JETHRO TULL A Passion Play SCARCER Orig UK 1973 N/M LP

	£		51
	$		68

Artist or Band: JETHRO TULL

Album Title: A Passion Play.

Producer(s): Terry Ellis.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: A Passion Play.

Side 2: A Passion Play.

Label/Format: Chrysalis – Green with red butterfly logo.

Label Conditions: Both very clean and attractive with only a few fairly light spindle marks and no wear around the hole area.

Cat Number: CHR 1040.

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: 143 grams. Probably the heaviest copy of this title so far for me. [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 135 to 145 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, many 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 50 records from these eras.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Moderate but strong copies that include the book are not quite so easy. This was not a major seller in the UK. Copies lightly played with clean sound are scarcer still, many examples crackle badly and I have always found this a hard album to find that really plays well – and this one really does.

Original Year of Release: 1973.

Matrix Nos: CHR 1040 A-4U / CHR 1040 B-4U

Stamper Codes: 4 LR / 3 TR

Musicians: Ian Anderson – vocals, acoustic guitars, flute, soprano and sopranino saxophones; Martin Barre – electric guitar; John Evan – piano, organ, synthesizer, speech; Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond – bass guitar, vocals; Barriemore Barlow – drums, timpani, glockenspiel, marimba.

Brief Info: A highly controversial release within the Jethro Tull catalogue – an album of strong and divided opinions. The second album to feature just one song after the successful Thick as a Brick and another excursion into ‘progressive rock’ which pleased and displeased fans alike. This is a darker and more difficult work and many fans thought it was a step too far. Issued to almost universal scorn and horrendous reviews, this album did not match its predecessor for sales and was almost considered a flop although it did sell well in the US. Jethro Tull fans have very mixed opinions with some still rating it as one of the finest ever works while others are still dismissive – even Anderson himself seems uncertain about it. It has been said he was so disappointed by the reviews he almost called it a day – we are all glad he didn’t. Lyrically cryptic and even a little different musically than previous – Anderson even playing saxophones, this still remains a relatively challenging work. The bizarre tale of the ‘The Hare Who Lost His Spectacles’ was all too much for some and many thought it almost an embarrassment. Opinions will always be divided on this one, some like it, some don’t – I personally don’t consider it one of the band’s best albums, but then again they set their standards so high and it for me was only a minor dip – but interestingly so. Experimental and progressive, it’s an album that makes you want to listen and I do like experimentation and unpredictability. An album nicely packaged and including the ‘Passion Play’ booklet that is retained within pristine recesses within the cover’s centre. An insert that is often lost or badly damaged, this one is nice with minimal traces of wear or blemishing. The record is often one that crackles and I have heard several examples that do. This is probably the best overall player I have yet heard with little at all to fault, clearly little played, this copy gave a great account of itself. For those who have not heard this title for some time, maybe a time for reassessment. Certainly a more challenging work and after playing again, it’s one I am finding I am enjoying more each time. It could be a simple case of perseverance reaping dividend, go on give it another try.

Cover’s Potential for Wear: High. No laminate protection, the front dark the back light and two delicate cut in recesses inside – all ingredients for rubbing, ringwear and damage. The book, so often missing, is very vulnerable too.

Cover Grade and Format: A very fine EX and arguably better, this is not an easy one. An unlaminated gatefold format as described above. Printed in England with no credit.

Cover Front: Still very dark with minimal traces of any wear. Few marks with just a few very fine surface creases that show little. Any rubbing faint and light and remaining clean with good freshness, this wear-prone front sets a very high standard.

Cover Back: I have rarely, if ever, seen this back with no wear at all and many are seen with heavy ringwear and in very grubby conditions. This has little grubbiness on the pale lilac-pink surface, few marks and only the merest hint of any ring arcs near the top and bottom edges. With hardly a crease to be seen, this incredibly vulnerable ‘ballerina’ back will seldom be seen much better.

Cover Inner Gatefold: This inside really is in splendid condition with both the delicate recesses perfect with no damage at all. Both flat and ‘unforced’ with sharp crisp edges with no creasing. This really is highly attractive and the ‘Passion Play’ lyrics are here. A press mark on the top left edge looks clearly a manufacture blemish, that apart, little else to fault bar a couple of very faint surface marks and one of the cleanest interiors for this title I have yet seen.

Top Edges: Both practically unworn.

Bottom Edges: Mild rubbing on the paler back but little to none on the front.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with little wear and no feathering. Record entered on this right outside back edge, the front edge is totally sealed.

Spine and Text: A superb spine with barely any wear. Solid, straight, uncompressed and square, both right edges meet up perfectly together. All text is perfect and unworn and even though pale, this has not darked to any great degree.

Corners: All in great shape, very neat and sharp with very little wear but slight tip creasing to the right pair.

Cover Summary: A very strong all round example of this highly wear-prone early 70’s prog cover, one that could prove quite difficult to find significantly better. This strong and attractive item should please many collectors.

The Book: EX++ Eight pages including the covers, the only real blemish (if indeed you can call it that as most all will have them) is a very mild recess impressions on the cover front, in this case very light with low visibility with normal viewing. This book is strong and solid with both original staples retained with absolutely no pulling, loosening or movements. All pages clean with no creasing, tears or splits – all edges and corners sharp and neat. Clearly modestly handled, this little ‘Passion Play’ programme book will also not be that easy to find better.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Mint(-), A superb visual copy that is super clean, shiny, jet black and very solidly pressed. A copy clearly modestly played which is reflected by top quality sound. Visually a super record 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 lovely record plays up to its high visual grading with practically nothing to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. For a change, hardly any surface sounds – I detected a mere trace on the quietest of passages and this is an exceptional clean pressing for a fairly difficult album. Several critical passages, the most famous being the spoken ‘Hare’ section, even this plays well with little unwanted and this is certainly up there with the best I have heard. Several I have heard have emitted unacceptable crackle and I simply refused to offer such copies. If they fail to please me, they will not be good enough for my customers, that simple. This why I play-grade ALL my records, I will not guess or offer to chance. Few copies will outperform this one significantly I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I feel very sure this record has been played very lightly and has been clearly well stored and carefully handled, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this fine set. This copy could prove very difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended. As stated, this is well worthy of reassessment – was the world ready to hear a truly progressive Jethro Tull?

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 with Ittok Mk IV arm and Ortofon Samba Moving Coil cartridge (tracks at 1.8 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired). 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.

POSTING & PACKING: What You Get: I usually post on Fridays, most will arrive Saturday to make signed-for delivery easier. All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT mailers) with 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 TWO thick stiffners for even extra protection. The cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW heavy duty 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. Printed address labels are used for clarity and well as sender label. 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. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if at all possible but NOT surface mail abroad. I never make profit on posting and offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends, with the total costs including ‘standard’ or ‘optional extra insurance’ P&P – ALL UK and Russian packets go out non-negotiable Recorded Delivery. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 4,000+ items sold in over 7 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional.

PLEASE NOTE: I will now only send packets to Russia with Recorded Delivery at a cost of £7 per single LP. If this is unacceptable to Russian collectors, please do not bid. I only want my records to arrive safely and this gives packets a better chance to do so. Also ALL UK packets will be sent with either Recorded or Special Delivery as standard (both have to be signed for). All shipping costs and rules can be found after my description. If they are not acceptable, please do not bid.

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 & OPTIONS:

Posting & Packing: UK & CHANNEL ISLANDS all now sent Recorded Delivery:

1 LP (First Class Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4 (OPTIONAL).

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: ALL EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA (NOT RUSSIA, see below) (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £5.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £9 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: RUSSIA (Recorded Only, if this is unacceptable, please do not bid):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ only £7) = £9 (OPTIONAL extra insurance as above).

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (any part); Australia; Canada; Japan and other Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £8.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £13 (OPTIONAL).

* If Rules allow for that country.

PLEASE NOTE: I always get a Royal Mail ‘Proof-of-Posting’ receipt for ALL packets that are sent out and I am happy to prove this to any customer who wishes to see it via email.

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders.

The customer can choose their method of shipping with the exception of second class or surface mail overseas – these I will NOT use. The winner bidder chooses his/her posting method and if uninsured is chosen, its their decision and they have to stick with it, I can accept no responsibility if an item is lost in the post. I can only try to claim at standard levels if no enhancement is chosen (£35).

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 minus the Posting and All Ebay costs as long as the item detail has been read and understood. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help.

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’.