JETHRO TULL Aqualung - MUCH RARER Orig ILPS 1971 EX+ LP

	£		71
	$		94

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.

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 - with the original ILPS (Island) credits (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both clean and attractive with any spindle marks few, faint and faint. Another from the hardly played collection recently purchased. A one-and-only owner from new that played his records sparingly on a quality stereo system.

Cat Number: ILPS 9145.

A Special Note about this Copy: As I understand it, this was the very first pressed format for this evergreen prog classic. It was also issued on the Island Pink rim format – both are equally rare. Most seen are later pressings.

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: 140 grams. This is a heavy weight for this album, most seen are much thinner and of course, lighter.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: The actual album itself is not too hard to find, but as stated above, most are later pressings. This is the very first Chrysalis pressing with the first matrixes and including the Island ILPS 9145 catalogue number as seen on the labels in Old English text font. These are far harder to find especially in very nice, little played condition. For those who purchased this album from the very early days, most played into submission on goodness knows what. The beautiful, but wear-prone textured cover often badly worn and shabby as Aqualung, the famous tramp on the front. The inner sleeves often torn with edge splits and damage, the originals had the wide opening, later ones became narrow. Do not underestimate how difficult these first Chrysalis pressings are like this.

Original Year of Release: 1971.

Matrix Nos: ILPS 9145 A-1U / ILPS 9145 B-3U.

Mothers / Stampers: 1 M / 2 GG

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.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: High.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(++): one of Island’s most celebrated covers with fantastic artwork. An unlaminated gatefold format with matt surfaces that are all textured. Printed and made in England by the E. J. Day Group with the gothic style Island ILPS catalogue number and impront (please see these details in close-up). Later ones that appear very similar were printed by Robor. This includes the wide top opening inner sleeve with the external flipback construction.

Cover Front: One very light, fine mark near the bottom left edge that shows very little, that minor blemish apart (and look hard to even see it), this front is almost close to perfect and looks fantastic. The texturing is pronounced and quite deep. There is no speckle to the raised parts at all and this remains, ultra clean, fresh and hugely attractive. Barely a crease or rub to be seen, all the more unusual on a cover like this, especially so on the first EJD printing.

Cover Back: The back is pretty much the same too, the lack of any ringwear or even record impression is great news. A trace of light edge rubbing near the left corners, but this is small enough to be almost nit-picking.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Both sides are magnificent with rich deep, vivid colour – as fresh and clean as when first made back in 1971.

Top Edges: A little light patchy rubbing.

Bottom Edges: Light+ patchy rubbing.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, mostly sharp, the closed front very neat indeed with no wear. Record enters on the back edge and these have thickened little and also remain neat.

Spine and Text: Little short of as made: a superb spine with barely any traces or wear or ageing, still being very white. Solid, straight with minimal compression and folded square, so the edges meet up very closely together and parallel. All text is nigh-on perfect and has that highly significant Island ILPS Cat No in the Gothic Old English font (please see this in close up).

Corners: Small tip rubs on the right pairs, very little at all on the spine pair all retain very fine to excellent shape.

Cover Summary: Rare, early and original, most seen are CHR Chrysalis, Robor printed versions. This EJD example sets a very high standard with a magnificent appearance retained. Only that mild edge rubbing stops a higher still grading. Looking at this defies the fact most are seen shabby, worn and aged. This one will please most collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(++): the only blemish of any note was a small, neat split on the bottom edge which I carefully and very neatly repaired. Any evidence of it ever being present now minuscule. Few of these early wide top opening inners survive devoid of any edge splits. The records being heavier and putting more stress on the vulnerable seams. Ultra faint tone spot traces are hardly even visible but I will mention what I do notice however tiny and minor. The recessed entrance area remains very neat too with no creasing or burring. There is very mild record impression on the back side seen only lightly under angled light. Both flipbacks are incredibly solid and attractive with no lifting or damage at all and there is hardly a crease on the entire inner to be seen. Overall, this has more than survived, it looks lovely and complements the rest of the impressive set beautifully.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+): a super visual copy that is very clean, shiny, intense black and quite heavily pressed. A copy with minimal plays on all the evidence with any surface marks very light and faint as seen under bright angled light. No penetrating scratches or even more evident marks seen with normal viewing, this is an impressive first issue. Visually a super record that should please many, if not most collectors again.

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 progressive classic plays even above it’s 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. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed, a faint and very gentle trace as the album ends on side two – this being very critical – and remember I play on an LP12, one of the world’s most revealing turntables. No pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing – the beauty and details a first issue offers is second-to-none and the pressing standard appears higher too. I have often heard this album with a fair degree of inherent crackle, but barely any traces om this one. Few copies will match or outperform this original significantly I feel sure. 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 within a non-smoking environment. 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.

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’.