Black Sabbath : Headless Cross A2/B1 1st Press

This first pressing plays with stunning quality for the majority with some of the usual 'background' on the S1 instrumental tracks.  The remainder is as close to perfect as could be!

The cover is in excellent condition with only light wear and the lyric inner is also in great shape with just minimal wear again.

EIRSA 1002 // A - 1U / B - 1U

The audio on S1 is Mint(-) (Track 1 Ex / T4 intro VG)

The audio S2 is Mint(-) (Track 1 Near Mint-)

The cover is Ex

The labels are Mint-

The lyric inner is Ex+

Visual grading

The vinyl is in excellent condition with an impressive glossy sheen and has no marks or scratches.  There are some faint sleeve removal hairlines on each side but they have very little affect on the stunning audio.  They are generally caused by the coarse material of the lyric inner.  There is very little spindle wear and this album has certainly not been over-played.  The run out grooves are very clean with no marking.

Play grading  

'The Gates Of Hell' plays very clearly with only a little static.  This instrumental always has some 'background' and it is always a question of how much.  It is kept to a minimum here and there are no clicks or pops.  This is Ex in my opinion.

The percussive intro on 'Headless Cross' is nigh on perfect and the remainder is exactly that - perfect!  With stunning production this is loud and true with no interference and Mint- is more than deserved.  The clarity and power here is outstanding!

'Devil And Daughter' if anything goes one better and grades as Mint as from start to finish the clarity and depth of the audio could not be any better.  A stunning version.

The quiet intro on 'When Death Calls' has some some static which you can hear once per revolution but it disappears soon after the vocal begins.  The first chorus is 'as new' and the second verse has a clarity of sound that cannot be faulted.  It continues to play with stunning quality and wow what power!  Recorded to a very high level there is no distortion and to the end it is 'as new' without question.  I would grade the intro as VG but the remainder is Mint it is that good.  Brian May's solo is quiet good also!

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The opening 'heavy' section on 'Kill In The Spirit World' plays with stunning quality and it progresses in a very similar way.  There is a little static in the brief quieter section around the two minute mark but has no other 'background' for the remainder.  Loud and powerful again this is Near Mint- I would say.

'Call Of The Wild' is superb with no sign of any interference.  No ticks, clicks or pops and no static or crackle either this is Mint from start to finish.

'Black Moon' just has a touch of mega light static for the first couple of seconds and then plays with that familiar power and resonance.  Again no interference and Mint- is a fair assessment of the audio here.  A perfect fade out also.

The acoustic intro on 'Nightwing' has no 'background' of any kind and provides a superb start to this final track.  The first verse is of the same immaculate standard and there is no decrease in quality from that point on.  'As new' is no exaggeration you could not wish to find a stronger version and the fade out also plays with sublime precision.  A fabulous Mint finish!

In summary this first pressing plays with great clarity and power throughout and the vast majority is Mint for sure.  There is a little static on the opening instrumental but the only obvious intrusion is on the 'When Death Calls' intro.  Aside from that the audio is so strong and 'clean' and there are no clicks or pops at all.

The Cover

This cover is so often found in poor condition but this one has weathered the test of time very well.  Not perfect but it remains in excellent order.  The edges have barely any rubbing and the spine is very clean with only 3/4 minor white specks and a little wear on the corners.  The top right corner has some minor rubbing also although bottom right is close to perfect.  The opening edge has only minimal handling wear and just one very tiny 'nick'.  The front cover is in excellent shape with only a couple of very minor scratch lines and some of the usual small creases next to the spine.  The back cover is near perfect with just a couple of minor creases by the spine again.  An excellent example overall.

The Lyric Inner

This is very clean with no marking and no side splits or tears.  There is one minor crease on Side 1 and a scratch mark on the other side plus a tiny crease by the thumb notch.

The Labels

The black/orange labels are in lovely condition with no marking or writing and only very minimal spindle wear.

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

EIRSA 1002 // A - 1U / B - 1U

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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