JETHRO TULL RARE 1968 UK LP ON PINK ISLAND NEAR MINT

	£		51
	$		68

This is the Rare Original 1968 Jethro Tull UK Stereo FIRST PRESS Album titled “This Was” on PINK ISLAND ILPS 9085 also with black & orange circle logo. The matrix numbers are as follows Side1 ILPS + 9085 + A & Side2 ILPS + 9085 + B. The tracks are as follows Side1 1) My Sunday Feeling (3:38) 2) Some Day The Sun Won’t Shine For You (2:42) 3) Beggar’s Farm (4:19) 4) Move On Alone (2:00) 5) Serenade To A Cuckoo (6:01) Side2 1) Dharma For One (4:11) 2) It’s Breaking Me Up (4:56) 3) Cat’s Squirrel (5:36) 4) A Song For Jeffrey (3:18) 5) Round (0:50).   

In the beginning Jethro Tull were just a normal blues band, primarily because prog rock still didn't exist in 1968 - they had yet to invent it (well, actually, it was already in the process of being invented by the Nice, but it was still kinda underground). Well, maybe normal isn't quite the necessary word here. The main distinctive feature of their music from the beginning was Ian Anderson's flute and his masterful and totally original way of using it. Indeed - try to substitute the flute sounds on this album with anything else and you won't be able to distinguish it from a couple dozen professional blues/psycho acts of the time.

And 'Dharma For One'? It's just a stupid drum solo! Why did ninety percent of the drummers of the era think it was their moral duty to record a drum solo? Yeah, Clive Bunker is an excellent drummer, but only when he's serving as backing musician. Leave the solo stuff to Ginger Baker, please.

To be entirely honest, there are some songs on here which do not go too far even with the help of Ian's instrument. The opening generic blues 'My Sunday Feeling' is quite fine, but the main thing which makes it memorable is its weird 'stuttering', broken rhythm and not the flute. This speaks in favour of the band - they were trying to do something creative to the blues formula from the very beginning - but 'stuttering' is not really sufficient to make a masterpiece out of an ordinary blues tune. It would take one more album to demonstrate the real wonders Tull could work with the blues.

Not so, however, with the absolutely incredible workout on 'Beggar's Farm': the flute totally makes this song, from the raving riff in the intro to the furious solo and to the splendid ending (by the way, early Tull codas are yet another of their trademarks - in the early years, Ian took special care not to let the song just pull to a stop in one-two seconds), not to mention the thoughtful lyrics, typically illustrating Ian's untraditional approach to 'lost love' thematics: 'Oh, you don't fool me/Cos I know what you feel/When you go out I ask you why/And I won't worry when I see you lying down on Beggar's Farm...'

And, of course, nobody should ever forget the cover of Roland Kirk's 'Serenade To A Cuckoo': it would be very convenient to say that it paves the road to the superior 'Bouree' (actually, I already said that elsewhere), but it is just as well a terrific piece of music in its own right. For once, Mick Abrahams contributes a decent jazz guitar solo, and at six minutes' length it's still way too short for me. He was a good guy. Pity he left right after this album. Must have been too freedom-loving. Well, he just had to 'Move On Alone' (his finest composition on the album, if I might make such an ambivalent remark). As for Ian, he is as of yet very careful and somewhat shy about his flute playing, but he's already able of putting out some superb and subtle dynamics by means of the instrument.

What about the easy-to-chew pop hits now? Sorry, generally that's not to be expected from a Tull album, but the closest thing to a pop hit here is the funny harmonica-driven 'Song For Jeffrey' with Ian apparently singing through some kind of gadget so that the vocals are hardly decipherable. (To decode them, use the live version on the Stones' 'Rock And Roll Circus'). For some, this is a major highlight, and it's indeed one of the catchiest ditties the band ever did: the interplay between the bloozy guitar and the poppy harmonica is amazing and promptly digs itself into your memory.

So just concentrate on more blues stuff, and don't you worry about its overabundance - they did it good, and they wouldn't be doing it at all in just a couple of years. Catch it while it's young, especially since they try to do lots of cool things to vary things a bit - unlike, say, contemporary Fleetwood Mac! 'It's Breaking Me Up' is so 'clumsied' up you won't even realize it's blues until you've heard it all way through! And 'Someday The Sun Won't Shine For You' is just a cozy, warm song, despite the menacing lyrics. 'In the morning I'll be leaving/I'll leave your mother too'. Well, well, well...

'This was' how we played then', said Ian. This was good. At any rate, this was a great deal better than this is; and this also was a great stepping stone for the band to create some sort of reputation in among the critical circles - hell, some reviews maintained that Jethro Tull were going to be the next Cream. Of course, that never happened (the critics were dead wrong, as usual), but for the moment it created favourable work conditions for Tull. Inflated Ian's pomp, too, though.

The record labels are in stunning condition (see pictures) with no wear, writing & barely any spindle marks at all. This superb album Jethro Tull is pressed on thick heavy duty 60’s vinyl and still retains it’s just pressed look with a very shinny lustre. There are no visual defects and plays superb crisp & clean with no pops, crackles or jumps there is also no groove wear or distortion & is graded NEAR MINT Simply Awesome. The Rare First Gatefold Sleeve has a very wide square spine with all the writing clean & clear, there is just a small amount of corner wear, NO ring wear & is graded Excellent Condition. The inner flip back sleeve which includes a large coloured image is also in Excellent Condition.              

The Greatest attention to packaging with all Albums housed in aluminium framed box to ensure safe delivery.

Buyer pays £5.50 airmail to the USA or Japan, £3.50 Europe or £2.80 in the UK.

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