BLACK SABBATH Master of Reality Vertigo EX++ Spiral LP

	£		251
	$		333

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Artist or Band: BLACK SABBATH

Album Title: Master of Reality.

Producer(s): Rodger 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 – Full spiral format on side one and small spiral above the outline Vertigo on sides two. Unique black label on side two of this album.

Label Conditions: Two of the finest Spirals I have ever seen on this title. Ultra clean and attractive examples for one of the most popular and very best Swirls albums ever. The large spiral on side one is beautifully defined with no ‘speckle’ and the design unblemished right to the hole rim. Only very light and faint spindle marks on side one and struggling to find any on side two, with these, the playing surfaces and sound quality reitterate only the most modest of plays.

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: 116 grams.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity and Contents: This album is not that scarce in terms of units sold, this was a ‘popular’ Spiral album, but – and a huge BUT – this copy has an attractive box cover with lovely shape retained and quite possibly the least laminate problems yet seen. Also, and even a bigger ALSO, this copy includes the now highly prized and getting rare and elusive poster. This one is UNMOUNTED with NO pin holes, Blu-tack or cellotape marks – this one is unaged and looks fantastic. A superb record visually and for a change, one that plays supremely with little unwanted. This title that often crackles badly especially on the quieter songs of which there are more than usual for a Black Sabbath album. The astonishing power and depth of this band on vinyl will never be beaten. The set is complete with the original, later format ‘black’ Spiral inner which is also in fine condition, dated coded 0671, this is one of the earliest you will ever find in this album. A copy I feel that will please most discerning collectors and certainly those who have been after a ‘poster copy’ for ages. Finding a complete copy with all pieces in strong conditions is difficult. Most will have some element damaged or more commonly missing – the poster is now highly sort after and genuinely getting quite rare and genuine unmounted, undamaged, uncreased and unfaded examples are never easy to locate. One of the most desirable and best rock posters ever – dark and sinister – and they are really getting mighty hard to find now with so many mounted on walls, 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. Do not underestimate how rare a complete copy of this album is fast becoming.

Original Year of Release: 1971, dates seem to conflict from June to August, but this inner seems to confirm it was June to July.

Matrix/Stamper Nos: 6360050 1Y 1 420 1 1 6 / 6360050 2Y 1 420 1 2 1 3

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 floor-shaking 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 hardly any unwanted sounds. It even has flute and that lovely delicate bell in the background can be heard with distinctive clarity, I can imagine this subtle detail could even be lost on a worn copy or missed on a less revealing system altogether – 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. The only song that has any minor sound issues is the very short instrumental ‘Orchid’ with its deep bass strings, a little mild crackle was noted at the start, the track only lasts around 30 seconds anyway. 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. Any length of stay in a rack pressed up against other records would have soon flattened an even new copy. Many resemble ‘normal’ covers these days, being equally as flat – we have all seen them haven’t we? Many found today are clearly flattened copies that have been ‘rammed’ back into shape. As much as people try to do this, this usually fails miserably. The laminate cracks badly on the foldlines and usually creases the edges even with large white cracks appearing, sometimes even lifting the laminate away from the cover in huge blisters. Within a day or two, 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 much of its original shape. Being honest, this is not a favourite Spiral cover as wear and damage is almot inescapable if the record remains stored inside (as most-all were). The top flap has to be opened for access and these become tatty, mishapen and damaged, it’s unavoidable, that simple. In real terms, this one is way above average and the laminate is exceptional with no lifting at all (except around the embossed lettering on the front which is totally normal), laminate cannot lie dead flat up against raised areas. Very rarely seen with no lifting on the edges however, infact its immensely difficult to find like this. I have taken my front picture without flash to try and show the details of the embossing and the quality of the adhesion to best advantage for viewing. Any flash will washout the details from the shiny surface (and this one is very shiny indeed), I hope this will show what this one actually looks like – as they say, ‘If you got it, flaunt it’.

Cover Grade and Format: EX++ and possibly undergraded at that, it’s truly one the best one I have seen for some considerable time. 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 Printers (Slough) Ltd. Few available copies these days will better it significantly for good looks. A cover that does not survive record fair treatment and stacking and is horribly vulnerable to compression and damage. Practically all these are totally flat, badly creased with unsightly laminate problems, non-adhesion problems are rife on most, often with huge blisters.. Many were like it from day one, and is often considered ‘normal’ by sellers, but what a joy to see one without any blisters at all. 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, truly this has near perfect box shape and evidence strongly suggests this has not been forced back into shape. It came from a very discerning collector’s collection with more stunning items to come soon. This is one to look at, not hide away. I have never really liked the UK design on this sleeve, I prefer the German version which is similar but not boxed (but try to find one). The connoisseur collectors mostly want this UK version (and rightly so I guess), given all the perils this one faces, it’s a superb, and highly attractive example (and oh yes, there is an amazing original UNMOUNTED, large-format UK poster inside too). Who would truly want a copy of this metal classic without one?, let’s be honest.

Lamination: Both sides have highly attractive lamination, which in real terms is exceptional, this has a more semi-gloss sheen rather than deep shine. That said, this is more glossy than some I have seen and this so often dulls and marks which is highly revealing on a black cover. This has few marks and is practically free of friction rubs or dulling (even under light). Of course there is small and minor non-adhesion around the embossed letters on the front, the embossing is deep, so that is totally normal, but here less than usual and none spread further than the letter’s edges. There is NO lifting or blisters away from the letters at all, even on the edges and that is little short of incredible. The difference this makes to this cover is beyond description, just look and see for yourself. I am actually asking myself if I have ever seen this famous Spiral cover with no lifting at all around the edges, and I really don’t think I have. I have seen these many times with huge unslightly blisters that even spread someway into this the main cover, often cracked or chipped and is often more the normal than exception. It ruins this cover visually if present to any great degree but no worries here. All here is ultra neat and looks really lovely (for a change) and will never be beaten easily. There are a small few very light edge creases, most all on the spine edge on the back. No peeling or edge chips, few surface marks or handling blemishes and I must truly regard this laminate as quite exceptional with the even the edges and flaps retaining full coverage. Simply compare to most seen these days to realise just how lovely this one really is.

Cover Front: Superb, looking truly lovely, few will will get close to this. The front lettering is deeply embossed and has no laminate disturbance with not a single lift on the actual letter’s face. A really deep black and the purple lettering is totally unblemished, this oftern suffers speckle or tiny bubbles. Laminate adherance varies considerably in manufacture, this was one of the VERY lucky ones.

Cover Back: Very similar to the front and again looking great. No ring marks and also again deep black.

Edges: The most noticeable thing is the quality of the shape, still upright and ‘boxy’ minimal traces of tilt, this one does not want to flatten again so I am convinced this has not been rammed back into shape. 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. 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, a good indication the record has not been removed many times. The bottom is similar and also flush and neat, one end crease when exposed, but when closed it’s out of sight.

Corners: Slight rubbing, minor burring, nigh-on impossible to avoid of course. These are neat given the fragile format of this cover.

Cover Summary: A super and importantl,y 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 cover for this album gets offered (and – oh yes, it has the poster inside). The main faces, front and back are truly exceptional. Most realistic collectors will enjoy this one and even the more discerning Spiral collector.

The Poster: 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 anyone really not want this album without it? This is a beauty and has never been mounted and barely even handled. Probably undergraded Mint(-), if this can be found much better these days, well good luck. Matt finished on premium quality paper and folded nice and straight and square – not all were. This has a genuine freshness and feel (even smell) of a brand new poster, it has no ageing signs at all with no fustiness or age toning (even the white back is incredibly clean, practically as made, please see my picture). The fold lines are totally unstressed and strong, no weak areas and minimal ink loss or whites on these folds which tells me this poster has not been opened many times (if indeed at all). Unmounted, unfaded, this is real dark and murky, just as the day it was made, this has intentional bleakness and its impact has remained untarnished. Clean, crisp edges and corners with no thickening or feathering. Even the back is practically perfect with no marks to be seen. Probably one of the most mounted or used posters ever issued, I remember wall-mounting mine the day I bought it – and why not? You will not find this famous dark poster much better than this I feel certain – Oh Lord YEAH!

The Spiral Inner: EX (at least), the correct later format date coded 0671. This is still fully polylined with a neat clear window, minor crinkle only. Flipback type construction more robust, hence its unsplit. No creasing and even ruffling is minimal. Generally clean and neat looking as the picture should verify, no fading but with some darkening around the edges, hence downgraded accordingly. This vintage Spiral inner, itself becoming sort-after in it’s own right, is a strong one, beware of other, more common earlier Spiral inners being swapped for this one.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EX++, close Mint(-), I can only see a tiny few ultra ultra fine and faint hairlines which of course, have no sound. Super clean, shiny, intense black and solidly pressed. Clearly hardly played or even handled, a really lovely example of this real metal masterpiece, it should please most-all 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 snippetts 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 up to its high visual grading and even beyond for practically all. Massively powerful sound that is clear and clear with just a little surface sound noted on ‘Embryo’. This is possibly the most challenging, it’s a very short instrumental lasting just 25 seconds on side one that uses cello, a massively difficult instrument for vinyl to track perfectly. It plays generally well but with a little brief crackle, mostly near the start and few ever seen to avoid this totally. One of those intolerant tracks but being so short with little unwanted, this was easy lived-with. All other songs are sharp and clear - sound quality is astonishing with a massive dynamic range and very heavy sound – volume is essential for maximum fidelity and pleasure. A dynamic and powerful heavy album, with grinding basslines, classic power-riffs, awesome drumming and of course Ozzy sounding young and fresh – this guy in his hey-day was fantastic. His charismatic doom-laden vocal style was never bettered as much as others tried. Any other surface sounds are minimal, even on the delicate moments. The lack of echo or breakup on ‘Orchid’ and ‘Solitude’ was refreshing as the majority of copies have it, and any surface sounds on these two delicate songs was gentle and minimal. 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 very lightly and has been generally well stored and looked after. Practically nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this legendary rock classic. This copy will prove very difficult indeed to find significantly better – and will an unused or abused poster be included within a very neat cover and untorn inner?

End Piece: This really is a great all-round example and has a mandatory very high recommendation, truly it will prove immensely difficult to find better. A rare opportunity as these are becoming ever more difficult to find as demand exceeds supply. Few original posters are found like this as most were heavily mounted resulting in creasing, marks and fading, many torn down and discarded – this was a poster to display and most were (but not this one). The amount of copies of the album offered with no poster proves the point. An album to be played loud, as loud as possible. The Spiral four are often critisised for not being terribly well produced, all I can say to that is these listeners haven’t heard them on a decent system. Sure Paranoid is a little muted at times, particularly the title track. But this album has an inbuilt power and quality brings it out (as well as volume). Total silence on the quiet songs is almost unrealistic – but any here is very gentle and bothered me little, this too on a very revealing system and soundwise, it takes little to bug me. The bass grinds and rattles with awesome power, even testing out larger systems - it can shake the foundations, the drums pound and the cymbals crash, the guitars soar into sheer manic nirvana and of course Ozzy’s blood curdling screams speak for themselves - Oh Lord Yeah!!! Forget your lightweight soundalikes, nobody does it better than vintage Black Sabbath. This stunning lesson in gloom was rarely bettered, even by them, In rock music terms, Ozzy was, and still is – Lord of this World.

As an extra bonus: THIS WILL BE SHIPPED FREE-OF-CHARGE ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD INCLUDING SIGNED FOR POSTING WITH FULL INSURANCE.

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 - 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 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 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 total accuracy for colours however but most will be very close. 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 with Ittok Mk IV arm and Ortofon Samba Moving Coil cartridge (tracks at 1.8 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired). 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.

First-time, zero-rated bidders, who do not ask permission to bid, will be cancelled immediately and blocked – NO exceptions. For winning bidders who I consider excessively slow to make contact or submit payment, I will use my right to block future bids. If any bidder who wins in the final seconds is present to do so, surely they can at least email me to inform of intention and payment method? If swift or promp payment is a problem, please do not bid.

POSTING & PACKING: 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, mostly the very next day after payment is received or within three days maximum (unless on holiday). All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT mailers) with the record(s) 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 TWO VERY THICK stiffners for even extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will even be Double Boxed. The cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW heavy duty soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my Moth Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. Printed address labels are used for clarity as well as a sender label. 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. 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 and offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 5,000+ items sold in over 8 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FOUR records per packet. I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included in the advert.

NOTE: First Time Bidders: I will cancel ALL first-time bidders with no feedbacks or excessive negatives who do not ask me if its OK to bid first – NO EXCEPTIONS.

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 – it’s always worth asking.

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.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500).

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £8. (insurance optional extra £3).

NOTE: I NO LONGER SEND TO THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION. ANY BIDS WILL BE IGNORED.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (any part); 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 [£39 maximum]) = £12. (insurance 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: 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. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help.

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’.