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Black Sabbath : Master Of Reality 1Y1 / 2Y1 1st Vertigo Press 1971 Embossed Box Cover

This first Vertigo pressing plays to a superb standard with very little intrusion and there are certainly no clicks or pops to be heard.  The clarity, depth and power of the audio is outstanding and for once the quieter tracks play extremely well.  'Solitude' for example plays with great clarity, a genuine rarity.  The audio definition is so impressive and there is very little distortion, this is an album that has not been played very much and the lack of spindle wear kind of confirms that.  The vinyl itself is in excellent condition with only some light hairlines.

The laminated 'box' cover is in excellent condition overall with only a little shelf wear.  The original Vertigo inner is present and I think VG+ is about right.  Sadly the original poster is long gone :-(

6360050  1Y//1▽ 420 1 1   2 5   04

6360050  2Y//1▽ 420 1 2   2 3   04

The audio on S1 is Mint(-) (T3 Near Mint- / T4 quiet end section Ex)

The audio on S2 is Near Mint (T2 Mint-)

The 'box' cover is Ex-

The original Vertigo inner sleeve is a strong VG+

The labels are Mint- / Near Mint

Visual description

The vinyl is in excellent condition and still has a strong glossy sheen with no marks or scratches.  Under a bright light there are some faint hairlines but there is certainly nothing that stands out as obvious, they are purely superficial.  There is no groove or surface wear and the Vertigo labels are in superb shape with very little spindle wear on S1 and nothing on s2.  There are two small faint fingerprint type marks on S2.

Play grading

The intro on 'Sweet Leaf' including the cough (!) is deep and strong with zero background and Ozzy's opening vocal is just as clean and powerful.  The instrumental bridge is flawless and the next verse again plays with great clarity and depth.  Iommi's down-tuned sound is perhaps the strongest on this album and sonically this is superb so far.  The instrumental section is a case in point - wonderful sound and Ward is so high in the mix also, each beat is so strong and well defined.  The final vocal section has no intrusion and the fade out has no background either.  This is easily a Mint- start to the album.

The entire intro on 'After Forever' plays perfectly and that first classic riff is equal to that.  The first verse plays with stunning precision and it continues to play with a clarity and definition that defies the age of the album.  There is no distortion and no ticks, clicks or pops either.  From start to finish the audio is exceptional and the high octane finish is just superb!  It is as powerful and deep as the day it was first cut and with only a couple of minor statics at the end of the fade out Mint- is again deserved.

The very brief 'Embryo' plays very clearly with no ticks, clicks or pops but does have a little what I call static distortion.  It is hardly intrusive and Near Mint- is still a fair grade.

'Children Of The Grave' plays with sensational quality from the very first note.  The dynamic intro is faultless and Ozzy's opening vocal section is on the same level.  This high end standard is prevalent throughout.  You can turn it up to max without fear of distortion which is impressive for a final track.  Deep, resonant, powerful and menacing in that classic Sabbath style!  It is a phenomenal version and the instrumental sections are just breath-taking.  The quiet end section has some light static with only a couple of seconds that are a little more obvious.  I'll grade this section as Ex but the 'main' part of this classic is Mint- at the very least.

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'Orchid' plays beautifully with no intrusion.  There are four very quiet background statics but that does not qualify as interference!  The clarity of sound is stunning but I say Near Mint just to err on the side of caution.

The intro on 'Lord Of This World' is perfect and then the opening two verses are of the same high end standard.  From then on the playback is superb - great depth and power and with nothing to detract from the overall sound.  The mid instrumental is 'as new' and the 'chorus' is just as strong and clear.  The final vocal section / instrumental with Ward and Butler very much in the forefront is stunning and the fade out has no background either.  I'm going to say Mint for this one as it just could not play any better.

On a first pressing it's rare for 'Solitude' to play to a decent standard.  This is stunning and then some!  The intro is basically perfect with only one barely audible static and Ozzy's first 'gentle' vocal then plays with sublime clarity and warmth.  A couple of mega quiet statics that is all.  The instrumental bridge just has one static tick towards the end but it's not loud.  The final two verses play with genuine quality also and the delicate end section is just as impressive.  From to finish there are no clicks or pops, just some very quiet statics every now and then which are totally non-intrusive.  The super quiet 'tinkling' percussion right at the end it superb!  I think Near Mint is an honest appraisal of the audio here.

The intro on 'Into The Void' plays with the usual depth and power and I only 'picked up' a couple of very quiet statics at the start.  The first verse plays very clearly with only a minor touch of distortion on the vocal and it continues in much the same way.  Ok I have mentioned vocal distortion but honestly it is so minimal and kind of what you expect on a final track, it is non-intrusive!  The instrumental sections play with stunning sonic quality and from start to finish there is no actual interference.  The closing instrumental is superb and overall Near Mint is deserved.  A fine end to this classic album!

The Embossed Box Cover & Vertigo Inner Sleeve

The fully laminated 'box' cover is in excellent condition with only a little shelf wear.  I have placed two pieces of cardboard inside which definitely helps with the 'shape'.  The left and right spines are angled which is common but they are both very clean with just the one small rub on the main left spine.  The top spine has a couple of small creases and the bottom spine is similar with a slightly rough 'feel' in the centre.  The top flap is in excellent order with no splits and the four corners are in excellent order also with very little wear.  The front cover is extremely clean and has barely any of the laminate lift that you so often see.  It has only a handful of very small edge creases next to the left / right spine.  The back cover is pretty much the same with just one small rub on the bottom edge also.  A very respectable example overall.

The Vertigo inner sleeve (date coded 0671) has no side splits or tears and not too much age related fading around the edges although there is a little more on the top edges.  Some creasing also but not an excessive amount.

Play tested on my Rega P2 with AT-VM95EN Cart / Denon PMA-520AE Amp / B&W 684 Speakers

This record has been cleaned on my Pro-Ject VC-S machine

6360050  1Y//1▽ 420 1 1   2 5   04

6360050  2Y//1▽ 420 1 2   2 3   04

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 will only send items items worldwide via tracked shipping.  This provides 'peace of mind' in case of loss or damage.  The shipping costs are shown below and combined shipping is always offered.  Any over-payment will always be refunded.

The Royal Mail only insure up to a value of £250 so if an item sells for more it may be wise to use a courier service (e.g. Parcelforce or DPD).  An extra insurance premium will be required but I will not know the exact amount until the final sale price is known.  Because of this I will sometimes have to estimate the cost and this will be shown in the listing.  Please wait for the invoice before making payment and if you have any questions please feel free to ask.  Many thanks.

All vinyls are packaged in strong over-sized custom made mailers with plenty of extra cardboard protection.  They are placed inside separate poly-lined inners outside the cover so as to avoid seam splits in transit and then placed inside a PVC sleeve to provide even more protection.  I pride myself on my high quality packaging as my feed confirms and if any customer has any specific requirements I am more than happy to help.

The mailers I use cost £1.00 each and I will use anything between 3-5 cardboard stiffeners which cost approx £0.18 each.  There is also the cost of the poly-lined inner and PVC sleeve to consider, it all adds up!  Not forgetting that eBay take 10% of the shipping fee also!!

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