I will declare a lower amount on the customs form for all countries so as to avoid/decrease high import charges.  However, in the case of the EU all purchases are subject to VAT which eBay collect at point of sale.  No shipping to Russia currently.

Jethro Tull : Thick As A Brick A-3U / B-2U 1st Press 12 Page Newspaper Cover 1972

This genuine first pressing plays with stunning quality for the vast majority.  S1 is practically 'as new' with only a couple of minor statics, the clarity and depth of the audio here cannot be underestimated.  S2 has a little light static on the opening section (please see my grading below) but it is largely in the background and by no means loud, intermittent also.  The rest of the side is superb and there are no clicks or pops anywhere.  The vinyl is also in lovely condition with perfect labels and a super clean surface, it cannot have been played very much.

The newspaper cover is in superb condition with only minimal wear and is definitely the best I have seen.  The inner sleeve just has some marking / fading around the edges.

This is the earliest first press with the white 'i' logo and radial text at the top of the labels.  The outer cover is made with thick card and it has the Chrysalis imprint on page 12.  It also has the A3/B2 matrix and the run outs are etched Porky and Pecko.  George Peckham 'cuts' are always more collectable!  

CHR 1003  A-3U  T 1  PORKY (etched)  //  CHR 1003  B-2U  CD 1  PECKO (etched)

The audio on S1 is Mint(-)

The opening section on S2 is Ex+ and the remainder ranges between Near Mint & Mint-)

The 12 page newspaper cover is Ex++

The original inner sleeve is Ex-

The labels are Mint

Visual description

The vinyl is in lovely condition and still has an stunning glossy sheen with no marks or scratches.  Under a bright light I can only see a small number of ultra faint hairlines and there is no groove or surface wear.  The green Chrysalis labels are immaculate without any marking or spindle wear.

Play grading

Clearly it will be impossible to grade every section!  The acoustic intro and opening vocal plays with stunning clarity and I only heard a couple of very quiet statics.  In fact this opening section cannot be faulted, the audio is so clean and precise and there is no intrusion on the audio.  I repeat STUNNING clarity!  Starting at 3 minutes the powerful section plays with exceptional quality and again there is no interference.  It blends into the next instrumental piece and that can also be regarded 'as new'.  The next vocal is flawless and it continues in the same way.  Barre's solo work around 7/8 minutes plays with impeccable quality and now I'm up to the halfway mark I can safely say there has been no interference thus far.  In essence it has played perfectly with a sonic quality that is second to none and there is no underlying static.  Evan's Hammond organ section at 12/13 mins is phenomenal and you have a keen sense of the depth and resonance of the audio - that is prevalent throughout.  Anderson's next vocal is perfect and the final few minutes are of the same high end standard - just one very quiet tick in one of the quieter sections.  The up tempo section and the staccato finale can also be described 'as new', seriously the audio is breathtaking!  It's no secret Anderson wanted the album the album to be a pastiche on the whole progressive genre and it doesn't get any more pastiche than the wind end section!  It plays so clearly with only a couple of minor statics.  The 22 minutes is worthy of a Mint- grade, it truly is a stunning version.

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'Thick As A Brick (Part 2)' has a little static on the intro for a few seconds but as the music comes in the playback is perfect.  A couple of minor static 'moments' on the deep percussive notes after that and then the opening vocal section could not play any better.  The following instrumental is equal to that and whilst there is some static in the brief silent passages it is not loud.  The next vocal / instrumental section has some light background static also but again is not intrusive.  Or is it meant to be there?!  Around the 6.30 mark it has largely disappeared and the audio plays with great clarity once more.  The vocal section at 9 minutes is perfect and the extended instrumental around 11-13 mins is absolutely stunning!  There is no background and the next vocal is just as clean.  I do not want to keep mentioning various sections but the instrumental at 14 minutes is sublime.  With Andersons' flute very much in evidence during this section the clarity, definition and power of the audio could not be any stronger and the remainder plays to the same high end standard. Continuing the pastiche the strings section plays beautifully and the quiet end vocal has not even a single dust tick.  I will grade the opening 6.30 minutes as Ex+ although many sections do play better than that and the remainder as between Near Mint and Mint.  Not quite as perfect as S1 but still a superb version.

The 12 page 'Gatefold' Cover & Inner Sleeve

The 'St. Cleve' cover is in great condition with only minimal wear and nothing substantive, there cannot be many better around.  It is totally unmarked and the edges have very little wear.  There is one small corner crease top left which can also be seen on the reverse side.  A couple of minor 'crimps' on the 'opening' edge but the spine remains very clean.  The newspaper pages inside are close to perfect with only a small area of creasing by the inner spine and it is still perfectly attached to the outer cover.  It has no marking apart from minimal age related fading around some of the edges but hey that's newspaper for you!  Even the 'Fluffy The Duck' dot to dot and Crossword remain untouched!  The front and back cover are so clean and overall this iconic cover easily deserves an Ex+ grading.

The original inner sleeve has no side splits or tears and barely any creasing.  The only issue is some age related fading around the edges.

Play tested on my Rega P2 with AT-VM95EN Cart / Denon PMA-520AE Amp / B&W 684 Speakers

This record has been cleaned on my Pro-Ject VC-S machine

CHR 1003  A-3U  T 1  PORKY (etched)  //  CHR 1003  B-2U  CD 1  PECKO (etched)

I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.

Any questions please feel free to ask

Please pay within 4 days of auction end

Recent Feedback

THIS IS WHAT A SELLER SHOULD BE LIKE ON HIGH END VINYL! Exactly as described if not better ! I could not be a happier customer .. well packed for international flight .. and shipped and received very fast .. No worries here this guy is the tops
GREAT AS DESCRIBED BEST SELLR OF ALL THE UK PEOPLE AND I HAVE BOUGHT FROM ALL OF THEM
Beautiful record as described, fast safe delivery, top seller. Cheers Steve.
Another fantastic LP from this seller - condition exactly as shown and the audio as described! Fast delivery, vinyl properly and carefully packed. Very highly recommended A++++
Another stunning LP from this very reliable and helpful seller.

Very quick delivery. Album exactly as described. Excellent packaging. Once again all perfect. Thanks!!!

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One of the best on Ebay!

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Great seller and great vinyl record, professionally packaged. I’m very satisfied with my purchase and will certainly buy again!

Postage & Packaging

I will only send items items worldwide via tracked shipping.  This provides 'peace of mind' in case of loss or damage.  The shipping costs are shown below and combined shipping is always offered.  Any over-payment will always be refunded.

The Royal Mail only insure up to a value of £250 so if an item sells for more it may be wise to use a courier service (e.g. Parcelforce or DPD).  An extra insurance premium will be required but I will not know the exact amount until the final sale price is known.  Because of this I will sometimes have to estimate the cost and this will be shown in the listing.  Please wait for the invoice before making payment and if you have any questions please feel free to ask.  Many thanks.

All vinyls are packaged in strong over-sized custom made mailers with plenty of extra cardboard protection.  They are placed inside separate poly-lined inners outside the cover so as to avoid seam splits in transit and then placed inside a PVC sleeve to provide even more protection.  I pride myself on my high quality packaging as my feed confirms and if any customer has any specific requirements I am more than happy to help.

The mailers I use cost £1.00 each and I will use anything between 3-5 cardboard stiffeners which cost approx £0.18 each.  There is also the cost of the poly-lined inner and PVC sleeve to consider, it all adds up!  Not forgetting that eBay take 10% of the shipping fee also!!

UK Postage Rates (First Class Recorded - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £6.50 up to 1kg then £1.00 per extra item 

EUROPE (Tracked - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £13.95 then £2.00 per extra

USA (Tracked - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £22.95 then £2.50 per extra 

REST OF WORLD (Tracked - Max 2kg)  

LPs/12" singles : £21.95 then £2.50 per extra

If you are not entirely happy with your purchase please contact me before leaving feedback and I will always resolve any issue, 100% guaranteed.  If you would prefer to send the item back I will also pay the return shipping cost if I am at fault, I am only human after all!!