BLACK SABBATH 1st UK PRESS VERTIGO SWIRL PHILIPS on LABEL, COPYRIGHT ERROR COVER

	£		250
	$		331

All my items have a full money-back guarantee - if it's not as described you can return it for a full refund.

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This is an original 1st pressing of Black Sabbath's self-titled debut album. It is a complete and original 1st UK press with the Philips credit on the label and the error in the copyright warning inside the gatefold cover. It comes with an original Vertigo swirl undated inner sleeve. This is a true first press of this iconic debut album. It is not a reissue.

That's the good news. The bad news is that this copy isn't in great condition. It plays through without any jumps or skips, but shows lots of signs of wear and use, and it hasn't really been looked after properly. But if you want to own a genuine, original 1st UK pressing and don't have the funds to buy a better example, this could be what you're looking for.  Copies of this (in better condition) have been selling recently for well-over £1000, so I think that this copy could be a bargain for someone who just wants to own a piece of musical history.

Please read on for a detailed, full and honest description.

This has the following 1st press matrix numbers:

Side one:  VO6  1Y * 1          420    1 2     7

Side two:  VO6  2Y * 1          420    1 2     7

Description
Disc: The vinyl is flat with no signs of warping - even when it is rotating on a turntable. Sadly the playing surfaces have numerous marks and scratches all over both sides, including some 'feelable' scratches.  The photos on the listing make the vinyl look pretty decent - but it isn't in real life! I would say that a visual grading for the record would be no better than Fair (F). Some people might even grade it lower. The good news is that, despite appearances, both sides play through with no jumps, skips or sticking. In fact, I would say that the play-grading for the record is considerably higher then its visual grading. Needless to say there is crackle and some clicks throughout the play-back, but there are relatively few repeating 'countable' clicks, more just a melange of crackle and general clickiness, but I would say that this never overpowers the music. There are even parts, especially in the second half of side one, or near the end of side two, where you can almost forget about the extraneous noise and just enjoy the music. Both sides end up sounding better at the end than they do at the beginning of the side. I would say that side one starts off play-grading somewhere around Fair (F) to Good (G), but ends up sounding close to Very Good (VG), but not quite. It's a similar story for side two, with some parts during the first half of the side grading only around Fair (F) to Good (G), but it ends up sounding far better than that. I think that overall an averaged play-grading for the record as a whole will be somewhere between Good (G) and Very Good Minus (VG-), but acknowledging that there are parts that are better than this and other parts which are lower than this averaged play-grading. This is a 55 year old record that has been well-played and not looked-after or cared-for. It plays better than it looks but it is never going to transform into anything better than I have described it.

Labels: There are no writing or stickers etc but the labels show typical signs of age and use consistent with a record that has been well-played and not well cared-for, although the labels look better than the vinyl. There is a pale stain on the side two label, but that is the only major issue.

Sleeve: The original first press gatefold sleeve with the error in the copyright notice, has lots of wear and signs of age and use, but there is no writing or stickers etc. The seams and corners show lots of wear and there are some repairs to the top and bottom edge of the rear section. The spine is extensively worn so that almost none of the printed surface remains and it is almost entirely just bare card (see photos).  There are creases and general signs of handling, wear and use. However, aside from the wear at the edges and corners and the very worn spine, the rest of it doesn't look too bad. Please see the photos which show the cover from all angles. 

Inner sleeve: The Vertigo swirl inner sleeve is very creased and crumpled, showing lots of signs of handling and use and generally just looking a bit used, although it still has its poly-liner. There is a four-inch split to one side-seam and a couple of small (half-inch) tears near the die-cut holes.

Detracting features not covered above:  None.

All photographs are of the actual item for sale. Please ask any questions before you bid or buy.

Where gradings are given these are based on the UK Record Collector grading system (see below) and are visual gradings only, unless the listing specifically states that it is a play-grading.

I use the UK RECORD COLLECTOR GRADING SYSTEM. This grading system differs from some other grading systems, in particular the Goldmine grading system. Please make sure that you are familiar with the UK record collector grading system before you bid.

Mint: The record itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.

Excellent: The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packag­ing might have slight wear and/or creasing.

Very Good: The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable sur­face marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

Good: The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discoloration, etc.

Fair: The record is still just playable but has not been cared for prop­erly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents will be torn, stained and/or defaced.

Poor: The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents will be badly damaged or partly missing.

Bad: The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection-filler.

Plus (+) or Minus (-) are added where items fall between gradings. I only ever use one plus or minus.

P&P costs as follows:

UK:

First LP or 12" record = £5.50, each additional item no extra P&P charge.

First 7" record = £3.95, each additional item no extra P&P charge.

Europe:

First LP or 12" record = £18.95, each additional item = an extra £2.20 P&P charge.

First 7" record = £13.95, each additional item = an extra £1.40 P&P charge.

Rest of the world:

First LP or 12" record = £29.50, each additional item = an extra £3.10 P&P charge.

First 7" record = £18.95, each additional item = an extra £1.80 P&P charge.