Jethro Tull Thick As A Brick LP 1972 UK 1003 Vinyl Early 1st Press 3U / 2U

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21

                                                                        Jethro Tull
                                                                   Thick As A Brick
                                           Original UK Newspaper Gatefold-Style Sleeve

                                                                       Item Details
                                        Manufactured in: Great Britain by Island Records Ltd.
                                                       Distributed by: Chrysalis Music Ltd.
                                            12-page newspaper sleeve with newsprint insert
                           Mastered by: George Peckham (a.k.a “Porky”: Beatles, Led Zeppelin)
                                                    Pressed at: The Gramophone Co. Ltd.
                                              Recorded: December 1971 at Morgan Studios
                                                                  Issued: March 1972
                                                             Label: Chrysalis CHR 1003
                                                       Runout Deadwax Matrix Numbers:
                                    Side 1: (stamped:) CHR 1003 A-3U = (etched:) PORKY 1
                                    Side 2: (stamped:) CHR 1003 B-2U L (etched:) PECKO 1 ?

This is the earliest UK issue with the white Island logo and radial text at the head of the labels
(see photos). Second or later pressings do not have this Island logo on the label, as Island
Records was no longer involved as a distributer. The newspaper gatefold sleeve is made of
heavyweight card construction unlike later issues. First pressing also has the "Chrysalis"
imprint on page 12 (back of jacket).   

Was bought new by this seller many years ago and now offered from his private collection
(you have absolutely known provenance). Has had very few 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 after photos taken 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: Thick As A Brick (part 1).
2: Thick As A Brick (part 2).

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 are slight bends on all 4 corners as shown in the
photos, slight rubbing wear on the upper left of the spine, very light rubbing wear on the bottom edge,
some discoloration shadows on the back cover, and a bit of curling of the top left edge. Otherwise I
would rate the jacket as NM- since the surfaces still have white color with the faintest "cream" aging
tint and no surface abrasions. There are no split seams.

Vinyl: NM-(Near Mint Minus) After cleaning I inspected the record surfaces under very bright halogen
light tilting the vinyl all around with my eye inches away. On Side 1 I found a few very fine and hard to
see "wispy" hairlines. They looked like they were from pulling the record in/out of the paper sleeve a
few times. On Side 2 I could not find any hairlines at all but I detected a very fine line of "haze" on the
uppermost surface of the vinyl that looked like a stamper artifact. In my listening test below I did not hear
anything I could attribute to that visual. I play tested throughout all of both sides checking a few minutes
every 1/2". Listening to the start of Side 1 I noticed a few random ticks during the quiet intro that lasted
until about 3/4" into the side right before it starts to really rock out, and it stays rocking to the end. When
that first big peak hit I didn't expect it to be so explosive. George Peckham was able to approach the full
dynamic range of vinyl without going over into distortion. My listening notes say: "loud and clean!" The Side
2 entry point had about 3 repeating ticks and then got quiet. This side gets really loud really fast but
there is a gentler middle acoustic section that had thankfully had low pressing noise throughout. I found
side 2 the more musically interesting side for me. After performing the same play testing on three earlier
Tull LPs I put up for sale, I felt this one had the best lacquer cutting audio quality thanks to George
Peckham's mastering talents. When levels get really hot the subtle details don't get lost. Voices and
instruments can all easily be picked out and explored. In quieter passages, there is greater purity of tone
and transparency than previous albums. My final point is that even though its just a non-perfect mass
produced UK Chrysalis LP, I believe a buyer could enjoy listening to this copy as I did during my play test.

Packaging
Record will be placed outside the jacket to protect against seam splitting.
Original inner sleeve was built into the front of the jacket.
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.