JETHRO TULL This Was Island Pink 1968 1st Press EX LP

	£		127
	$		168

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering the Classic Rock Giants to the World

Please see my Detailed Packing Description Further Down with Picture & All Shipping Rates.

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 first press pink Island format with orange eyeball and heavily textured surfaces. Deep ridges and deep upright machine punched matrixes, which hopefully can be seen on my label scans.

Label Conditions: Two very clean and attractive originals. Minor and faint mark at 9 o’clock on side one being critical. Spindle marks look modest and show little, these earliest pink textured labels were very tough and were less easy to mark, both look lovely.

Cat Number: ILPS 9085.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: A massively impressive 166 grams. [These days, many modern Audiophile reissues are pressed on super-heavyweight 180 gram vinyl. Only a small percentage of ‘vintage vinyl’ was ever pressed this heavy. Records pressed in the 1960s averaged around 140 to 150 grams. Records pressed in the 1970s were usually lighter and averaged more around 115 – 125 grams. Some records pressed around 1973 were very thin and light due an oil crisis and shortage around this time. Some records were even issued on recycled vinyl from this period and sounded poor with crackle and surface noise evident from the very first play. If any record I buy is deemed ‘recycled’, I will never offer it, I have a very simple test to detect these records if I suspect this to be the case other than audible imperfection. Some records from this period were even pressed on other materials the most notable was ‘Dynaflex’, used by RCA around this time. Although inferior to vinyl, this at least mostly sounded reasonably acceptable but pressings on this material were wafer thin and flimsy. Beyond the 70s, records often became thinner and lighter still but most played fine but were never quite the quality as from the ‘Golden Era’]. (This was based on ‘average’ weights for 20 records from these eras. Later pressings were usually lighter still).

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Fairly rare as a first pressing. Let’s be clear: this album was pressed three times on the three Island label variants. This, and the second issue on the ‘block’ format were not available very long as the format changed so quickly. Also conditions are a factor too. Many of these were played into submission on god knows what and those delicate flute sounds became clipped and distorted as old stylus ground their way through the fragile grooves. This pressing was the only one to include that massively wide spine also, and as spectacular as this was, it got flattened and crushed so easily unless stored and handled with utmost care. This superb example ticks all the right boxes as I hope my pictures show and more on conditions further down. Suffice to say here, copies like this are far harder to find and this is of audiophile standard.

Original Year of Release: 1968.

Matrix Nos: ILPS + 9085 + A / ILPS + 9085 + B

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 stunning example to enjoy it one. There is something very special a first-pressed copy of this album and this plays beautifully.

Cover Grade and Format: EX+ but being honest, this looks even better and is graded harshly. A gatefold format, laminated front and back with two inside external flipbacks on the top edges. This has the massively wide spine, the likes that are rarely ever seen on other covers. Zappa’s ‘Lumpy Gravy’ first pressing had one of equal width and both look magnficent when seen at their very best. This is unique to the first pressing of this classic album. Even the ‘Block’ and pink i pressings had the cover changed to a standard spine and the flipbacks were also dropped. Hence this cover is as scarce as the first pressing itself, beware of substitutions, first pressings must have this format cover to be correct. Printed and made in England and one of Island Records greatest ever covers and one of the few that had laminate and this one looks gorgeous.

Lamination: Front & Back: Both sides have very clear and shiny laminate that retains a high degree of freshness. Very mild traces of dulling only really apparent with scrutiny under light and the same for any marks or crease of which there are very few indeed. There is a fine surface mark on the front right edge but as stated, it does not even show with normal viewing. Probably the best news of all is all the laminate is fully adhered with no lifting, blistering or peeling and this makes such a difference to darker covers and this will truly be hard to find much more attractive, that classic old yokels artwork looks magnificent.

Cover Inner Gatefold: The inside looks lovely also: the two huge top flipbacks are undamaged and remain clean and very solid with no pulling from the laminate ends that have avoided any grime lines. The bottom white bars, again where the laminate ends have four or five small tone spots which have little visual impact being situated so low down, they are fairly faint anyway, these being the only small blemishes of note on this lovely inside that often ages badly. Especially noteworthy is the flat and unworn spine folds, rarely seen so unimpaired and finding this crucial element better will prove difficult.

Top & Bottom Edges: All four are immaculate and unworn, all laminated and straight.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, quite sharp with little wear and no feathering, both guaranteed untrimmed. One minute nick seen on the inside of the front (but look very hard). Any burring is slight and only seen viewed end-on. The record enters from the back.

Spine and Text: Arguably the star part of this famous cover and unique to the first pressings. Massively wide and totally uncrushed or compressed, a real pleasure to see like this and very few remain so erect and solid. Many are rammed back into shape from being flattened and it’s more than obvious when that is the case, they simply will fall flat again in no time. The folds on this are firm and almost as made and this had NO need to be ‘reshaped’, it was bolt upright when I bought it. Any slant is slight and folded squarely, thus the right edges are close to flush and parallel. Any hairline creases are tiny, few and faint and the laminate solid and clear, so all text is pristine and unworn. When finding this album, the spine part is always the first that gets scrutinised by me. Rarely do they shape up, this one really does.

Corners: Odd minor tip blemish being critical, the spine pair are crisp and neat and way above average on this one. All retain very fine shape.

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 forty two years old - and there is no disputing this as it was changed for the 1969 pressings. This should please most collectors and will prove immensely difficult to find much better.

The Inner: The plain white polylined inner is also included. It has aged a little with some mildish toning and seam glue darkening. One moderate crease but edge intact. The window is clear and very neat. It is UK patented with foreign patents pending.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Close Excellent. This a top-quality heavyweight pressing with a small few light surface marks that have minimal effect on play. In fact most-all are totally ignored with just a tiny few low-level ticks on ‘It’s Breaking Me Up’ near its end. Indeed these minuscule faint ticks were the only tiny blemish I noted on the whole album which plays with supreme sound. Very clean and intense black and retains genuine freshness. Few records this great age escape without a tiny few surface blemishes (to say the very least) and this is still a fantastic and impressive old record. You can imagine what many of these look and sound like when they surface. Massively pressed also to glean the maximum fidelity from those deeper grooves. It’s one that should please most 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 snippetts 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 its high visual grading with practically nothing to fault. Stunning clean stereo sound that has a powerful mix and images brilliantly. It 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 devoid of irritating surface noise and no pops, just the ultra brief and tiny, faint clicks mentioned above, anything unwanted is miniscule and keeps up the reputation of the earliest pink pressings. The short but spectacular drum solo on ‘Dharma for One’ sounds amazing with real power, depth and stereo imagery. Also the final short song, the delicate ‘Round’ plays very well, I have heard this sound horrible on some copies with major pressing noise and distortions. This rare labelled, massively pressed example should please most collectors and again merits my highest recommendation. Even critical sound purists should enjoy this wonderful piece.

End Piece: Again its frightening to think how old this record is, to find one this clean and playing so well is marvellous. Who would have thought over forty years ago Ian Anderson and his band would still be playing under this name? This record and cover were robustly made and its a good thing they were. Just holding this original stereo pressing is a joy - it was subsequently pressed many more times, this being the genuine first and it has more than stood the test of time. 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 Moth vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too.

First-time, zero-rated bidders, who do not ask permission to bid, will be cancelled immediately and blocked – NO exceptions. For winning bidders who I consider excessively slow to make contact or submit payment, I will use my right to block future bids. If any bidder who wins in the final seconds is present to do so, surely they can at least email me to inform of intention and payment method? If swift or promp payment is a problem, please do not bid.

PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET - PLEASE SEE MY TYPICAL PACKING BOX PICTURE.

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 Moth 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 thick boxes (NOT Mailers or Cruciforms, these do not offer maximum protection). The record(s) 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 THREE or EVEN FOUR 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. 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. Please see my picture of a typical finished box packet that will now be used on ALL transactions as from now. 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. These boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffners 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 6,000+ items sold in over 8 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 stiffners 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 FOUR 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: I will cancel ALL first-time bidders with no feedbacks or excessive negatives who do not ask me if its OK to bid first – NO EXCEPTIONS.

Please Note: I will now offer any item to the runner-up after the mandatory Ebay 3 days if no contact is made by the winning bidder unless prior notice of any delay is given beforehand. The same applies if no payment is received within the mandatory 7 days so any bidder who has just lost out can still email me to reserve the item as priority second chance – it’s always worth asking.

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 [£40 maximum]) = £9. (insurance optional extra £3). Add £2.50 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); 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 [£39 maximum]) = £13. Add £4 per extra LP. (insurance 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: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are timewasters. 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 neccessarily 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’.