JETHRO TULL This Was RARE Orig UK 1968 Island PInk EX++

	£		185
	$		245

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World

Please see my Detailed Packing Description Further Down & All Shipping Costs and Options – 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 pink format with orange and black ‘eyeball’ logo. Both are deeply textured with a deep inner circle ridge (Please see my label scans)

Label Conditions: Two supreme examples that almost remind of new. Any spindle traces barely even register and these are a pair of rare beauty. Retaining a superb real pastel pink colour with no grubbiness or handling marks, the hole rims unblemished and still a tight fitting hole. A 43-year-old record with labels as fresh and beautiful as when issued back in 1968, both are of connoisseur standard.

Cat Number: ILPS 9085.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 164 grams. A vast weight for this or any standard record.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Quite rare, and even more so in this beautiful condition. A record and cover that simply defy their great age. These first issues on this label were not available too long before being changed to the block format and then the pink i (then a host of others). Apart from the vast pressing weight and supreme sound, what makes a first edition of this record extra special is the cover. The only version to include two flipbacks on the inside of the gatefold spread and the spine will always make this unique. It has an enormously wide spine, the only other one I know of like this on a single album is Zappa’s ‘Lumpy Gravy’. This one looks even wider than usual and measures at an amazing 10 mm – please look at my close-up pictures of this detail. Also, rarer still, this one is totally uncrushed, creased or flattened. Most get damaged and misshapen over the years, once flattened, they cannot be rammed back into shape and espect to stay upright. This one is fully erect with virtually no tilt at all, and what a lovely sight it is too. Along with a minimal played record that offers superb sound and a cover with equally minimal wear, this makes for one of the earliest Island pinks in truly outstanding condition. One that most discerning collectors will enjoy.

Original Year of Release: 1968.

Matrix Nos: ILPS + 9085 + A / ILPS + 9085 + B [very distinct, deeply punched Roman style characters]

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 - this just has to be heard on stereo vinyl that images brilliantly - breathtaking sound, as is the whole album and a truly skuper example to enjoy it one.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(++): a gatefold format, laminated front and back with two external flipbacks on the top edges of the inside. Printed and made in England. This format is totally unique to the very first pressing.

Lamination – Front & Back: Stunning artwork seen to near maximum advantage under very shiny, fresh and clear lamiante that shows few marks and has minimal traces of any friction rubs or dulling. All is fully adhered with no lifting or blisters – what a difference that makes to this beautiful cover. Often seen with major lifting on the spine edge, often the result of desperate attempts to straighten or force back into shape a flattened spine – the laminate often then cracks, pulls and lifts – nothing like that here, no spine corrections needed on this one. Hardly any noteworthy creases either, more welcome news, any present are few, fine and faint. Very slight rubs on the front right edge (being very critical) and a small rub-chip on the front bottom right corner tip, but little else to fault. Few available originals will better this.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Barely any wear inside here either with both flipbacks in super condition, still shiny and undamaged with no pulls or grime-lines to the edges. These often attract toning or discolour, well little here at all. With the spine so wide, often creasing occurs to the right of the fold, again this has little and probably the least I have seen thus far. Also, the spine is only single thickness card, so the lack of damage to the folds and the actual inside spine card is almost remarkable. Just a little bottom corner tip rubbing and creasing, again being critical, but try to find this centrefold much better than this.

Top & Bottom Edges: All four show barely any wear and are still quite straight with nigh-on full laminate cover that has not scuffed.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, mostly sharp to very sharp with barely any wear and no feathering, both guaranteed untrimmed. Record enters on the back edge.

Spine and Text: The ultimate part of this first-made example and in fantastic undamaged condition. As stated above, a full 10 mm wide – an extraordinary width for any spine and to stay still erect and uncrushed is a huge ask. But this is jusst that, it has minimal tilt at all and has not been forced back into shape. This has avoided any creasing of any note at all and all laminate and text is almost as made with any surface marks tiny, few and very faint. Even to the fingertip, no scuffing or peeling with no cracks or discolouration. A super example of one of rock’s most distinctive cover spines (please see my close-up pictures).

Corners: Some small, light rubbing on the front bottom right, hardly any of real note on the others. The spine pair are still quite crisp and very neat with no dinking or creases.

Cover Summary: A wonderful example of this famous old cover, not quite as old as the band look on the cover but this is now over 43 years old. This should please most collectors and will prove immensely difficult to find much better – well worthy of a second look.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(++): the plain white unlined inner is in very fine condition also. Any age discolouration is very light indeed and has hardly any creasing at all with all the edges unsplit.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++): and a wonderful looking piece, I think extra special with such beautiful clean, real pastel-pink labels in the very first issued format. So hard to find and rarely will one show in better condition than this. Records of this considerable age and popularity are so seldomly seen so clean and clearly, underplayed. This a top-quality heavyweight pressing with any surface blemishes tiny, few and faint, any surface marks are minor and nothing penetrating at all. An intense black record that retains a genuine freshness that only ones hardly played ever can. Massively pressed also to glean the maximum fidelity from those deeper grooves. It’s one that will please most-all 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 even above it’s visual grading to the maximum with practically nothing to fault. Stunning clean stereo sound that has a powerful mix and images superbly, check out that incredible short drum solo on ‘Dharma For One’. This plays with clean and dynamic sound and devoid of the dreaded distortions so many of the early copies have now inherited. 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. It should now remain so for many years when played on a modern lightweight turntable. This is not an easy album and so often it disappoints even on clean visual copies. This plays almost devoid of irritating surface noise and no pops and clicks, anything unwanted is minuscule and keeps up the reputation of the earliest-made pink pressings. The final short song, the delicate ‘Round’ plays very well too, I have heard this sound horrible on some copies with major pressing noise and distortions. This has little to fault at all and rounds-off a wonderful listening experience. This first-pressed stereo example should please most collectors and again merits my highest recommendation.

End Piece: Again it’s frightening to think how old this record is, to find one this clean and playing so well is marvellous. Who would have thought well over forty years ago, Ian Anderson and his band would still be playing under this name? This record and cover were robustly made and it’s a good thing they were. Just holding this vintage stereo pressing is a joy - it was subsequently pressed many more times, this being the earliest ever impression. The cover is a work-of-art in-itself and finding one better with a totally intact, uncrushed spine will prove immensely difficult. Play this record loud and prepare to be thrilled - a true classic worthy of a good home – Yes I rather enjoyed this one.

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’.