BLACK SABBATH - RARER LARGE VERTIGO SPIRAL LABEL UK 1970 EX+ LP - AWESOME SOUND

	£		103
	$		136

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World in Quality, Safe Packing.

Postage: UK £4.75 (£1 per extra record). Europe (including Russia) £12.50 (£2 per extra record). Rest of World (including ALL parts of the USA) £16.50 (£3 per extra record). All boxes signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes that offer virtually no protection at all – in fact I think these things should be banned as records WILL arrived damaged in them at some time. More details on my packing nearer the end of the listing.

Posting to Russia: Yes, I do post to Russia. But delivery can take up to 4 to 6 weeks from the UK. So please be patient. I will submit a tracking number to the winning bidder, and when the packet arrives there it can be followed online using the Russian post website.

ALSO: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment to keep things moving – cash-flow is important to any small business. I will always keep my P&P prices as low as possible, and even after yet another Royal Mail price hike from April this year, I have NOT raised my prices and will never compromise on solid, safe packing that is invariably heavier than most you will get. My P&P offers probably the best value-for-money for vinyl records available, and I even will pay for full insurance on any record that sells for over £100 at NO extra cost – that is UK and abroad. Also I aim to post the very same day after payment is received. You WILL see the difference when my packet arrives.

…“Still falls the rain, the veils of darkness shroud the blackened trees…

Artist or Band: BLACK SABBATH

Album Title: Black Sabbath

Producer(s): Roger Bain.

Cat Number: VO 6 (847 903 VTY).

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Black Sabbath; The Wizard; Behind the Wall of Sleep; NIB.

Side 2: Evil Woman; Sleeping Village; Warning.

Label/Format: Vertigo – this technically a second pressing as the Philips text has been removed from the 6 o’clock position. But still very early with the large format spirl on side two. Third pressings (often considered second by some) have the small swirl above the hole on that side. These have matt, smooth surfaces.

Label Conditions: Very clean, fresh and attractive with only light, fine and faint spindle marks, the more critical second (white) side with the text showing minimal handling traces or grubbiness. A fine mark near the hole, possibly a tiny manufacture blemish (?), but little else. The ultimate crucial factor is sound quality, which is truly immense and ultra clean throughout. A very little played early example that offers SUPREME sound throughout with barely anything unwanted.

Cat Number: VO6 (847 903 VTY).

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: 135 grams. A very fine weight for this record.

Rarity: It can be argued this is not one of the rarer Vertigos, but early copies are harder to find, especially ones with a lovely clean cover, inner sleeve and what appears to be a very little played record. Being honest, I have actually seen less of these large spiral copies without the Philips credit than those that include it. Pressing quality can be an issue, but no worries with this one, it plays as fine as it looks, and that is superb. It still has the original cover that correctly has NO credits for the song ‘Warning’ and also has the copyright credits for Vertigo recordings, later changed to ‘this label’. All seen on my inner close-up picture. Such copies seldom surface with most stored away in top collections. The condition of both cover, and especially the record could mean signficant upgrades for many and for those who want to experience the pure power and sonic delivery of an early vinyl Spiral ‘original’, look no further – it’s here.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Original Year of Release: 1970. This a 1970 or very early 1971 pressing.

Matrix Nos: VO6 1Y * 1 420 1 2 1 5 / V06 2Y * 1 420 1 2 1 3

Brief Artist & Album Info: Issued to scorn and damnation by the critics in 1970, but eventually universally loved by fans of heavy rock. Ozzy gave the finger and they thrived and became superstars of the genre. Black Sabbath played real heavy metal – an awesome quartet that were very dark, with real menace, sang songs of doom, gloom, war and the occult - this is what they did best and no-one ever came close to matching them. Even today, after hearing this classic a hundred times, the sound of that rain falling on the opening grooves and the loud thunderclap with the distant tolling bell sends a shiver down my spine – play, if possible at maximum volume – this copy can more than handle it – if you system can?! For full effect, have the cover in your hands at the same time - the ghostly spectresque girl standing in the woods will make you shudder. What is this that stands before me?; Figure in black that points at me. screams ‘The Prince of Darkness’ and just before the band go into overdrive, he lets out with blood curdling power ‘Oh no, no, please God help me’ totally awesome. The opening track ‘Black Sabbath’ has to be one of rock’s defining moments - the birth of metal and the critics had to fade away. It’s hard to believe this album was issued way back in the early 1970s, and this one still in beautiful condition, also an early copy.

Led by Ozzy Osbourne, now a cult figure extraordinaire but let’s not forget the other three: Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward. The pure heaviness and phenominal bass-heavy sound they produced was breathtaking (and still is). I saw a fairly young Black Sabbath back in the late 1970s at Hammersmith Odeon and it remains entrenched and vivid in my memory. All the Spiral era material was played, and how. This is a classic Vertigo issue, the cover is chilling, the text on the inverted cross inside is as dark as the music inside. An album to be played loud, as loud as possible. I still remember that huge stack of Marshall’s on stage with all the speakers being driven hard and really getting the air moving. The Spiral four are often said to not being terribly well produced, all I can say to that is these listeners have not heard them on a decent system – only Paranoid is a little muted at times. These have an in-built power and quality brings it out (as well as volume). Just listen to the detail of the splashing rain and the tremenous thunderclaps at the beginning. The bass grinds and punches with awesome power riffs - it can shake the foundations, the drums pound and the cymbals crash, the guitars soar into sheer manic nirvana and of course Ozzy’s blood curdling screams speak for themselves - oh nowwwwww!!! Forget your lightweight soundalikes, nobody does it better than Sabbath. This stunning lesson in gloom was rarely bettered, even by them, the distant bell tolls… and still falls the rain – magnificent!!!

Cover’s Potential for Wear: High – an unlaminated gatefold format with a matt smooth finish, often ruined by large sticker tears. The inside is massively prone to fingermarks on the matt black surfaces and the outer faces also rub and ringwear in many cases.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(+): format as above. This has NO ‘Dunbar’ credit for the song ‘Warning’. And has the original text for copyright which is ‘WARNING—Copyright subsists in all Vertigo recordings…’. Later ones have the word ‘Vertigo’ changed to ‘this label’. Also it has the early mispelling of Ossie Osbourne.

Cover Front: The ghostly figure front looks magnificent with minimal traces of wear or ageing. Any marks or chips very small and faint as mostly seen critically with angled viewing – very slight dulling spot traces, little else. It retains deep colour with barely any creasing with just the odd tiny corner tip crease. One to hold and enjoy, this will take some beating.

Cover Back: Largely the same, just one half moon type fine surface crease. The lack of ringwear a significant plus.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Very dark and impressive with minimal traces of handling on the ultra revealing matt black surfaces. Any speckle tiny and faint as is the only fine surface crease on the left face. So often these are seen riddled with grimy fingermarks which ruin the appearance, this has hardly any.

Top Edges: Both fantastic: barely any wear at all, both very straight and seldom seen like this.

Bottom Edges: A little near moderate rubbing near the ends, any elsewhere tiny and light, again both straight and sit flush and flat.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Both edges are very clean, sharp with barely any wear or thickening, even viewed end-on. All edges are cut in manufacture, later ones had a front edge, record enters on the back, both guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced.

Spine and Text: Solid, very straight, uncompressed and folded square, so the edges meet up near flush and parallel, just a fraction out on the right. The fine VO 6 is still seen but nothing else, even under a magnifier no other text is visible. The spine surface appears little faded, but I know red text can sun bleach in racks, but even when this happens, some traces are usually seen, so this is a little strange. The artwork itself is practically as dark as the front and back and this barely worn at all. Both folds are also unrubbed or scuffed with strong colour, any rubbing is tiny near the very ends.

Corners: Any tip rubs are small and light, most on the bottom right, but even here, very modest indeed. Excellent or better shape retained, I can see no evidence of any tipping-in or enhancements on this cover at all.

Cover Summary: A really impressive cover that sets the bar high. This seldom wears well and one of the best first format examples I have seen or had for a long time. Not quite for the perfectionists, but how many ever truly will be?, but most collectors and fans will enjoy this one.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(++): a lovely Spiral inner sleeve that has only light signs of ageing with gentle darkeing of the edges that is rarely avoided at best. The lining firmly attached and neat as seen through two crisp and undamaged window circles and hardly any creasing. All edges unsplit with no repairs, most of any browning on the seams seen from the inside.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+): an impressive visual copy that plays to near perfection from start to finish. Very clean, shiny and solidly pressed. Any surface marks are very fine and faint as critically seen under bright angled light, there are no penetrating scratches at all. A copy very lightly played on the evidence which includes top-drawer sound. This Swirl classic should please many, if not 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 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 dark metal masterpiece plays even above its high visual grading with practically nothing to fault. Massively powerful distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is fantastic with a wide dynamic range and very heavy sound, best enjoyed loud to bring out the power embedded into totally unworn grooves. Laden with massively powerful riffs, the prince of darkness rarely sounded better. Any surface sounds barely even register and this is a very clean pressing that offers a more ‘open’ sound that was lost on the mid- to late-70s non-Vertigo repressings. This heavy metal classic has it’s odd quieter moments too, but not that many, but these also play very quietly indeed and few copies will better this. Both channels are clean and sharp, I certain this record has been played, or even handled little, and has been generally well stored and looked after. Tracking is effortless and all is focused with no clipping or sound degrading. Clearly never subjected to worn or heavy stylus abuse, this has wonderful gut-grinding dynamics and the analogue format really is unbeatable for the heaviest rock available. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this classic debut. A copy that will prove very difficult indeed to find significantly better – that is record, cover and inner sleeve. An album that spawned a host of immitators but none (for me anyway) even come close. Real metal, no glam, just gloom – these four giants in the world of heavy rock are living legends and long may they continue – Oh Lord Yeah!!!!!!!

…The cataract of darkness form fully, the long black night begins, yet still, by the lake a young girl waits, unseeing she believes herself unseen, she smiles, faintly at the distant tolling bell, and the still falling rain”.

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 Terrarium Black 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 10,000+ items sold in over 12 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 2 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). All postage costs are below and at the top of the listing.

NOTE: First Time Bidders: Please ask 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] = £4.75

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £8. (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 [£50 maximum]) = £12.50 (enhanced 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 [£50 maximum]) = £16.50 (£17.50 for double sets). Add £3 per extra LP. (enhanced 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’.