Black Sabbath : Master Of Reality 1Y1 / 2Y1 1st Press with Repro Poster

This first pressing on the Vertigo label is stunning!  The clarity, depth and warmth of the audio is almost on a par with an unplayed vinyl and there is barely any interference.  There is just one minor click on Side B and no underlying static apart from a minimal amount on 'Embryo'.  Overall the album plays beautifully and I cannot remember when I heard one this good!

The vinyl is visually in fantastic condition and has been so well preserved down the years.  With hardly any spindle wear it has only been on a turntable two, maybe three times and the audio lends further weight to that theory.

The iconic box cover is in excellent condition with only minimal wear and the swirl inner just has a couple of tears on the central 'window'.  The original poster is not included sadly but the repro poster is in excellent shape with no splits or tears, just some crease lines on the folds.

6360050  1Y // 1 ? 420  1 1 1 4

6360050  2Y // 1 ? 420  1 2 2 1

The audio on S1 is Mint(-) (Embryo Ex+)

The audio on S2 is Mint(-) (T3 & 4 Near Mint)

The box cover is  is Ex+

The labels are Mint-

The swirl inner is VG

The repro poster is Ex

Visual grading

This is one of the finest examples of this first pressing that I have ever seen.  It still has an immaculate jet-black glossy with no scratches and only a handful of very faint sleeve removal hairlines.  There is a very faint horizontal hairline mark on each side but they are short and have no affect on the stunning audio.  It really is visually stunning!  There are only two tiny spindle traces on the Side A label, nothing on Side B, and has clearly hardly been played.  The run out grooves and labels are also in fantastic condition.

Play grading  

'Sweet Leaf' is so strong and powerful from the very first groove and the clarity throughout is just off the scale!  With only a couple of barely audible dust ticks on the intro the first verse is 'as new' and it continues in the same exact way.  The audio definition is so impressive and the sonic quality is as 'clean' as it was back in '71.  From start to finish there is no interference and you can also play it loud without any distortion.  This is a STUNNING version and dare I say you could not find better.  The infamous downtuned Iommi sound is so precise here and Mint- is an easy grade to give.  It more than demonstrates why these first Vertigo pressings are so collectable.

The intro on 'After Forever' is faultless and once you get into that classic riff the audio is again 'as new'.  Osborne's first verse is of the same standard and from then on there are no negatives.  There are no clicks or pops, no underlying static - just pure unadulterated Mint audio all the way through.  The depth and warmth of the audio is unbelievable and this vinyl has clearly hardly ever been played, if at all!  I often go on about the precision of the audio and nowhere is that more obvious than on this track.  Each note can be heard so clearly, there is no 'muddiness' to the sound at all.  The 'high octane' finish is a fine example of that, just hear the bass coming through!  Plus the quiet fade out plays perfectly. 

The very brief 'Embryo' plays very clearly with just a little distortion/static on the top end.  There are no clicks or pops and Ex+ is definitely deserved.

The intro on 'Children Of The Grave' is superb in every way and of course has the deep rich sound in abundance.  As the vocal comes in this standard is more than maintained.  Every section plays with sublime quality and being the final track you might expect some inner groove distortion but no!  The clarity is again outstanding and there is literally no intrusion on the audio.  It plays with the 'menace' and depth that you would want and the end solo is incredible!  The super quiet final section plays so clearly with only a couple of minor ticks.  Overall this is Mint- but the actual track is Mint for sure.

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The acoustic 'Orchid' is a stunning example of a beautifully preserved vinyl and one that has been hardly played, if at all all!  There are just no negatives - the clarity is like nothing I have ever heard before.  'As new' correctly describes this instrumental and how often do the opening grooves on a near 50 year old record play as well as this.  Mint in every way.

With complete silence in the dead wax the intro on 'Lord Of This World' plays to near perfection with just one light tick about 20 seconds in.  It is barely audible when you stand in the centre of the room!  The first verse has no 'background' and the second is equally as good.  This standard is kept up as you progress into the track and there is no interference of any kind.  That same level of clarity and depth that was all over S1 and aside from that one minor tick there is no intrusion on the audio whatsoever.  Mint-

As you might expect on such a 'clean' vinyl the super quiet 'Solitude' does not disappoint.  The clarity from beginning to end is exceptional and with only a handful of insignificant static sounds this is as close to audio perfection as is possible.  You will find dust/static ticks on new vinyl let alone one of this age and should not be downgraded as such, this is vinyl!  There is no underlying static and the playback is just so 'clean' and 'fresh' sounding.  You can hear each note so clearly and that includes the very gentle 'bell' ring in the background.  This is a sublime version but I will grade as Near Mint just to be cautious.  There is no intrusion on the audio, just some very light ticks as stated, and I do not think I have heard a better version.  The long fade out also plays with incredible precision - there are two pops in the dead wax but the 'music' has finished by then.  It is caused by a miniscule 'speck' of dust that I cannot remove.  Best to have it in the dead wax I guess!

The intro on 'Into The Void' is near perfect with only 3/4 mega quiet static ticks and the first verse then plays to a superb standard.  There is perhaps just a mild hint of distortion on the vocal but it is so minimal and not intrusive in my opinion.  From then on it plays with wonderful clarity and power and has just the one light click during the instrumental section just after the 'Freedom fighters...' section.  The remainder is stunning!  It plays with such power and Iommi's end solo could not be any more impressive.  Such a strong end to this classic album and Near Mint is fair I would say.

In summary this first press plays to standard that does not come around too often.  The clarity, depth and power is so similar to that of an unplayed vinyl and with no spindle wear that may well be the case!  There is just the one minor click on S2 but the remainder of this classic plays to a 'high standard' with no obvious intrusion.  I repeat the clarity is STUNNING!  Even the quieter moments including the classic 'Solitude' play so well and aside from the final track there is no distortion on the top end.  Even then the inner groove distortion on 'Into The Void' is very minimal.  There is hardly any static and obviously no crackle.  A fantastic example of this very collectable album.

The Box Cover

The fully laminated embossed 'box' cover is in excellent condition with only minimal wear and has retained its original shape very well due to card being placed inside.  Just a little shifting to the right.  The edges are in superb order with no marking/rubbing and the main spine is 100% legible.  As is often the case the top edge has lifted slightly and won't 'shut' perfectly.  The front cover is very clean with no marking and has hardly any of the laminate 'lift' that you so often see.  There is just a little next to the 'S' by the spine.  The back cover is in excellent shape with no laminate wear and only a couple of tiny white 'specks'.  Overall a fine example of this iconic cover.

The 'Swirl' Inner Sleeve

The poly-lined swirl inner looks very good with only a little wear.  The central 'window' has a tear on each side and there is also one small side split but running from a top corner.  There is also some age related fading around the edges and a little creasing.  I'm not exactly sure if this is the original as it does have the date stamp 0171 in the lower left corner and the album was of course released in July '71.  It may have been swapped or the factory packaging guys were just using up old ones!

The Labels

The Vertigo labels are in SUPERB condition with no marking or writing and only a couple of tiny and very faint spindle traces on the Side A label.  Barely visible!

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

6360050  1Y // 1 ? 420  1 1 1 4

6360050  2Y // 1 ? 420  1 2 2 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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