BLACK WIDOW Sacrifice Rare 70 CLASSIC PROG ORIG N/M LP

	£		45
	$		60

Hi, I am Mike, now 49 and have been a music collector and enthusiast for over 34 years now. We all wish we could turn back the clock and buy those wonderful brand new records from the 60s and 70s, but alas, this is not possible; so I always try to offer the finest and most accurately described and graded records I can find. No vinyl/music lover really would choose to buy second-hand, but this is only way now to own these valuable, prized and elusive items now. 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 reader – 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 one hundred percent is exact colour matching for covers - this depends on the lighting at the time and that is out of my control, but I feel sure most items will be very close to the actual real item. 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 or sticks 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 arm and Ortophon 520 Mk II cartridge. Amps: Arcam DAVE 5 x 125W Pre-Power. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors. 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.

Album Title: Sacrifice.

Producer(s): Patrick Meehan Jnr.

Engineer(s): Roy Thomas Baker

Track Listing: Side 1: In Ancient Days; Way to Power; Come to the Sabbat; Conjuration. Side 2: Seduction; Attack of the Demon; Sacrifice.

Label/Format: CBS – Original deep orange format.

Label Conditions: Both very clean and highly attractive with only very light and hardly any spindle traces and no wear around the hole area at all.

Cat Number: S 63948.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 128 grams. [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 140 to 150 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, 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 20 records from these eras. Later pressings were usually lighter still).

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Scarce: although their most ‘popular’ album, this is still seldom found and was hardly a major seller. Not only that, this copy could be one of the best examples you will ever see offered. I have never seen a better copy since I bought a brand new one back in my school days from ‘Parrot Records’ Braintree market stall – pre-shop days. Notice this band have been totally ignored in the latest price guides, an alarming error with all three titles missing – what is going on?

Original Year of Release: 1970

Matrix Nos: S 63948 A1 / S 63948 B1

The Band: Jim Gannon - lead guitar, Spanish guitar, vibes; Bob Bond - bass guitar; Kip Trevor - lead vocals; Zoot Taylor - organ and piano; Clive Box - drums, percussion; Clive Jones - sax and flute.

Brief Info: A cult item and ‘Satanic’ progressive classic, the band’s debut album, never an easy one to find in anything like strong conditions. Limited sales and airplay but having a cult following, all three of their albums are quite sort after. This black magic album that includes their most famous song ‘Come to the Sabbat’, a great track that has stood the test of time well. Complex, intricate prog with plenty of keyboards and reeds, I can think of few other bands quite like them. This without doubt is the best all round copy I have ever seen – I truly did not know a copy quite this good still existed – almost like magic, this appeared.

Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High, one of those covers you almost expect moderate wear. Most all have rubbing and rife with ringwear. Take another look at this one, have you ever seen a better example. This is near impossible like this and the record matches it too – both in stunning conditions.

Cover Grade and Format: How serious would anyone take me if I graded this as Mint(-), well I going to because it’s probably as close as they ever get these days, if anyone has a much better example of this near impossible cover, well good luck to them. It’s an unlaminated, gatefold with dark artwork, very prone to all surface wear and most look aged and worn – even plain ugly – this is a stunner. Printed and made in England by the E. J. Day Group, London and Bedford.

Cover Front & Back: Both very similar and both outstanding, light years above average for one of rock’s most challenging covers. Both sides have hardly any marks or major blemishes, no ringwear (yes true), no rubbing, barely any creases worthy of mention and no pressmark indentations. Rich deep colour with no fading or inkloss, this retains a high freshness factor and will seldom be found even half as good. Can I just make this point clear, the front right edge near the top may look rubbed but this is the detail on the artwork which are all the same, those familiar with the scarce cover will know this of course but I just wish to make this detail clear – this cover is practically devoid of any rubs at all.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Classic demonic artwork (see the closeup) and looking magnificent with again practically no wear, grubbiness or even ‘set-off’.

Top Edges: Very faint rub traces and that’s being pretty critical.

Bottom Edges: Same again.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with no wear or feathering. Record entered on this right outside back edge.

Spine and Text: Solid and quite straight, some mildish compression in the centre. Hardly any wear to the delicate surface and (for a change) all the text is totally unworn

Corners: Little wear on these high vulnerable corners, odd tip rub and the spine pair are exceptional in real terms, all retain fine neat shape too.

Cover Summary: An exceptional and rare example of this sinister progressive cover. Given its fragile disposition, this is a fantastic example that looks great to the eye – blemishes are few and it will take someone quite extraordinary to ever better it significantly. This is approaching connoisseur’s territory for the truly difficult items.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Mint(-). A superb visual copy that is super clean, shiny, jet black and heavily pressed on quite thick vinyl. Nothing more than the odd faint hairline or ultra faint surface trace under light, superficial blemishes and non-sounding, this retains the look of almost a new record. A copy hardly played on all the evidence, this is a superb copy. Visually a great record that should please most all collectors. Includes a CBS promotional inner which is in very attractive EX condition.

Album Played For Grading: Yes.

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This brilliant record plays up to its visual grading for practically with very little to fault. Strong, undistorted sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is high with a full dynamic range and detailed sound. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed, a mild trace at the very start of each side disappears fast and then its practically perfection for all the rest, no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional fine pressing for a fairly difficult album with some quite passages. Intricate progressive rock that fans of the genre will enjoy, like the cover, it will take something remarkable to better this record too. Few copies will match or outperform this original pressing significantly I feel sure. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this highly elusive cult progressive record. This classic ‘dark’ vintage record could prove near impossible to find significantly better and this set is strongly recommended.

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’.

My Terms For Bidding

Debutant Bidders: Many sellers refuse first time buyers: I do not follow this practice (everybody has to start somewhere), but I would appreciate any first timer letting me know their intentions for payment method and very prompt communication, preferably before any bid or soon after the auctions ends. This gives confidence that their intentions are honourable, and I in return guarantee extra special good feedbacks to get zero rated Ebayers off to a flying start to help them with future transactions.

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. Item wants are always welcome - email me with anything needed, you never know - I may just have a copy in stock. I buy quality single items and collections also (I am regularly told I offer the best prices – please Email me if you have items for sale).

Payment Details please read carefully - I know its boring but essential:

UK First Class: = £3 or Special Delivery (Next day, fully insured), the best service available = £7.00

Europe Air Mail: = £4 Insured & Signed For: £8.00.

Overseas, non-Europe e.g. USA, Japan, Australia etc. Airmail:= £7; Insured & Signed For (where available) = £11.00. Doubles add extra £1. Reductions for multiple items for all.

Any item that sells for over £75 will be sent Special Delivery in the UK at no extra cost. Items over £100 get the same service Overseas. This gives peace of mind for the winning bidder and myself for valuable items. Reduced postage of course for multiple items.

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 (£30).

Mailing Details: Please note I do NOT profit on postage, in fact I lose money on most packets (my packing standards are very high and the package weighs a little more - I simply refuse to compromise with poor packing. All records are sent in plastic covers with the record taken OUT of the sleeve and sent in professional mailers with FOUR proper stiffners for extra protection (if space allows). More expensive items are also inserted into a de-luxe heavy duty padded bag AS WELL to give that extra protection. I truly want ALL my items to arrive to their destination in the same condition they leave me. I will also include in most cases a brand new inner, but will include the original inner if available.

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

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.