Black Sabbath : Heaven And Hell A1 / B2 1st Press

This first pressing plays to a superb standard with NO interference at all!  The clarity, depth and power of the audio is equal to that of an unplayed vinyl and cannot be faulted in any way.  This is now over 40 years old and rarely are they found in this condition today.  The vinyl itself is visually stunning.

The cover is in excellent condition with only a little shelf wear and the original inner has also been very well preserved.

9102 752  A // 1 ? ETH 1 1 6

9102 752  A // 2 ?  ETH 1 1 1

The audio on S1 is Mint(-)

The audio S2 is Mint(-)

The cover is Ex

The labels are Near Mint

The original inner is Ex+

Visual grading

The vinyl is in superb condition and still has an immaculate glossy sheen.  There are no marks or scratches and only a small number of sleeve removal hairlines which incidentally are not easy to find as they are so faint!  S1 in particular is stunning and looks 'as new' and S2 is almost as good with only one small area of 'hairlines' but again this is so faint and has no affect on the Mint audio.  There is only minimal spindle wear and the run out grooves are super clean also.

Play grading  

From the first groove to the last 'Neon Nights' is 'as new' with no interference at all.  The clarity, depth and power of the audio is equal to that of an unplayed vinyl and even the fade out is faultless.  Already you can tell this vinyl has hardly been played.  An immaculate Mint start.

With complete silence in the dead wax the acoustic intro on 'Children Of The Sea' for once plays with perfect clarity and the same applies to the first verse.  As the volume increases this standard is more than kept up and it continues to play with stunning precision and...no interference.  I listen to every second so as to provide a 'complete' grading and this again grades as Mint as there is no 'background' of any kind.  I will not grade as Mint if there is one tick, click or pop or any static, crackle or distortion - I maintain very high standards!

I am pleased to say 'Lady Evil' is of the same 'high end' standard.  This track has such a strong bassline and every note can be heard as clearly as when first pressed in 1980.  Mint

'Heaven And Hell' is immense from the word go!  The familiar bass just prior to the vocal is faultless and the track continues to play with sublime clarity and power and not one iota of interference.  At very nearly seven minutes this is as good as you would want it to be!  Each and every second plays with such precision and there are literally no negatives.  The 'high octane' section near the end is just breathtaking - you can turn it up to maximum with no distortion and the quiet acoustic piece that brings the track to a close is as near to perfect as is possible.  Stunning clarity with only a couple of dust ticks and Mint is again well deserved.  What a side!

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S2 begins in fine style with a faultless version of 'Wishing Well' that is loud and true from the very first note.  It progresses in the same way and the clarity and definition of the audio provides further evidence of a barely played vinyl.  'As new' is no exaggeration and is a Mint start to the side.

The quiet intro on 'Die Young' plays beautifully with no intrusion, just 3/4 barely audible dust ticks which obviously do not class as interference!  As the tempo increases the playback is so strong and has no distortion.  Stunning!  It continues to play with great power and depth and the next 'quieter' section plays with impeccable precision also.  The remainder is of the same standard and it's worth pointing out that the long fade out has no 'background' showing just how impressive the clarity is.  Mint

'Walk Away' also plays with incredible power, clarity and depth from start to finish.  Mint on every level there is no need to say anymore :-)

The intro on 'Lonely Is The Word' is flawless and the first verse is of the same quality also.  It's difficult not to repeat myself but once again there is no interference from the first note to the last.  The definition of the audio is as good as it was 40 years ago and there is no inner groove distortion either.  The long fade out plays beautifully and this is easily a Mint end to the album.

In summary this first pressing cannot be faulted in any way.  There is no interference on either side, not even any static!  It may not be the definitive Sabbath sound but they had of course 'moved on' and there's no denying the quality of the audio.  You could not find a better first pressing and there is just nothing that intrudes on the Mint quality of the audio.  The sonic quality is exceptional.

The Cover

The cover is in excellent condition with only a little shelf wear.  This is one cover that is always susceptible to wear as it was not exactly produced in a 'strong' way, the card is quite flimsy.  Nonetheless this one has stood the test of time very well and the edges have only very minimal rubbing.  The spine is near perfect and there is very little corner wear, perhaps just a little more on the right hand corners.  The opening edge has no handling wear and the front cover is very clean with only one small 'white' mark near the opening edge and a little fading around the edges.  There is also one tiny indent top left and some of the usual faint creases next to the spine.  The back cover has no obvious marking just some minor fading around the edges and a little more by the spine.  Overall though an excellent example of this cover.

The Inner Sleeve

The original 'Plastic Bags...' poly-lined inner, dated 2/80, has no side splits or tears, very little creasing and only a couple of very faint marks.

The Labels

The Vertigo labels are near perfect with no marking or writing and only 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

9102 752  A // 1 ? ETH 1 1 6

9102 752  A // 2 ?  ETH 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 SHIP WORLDWIDE BUT WHEN SENDING ITEMS TO ITALY, RUSSIA/UKRAINE AND SOUTH AMERICA I WILL ONLY SEND THEM VIA TRACKED SHIPPING AND THIS COSTS AN ADDITIONAL £5.00.

WHEN ITEMS SELL BETWEEN £50.00 AND £250.00 AND ARE TO BE SENT TO ANY INTERNATIONAL DESTINATION TRACKED SHIPPING IS AGAIN NECESSARY AND COSTS AN ADDITIONAL £7.50 AS EXTRA INSURANCE IS REQUIRED.

FOR ITEMS OVER £250.00 PLEASE CONTACT ME AS THERE WILL BE A HIGHER INSURANCE PREMIUM AND WILL HAVE TO BE SENT VIA A COURIER SERVICE AND THE COSTS CAN VARY.  THE ROYAL MAIL ONLY INSURE UP TO £250.00 HENCE THE NEED FOR ANOTHER SERVICE.  PLEASE CONTACT ME FOR THE EXACT AMOUNT AND THEN WAIT FOR THE INVOICE.  PLEASE ONLY BID IF YOU AGREE WITH THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS, MANY THANKS.

COMBINED POSTAGE IS ALWAYS OFFERED WHEN MORE THAN ONE ITEM IS WON.

ALL VINYLS ARE PACKAGED IN STRONG CUSTOM MADE OVER-SIZED MAILERS WITH EXTRA CARDBOARD PROTECTION. THEY ARE PLACED IN SEPARATE POLY-LINED INNERS OUTSIDE THE COVER IN ORDER TO AVOID SEAM SPLITS IN THE POST. EVERYTHING IS THEN 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.

UK Postage Rates (First Class)

LPs/12" singles : £5.75 (recorded) up to 1kg then £0.95 per extra item 

7" singles / CDs : £1.95 then £0.35 per extra

EUROPE (Standard)

LPs/12" singles : £10.95 then £1.75 per extra 

7" singles / CDs : £6.45 then £0.95 per extra 

REST OF WORLD (Standard)  

LPs/12" singles : £18.95 then £1.95 per extra

7" singles / CDs : £7.95 then £1.45 per extra

I WILL LEAVE FEEDBACK ONCE I HAVE RECEIVED IT.  THIS IS SO I KNOW THE ITEM HAS BEEN RECEIVED SAFELY AND THAT YOU ARE HAPPY WITH IT. IF YOU ARE NOT ENTIRELY HAPPY WITH YOUR PURCHASE PLEASE CONTACT ME BEFORE LEAVING FEEDBACK AND I WILL ALWAYS RESOLVE ANY PROBLEM, 100% GUARANTEED.  I WILL ALSO PAY THE RETURN POSTAGE COST IF I AM AT FAULT - yes this can happen as I am only human!!