JETHRO TULL - This Was RARE 1st press UK 1968 Pink Island "bullseye" MONO EX

	£		69
	$		91

JETHRO TULL - THIS WAS

Super rare 1968 UK MONO 1st PRESSING on coveted "bullseye" Pink Island, ILP 985

Matrix Numbers : Side 1-  ILP - 985 - A,  Side 2  Side 2-  ILP - 985 - B

Sought after very first pressing, classic late 60's prog rock - lovely all round condition with super quality audio

Both sides of the thick, heavy duty and completely flat vinyl have retained most of their original sheen and are very impressive. Indeed, in normal daylight both sides of the vinyl come across as near perfect with only a 1cm pencil thin scuff on each of side 1 and 2 being immediately noticeable. Under a bright light and tilted at the right angle a number of hairlines and small pencil scuffs, along with just a little paper scuffing, do become apparent, however. All of these are surface only and do not negatively impact upon the audio quality. I try to be as objective as possible about the condition of all vinyl I sell, usually erring on the side of caution, and would grade the overall appearance and condition of the vinyl as a strong excellent-, more likely a straightforward excellent.

The quality of the audio is excellent. There are no skips, "pops", "clicks" or distortion and the tone on all of the tracks is wonderful, with great clarity throughout. At the commencement of side 1 there is just a little light background crackle but this really is minimal and again, on the odd occasion, a little background crackle does come into play but overall this is negligible and the overall sound quality is a definite "excellent". Actually, upon a second play grade the audio quality on side 2 comes across as near perfect. In my opinion the audio quality is far superior to that of a re-mastered digital CD where the extra detail is simply obliterated during the compression process.

The gatefold outer sleeve is in excellent condition. There is no ring wear, the edges are still rigid and well defined with no scuffing at all; the opening edge shows just the merest hint of some very mild fraying and there is a little rubbing on each of the corners, but nothing of real signficance. The lamination is wholly intact with barely any lifting and the original rich, vibrant colouring of all the photos remains brilliant. The super wide spine (a whole 1cm) is a joy to behold...not sure why, it just is - one of those 60's quirks that always makes me smile! Certainly these wide spine variants only occurred on the very first presses of this iconic album sleeve. There are a couple of very small laminate creases perpendicular and adjacent to the spine on the front side and a very small "nick" located at the bottom left hand corner (see photo).There is also some slight creasing on the inside of the gatefold adjacent to the spine and one further light diagonal crease located towards the top right corner which is visible (if you view it in the right light) from both the front and the back. So, not "near mint", but in my book a definite excellent and still highly impressive.

  Each label is near mint. In fact I can't fault either label - not even the usual faint spindle trace.

The track listing is :

Side 1:

1. MY SUNDAY FEELING

2. SOME DAY THE SUN WON'T SHINE FOR YOU

3. BEGGAR'S FARM

4. MOVE ON ALONE

5. SERENADE TO A CUCKOO

Side 2 :

1. DHARMA FOR ONE

2. IT'S BREAKING ME UP

3. CAT'S SQUIRREL

4. A SONG FOR JEFFREY

5. ROUND

Comes complete with orginal plain white "MADE IN ENGLAND", "PATENT NO. 1,125555" inner sleeve, which itself has no tears or splits (or even any age discolouration) and remains fully functional.

This is one of the iconic 60's prog rock albums - a true 1st press rarity, highly sought after and a "must" for any serious vinyl collector.

IF THIS ITEM INTERESTS YOU THEN YOU MAY LIKE TO TAKE A LOOK AT MY OTHER 60's/70'S VINYL OFFERINGS ALSO CURRENTLY ON EBAY : SOME REAL RARITIES!

  If you require any further information, including photos, then let me know and I'll do my best to oblige. 

A bit about myself : I have been collecting UK vinyl for over 45 years and have amassed a huge collection covering a varied genre, but mostly of 1960's and 70's origin. I worked in IT for 22 years before doing a complete career change to teach Maths in a high school at the ripe old age of 45 - probably the best career move that I ever made. I took great joy in indulging the "kids" in my eclectic collection of 60's and 70's vinyl, even once dedicating a whole PSE session to the Genesis classic ""Foxtrot".  But now I am retired and a combination of space requirements and a need to help fund my retirement has prompted me to "rationalise" my record collection and sell many of my much loved gems. 

My ebay feedback speaks for itself so rest assured that you are buying from a trusted seller, and in the very unlikely event that you are unhappy with your purchase just e-mail me and I'll sort out the problem. I offer a "no questions asked" refund policy. 

On the subject of postage, I take great care in the packaging of all items, using a proper vinyl cardboard mailer along with at least two cardboard stiffeners. I take care in removing the record from the outer sleeve and properly protecting it in a separate white inner sleeve in order to prevent outer sleeve damage in transit. Please wait for an invoice before paying. I do NOT profiteer from postage costs. I DO take great care in minimising all risk thereby ensuring, as far as possible, that your purchase reaches it's destination in exactly the same condition as when I post it. Richard

P&P costs are for Royal Mail, 1st class, tracked and signed for : £6.00 for UK, £9.00 for continental Europe, and £12.00 for the rest of the world.

Descriptions of any records I sell comply with the Rare Record Price Guide grading guidelines :

Mint

Description: The record itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.

Excellent

Description: The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packag­ing might have slight wear and/or creasing.

Very Good

Description: The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable sur­face marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

Good

Description: The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discoloration, etc.

Fair 

Description: The record is still just playable but has not been cared for prop­erly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents will be torn, stained and/or defaced.

Poor

Description: The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents will be badly damaged or partly missing.

Bad

Description: The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection-filler.