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Black Sabbath : Paranoid 1Y2 / 2Y1 3rd Press

This third pressing on the Vertigo swirl label plays to a standard you rarely find today.  Having listened to every track in full I can confirm the clarity, definition and power of the audio is STUNNING!  With only a couple of light clicks on 'War Pigs' this is as close to the perfect album as is possible.  I cannot emphasise enough just how 'clean' the audio is and there is no distortion either.  For once the super quiet 'Planet Caravan' plays beautifully with no intrusion and the quiet sections on 'Hand Of Doom' are just as impressive.  One of the reasons for this is that the album has hardly been played and kept in a pristine state for all of its 50+ years.  The vinyl is visually stunning and has only a couple of minor spindle traces on each side.  It was owned by a very careful collector clearly hardly ever played his records.  It is a stunning album and is easily one of the finest I have ever seen / heard.

The laminated gatefold not surprisingly has been kept in superb condition with barely any wear and nothing stands out, it is so clean!  The original inner is also in great shape with no side splits or marking.

As this is a third pressing there is no Big Bear management credit on the inside of the gatefold - this only came with the first pressing.  It has a small swirl on the Side B label and VERTIGO is just above the spindle hold.  The Roger Bain production credit is written on two lines towards the foot of the label.  As it is still an early pressing there is no break between the tracks 'Hand Of Doom' and 'Rat Salad' making it look as if there are only three tracks on Side B.

6360011 1Y // 2 ▽ 420  1 2   0 9 0 2   2

6360011 2Y // 1 ▽ 420  1 1   3 3

The audio on S1 is Mint(-) (T1 Near Mint-)

The audio S2 is Mint(-)

The gatefold is Near Mint-

The labels are Mint-

The inner sleeve is Ex+

Visual description

The vinyl is in beautiful condition and still has an immaculate jet-black glossy sheen with no marks or scratches.  In all honesty it is comparable to a vinyl that has never been played it is visually stunning to say the least.  Even under a strong light it is difficult to find any hairlines and indeed I could only locate a handful of wispy sleeve removal hairlines.  The run out grooves are super clean also and the iconic Vertigo labels are more or less perfect with only a couple of very small faint spindle traces on each.  One stunning vinyl!

Play grading  

The intro on the classic 'War Pigs' is close to perfect with no background static and just one light click and plays with that typical deep Sabbath sound.  The air-raid siren is 'as new' and the following quiet percussive section has no 'background' other than a handful of super quiet 'whooshes' that are barely audible.  Osbourne's first vocal has no intrusion and it continues to play with great power and depth from then onwards.  There is another light click during the next instrumental but it is not really intrusive as the music is of course rather loud!  The next quiet section plays with perfect clarity and the next vocal is just as clear.  The final instrumental is phenomenal!  The original sonic quality is still there and it just could not play with any greater precision right to the final 'note'.  I will grade as Near Mint- although the vast majority does play with perfect audio as you can see from my description.

'Paranoid' plays with sublime quality from start to finish with no interference.  One light tick nothing more.  The power and depth of the audio is again so strong and you would not believe just how much the overall 'sound' reverberates around the room, it demands to be played loud.  Obviously!  Osbourne's voice is so strong here and this deserves to be graded as Mint- it is that good.

'Planet Caravan' is one track that is so often affected by sound issues for obvious reasons but that is not the case here!  So quiet and yet the clarity is amazing!  The intro and first verse have only a couple of mega quiet ticks, more like dust ticks really, and from then on plays so clearly with barely any 'background' and we all know how rare that is!  This super quiet track regularly plays with static / crackle and yet all I picked up were a handful of dust ticks and one static tick just prior to the gentle solo coming in towards the end.  This is easily one of the finest versions I have ever listened to, the clarity is STUNNING throughout.  There is no underlying static at all and I cannot overstate just how pristine the audio is here.  Osbourne's vocal for once is so 'clean' and the long fade out has not even a single dust tick.  I truly believe Mint- is an honest assessment of the audio.  What a version!

Another classic in 'Iron Man' and it also impresses on every level.  The percussive intro and 'spoken' is faultless and the opening vocal is of the same high end standard.  It continues in the same precise way and the mid instrumental is 'as new' with no interference.  There are no negatives here, every section plays exceptional quality and for for once there is no inner groove distortion either.  The final vocal is perfect and the end instrumental beginning with the heavy bass section completes the track with imperious quality.  A dynamic Mint version to end the side with, no need for a minus!

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The menacing intro on 'Electric Funeral' has no 'background' and the opening two verses are equally as strong with no intrusion.  It continues to play with a sonic quality that belies the age of the album - the mid instrumental is flawless and the 'high octane' vocal sections are stunning.  The rest of the track has no interference and the long fade out has not one dust tick.  This is MINT in every way!

The super quiet bass intro on 'Hand Of Doom' can only be described 'as new' the clarity is incredible!  Another sign that this vinyl has hardly been played.  The opening vocal has only a couple of barely audible dust ticks and the first up tempo section also plays like it has never been on a turntable before!  The next quiet bass section again has literally no 'background' and the following 'heavy' vocal / instrumental section plays with STUNNING precision.  The power and definition of the audio is just breath-taking and the next quiet passage plays with sublime clarity once more.  This is a FANTASTIC version in every way!  To the end it plays to the highest standard possible possible with...no intrusion.  I often find this classic has some 'background' because of the many quiet sections but this version has NO interference at all and is unequivocally one of the finest examples I have ever heard.  Actually it has to be at the top of the pile precisely because there is no intrusion on the audio - it is Mint and then some!

'Rat Salad' plays to the standard with no interference...again.  This is precisely why the original Vertigo pressings are so collectable - when you find such a clean vinyl there is no beating the sonic quality on offer.  So much better than any later pressing / reissue.  Ward's solo is faultless and this again deserves to be graded as Mint such is the quality.

The entire intro on 'Fairies Wear Boots' plays to perfection and the first classic riff has no intrusion either.  Osbourne's opening vocal has just one very light tick (you could easily miss it!) and there is no inner groove distortion, the playback is so clean.  This is a rarity in my opinion as this classic is often affected by distortion I find.  The clarity, depth and resonance of the audio here is so strong and there is no 'muddiness' to the sound either.  Pure 100% clarity and power throughout!  The mid instrumental is a prime example of that and the final vocal more than keeps up the standard.  I've just turned up the volume even more and there is no loss in sonic quality whatsoever - this is a phenomenal version.  Each note is so sharp and precise and the end instrumental and fade out have no 'background'.  Not one dust tick!  Quite possibly the most 'complete' version I have ever heard but will grade as Mint- due to that one very light tick, bit harsh in a way!

In summary this early pressing plays with superb audio with barely any interference.  Other than the two light clicks on 'War Pigs' you cannot fault the sonic quality on offer here.  This is exactly how you would want this classic album to play and when I say it plays like it has never been played before I genuinely mean it.  The clarity, depth, power and warmth of the audio is so impressive and this clarity very much in evidence on 'Planet Caravan' and during the quieter sections on 'Hand Of Doom'.  Both tracks play with unbelievable quality much like all the other tracks!  A stunning album in so many ways!

The Gatefold & Swirl Inner

The laminated cover is in fantastic condition and has been so well preserved down the years.  It has retained its original shape and structure so well which can only mean it has hardly been handled.  The edges have no rubbing / wear and the spine is in perfect order with no wear on the corners.  The right hand corners are super clean also with barely any wear and the opening edge is so close to perfect with only 2/3 minor 'crimps'.  The front cover is unmarked and has no laminate damage - it has just a handful of small and very faint creases around the edges something you commonly see but generally more pronounced than this!  The back cover is in great condition with only one minor crease on the surface and 3/4 small white 'specks' next to the edge as the laminate does not quite cover the whole of it.  The inside of the gatefold is for once in superb condition with no marking or fading and just one barely visible small scuff bottom left.  Surely it has hardly ever been opened it is so clean!  I am more than happy to grade this cover as Near Mint- it is a stunning example.

The poly-lined 'Plastic Bags...' inner (not all of these pressings came with a swirl inner) is lovely and clean with no marking or side splits and just a little creasing.  It is dated 0972 on one side.

Play tested on my Rega P2 Turntable / Denon PMA-520AE Amp / B&W 684 Speakers

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

6360011 1Y // 2 ▽ 420  1 2   0 9 0 2   2

6360011 2Y // 1 ▽ 420  1 1   3 3

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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Postage & Packaging

I NOW ONLY SEND ITEMS WORLDWIDE VIA TRACKED SHIPPING. THIS PROVIDES 'PEACE OF MIND' IN CASE OF LOSS OR DAMAGE. ALL COSTS ARE SHOWN BELOW AND COMBINED POSTAGE IS ALWAYS OFFERED. ANY OVER-PAYMENT WILL ALWAYS BE REFUNDED BACK TO THE BUYER.

THE ROYAL MAIL ONLY INSURE ITEMS UP TO THE VALUE OF £250 SO IF AN ITEM SELLS FOR MORE A COURIER SERVICE MAY BE USED (e.g. Parcelforce, DPD).  AN EXTRA INSURANCE PREMIUM WILL BE REQUIRED BUT I WILL NOT KNOW THE EXACT AMOUNT UNTIL THE FINAL SALE PRICE IS KNOWN.  HOWEVER, SOMETIMES I WILL ESTIMATE A COST AND THIS WILL BE STATED IN THE LISTING.  PLEASE WAIT FOR THE INVOICE BEFORE MAKING ANY PAYMENT BUT IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE FEEL FREE TO GET IN TOUCH.  MANY THANKS.

ALL VINYLS ARE PACKAGED IN STRONG CUSTOM MADE OVER-SIZED MAILERS WITH EXTRA CARDBOARD PROTECTION. THEY ARE PUT IN SEPARATE POLY-LINED INNERS OUTSIDE OF THE COVER SO AS TO AVOID SEAM SPLITS. THEY ARE ALSO PLACED INSIDE A PVC SLEEVE TO PROVIDE EXTRA PROTECTION. I PRIDE MYSELF ON MY HIGH QUALITY PACKAGING AS MY FEEDBACK TESTIFIES AND IF ANY CUSTOMER HAS ANY SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS I WILL ALWAYS ENDEAVOUR TO HELP.

I ONLY USE HIGH QUALITY MAILERS AND THESE COST ME £1.00 EACH. I WILL OFTEN USE 3 OR 4 CARDBOARD STIFFENERS AND THESE COST AT LEAST £0.15 EACH AND THEN THERE IS THE COST OF THE POLY-LINED INNER AND PVC SLEEVE TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT. IT ALL ADDS UP! NOT FORGETTING EBAY TAKING 10% OF THE SHIPPING FEE ALSO!!

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LPs/12" singles : £5.95 up to 1kg then £1.00 per extra item 

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