NM   EXCELLENT+ Again as with vinyl grading,the majority of our sales fall into this category.Its clean and unmarked with no user markings,straight edges,there is light wear to the opening and only very light or no ringwear.   EXCELLENT A perfectly serviceable and clean ,but with a noticeable defect,such as excessive colour loss to the top or bottom edge due to storage and handling movement,some occasional light markings on the boards,lightish rigwear,or a very light sticker removal mark.   EXCELLENT- A sleeve that whilst being of good quality is marred by some significant event- biro name ,sticker markings,less than perfect edges or spine,and just a general sadness and careworn demeanour.As always we show multiple pictures,and will always note major defects in the grading section above.   VERY GOOD/ETC There are occasions where we feel that record is of sufficiently high quality or scarcity that it is of interest even with major defects,board tearing,significant writing and or a grubby disposition,on the occasions we do list with a low grading and display the faults.   INSERTS/EXTRAS The problem with a major part of lyric/picture inners is that are made of such light paper that they split very easily and are effectively rendered useless.We try very hard to limit this and do not normally stock any records with split,excessively creased or damaged inner sleeves or inserts.The exception that we make are to small worn portions which we will either repair or reinforce with a neat taped repair.Any defects that are not visible in our pictures will be noted in the grading above. Postal Shipping & Handling charges Region Single Item Extra UK £3.00 £.70 Europe £4.50 £1.00 USA £6.50 £1.50 Japan/ROW £6.50 £1.50   Terms and Conditions Guarantee I like to believe that I have an inkling about these things and accurately describe the item I am selling,but I along with everyone else am only human,and there might be an occasion where my assessment differs from yours,in this instance please contact me,and I will without question accept your criticism and arrange a full refund + your return costs if we need to go down that route. Communication and Feedback I have always been a great believer that feedback is a mutual thing between parties,and should be recognised upon the satisfactory completion of a sale .I know that these days it really matter when it is left as there is no recriminatory comments allowable for a buyer no matter how despicable they behave,but non the less I still prefer to leave feedback once I know that the buyer has received and is happy with the item,and have set my feedback profile to automatically reply to feedback given -So you will get your feedback minutes after you send yours,alternately I could do it manually and with my memory you could be waiting a loooong time. Payment We accept the following payment types - UK Customers - Paypal Cheque or Postal Order. Overseas Customers - Paypal Only