JETHRO TULL Aqualung RARE MOBILE FIDELITY AUDIOPHILE N/M

	£		67
	$		89

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: Aqualung.

Country of Manufacture / info: Japan / USA. This is a rare limited edition Mobile Fidelity audiophile half-speed mastered version. A very specialised manufacturer who provide the highest possible standards for audio reproduction and this example’s detail and depth of sound is simply astonishing. The recording taken direct from the original master tape and pressed on the highest quality vinyl available.

Producer(s): Ian Anderson & Terry Ellis.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Aqualung; Cross-Eyed Mary; Cheap Day Return; Mother Goose; Wond’ring Aloud; Up to Me.

Side 2: My God; Hymn 43; Slipstream; Locomotive Breath; Wind Up.

Label/Format: Chrysalis - ‘Mobile Fidelity’ (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both look practically as made: ultra clean, fresh and attractive with any spindle traces tiny, mega faint and barely any to be seen. For those who purchased these specialised and expensive records, practically all were discerning audiophile listeners who owned substantial hi-fi systems where audio excellence had to be achieved at almost any cost. Without doubt, this stunning record has hardly been played.

Cat Number: MFSL 1-061.

A Special Note about this Copy: This evergreen rock classic more than merits the Mobile Fidelity sound treatment. I know this album well enough, and this super-fidelity pressing almost left me aghast. The whole sound has a greater dynamic range, detail and openness. It leads you directly into the recording studio itself and for those with an ear for the finer details and a system captable of retriving them, this is a fantastic experience. Mobile Fidelity records were pressed in Japan and not mass-produced like most of the commercial copies. Never easy to find outside Japan and the United States with only a tiny number imported or finding their way into Europe. These were expensive specialised recordings and strictly limited, this beauty hardly played and sounding truly incredible. All audophile rock collectors can apply.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Warps: Assume all records I offer have no warping of any significance and all tracking is easy and effortless and should play on all turntables and even ‘budget’ decks.

Weight of this Record: 107 grams. Never had another MF to compare this with.

Rarity: Mobile Fidelity records are scarce, never mass-produced and made for a selective audiophile market.

Original Year of Release: 1971. The MF card inner has a date of 1979.

Matrix Nos: MFSL-1-061-A10 H181 / MFSL-1-061-B11 H181

Run-Out Text: ‘SR ORTOFON’ [on both sides]

Musicians: Ian Anderson: Vocals, acoustic guitar, flute; Martin Barre: electric guitar, descant recorder; John Evan: piano, organ, mellotron; Jeffrey Hammond - bass guitar, alto recorder, voices; Clive Bunker: drums and percussion.

Brief Info: Jethro Tull’s fourth album and a semi-conceptual gem based around ‘Aqualung’, a pervy old tramp. Many regard it as their best ever. Superbly recorded and beautifully packaged, and here in super condition, these first Island Chrysalis pressings are seldom seen this good and never easy anyway. A copy that plays superbly well too, never exposed to any unworthy equipment, the one-owner-from-new had a quality stereo set-up from way back and the difference is immediately apparent. Any fan wanting an original, this sets a very high standard and was a real pleasure to view and listen too.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(+): a heavy-duty robust and thick card cover with a matt and smooth finish. The inside is paste-on style. Printed in the USA. Includes the MF ‘superdiscs’ card inner. No lyric inner with this one. The record is stored inside a super-soft anti-static inner sleeve.

Cover Front: Almost as made with any marks or blemishes tiny, very few and super-faint. One fine spine-edge crease but that’s about it.

Cover Back: Almost the same again with just a modest rim rub at the bottom.

Top Edges: A couple or three tiny surface chips, any rubbing very light and faint.

Bottom Edges: A little light and patchy rubbing – all very modest indeed for the traditional storage edges. No splits on any.

Right Edge(s), and Type: One small rub on the front which is not cut e.g. the graphic is printed on the edge. The back entrace is very neat and sharp and practically devoid of wear. Of course, both are guaranteed untrimmed.

Spine and Text: Solid, thick and straight with little compression and folded square, so the edges are parallel is not quite in alignment on the right. Any discolour is very slight and all text is present and unworn.

Corners: Any tip rubbing is very light indeed and excellent shape is retained.

Cover Summary: A very well preserved MF ‘Original Master Recording’ cover, these are somewhat prone to wear and finding this so clean will never prove easy. It should please most collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: This record came with a very soft anti-static protective inner sleeve which is superb. This copy does NOT includes the lyric inner.

The ‘MF’ Card Insert: MINT(-): a single fold card insert explaining the Mobile Fidelity philosophies of production and audio excellence. This is copyrighted 1979 and printed on the front and back only. It mentions most of these records were only sold via specialist high fidelity equipment shops and only a small few in regular record stores. The text is very interesting and explains exactly why these discs are superior for clean sound compared to the mass-produced standard issues. This insert is almost as made.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: MINT(-): not really sure why I put a minus on this one, it’s a beauty that could practically pass for new, but I know it has been played a couple of three times, including my mandatory sound-check. A superb visual copy that is very clean, shiny, intense black and quite solidly pressed. Visually a super record that should please 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 super-fidelity progressive classic plays up to it’s high visual grading with nothing to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is simply incredible – this takes ‘Aqualung’ detail to a new level with the widest dynamic range and super-detailed sound available on record. Any surface sounds barely even registered and no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing – the beauty and details a Mobile Fidelity disc offers are second-to-none and the pressing standard is ultimately high. The whole sound is opened up with precision and clarity, the basslines are deeper and the top end sharp and precise. Few copies will match or outperform this half-speed master tape pressing, and when found hardly used, the audio experience could hardly be improved upon. Even on a more budget stereo system, the difference should be apparent. This company spared no expense to acquire audio excellence and have a world-wide reputation and these records are widely sort-after and very collectable. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very lightly and has been clearly well stored and carefully handled – I know for a fact (as I have seen it), the original owner has a massive and expensive system and this copy has never been exposed to anything but the very best. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. This copy will prove very difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended – audiophile sound purists – please apply.

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’.