Jethro Tull Aqualung LP 1971 UK Gatefold Vinyl 1st Press A-1U / B-3U

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27

                                                                        Jethro Tull
                                                                         Aqualung
                                      Original UK Gatefold LP textured both inside and out
                                                 First 1971 UK Pressing (A-1U / B-3U)

                                                                       Item Details
                                        Manufactured in: Great Britain by Island Records Ltd.
                                                     Gatefold fully textured inside and out
                             Inside sleeve has full lyrics with opening at top center for LP removal
                        Pressing: First, by The Gramophone Co. Ltd. (based on Discogs identifiers)
                                                         Recorded: 1971 at Island Studios
                                                                      Issued: 1971
                                                             Label: Chrysalis ILPS 9143
                                                       Runout Deadwax Matrix Numbers:
                                           Side 1: (stamped:) ILPS 9145 A-1U (etched:) R A -
                                           Side 2: (stamped:) ILPS 9145 B-3U (etched:) C L -

There were different labels ("Island pink rim" and "green Chrysalis") printed during original issue but
only one common first lacquer (A-1U / B-3U). The pink rim is not an earlier first pressing than the
green and the reverse is the same. They are both 1st press.

Comparison shootouts of multiple versions on the Steve Hoffman discussion forum noted that the
US Reprise masterings added compression that reduced dynamic range compared to the original
UK mastering. In addition the US Reprise versions eliminated the first guitar intro to Aqualung. The
UK vinyl has two guitar intros before the drum hits. So this first pressing is loyal to the intentions of
the producer, engineers and the band in that you will hear everything they all intended you to hear.

Was bought new by this seller many years ago and now offered from his private collection (you
have absolutely known provenance). Has had limited plays only on an expertly setup high-end
audiophile turntable, arm, and cartridge. Has never been exposed to heat or tobacco smoke
and always stored vertically in a specially designed record cabinet (Rackit) to prevent warpage.

Was cleaned on a VPI HW 16 with Audio Intelligent solutions and ultra-pure water rinse
(50X purer than distilled water) before my pre-sale sound check.

Very sensitive play testing was performed straight off my Ayre P-5xe fully balanced phono preamp
over Sennheiser HD 600 headphones thru a Schiit Audio Valhalla 2 tube headphone amp fitted with
Voskhod Soviet matched tubes (see last photo).

Track list
1: Aqualung, Cross-Eyed Mary, Cheap Day Return, Mother Goose, Wond'ring Aloud, Up to Me.
2: My God, Hymn 43, Slipstream, Locomotive Breath, Up to Me.

I never take "distant" photos nor the so-prevalent type with the LP sticking halfway out of the jacket.
I take close-ups under photo lamps so you can see nearly everything I describe in the jacket grading.

Grading 
Note: record grading by text characters is subjective and does not fully describe quality 
levels. Please see photos and my detailed descriptions below.

Outer Jacket: VG++ (Very Good Plus Plus) There is some heavy rubbing wear on the top edge of the
right corner extending from the corner edge inward about 1/2" on the front edge and 1/4' on the back edge.
There is a slight bend on the upper left front corner. and lower left corner. There is mild rubbing wear on
the top and bottom edges with moderate wear at the centers of those edges. Mild corner rubbing wear.
Otherwise the jacket faces are near mint with unblemished texture throughout all 4 surfaces. The spine
is clean and there are no split seams. Really great shape for a 49 year old record since its had only one
owner.

Vinyl: VG+ (Very Good Plus) Surface visuals were first inspected under high intensity halogen light.
Both sides have faint hairline marks throughout their surfaces from sleeving wear. There is some
"mottling" spots in a few outer grooves areas that look to me like pressing artifacts. Both labels have a
small amount of  "spindle scribbles" from rubbing on the turntable post that are difficult to see.The spindle
holes themselves have no wear. Extensive play testing was performed after cleaning. I listened to all silent
grooves and the beginning and end of each track with some of them played all the way thru when digitizing
my favorites to 192k/24-bit WAV files. This pressing is typical of most Chrysalis releases of this era in that the
vinyl tended to have some clicks and crackle even when new out of the jacket. The manufactured pressing
quality just could have been better. I could hear this on my headphone rig in the "silent" grooves between tracks.
That noise did not tend to be audible in the tracks themselves, except during the quieter passages. When the
music really rocked, I rarely heard a single click. Small clicks were audible sometimes on quiet song intros
like S1T3. The only place I heard some small clicks that repeated on each revolution were on Side 2 at the
end of T4 going into T5. Overall, I enjoyed listening to this LP because the music itself sounded clear, punchy,
and un-worn. Tracks that I thought had the best audio production quality were
S1:T2, T3, T4. T5 and S2: T1, T3.

Packaging
Record will be placed outside the jacket to protect against seam splitting.
Original inner sleeve is included separately.
Record has been placed into a new "rice paper" sleeve, as the original paper sleeve is certainly
retaining dust and can add abrasions during shipping. This will keep vinyl surface clean for ultimate
buyer usage.
Outer jacket is contained in a new clear polyethylene protective sleeve.
Sent in good quality record mailer with cardboard stiffeners.

Shipping
Shipping will be via USPS Media Mail for a flat charge of $3.98 per single album sale
A combined shipping discount is available on multiple sales completed within 5 business days
($3.98 plus $0.50 for each additional LP). If you intend to buy more than one LP do not pay
immediately but wait for my all-combined invoice. A discount for the combined items will show on
that invoice. Then, once payment is received, the items will ship.