BLACK SABBATH (1st Album) ELUSIVE UK 1974 WWA EX++ LP, c/w ORIG VERTIGO COVER.

	£		41
	$		54

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World in Quality, Safe Packing.

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.

…“Still falls the rain, the veils of darkness shroud the blackened trees…

Artist or Band: BLACK SABBATH

Album Title: Black Sabbath

Producer(s): Roger Bain

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Black Sabbath; The Wizard; Behind the Wall of Sleep; NIB.

Side 2: Evil Woman; Sleeping Village; Warning.

Label/Format: WWA (World Wide Artists), with smooth quite matt surfaces.

Label Conditions: Very clean, fresh and attractive with any spindle definite spindle marks faint. I am sure light rubbing around the side one hole are in manufacture and hardly show anyway. Both playing surfaces on this supreme record look practically Mint and this elusive WWA pressing offers truly stunning sound quality.

Catalogue Number: WWA 006

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: 130 grams. A very fine weight for this record.

Rarity: This is not one of the harder Vertigo albums to find being honest, especially as slightly later or second pressings. But more difficult in top conditions for sure. This pressing from 1974, and only made in small numbers before the label disappeared. This is in beautiful condition – that’s both record and cover – for sound, I have truly heard few better. Not all records or pressings are the same, this gave a stunning performance on my LP12. The audio quality just seemed more open and dynamic with immense detail and sonic delivery. WWA records were not as mass-produced as the earlier Vertigo pressings, and this record REALLY ROCKS. In terms of rarity, way fewer of these will surface compared to any Vertigo pressing. WWA Records were founded in 1973, and quickly folded in 1974, that for any label is only very brief, and not many records were even pressed on it. Even fewer as new titles, ‘Sabbath Bloody Sabbath’ being the only original by Black Sabbath. But never dismiss any Black Sabbath album on WWA, they are far more elusive than many thin, as is the label itself. They were still pressed by Philips/Polydor to the highest of standards.

Country of Manufacture: England

Original Year of Release: 1970. This from 1974

Matrix Nos: VO = 6 1Y//2 420 1 2 2 0 & VO 6 2Y//2 420 1 3 1 7

Brief Artist & Album Info: Issued to scorn and damnation by the critics in 1970, but eventually universally loved by fans of heavy rock. Ozzy gave the finger and they thrived and became superstars of the genre. Black Sabbath played real heavy metal – an awesome quartet that were very dark, with real menace, sang songs of doom, gloom, war and the occult - this is what they did best and no-one, for me anyway, ever came close to matching them. Even today, after hearing this classic a many times, the sound of that rain falling on the opening grooves and the loud thunderclap with the distant tolling bell sends a shiver down my spine – play, if possible at high volume – this copy can more than handle it – if you system can. For full effect, have the cover in your hands at the same time - the ghostly spectresque girl standing in the woods will make you shudder. What is this that stands before me?; Figure in black that points at me. screams ‘The Prince of Darkness’ and just before the band go into overdrive, he lets out with blood curdling power ‘Oh no, no, please God help me’ – totally awesome. The opening track ‘Black Sabbath’ has to be one of rock’s defining moments - the birth of metal and the critics had to fade away. It’s hard to believe it was issued way back in 1970s, and this WWA pressing, still early, in beautiful condition.

Led by Ozzy Osbourne, now a cult figure extraordinaire but never forget the other three: Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward. The pure heaviness and phenomenal bass-heavy sound they produced was breathtaking (and still is). I saw a fairly young Black Sabbath back in the late 1970s at Hammersmith Odeon and it remains entrenched and vivid in my memory. The Spiral era material was played, and how. This is a classic issue, the cover is chilling, the text on the inverted cross inside is as dark as the music inside. An album to be played loud, as loud as possible. I still remember that huge stack of Marshall’s on stage with all the speakers being driven hard and really getting the air moving. The first four are often said to not being terribly well produced, all I can say to that is these listeners have not heard them on a decent system – only Paranoid is a little muted at times. These have an in-built power and quality brings it out (as well as volume). Just listen to the detail of the splashing rain and the tremendous thunderclaps at the beginning. The bass grinds and punches with awesome power riffs - it can shake the foundations, the drums pound and the cymbals crash, the guitars soar and of course Ozzy’s blood curdling screams speak for themselves - oh nowwwwww!!! Forget your lightweight soundalikes, nobody does it better than Sabbath. This stunning lesson in gloom was rarely bettered, even by them, the distant bell tolls… and still falls the rain – magnificent!!!

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(+): format as above. This has NO ‘Dunbar’ credit for the song ‘Warning’. And has the original text for copyright which is ‘WARNING—Copyright subsists in all Vertigo recordings…’. Later ones have the word ‘Vertigo’ changed to ‘this label’. Also it has the early mispelling of Ossie Osbourne. All surfaces are matt with a very gentle trace of texturing. So this is a very early cover, probably a remainder being used by WWA. See in close-up the WWA 006 sticker on the back that covers the VO6 catalogue number. Made in the UK, uncredited. Includes the Polydor style inner sleeve.

Cover Front: This is arguably undergraded, this is only marked down for the extra (+) for some light rubbing on the front right bottom edge. The front is in magnificent condition with very little to fault at all. This is one of those that has that ‘green’ effect when rubbed, any traces of this are minuscule. The ghostly figure front looks wonderfully spooky, the surface clean, barely aged and hardly a trace of rubbing or creasing. Retaining deep colour and freshness, this Vertigo original cover, now used by WWA, will rarely be seen better.

Cover Back: Largely the same, just faint traces of that under ‘green’ speckle, mostly near the edges. Covers that have this trait are rarely seen without often considerable amounts, the fact this has rubbed little and been cover-protected means any traces are minimal and light. The small rounded WWA 006 sticker, seen in close-up, has aged little, minor darkening around the very edges and clearly never removed or picked at.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Minor rub traces near the top and bottom edges, little else to fault. So often these are riddled with grimy fingermarks which ruin the appearance, this has hardly a trace and appears hardly handled.

Top Edges: Both fantastic: barely any wear at all, both very straight, flush and parallel, seldom seen like this.

Bottom Edges: Gentle patchy light rubbing, then as above.

Right Edge(s), and Type: The front has a real tucked and folded edge, this has minimal traces of wear. Both back edges are clean, largely sharp, the inner one very sharp, the back one, which is a little proud of the inner in manufacture, has minor burr traces viewed end-on but is still mainly sharp as well. Both guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced, the record is stored on the back.

Spine and Text: Solid, very straight, uncompressed and folded square, so the edges meet up near flush and parallel. A spine that has a strong tendency to fade when exposed to natural light, the magenta text often fades away to nothing. This is a little faded but still easy to read, all lettering present and intact. Even the VO6 near the bottom is perfect, that often totally disappears. A fine central crease line is seen purely from opening, few can hope to avoid that, overall, this is a very pleasing and little worn spine, with even the folds avoid scuffs or noteworthy rubbing.

Corners: Mainly light and small tip rubs with excellent or better shape retained. No knocks or dinks.

Cover Summary: A really impressive cover that sets the bar high. This is no later ‘alternative’ printed or designed cover, this has all the hallmarks of an early Vertigo remainder, such-much-so, WWA put their sticker on the back to indicate the fact there is no longer a Vertigo record inside. I consider such a cover rare, especially in this super condition. It should please many, if not most collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(++): WWA copies did not include a swirl inner sleeve. Instead, they had the soft lined Polydor style inners. This is superb and only gently aged with the usual seam edge adhesive darkening, this mostly near the top entrance edge. Two immaculate window circles, the lining solid, it being the new opaque type. Barely any creasing and no edge splits or repairs.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++): and a mere whisker of my full Mint(–), a very impressive visual copy that plays to near perfection from start to finish. Very clean, shiny and solidly pressed. Any surface marks are bordering on minuscule, ultra fine, few and faint as critically seen under bright angled light, there are no penetrating scratches at all. A copy appearing very lightly played, indeed if hardly at all, on the evidence of two superb playing surfaces. Very well pressed on pure vinyl with spine-tingling sound to match. This WWA pressing will be perfect for those who want top sound without the potential very high cost of a Spiral copy, and few available of those will match or better this.

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 minuscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This dark metal masterpiece plays even above its high visual grading with barely anything to fault. Massively powerful distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is fantastic, even immense, with a wide dynamic range and very heavy sound, best enjoyed loud to bring out the power embedded into totally unworn grooves. Laden with powerful riffs, the prince of darkness rarely sounded better. Any surface sounds barely even register and this is a very clean pressing that offers a more ‘open’ sound that was lost on later repressings. As stated, WWA Records were a very short-lived label, they were not mass-produced and quality was arguably the very best of all. This heavy metal classic has it’s odd quieter moments, but not that many, but these also play very quietly indeed and few copies will better this. Both channels are clean and sharp, I certain this record has been played, or even handled little, and has been very well stored and looked after. Tracking is effortless with no faults* and all is focused with no clipping or sound degrading. Clearly never subjected to worn or heavy stylus abuse – another plus for the slightly later copies – this has wonderful gut-grinding dynamics and the analogue format really is unbeatable for the heaviest rock available. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this classic debut. A copy that will prove immensely difficult indeed to find better – that is record, cover and inner sleeve. An album that spawned a host of immitators but none (for me anyway) even come close. Real metal, no glam, just gloom – these four giants in the world of heavy rock are living legends and long may they continue – Oh Lord Yeah!!!!!!!

…The cataract of darkness form fully, the long black night begins, yet still, by the lake a young girl waits, unseeing she believes herself unseen, she smiles, faintly at the distant tolling bell, and the still falling rain”.

* 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’.