Black Sabbath : The Eternal Idol A/B1 1st press

This first pressing plays to the highest possible with no sign of any interference.  As always I have played every track in full and the clarity, depth and warmth of the audio is outstanding.  This is another FINAL UPGRADE album that has hardly been played over last 34 years.  Not only that but it has been so well preserved and is visually stunning in every way.

The cover is also in superb condition as is the lyric inner which has only one very small and barely visible split on the bottom edge.

With international shipping (including Europe now) I will declare a lower amount so as to decrease/avoid any Customs' fees.

VERH 51 - A   1 1 4

VERH 51  B1   1 1 1

The audio on S1 is Mint(-)

The audio S2 is Mint(-)

The cover is Near Mint-

The labels are Mint-

The lyric inner is Near Mint-

Visual grading

The vinyl is in beautiful condition and has that 'straight out of the record shop' look!  It has an immaculate jet-black glossy sheen and there are no marks scratches on either side.  Having looked very closely I cannot even detect any hairlines and with only a couple of small spindle traces on the S2 label it is obvious the record has hardly been played.  The Vertigo labels are immaculate with no marking or writing.  Another visually stunning Sabbath album!

Play grading

The intro on 'The Shining' plays with stunning power and depth and Martin's opening vocal has no 'background' either.  From start to finish this track has an exceptional clarity of sound and Mint is an easy grade to give.  The fade out also plays with sublime precision also.

'Ancient Warrior' just has one minor static tick on the intro and then plays 'as new' for the remainder.  The audio is so deep and powerful and the playback could not be any stronger.  Has this record ever been played?!  Mint-

No need to elaborate here - both 'Hard Life To Love' and 'Glory Ride' play to a standard you rarely find today and there is not so much as a dust tick on either.  As per the Seventh Star album that I am selling this record has that over-produced sound that was typical of the 80s but nevertheless you cannot fault the quality of the audio here.  They are both Mint in every sense of the word.

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'Born To Lose' plays with sublime clarity from the very first note and it progresses in the same way to the very end.  You know the grade!  The keyboard outro (or is it the intro to the next track!) is more or less faultless with only one dust tick.

Both 'Nightmare' and 'Lost Forever' play with such a strong intensity and needless to say there is no interference and both grade as Mint

Of course between these two tracks is the delicate instrumental 'Scarlet Pimpernel' and I am pleased to say it plays beautifully with no intrusion, not even a dust tick!  Mint is again well deserved.

The quiet intro on 'Eternal Idol' has no 'background' and as Iommi comes in soon followed by Martin this impeccable standard is maintained.  A bit more old-style Sabbath which is good to hear.  It continues to play with stunning power and depth and every quiet passage has no interference whatsoever.  This definitely has a more 'menacing' sound and in my opinion is easily the best track on the album!  The good news is that it grades as Mint also and the clarity throughout is absolutely stunning!

In summary this first pressing plays to a sublime standard as per the other Sabbath album I am selling.  It is another FINAL UPGRADE album as there is just no interference on either side.  In essence this is 'shop fresh' as the sonic quality is as good as the day when it was first released in '87.  The clarity, power and definition of the audio is of the highest calibre. 

The Cover & Lyric Inner

The cover is in lovely condition with barely any shelf wear.  The edges are near perfect aside from one tiny indent on the top edge and the spine is near perfect with just a minor amount on the top corner, very minor!  The other corners have not wear at all and the opening edge is practically 'as new' with only a couple of barely visible 'crimps'.  The front cover is super clean with only a hint of very light ringwear at the top and the back cover is just as impressive.  A superb example and rarely seen as good as this as it was not produced with thick card.

The lyric inner is in great order with only one tiny split on the bottom edge (about 4/5 mms!) and is totally unmarked.

Play tested on my Pro-Ject Essential III Turntable / B&W 684 Speakers

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

VERH 51 - A   1 1 4

VERH 51  B1   1 1 1

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 WILL 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!!

UK Postage Rates (First Class Recorded - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £5.75 up to 1kg then £1.00 per extra item 

EUROPE (Tracked - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £17.45 then £1.50 per extra 

REST OF WORLD (Tracked - Max 2kg)  

LPs/12" singles : £23.95 then £2.00 per extra

I AM MORE THAN HAPPY TO LEAVE FEEDBACK AFTER PAYMENT HAS BEEN MADE, NONE OF THIS WAITING BEFORE I RECEIVE FEEDBACK FROM YOU - I HAVE CONFIDENCE IN MY LISTINGS!  IF YOU ARE NOT ENTIRELY HAPPY WITH YOUR PURCHASE PLEASE CONTACT ME BEFORE LEAVING FEEDBACK AND I WILL ALWAYS RESOLVE ANY PROBLEM, 100% GUARANTEED.  IF YOU WOULD PREFER TO SEND THE ITEM BACK I WILL OF COURSE OF COURSE PAY THE RETURN SHIPPING COST IF I AM AT FAULT.  I AM ONLY HUMAN AFTER ALL!