Black Sabbath : Black Sabbath (Vertigo Swirl Label 1Y1/2Y2)

This genuine first pressing is one of the most collectable Black Sabbath albums and it plays with fantastic quality for the vast majority with only three to four seconds of interference.  There is no intrusive static or crackle and the clarity is stunning for such a rare record.  Amazing to think it is 50 this year!

As it is a genuine first press it of course has the 'A Philips Record Product' on the Side B label.

  The original first press gatefold has some shelf wear but certainly not an excessive amount.  So often it is found in poor condition as there is no laminate to protect it - this is not one of those!  It is slightly textured compared to later issues and the band and production credits are all in capitals letters.  There are no composition or publishing credits on this release.  It also has 'Ossie' on the credits rather than the correct 'Ozzy' of course.  Another point of note is on the copyright warning - with this cover it states - 'Copyright subsists in all Stereo recordings…'  The subsequent 'Swirl' Vertigo reissues corrected it to 'Copyright subsists in all Vertigo recordings…'

 The original swirl inner is also in excellent condition with no side splits.

VO 6   1Y * 1   420  1 2 1 2

VO 6   2Y * 1   420  1 9 4

The audio on S1 is Near Mint- (Near Mint in many sections / Track 2 NM for majority but G+ for two seconds & VG end)

The audio on S2 is Near Mint (Mint- for the majority / T3 Near Mint-)

The gatefold is Ex-

The labels are Ex+

The original swirl inner is Ex

Visual grading

This is one of the 'cleanest' first pressings I have ever seen.  It has a lovely glossy sheen and has no scratches or marks.  Under a bright light I can only see a relatively small number of hairlines but they are superficial and have no affect on the audio.  There is also not that much spindle wear so I suspect it has not been played that much.  The clarity certainly suggests that.  The run out grooves and labels are also very clean also, just very minor marking around the Side B spindle hole.  When playing the record does have a very gentle lift but it is very minor and I would not classify it as a warp.  It think it may even be a pressing fault and does not affect the stylus in any way.

Play grading  

The 'thunder / bell toll' intro on 'Black Sabbath' is so impressive and the clarity could hardly be any better.  There are only a small number of barely audible dust ticks.  As Iommi's guitar begins the audio is 'as new' and the first vocal is almost as good with only the bare minimum of mega light static.  You have to listen very hard in order to catch it!  It continues to play with a depth and power that you only find on the first/early Vertigo pressings.  There are a couple of faint ticks but there are certainly no clicks or pops and overall the clarity is exceptional.  The faster paced end section is stunning and the deep sound just envelops the room with dynamic power and no distortion at all.  An amazing Near Mint- version in my opinion.

The harmonica intro on 'The Wizard' has very little static and then plays with superb power and depth.  After one minute there is one click followed by a brief skip during the first verse.  This is a shame because apart from that the playback cannot really be faulted.  There is no other 'background' until you reach the end section where there are five clicks which are somewhat 'buried' in the music and not that intrusive.  A difficult one to grade as the majority does play with great quality but there is some interference.  It is fair to say it's G+ for a couple of seconds with a VG ending but it is not an exaggeration to say that much of it plays with Near Mint quality.

There is no such issue with 'Behind The Wall Of Sleep' which plays with stunning quality throughout.  This is a 'high end' version with no interference of any kind apart from a couple of very light clicks on the percussive section at the end.  The bass part plays very cleanly with barely any static.  A stunning Near Mint- version.

'N.I.B.' plays with immense power and depth from the start and progresses in the same way.  I cannot put into words just how well this plays!  There is no inner groove distortion which is a rarity and you can hear each note with stunning precision.  Iommi's solo work plays beautifully throughout and to the end this classic is stunning on so many levels.  No clicks or pops and no static or crackle either, a mind-blowing Near Mint version if ever there was!  Wow!

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'Evil Woman...' plays with superb clarity from the get go and continues in the same way.  There are a couple of faint ticks but there is certainly no obvious interference and the playback is quite simply astounding.  This is Near Mint from start to finish and the fade out is also very impressive.

The quiet intro on 'Sleeping Village', including the first verse, plays beautifully with only a small number of insignificant dust tick.  It really is such an impressive opening when you consider this is a genuine first pressing.  The following instrumental section then plays like it was pressed only yesterday!  The clarity and sonic quality is 100% STUNNING and I am not sure I have ever heard better!  I can't emphasise enough just how incredible this sounds!  The power and definition of the audio could not be any stronger.  Even the quiet section at the end of the instrumental just before the bass section plays with stunning precision.  The verses then play equally as well and the remainder cannot be faulted either.  The bass adds so much depth to this classic and Iommi's solo that brings it to a close plays perfectly also.  This is an immaculate Mint- version as there is just no interference of any kind.  As close to audio perfection as is possible :-)

The guitar intro on 'Warning' is as 'clean' as it was when first released back in '70 and the only 'background' is a small number of barely audible dust ticks at the end of this section.  It continues to play in sublime style with just one light click prior to the vocal.  That is the only negative as the remainder plays with fault so I think Near Mint- is fair here.

In summary this first pressing plays with stunning quality for the vast majority.  Admittedly track 2 on S1 does have a little interference but lasts for only 2/3 seconds and the rest of the side is superb to say the least and as for S2?  Any avid collector would be hugely impressed with the playback here.  With only one light click near the end the audio is so clean and plays with tremendous sonic quality.  So often the Vertigo first pressings with the 'Philips' credit have a fair amount of static and crackle but that is certainly not the case here, the clarity is so good.  A rare find for sure.

The Gatefold

The textured cover has some shelf wear but by no means an excessive amount and is one of the better ones you will find.  The top edges have hardly any rubbing and whilst the bottom edges do have some there are no splits.  The wide spine is in excellent order with only a little wear on the corners.  It remains 100% legible although the red lettering is very faint.  The right hand corners do not too much wear, just a touch more on the bottom ones, and the opening edge has no obvious handling wear but does have a small tear on the back cover, it is not that noticeable.  The only real wear on the front cover is one small scuff near the bottom edge but has no marks or scratches and looks very impressive.  There is some faint foxing but this can only be seen when you hold it at a certain angle.  The back cover also has some light foxing but again really is not that obvious.  It is very clean with only that small tear by the opening edge as already stated.  The inside of the gatefold is better than so many I have seen and only has some light fading around the edges and minor white 'specks'.  This first press cover has withstood the test of time very well on the whole and has obviously not been handled too much as it remains very strong and robust.

Inner Sleeve

The original poly-lined 'swirl' inner is in excellent condition with no side splits - there is just one very small tear on one side of the central 'window'.  There is a little age related fading around the edges and a couple of 'spots' but there is very little creasing.  Pretty good I would say!

The Labels

The Vertigo labels are in excellent condition with not very much spindle wear as stated.  Both sides are very clean with only very faint 'spotting', nothing too obvious at all.  No written names either.  Fine examples overall.

Play tested on my Pro-Ject Essential III Turntable / B&W 684 Speakers

This record has been cleaned on a Pro-Ject VC-S machine

VO 6   1Y * 1   420  1 2 1 2

VO 6   2Y * 1   420  1 9 4

I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.

Any questions please feel free to ask

Please pay within 4 days of auction end

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