BLACK SABBATH Master of Reality RARER ORIG UK 1971 VERTIGO SPIRAL LP with POSTER

	£		433
	$		574

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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 – with matt, smooth surfaces.

Label Conditions: Both very impressive: clean, fresh and attractive with any of the few spindle marks being quite fine and faint as seen under angled light. An album bought by few hi-fi connoisseurs at the time, most seen are heavily played. This is a lovely all-round copy – not quite ‘perfect’ – but exceptional by the standards so many are found in. Even the black side has minimal handling or finger mark traces, that is very unusual. When fingermarks have been applied, they are near impossible to remove.

Cat Number: 6360 050.

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: 127 grams. A typical weight for this popular Spiral.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity and Contents: This album is not that rare in terms of units sold, this was a ‘popular’ Spiral album, but – and a huge BUT – this copy has an attractive box cover with very fine shape retained and offering very few of the usual issues this fragile sleeve mostly have. Also, and even a bigger ALSO, this copy includes the now highly prized and getting rare and elusive poster. This one is one of the cleanest and freshest looking examples I have had for ages. Yes, it was briefly mounted with a very small few (I can see six tiny, very neat ones), but they hardly show on the printed sideand this looks fantastic as seen. The record has a couple of light, but visible surface marks, one totally superficial and non-sounding, the other only small with around half-a-dozen light ticks that are almost lost in the loud music. Overall, this has to be one of the quiestest and best-pressed copies I have heard to date. So often this more mass-produced Swirl record suffers crackle and pressing sounds – and this one does have some quiet songs. The set is complete with the original, later format ‘black’ Spiral inner which is also in very fine condition, correctly dated coded 0671, this is one of the earliest you will ever find in this album. A copy I feel that will please many, if not possibly most collectors and certainly those who have been after a ‘poster copy’ for ages. Finding a complete copy with all pieces in strong conditions is getting more and more difficult – all elements are difficult in different ways. One of the most desirable and best rock posters ever – dark and sinister – and they are really getting mighty hard to find now. More often seen ripped, torn, shabby or most often – MISSING! This poster alone is fast becoming one of the most sort after rock inserts ever and most Spiral copies offered will not include it. Let’s be honest here, WHO wants this album without the poster? Such an integral part of the album, and I for one, will rarely, if ever offer this album without it. Even though carefully, and apparently briefly mounted, it was taken down and restored in the cover with utmost care and has lost NONE of it’s deep, dark colour. Do not underestimate how rare a complete copy of this album is fast becoming.

Original Year of Release: June 1971.

Matrix/Stamper Nos: 6360050 1Y//1 420 1 1 1 4 & 6360050 2Y//1 420 1 2 2 1

Brief Artist & Album Info: ‘ALRIGHT NOW, WONT YOU LISTEN!!’ Ozzy bellows out after the repeated heavy cough at the start of this metal masterpiece. 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 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 effects – the Sabbs at their most chilling. My personal favourite Black Sabbath album, very dark and menacing with very 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. This album includes a trio of more untypical quieter numbers proving this band were more versatile than many suggest. Side two opens with ‘Orchid’, a 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 at all and bardly any unwanted sounds at all. 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 of this classic album, and this one plays superbly, best played as loud as possible. A stunning lesson in gloom, rarely bettered, even by them, In heavy rock music terms, Ozzy was, and still is – Lord of this World. This is one of the few copies I have had that plays ‘Orchid’, with its deep bass strings practically perfectly, most will offer crackle, this is impressively quiet. Yes a few very brief ticks near the end of side two, but largely masked by the loud music, my very sensitive system did pick them up, but bothering me little. The box cover was one of those that even when purchased new often had blemishes – I remember my own copy, it had a crease on the front and large areas of non-adhesion. I would think a high percentage had laminate problems straight from manufacture day. How many covers were ever laminated atop of embossed surfaces?, it’s a sure-fire recipe for disaster and very unusual for any cover to attempt it. Any length of stay in a rack pressed up against other records would have soon flattened an even new copy. Practically all these days are seen crushed, flattened and horribly out-of-shape – we have all seen them like this for sure. Many found today are clearly flattened copies that have been ‘rammed’ back into shape. As much as people try to do this, it fill fail miserably. Attempting to do so can actually make the laminate lift and blister badly and anyway, within a short time, it simply reverts back to flat again with the sharp foldlines broken and definition lost. This one is in very nice shape and retains much of its original boxiness, and unlike most-all seen, the edges have very little tilt and this cover really does retain its original shape. The only way to ensure it says like that, is to insert correct fitting card inside to stop it flattening, this has been done on this copy, thus it looks very impressive as seen. Being honest, this is not a great design Spiral cover for longevity or even access or storage of the record. Wear and damage is almot inescapable if the record remains stored inside (as most-all were, and still are), but I never do my self these days. The top flap has to be opened for access and these become tatty, mishapen and damaged, it’s almost unavoidable, that simple. In real terms, this one is way, WAY above average and the laminate is exceptional with barely any lifting at all (except around the embossed lettering on the front which is totally normal). Laminate cannot lie dead flat up against raised areas, some things are impossible. Very rarely seen with no lifting on the edges however, this has possibly the least I have seen. in fact it’s immensely difficult to find like this. I have taken my front picture without flash directly in front of a window to try and show the details of the embossing and the quality of the adhesion to best advantage for viewing. Using a flash will wash out the details from the shiny surface (and this one retains a super shine), I hope this will show what this one actually looks like – as they say, ‘If you got it, flaunt it’.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(++): this being the original box format with the top and bottom opening flaps. Embossed front lettering and laminated both sides. This has the ‘VO Price Code’, boxed on the back top right of the back. It was printed and made in England by Howards. Few available copies these days will better this for fresh good looks. A cover that does not survive record fair treatment, crushing and stacking and is horribly vulnerable to compression and damage. Practically all these are totally flat, badly creased with unsightly laminate problems, non-adhesion issues and ugly dulling are rife on most, often with huge, ugly blisters. Many had these from day one, and is often considered ‘normal’ by sellers, but what a joy to see one hardly any. A cover of this design could never guarantee full adhesion around the thicker box edges. Often the flaps are badly torn or the top entrance split and tatty. This has few traces of such traumas and the lack of severe ‘tilt’ is rare. As stated already, the only way to ensure this impossibly difficult cover retains its box shape, is to pad it with card, which I always do now. This one hardly really needed, it but this deserves to keep its excellent good looks and shape.

Laminate – Front & Back: Both sides are in super condition with not a great deal to fault – but such a cover is massively unlikely to ever be ‘perfect’. The laminate retains fantastic shine, freshness and clarity with just a very small lift on the front left edge central, also a tiny one on the back bottom right corner. Those apart, and finding less will prove beyond difficult, the adhesion is superb and as close to total as possible all over. Even around the deeply embossed lettering of the front, it is tight and neat as can realistically be expected. I hope my pictures show just how fine and shiny this is. Barely any hint of cracking, the odd tiny trace maybe being critical, again will any have zero? Also this has possibly the least creasing I have seen as well. Mininal traces on the front, and just one more visible one on the back near the right lower part of the edge. Any others very fine, very few and light. Any surface marks to the laminate are incredibly fine and faint as well, hardly any really. Finding either side of this cover a great deal better will prove immensely difficult, I am sure this had been handled little and the record highly likely (and sensibly) stored outside along with the poster – the different being almost immediately apparent – that shine and freshness being the ultimate pleasure to view.

Edges: The most noticeable thing is the quality of the shape, still upright and ‘boxy’ with minimal traces of tilt, this one does not want to flatten again so I am convinced this has not been forced back into shape. The folds are still very robust and solid, not weakened or ‘floppy’. And to keep it like this, I put card ‘fillers’ inside to stop it flattening, which also makes for safer posting. This appears not to have suffered excessive pressure over the years and has retained exceptional definition. All text on the left edge is pristine under the very solid and unpeeled laminate as can be seen on my spine close-up picture. A few hairline laminate creases on the edges, but how can these realistically be avoided? The record usually enters from the top (but the bottom opens also). The delicate top flap is very neat with few stress marks, it has to be opened to access or store the record. Unusally, this still fits close to flush and without the usual distortions or splits, a good indication the record has not been removed many times. The bottom is similar and also flush and neat, with even the flaps that tuck inside being almost unworn. Few of these will remain neatly put inside without trying to pop out and look untidy with a ‘half-open’ look. Any here is gentle and light. All edges retain full laminate with any minor peeling traces lying on the actual folds, but even these are mostly intact too with any traces tiny and light. With due care, this cover can and will look superb for years to come if carefully stored and not used for record storage.

Corners: All are very neat indeed and show little wear or rubbing. Many become severaly misshapen, tatty and frayed, these are near exceptional overall.

Cover Summary: An impressive and importantly very attractive example, I dont think a ‘perfect’ one will exist today, and this one will give most a strong run for their money. It may be a long time before a much better UK example gets seen or offered. The main faces, front and back are near exceptional and the fragile edges very nice too. Always nice to offer one that still retains a fine boxiness and intact flaps with no damages. Most realistic collectors will enjoy this one and even the more discerning Spiral collector.

The Swirl Inner: EXCELLENT: with the correct later ‘black’ format Swirl style format and date coded 0671 (June 1971), made just prior to issue in July. This is polylined with a neat clear window, the lining still very clear and even fresh. External flipback type construction these also neat and unlifted, all edges are unsplit with no repairs. The only creasing of note being at the very bottom, with so little real support from the open bottom cover, this is usually the case on the genuine original inners. This Spiral inner itself becoming sort-after in it’s own right, it is a strong one, beware of other, more common earlier Spiral inners being swapped, this album must have the second ‘black’ style inner.

The Poster: EXCELLENT(++): and that with half-a-dozen tiny, very neat pin holes. A practically Mint grade would have applied without these tiny blemishes that hardly even show on the printed side. Guaranteed ORIGINAL of course, finding this much better will prove very difficult. Posters cannot be played of course, but they sure can be looked at and enjoyed and no copy of this album is ever COMPLETE without it. One of the most collectable and sort-after inserts for rock connoisseurs, would any one really want this album without it? This is a beauty, and even though briefly displayed and enjoyed, it was been ultra carefully restored and looked after, probably not again seeing light-of-day for decades. Matt finished on premium quality paper and folded perfectly straight and square – not all were. There is no faking this, all the manufacturer’s folds are exactly in the right places and what a difference it makes – the finer details are so important – no extra folds or creases have been applied. This has a genuine freshness and feel with crisp unsagged or floppy paper, it has no ageing signs at all. Even the off-white back is clean with no toning, stains or ageing. All fold lines are totally unstressed and strong, no weak parts and absolutely ZERO ink loss or whites on these areas which tells me this poster has not been unfolded too many times. Although mounted, it is unfaded with all the deep colour retained, this is real dark with ‘murky’ artwork, adding to it’s mysterious appeal, just as the day it was made, it has intentional bleakness and its impact has remained untarnished. Clean, crisp edges and corners with no thickening or feathering, any fine ruffle or tiny surface creases barely even notice and few will show less, The surface tight, not sagged, with an age-defying crispness to the paper. The six tiny and unwidened pin-hole apart, you will not find this famous dark poster much better, of that I feel certain – Oh Lord YEAH!

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++) / NEAR EXCELLENT: side one is very impressive with little to fault, any visual blemishes tiny, very few and faint. Side two has one visible mark with no sound, purely surface and superficial. One very small mark near the album’s end emits half-a-dozen faint ticks, largely lost in the heavy music. Any other surface marks fine and faint and again with no audio issues. Overall, very clean with fine shine and solidly pressed. In terms of audio, this being one of the very best I have heard, the pressing is superb and even those difficult quiet songs play great. No so for the visual purist or perfectionist, but if audio quality is the paramount factor, as for it always should be, this brilliant Spiral rock classic really delivers.

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 vintage Spiral record plays even above it’s high visual grading with practically nothing to fault bar those six or seven gentle ticks on the final loud song. Hardly disastrous for a 44-year-old record, and how many of these will ever play silent? I have heard some shockers in the past, so many having significant crackle which on the quiet songs of this album is disastrous – well this has hardly any, and in this respect, this pressing is hugely impressive. Massively powerful sound that is clear and clean and devoid of the (often) significant crackle or pressing noises. ‘Embryo’ is possibly the most challenging, it’s a very short instrumental lasting just 25 seconds on side one that uses cello, a difficult instrument for vinyl to track perfectly. It plays extremely well with practically nothing unwanted, and so few ever do. All the other songs are equally sharp and clear - sound quality is astonishing with a wide dynamic range and very heavy sound – volume is essential for maximum fidelity and pleasure. A dynamic and powerful rock classic with grinding basslines, classic power-riffs, awesome drumming and of course Ozzy sounding young and fresh – this guy in his early Sabbath years was fantastic. His charismatic doom-laden vocal style was never bettered as much as others tried. Any surface sounds are minimal, even on the delicate moments and has not tracking issues*. The lack of echo or breakup on ‘Orchid’ and ‘Solitude’ was refreshing as nany of copies have it, and any surface sounds on these two delicate songs was minimal to none. It can be pretty unbearable on some copies and almost no examples will play these tracks dead silent. Listen for that beautiful detail on the gentle chimes and subdued bell throughout, it could actually be missed on systems not up to the job but is present throughout. The trademark heavy tracks sound amazing and few copies will play much better than this overall. When played on a quality system, the guitar and bass can be heard clearly apart instead of just a wall of sound. Both channels are clean and sharp, I feel very sure this record has been played quite lightly, and luckily, the couple or three more noticeable marks have so little audio consequence. So not visually perfect, but the audio comes reasonably close – I really would love to hear a copy without any clicks at all – I suspect few will even exist being honest. Nothing of any real note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this legendary rock classic. This one will prove difficult indeed to find significantly better – all elements are impressive, even though not pristine, this more than merits strong recommendation – Oh Lord Yeah!

* 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’.