Sold Date: November 14, 2015
Start Date: November 7, 2015
Final Price: £609.87 (GBP)
Bid Count: 14
Seller Feedback: 4079
Buyer Feedback: 194

"THICK AS A BRICK"  ('Gerald Bostock' (Ian Anderson) 1972 )

Really don't mind if you sit this one out.
My words but a whisper....your deafness a SHOUT!
I may make you feel, but I can't make you think.
Your sperm's in the gutter....your love's in the sink.
So you ride yourselves over the fields and
  You make all your animal deals, and
Your wise men don't know how it feels to be thick as a brick.
And the sand-castle virtues are all swept away in
The tidal destruction,
The moral melee.
The elastic retreat rings the close of play, as the last wave uncovers
  The new-fangled way.
But your new shoes are worn at the heels and
  Your suntan does rapidly peel, and
  Your wise men don't know how it feels to be thick as a brick.
And the love that I feel is so far away.
I'm a bad dream that I just had today... and you
  Shake your head and
Say it's a shame.

Spin me back down the years and the days of my youth.
Draw the lace and black curtains and shut out the whole truth.
Spin me down the long ages..... let them sing the song.

See there!  A son is born.... and we pronounce him fit to fight.
There are black-heads on his shoulders, and he pees himself in the night.
We'll...
Make a man of him,
Put him to trade,
Teach him
To play Monopoly and
To sing in the rain.

The Poet and the painter casting shadows on the water
As the sun plays on the infantry returning from the sea.
The doer and the thinker..... no allowance for the other,
As the failing light illuminates the mercenary's creed.
The home fire burning: the kettle almost boiling
But the master of the house is far away.
The horses stamping....their warm breath clouding,
In the sharp and frosty morning of the day.
And the poet lifts his pen, while the soldier sheaths his sword.
JETHRO TULL: "Thick As A Brick" LP.  VERY FIRST UK PRESSING, 3rd MARCH,1972.
How can this white textured outside newspapaer cover possibly be in such remarkable condition?  Allowing for the internal eight
large pages being actual thin newspaper paper showing some ageing after 43 years, all to detail are the original difficult thick
double folds creating light bunching on the corners and creases from when the newspaper pages overlapped the folds and from
brand new had a few light natured creases.  The staples are 100% perfect and there are no tears or even stress around them.  
I deleted more pictures than the twelve I uploaded to ebay, one was a close up of the centre pages trio of metal staples, the
position where they were flattened to hold the pages.   They literally look the same as the day they were inserted, no rust on
the inside or outside, proves the ageing to the inside actual newspaper was nothing to do with storage or handling.  In fact, one
essentially retained compiled picture, demonstrates the unused status of the cover, pages and record, the ultra slim exposed to
immediate wear, has all three items in perfectly clear black printing.  Without perfect storage inside a plastic outer sleeve from
day one, the textured outside spine with the artist, LP title and catalogue number would have been rubbed away in 1972.

I bought this from a one original who like myself, was a Jethro Tull fan from as early as 1968, he was so struck by the newspaper
cover, he felt the record should not be played and very carefully stored it away ever since.  He bought the cassette tape version
in 1972 and a move forced him to sell his records, I hastily add the rest of his collection was heavily played and for the era,
in average Very Good condition.  It broke his heart to part with this "Thick As A Brick" but he was well compensated financially
by me and I promised him I would find a good home for the album and it would be preserved indefinitely.   So standing in storage
traits and the original folds, the outside is so close to the original off white, any fractional toning is not worthy of discussion.
There is no wear to the mass of printing, no scuffs even on the outside's textured top surface and even on those awkward folds.
  I would never grade any 'EJDay' printed, very first edition "Thick As A Brick" Mint because that simply cannot be when creases
and corner bunching happened from the day the difficult job of assembling them took place, before March, 1972.  I am happy to
grade this 'Excellent+++ / Near Mint', knowing nothing could surpass this remarkable cover....plus of course an unplayed, true
Mint very first pressing record.


FIRST ISSUE TEXTURED GREEN CHRYSALIS LABEL: CHR 1003
ONLY THE VERY FIRST PRESSINGS. HAD THE 1972 ISLAND WHITE 'i' LOGO ON THE RIMS, ALONG WITH THIS
WITH ; "Manufactured and distributed by Island Records."
It was EMI really who manufactured and distributed the records, Island did not have the resources, I will explain why Island's
credit was on the initial labels only below.


MAITRIX: CHR 1003   A - 3U / CHR 1003   B - 2U
I am not about to say there is not a possibility of a lower pair of end digits than typed above, but if they exist  I have never
personally seen anything below 'A - 3U / B - 2U'.  Confirmation of a very first pressed record follows for two major reasons, well
four really.

EMI STAMPING CODES:  R 1 / A 1
How could there be an earlier maitrix when this is indexed as?  R 1  = Side No. 2 from the first mother
A 1  = Side No. 3 from the first mother

THE RUN-OUT GROOVES ON SIDE 1 HAS GEORGE PECKHAM'S LEGENDARY VINYL CUTTER'S LOGO; "Porky."
  SIDE 2 HAS GEORGE'S OTHER LOGO: "Pecko."
  Unique to the very first pressings that were made from the same first mothers, the Test Pressing records George Peckham first
prepared.   All four items were compiled into one picture, luckily the '1' mother digit was close enough to 'Pecko' to include, the
fourth major reason that confirms the first pressing is far right in the picture.  A handwritten 'P' letter was a rare error from
George, he began to scribe "Porky" and while writing the 'p' he realised he was on the wrong side.   A rare error found only the
very first pressings of "Thick As A Brick", an undocumented feature everyone has missed, I forgot to include that in my last ebay
listing of this album.  The word 'rare' applies once again, because a Mint record in a fantastic newspaper cover, are so rare, that
previous listing was back in 2004!

1972 EMI PLAIN WHITE INNER SLEEVE, WITH CURVED CORNERS, A PATENT NUMBER AND "Made In Gt. Britain."
Another deleted picture but as plain white, unused and barely aged, it was an easy choice to leave out in favour of more important
items.
THE INNER SLEEVE IS IN MINT- CONDITION.


THE FIRST ISSUE ACTUAL NEWSPAPER COVER WAS PRINTED BY 'E J Day,' AND IF EVER PICTURES ARE BEST SEEN
  THAN DESCRIBED IN TEXT, NO LESS THAN NINE OUT OF TWELVE PICTURES HAVE COVER VIEWS.   I HAVE REALLY
DETAILED THE CONDITION IN THE OPENING PARAGRAPH, BUT HERE IS A LITTLE MORE INFO.
First printed cover had to be the biggest challenge "E J Day" printers ever faced, more like the challenge of all time!  Amazingly
  this still has the original 1972 really solid and ;'starchy'feel to the outside, unlike the flimsy re-issues and the worn out original's.
The outside had extremely thick card behind the ' front and back pages of the newspaper, unused the lack of handling and reading
this is very close to how it was first bought 43 years ago.  The numbered pages include the 'cover' of the newspaper, so there are 
eight inside pages, actually made from authentic very thin and easily torn newspaper, the pages are showing some ageing to the
outside edges, but none of heavy stains, rips and damage, I have explained the creases forming when the double fold was made in
  the factory, this cover and pages are at the opposite spectrum of the usual dirty, scruffy and ripped appearance of virtually
every original, as ebay clearly shows.  There's not a tear to be found on the outside or on any of the vulnerable pages inside,
all the pages are securely held by the unrusted, perfect staples.

The bottom folded section underneath the main square of the front, is not ripped and in superbly unworn condition, I have to
to allow for the very slightest corner 'bunching,'   the corners edges and the spine are as near perfect as this cover gets after
all those years.  The natural 'bunching' on the corners of those folds are exactly as created by the printers, such a great
thickness to get into two folds, they were in fact very neatly made.  
A VERY STRICT GRADING IS EXCELLENT+++ NEAR MINT CONDITION, SO PLEASE SEE THE PICTURES FOR A
MORE REALISTIC SCENARIO OF THE COVER & RECORD NEVER BEING USED AND PERFECTLY STORED.


THE TEXTURED LABELS DO NOT HAVE A SOLITARY SPINDLE CONTACT TRACE, AS I SAID JUST NOW, AN UNPLAYED
1972  RECORD OF THIS IMPORTANCE, WAS THE DIRECT IMPACT THE NEWSPAPER COVER MADE ON A DEDICATED
JETHRO TULL FAN.  HE DID NOT PLAY THE RECORD AND BOUGHT A CASSETTE TO HEAR THE ALBUM... BUT I STILL
HAVE TO SAY THAT ANY HANDLING TRACES ARE FEATHER LIGHT TO NEAR INVISIBLE.  ONCE AGAIN IT IS NECESSARY
TO STATE RECORDS WERE POSITIVELY HANDLED AT  PRESSING PLANTS AND  RECORD SHOP, NOT FORGETTING ONE
ORIGINAL OWNER TOOK AN INITIAL LOOK AT THE RECORD, SIGHED AND REPLACED IT, WHERE IT HAS REMAINED
UNTOUCHED FOR 43 YEARS.  WITHOUT THAT I WOULD NOT LISTING THIS INCREDIBLE CONDITION VERY FIRST
PRESSING OF "Thick As a Brick"!
I will respect the wishes of that old Jethro Tull fan and sell it as still unplayed in 43 years, who know? Maybe that will be
the fate of the album, but that is entirely up to the next owner.
THE RECORD IS IN UNPLAYED,  MINT CONDITION.
SIDE 1
"Thick As A Brick, Part I"

SIDE 2
"Thick As A Brick, Part II"  


JETHRO TULL
Ian Anderson - lead vocals, acoustic guitar, flute, violin, trumpet & sax
Martin Barre - electric guitar & lute
John Evan - organ, piano & harpsichord
Jeffrey Hammond (as "Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond") - bass guitar & spoken words
Barriemore Barlow - drums, percussion & timpani


All Lyrics And Music Written by 'Gerald Bostock' (Ian Anderson)
Newspaper Cover Artwork - Ian Anderson & Jeffrey Hammond
Recorded December,1971, At Morgan Studios, London.
David Palmer -Orchestral arrangements
Produced By Ian Anderson.
Jethro Tull UK records were mastered and pressed with immaculate sound quality,  ss usual, as well as the highly gifted Ian Anderson
wrote every song, if under the guise of 'Gerald Bostock'.  Ian was reacting to the over the top seriousness of the early 1970's
progressive music, the concept album was being recorded as instrumental and experimental music that often left the listener bored
at the uninspired, over indulgent music.  Music that could not sustain more than one play, you had to live through this era to get
the overkill of 'concept'albums.  Ian was having fun with the newspaper and the spoof stories and crosswords etc. but the music
and lyrics on "Thick As A Brick" were worthy of following the magnificent "Benefit" and "Aqualung" albums.  The album title and
concept was aimed straight between the ears of the music press and reviewers who were falling over themselves to praise and
recommend records that grated on your nerves!   They turned and lashed out at bands as talented as Jethro Tull, but ian Anderson
was not taking it without a reply on his records, which only made the reviewer's sharpen their pens to condemn a musical genius
when they heard Ian singing;
Really don't mind if you sit this one out.
My words but a whisper....your deafness a SHOUT!
I may make you feel, but I can't make you think.
Ian produced the  album, they may have been still in the process of returning to Chrysalis, who leased them to Island in 1968, but
"Thick As A Brick" was recorded at Island Record's Morgan Studios in London.  Confusion surrounds the pressing of this era of UK"
Jethro Tull records, is it any wonder with  both Chrysalis and Island owning a share in them!  It continued into the early 1970's for the
final time with "Thick As A Brick", at least there was not a pink rimmed / palm tree  Island label pressing.  The previous "Benefit" and
"Aqualung" first pressings were also on the green Chrysalis label with Island rim text and logo, even the catalogue numbers were
Island's until the lease agreement ended. Since "This Was" Chrysalis had their logo on the labels and the cover, it was a mutual
gentleman's agreement between the two respective label owners, Chris Blackwell (Island Records) & Terry Ellis,who Chrysalis were
partially named after, to include joint credits and the very next pressing of "Thick As A Brick" did not have Island text and logo.
This was nothing new to independent labels like Island & Chrysalis, they did not the finances and Chrysalis had made the same leasing
  arrangements with Deram for Ten Years After, financing unproven, unknown new artists for small independent labels was a problem.
  It's getting late and although I could write endlessly about  "Thick As A Brick", I think I should get this listed on ebay before
  I start on another related subject.
  {Roy}
     R & M RECORDS.

My lifetime's love of music and records began at a very young age, the arrival of the Beatles and the 1960's decade
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