Black Sabbath : Master Of Reality 1st Press w/Box Cover & Original Poster (Vertigo)

This first press plays with stunning quality and only minimal 'background'.  The clarity and depth of the recording is sensational and I have never heard better.  As confirmed by the matrix this is also one of the earliest first pressings - 114 on both sides.

The embossed box cover is in excellent condition and is one of the most impressive I have seen in a long time.  It has retained its original shape incredibly well and has only minor wear.  It also comes complete with the original matt poster which has hardly ever been opened, maybe only by me!  The original swirl sleeve is also super clean with no splits or tears.

6360050  1Y // 1  420  1 1  4

6360050  2Y // 1  420  1 1  4

The audio on S1 is Near Mint (Mint- for the vast majority)

The audio on S2 is Ex+ (Near Mint / Mint- for the majority / T3 final few seconds VG+ / T4 intro Ex)

The box cover is a strong Ex very close to Ex+

The original poster is Mint-

The labels are Near Mint-

The original swirl inner is Ex+

Visual grading

The vinyl is in fantastic condition and rarely seen as 'clean' as this and to say it has an immaculate glossy sheen is an understatement!  Side A in particular is stunning and it is only on close inspection that you can see some very faint sleeve removal hairlines but they have no bearing on the stunning audio.  Side B has a couple of obvious hairlines - a faint one on track 3 and another on track 4 but again they have no affect on the superb sound quality.  There is also some very light scuffing on one section of track 1 but this can only be seen when held at a certain angle and again has no bearing on the audio.  This vinyl has been extremely well cared for down the years and not played very often.  There is only a tiny amount of spindle wear on the Side A label and that is still very difficult to find!  Side B has no spindle wear at all.  The run out grooves are in beautiful condition and the labels are very clean with only minor faint spotting.

Play grading

'Sweet Leaf' plays with 'high end' quality from the very first groove and you can get a real sense of Iommi's downtuned guitar right away.  There is a bigger, heavier and deeper sound and that is so much more in evidence when you find a super clean vinyl such as this.  The clarity and depth here is astonishing and the only 'background' is one light click on the 'I love you sweet leaf...' line.  I cannot emphasise enough just how well this plays, it is STUNNING!  And even the fade out plays with perfect precision.  This would be Mint but for that one minor imperfection but Near Mint is an honest appraisal. question.

The quiet intro on 'After Forever' again plays with great precision and only a couple of mega light dust ticks.  The first classic riff is as 'clean' as the day when first released back in '71 and the only negative is one click on the first line.  Apart from that this classic plays with incredible power and depth.  There are 3,4 faint ticks in the instrumental section prior to the final verse but they are quiet and could easily be missed.  The vast majority is 'as new' and I am not over-selling it I assure you!  The playback is just so strong and I am already running out of adjectives in which to describe it!  The 'high octane' end section is pure Mint audio.  Superb definition and clarity and no distortion at all plus a perfect fade out also.  Despite the one click I believe Near Mint is a fair grade as the rest of it is so darn good!  That is why 'Near' is used :-)

The very brief 'Embryo' again impresses with just one faint tick at the start and no other 'background'.  Mint- easily.

'Children Of The Grave' has a perfect Mint intro and continues to play with sublime quality.  From the first note to the last this is immaculate in every way.  With the deep and rich foreboding sound the audio could hardly be any better.  It plays with incredible socic quality and depth and remarkably (for a final track) there is no inner groove distortion at all.  Even the quiet end section plays beautifully with only a handful of mega light static sounds and it is certainly the 'cleanest' closing section I have heard.  This is a fantastic Mint- version of that I am 100% confident in saying.

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'Orchid' on S2 plays extremely well for an acoustic number and you have to remember this vinyl is not far off 50 years old!  There is only minimal light static (very minimal!) plus one static click which is a little frustrating but the clarity for a track which is the first on the side is very impressive indeed and worthy of an Ex+ grading.

'Lord Of This World' has only 2/3 seconds of light static on the intro and then plays with great power and depth.  As the vocal comes in the audio is again so 'clean' and continues to play to a very high standard.  There is no 'muddiness' to the sound, the vocals are so clear and each note plays perfectly.  Iommi's first solo is 'as new' and to the end it plays with remarkable depth and clarity and only a small number of insignificant light ticks.  There are a couple of slightly more obvious static clicks on the final few seconds but they are largely buried in the music.  I would grade this as Ex+ although the majority is certainly better than that.

For such a quiet track 'Solitude' plays so well and the clarity is very impressive.  There is very little static and what there is is totally non-intrusive anyway.  This is without doubt the 'cleanest' version I have ever heard on a first pressing and many sections do plays with Near Mint clarity, if not better!  It is so rare for this track to play with such distinction and again shows it has only been infrequently played but also extremely well preserved.  There are some static clicks right at the end but I am sure any avid collector would be very impressed by this version.  I think Ex+ is an honest appraisal but as I have already said there are many instances where the audio rates more highly.

'Into The Void' has a small number of static ticks on the intro so I would grade it as Ex but again they are largely lost in the music and it is still a very impressive opening.  Thereafter it plays with faultless precision and the audio is 100% stunning!  It is loud and true and has no distortion of any kind.  A superb rendition and the majority is 'as new' for certain.  The sonic quality for a final track is just incredible and again it is patently obvious this record has been hardly played.  Iommi's work on the final section is so strong and clear and the downtuning of his guitar and also Butler's bass just adds so much to the overall 'sound'.  A stunning Near Mint finish to this classic album.

In summary this first pressing plays with stunning clarity and depth and whilst there is just a little more 'background' on S2 it is kept to a minimum and the majority is still Near Mint if not better!  As stated I can only just make out a minimal amount of barely visible spindle wear on the Side A label and judging by the clarity on offer here it is obvious this stunning record has hardly ever been on a turntable.  The box cover is also in excellent condition as is the original matt POSTER and swirl inner that has no splits or tears.  A superb 'package' overall.

The Box Cover & Poster

The embossed box cover has been very well preserved and has only minor wear.  The previous owner told me that from early on there has always been some cardboard inside which is why it has kept its original shape so well.  So often the corners and edges are badly damaged but that is not the case here.  They have been remarkably well preserved and the corners have hardly any wear also.  The edges are also supremely clean with no knocks or 'dings', they have just a small number of very faint crease lines.  The spine remains 100% legible and again has no wear.  The laminated 'front' cover is very clean and the only obvious 'wear' is some creasing around the edges although this is mainly restricted to the right hand side.  The 'back' cover is even better and has no laminate 'lift' or splitting and has just one minor 'nick' near the top edge.  As I say the box has not been compressed in any way and remains very strong and robust.  Printed by 'Howards Printers' this is a fine example of its kind and it would be difficult to find better!

The original matt poster (with 6 panels) is in superb condition and much like the vinyl has always been handled very carefully and perhaps never even opened!  It has a couple of tiny brown 'age' spots on the reverse to help with the authenticity and does not have that glossy sheen or look of all the reproduction copies.

Swirl Inner Sleeve

The original poly-lined 'Swirl' inner is also in great condition with no side splits and only a minimal amount of age related fading.  There is also very little creasing and has the necessary 'print' on one side.  0671 is clearly printed on one side.

The Labels

The famous Vertigo labels have barely any spindle wear and no obvious marking or writing.  There is some minor 'spotting' but this can only be seen under a bright light when held at a certain angle.

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

6360050  1Y // 1  420  1 1  4

6360050  2Y // 1  420  1 1  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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