BLACK SABBATH Master of Reality RARER ORIG UK 1971 EX VERTIGO SPIRAL LP + INNER.

	£		90
	$		119

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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 arrive damaged in them at some time. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS. Full details 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 ‘2-day’ rule for non-payment to keep things moving – cash-flow is important for 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.

FINALLY: Late payers, non-payers and ‘0’ bidders will now be blocked or cancelled at my discretion. As will any bidder who cancels a bid. I do not like this practice as it is most often used to phish out the price to beat. Ebay does not approve and neither do I – so only bid on my items if you want them.

Artist or Band: BLACK SABBATH

Album Title: Master of Reality

Producer(s): Rodger (Roger) Bain

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Sweet Leaf; After Forever; Embryo; Children of the Grave.

Side 2: Orchid; Lord of This World; Solitude; Into the Void.

Label/Format: Vertigo – original Spiral label with matt, smooth surfaces. This one unique in the famous Swirl run as side two is black instead of the usual white. Also this album included the ‘black’ reversed-out style inner sleeve.

Label Conditions: Both clean, fresh and attractive with minimal handling traces to the revealing black surface. Any of the few spindle marks are quite fine and light.

Cat Number: 6360050

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: 117 grams. Fairly light, not so unusual, but this one of the better pressings I have heard of this fairly challenging album.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity and Contents: The album itself is moderate, being one of the better selling Vertigo Spiral albums. This copy has NO poster. I still think the rarity of that is way over-stated as I am sure all Spiral copies included it. However, many were used, damaged and torn, sometimes even discarded, so finding any copy with it does make more elusive in comparison to the numbers actually sold. What I think is the hardest thing is to find a copy with a lovely cover and lesser-played record that still offers very fine sound. An album with great contrast in volume – some typically heavy, loud songs – but also some delicate. Far too many play with constant crackle and even pressing issues, of which this one has largely avoided. The cover is a perpetual challenge, with most crushed or badly flattened being saggy and ‘loose’. Often with major laminate issues and even tearing to the flap openings. Again this one has avoided such issues and is one of the best I have seen for some considerable time. In the past, I have been a little reluctant to offer the album without the poster, but as values have soared for this album, it has become out-of-reach for many fans and collectors who want a UK original. This copy simply did not have the poster when I bought it, and the chance of finding one without the album to add to it are pretty low. As this is also such a nice example, many will be delighted to own it for the joy of an attractive and cover, and a record to play and enjoy. There is a little minor, gentle surface sound here-and-there, but I can hardly ever remember any copy that has ever played totally silent throughout. The ‘black’ reversed-style Swirl inner is included as well –any copy with the standard Spiral inner would be a substitute and wrong for this album. Overall, a copy in this condition, even with the poster missing is fast becoming a rarity.

Original Year of Release: 1971

Matrix/Stamper Nos: 6360050 1Y//1 420 1 1 1 1 & 6360050 2Y//1 420 1 2 2 0

Brief Artist & Album Info: ‘ALRIGHT NOW, WONT YOU LISTEN!!’ Ozzy bellows out after the repeated cough at the start of this metal classic. A smoked drug reference on the classic ‘Sweet Leaf’ and then the band kick in – HARD with a massive floorshaking heavy riff – the classic Black Sabbath trademark. Ozzy is in blistering form on this their third album. Heavy power chords and riffs largely dominate with very dark lyrics. Side one’s unnerving ‘Children of the Grave’, warning of the horrors of nuclear conflict and destruction – Bill Ward’s drums dominating in the mix, culminating with the very eerie whispered Children of the Grave line that shimmers from speaker to speaker with spooky guitar effect – the Sabbs at their most chilling. My personal favourite Black Sabbath album with sinister, eerie overtones. Real heavy rock, no-one did it better than the early Black Sabbath originals. Eight songs of the very best – but not all is heavy… it includes a trio of less typical quieter numbers proving this band were more versatile than many suggest. Side two opens with ‘Orchid’, a very short but beautiful instrumental with Iommi playing Spanish guitar. The delicate and haunting ‘Solitude’, one of the band’s most difficult tracks on vinyl, often has groove-wear and with loud crackle and even distortion. Here it has no distortion with any surface sound little, gentle and light. Total silence is near impossible, even on a lesser-played record, it really depends on the pressing quality and what it has been played on (and how many times). It even has flute and that lovely delicate bell in the background can be heard with distinct clarity, I can imagine this subtle detail could even be lost on a worn copy or missed on a less revealing system – it’s the fine details that sets the quality albums apart. This is a powerful sounding copy, and this one plays generally well. Silence is massively difficult, even the copy I bought whilst still at school was totally pristine bought brand new. This is one of the few copies I have had that plays ‘Orchid’, with its deep bass strings without any distortion, any surface sound light. With original UK Vertigo Spirals that include the poster going interstella, this is a great opportunity for a collector wanting the album at a likely more affordable price. That said, with a very impressive, still erect cover, clean inner and record, these are getting pretty scarce on their own. Both cover and record could indeed prove significant upgrades for some and even minus the poster, this should be dismissed lightly.

Musicians: Ozzy Osbourne – Lead vocals; Tony Iommi – Guitar, synthesiser, flute, piano, acoustic guitar; Geezer Butler – Bass guitar; Bill Ward – Drums, percussion.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(+): and arguably better still. This is constructed like a thin box with opening flaps top and bottom. The surfaces are laminated. On the front only, the large band name and title are embossed which makes laminate adhesion difficult. Printed and made in England by Howards Printers (Slough) Ltd, includes the ‘black’ later style reversed Spiral inner sleeve. Sorry, NO poster.

Cover Front & Back: Another idiosyncratic and famous Vertigo cover design which never proved popular with collectors because of it fragility and difficulty in storing and removing the record. Access was usually made from the top opening flap, but too many times or heavyhandedness meant damage or creasing to the opening and flap itself. Most collectors stored their albums in racks or cases, which invariably meant this box cover became crushed and flattened. With repeated attempts to revive the shape, the edge folds became loose and ‘break’. The card loses its strength and becomes broken and floppy. The laminate then peels, often in large areas, and basically, the cover becomes a ragged mess. Most will have seen such examples.

This one has largely bucked-the-trend and remains very attractive with hardly any of those aforementioned traits. The front has laminate lifting on the left edge, and very, very few will ever avoid this as the barest minimum. There is a little very gentle peeling on the very fold crease itself, but it registers little. The actual lifting is unbroken, very sound, and in context of this cover, only narrow as seen – in most cases, lifting was present from new, that is a stone cold fact as I clearly remember in shops. I photographed this under direct natural light, without flash, so the laminate details can be seen with better details and clarity. In terms of laminate adhesion around the quite deep embosssing, this is fantastic with barely any raised laminate at all. I hardly think it possible this could be bettered in that respect, making this one of the mos attractive front I have seen on this sleeve for years. The laminate retains superb shine, freshness and clarity with minimal traces of dulling, even under light. The lack of creasing – a tiny few fine edge ones only – is almost a revelation on a box cover like this. Colour of the black and purple is intense and looks incredibly striking when seen for real. No edges or flaps stick out to any degree at all, all are incredibly neat and almost flush to the still erect and very solid cover that retains its box shape well.

The back is largely the same, but has no embossing – the song lyrics are included here with all the credits. The top flap is again neat in relation to the entrance which is very unusual. There is a tiny lift on the bottom right corner tip (look hard). Folds retain near complete laminate retention and the surface again is fantastic with deep shine and hardly even marked. All considered, both front and back are near exceptional.

Edges: All closed edges (left and right) are very neat, crisp and retain practically all ink as made, any peeling to the fold creases is very fine and light, showing hardly at all with most intact. Importantly, the edges are strong and rigid with no weakening or floppiness. The box is erect and very upright with minimal hint of tilt, certainly not crushed, compressed or flat as can be seen in my various end pictures. All spine text is unworn and strong as also seen, there is a small central laminate lift only. Both top and bottom edges can be opened as they are unglued flaps for access. Few used the bottom for access, so this is still very neat and flush with no deep creasing and fully solid, unbroken. The critical edge is usually the top, to access or store the record inside – and most did so – this has to be pulled out of the storage area which means maximum stress to the flap, edges and hinges. So this still being as neat as the bottom edge is somewhat unusual.

Corners: All are very neat indeed and barely any rubbing with impressive shape retained with no bashes. Any hint of dinking tiny and light.

Cover Summary: A difficult cover, the only box type in the Spiral catalogue and one rarely seen this upright, rigid and strong. For attractiveness and lack of wear, it really is exceptional. That mainly due to the shiny, hardly marked laminate with adherence around the embossing fantastic. High upgrade potential for sure, this should please many, if not most collectors. I would be certain many reading this that own the poster but may need a better cover. My advice for any winning bidder, store the record outside the cover to keep it looking at its best indefintely.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(+): the later black reversed Swirl inner that is correct for this album. This a very fine example with only mild ageing with the usual darkening of the seam areas and paper. Two pristine window circles and the polylining clear, fresh and even devoid of crinkle. Minimal creasing and all edges unsplit with no repairs. These ‘black’ inners are far rarer than the standard format ones, but only this version is correct for ‘Master of Reality’.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT: arguably better. Very fine and faint surface traces seen under bright angled light, most finer than hairlines which are purely superificial. There are no penetrating stylus scratches. Very clean with lovely shine and fairly solidly pressed. Clearly modestly played, a lovely example of this real metal masterpiece, it should please many 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 third Black Sabbath album plays up to, and most even above its high visual grading with little to fault. Massively powerful sound that is clear and devoid of distortion or tracking issues*. The quiet songs mostly play very well also, but silence is a near impossible task on 45-year-old originals. A little gentle sporadic surface sound here-and-there only, finding an available one with less will prove very hard. The music and vocals sharp and clear – sound quality is high with a deep and bass-heavy production. A dynamic and powerful rock classic with grinding basslines, classic power-riffs, awesome drumming and of course Ozzy sounding young and fresh – this famous vocalist in his early Sabbath years was fantastic. His charismatic doom-laden vocal style was never bettered as much as others tried. The trademark heavy tracks sound amazing, the mix of the percussion on ‘Children of the Grave’ is particularly impressive. When played on a quality system, the guitar and bass can be heard clearly apart instead of just a wall of sound. Generally well looked after, and certainly well stored, this classic lesson in gloom was rarely bettered, even by them, In rock music terms, Ozzy was, and still is – Lord of this World – Oh Lord Yeah! Strong recommendation applied.

* As played-graded on a high-end Linn LP12 Sondek turntable with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Quintet Black moving coil cartridge tracking at 2.2 grams.

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 as I Play-Grade every record I offer in their entirety – also on higher-end equipment – 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 it’s 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. Room light factors can make things vary sometimes, that is hard to control, especially in winter. 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 Quintet Black moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2.2 grams). Amps: Naim Supernait 2 with Project USB phono stage and Tellerium Black interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with Tellurium 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, better quality packaging costs, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners 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 minuscule in over 14 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. Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE – they offer next-to-no-protection, and should be banned, no ‘professional’ should consider using them in my opinion. 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 TWO days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the bid, 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 as will any suspicious bids or bid withdrawals. 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] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £1 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 £2 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’.