BLACK SABBATH PARANOID 1970 UK 1st 1Y/1 2Y/1 Vertigo swirl, stunning audio, EX+

	£		115
	$		152

BLACK SABBATH - PARANOID

A rare and increasingly sought after copy of this 1970 UK original heavy metal classic on the coveted VERTIGO SWIRL label, 6360 011

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1  6360011  1Y//2 420 with stampers "12 392 2 3" at 5 o'clock

Side 2   6360011  2Y//2 420 with stampers "32 9" at 6 o'clock 

The appearance of the flat vinyl is EXCELLENT+. In normal daylight both sides of the vinyl come across as pristine, with a beautiful glossy, jet black sheen. And even under a bright light, and when tilted at the right angle for close inspection, both sides still come across as near perfect. You may just be able to make out a very few, small, pencil line scuffs but these are very superficial and to all intents and purposes negligible. This record has obviously not been played many times at all and is in remarkable condition considering it's 48 years of age. Gorgeous!

The labels are excellent. No obvious blemishes at all, just the usual few very faint spindle trails adjacent to the centre holes. The coveted Vertigo spiral artwork, on both sides, remains beautiful with all the black text on the matt black background on side B just perfect. Brilliant!

The laminated (front and back but not inside), iconic outer sleeve is excellent. Unbelievably for a gate fold of this age there is no edge scuffing at all, with all edges (including the spine) remaining rigid and devoid of any scuffing or rubbing. Similarly each corner remains a perfectly defined right angle with no rubbing. There are three 1.5 surface only laminate creases  adjacent and vertical to the spine on the front side along with some very minor horizontal laminate creasing adjacent to the opening edge, again on the front side, all of which I have tried to show in my photos. On the reverse side there are three 1.5cm horizontal laminate creases adjacent and perpendicular to the spine, and a 5cm curved laminate crease just above the sword/sabre. All of these blemishes are very minor indeed and do not detract from the overall impressiveness of this iconic sleeve. The inside of the gate fold is again excellent+ with everything exactly as it should be and certainly no unwanted writing or doodles. There is just a very light light leftover mark towards the top left and right hand corners where, presumably, a small label/sticker was once located. There is no fraying on either of the opening edges. Beautiful!

Finally, the quality of the audio is superb. Wonderful tone and clarity throughout with no distortion whatsoever even on the higher frequencies and when played at high volume. There is just the occasional nano second of static, but nothing more than when playing a brand new record just bought from the shop. Every track makes for a great listen and the classics "Fairies Wear Boots", "War Pigs", Electric Funeral", "Paranoid" and "Iron Man" sound as magnificent as ever - wonderful!

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

1. WAR PIGS

2. PARANOID

3. PLANET CARAVAN

4. IRON MAN

Side 2 :

1. ELECTRIC FUNERAL

2. HAND OF DOOM

3. RAT SALAD

4. FAIRIES WEAR BOOTS

Comes with original iconic Vertigo swirl inner sleeve, complete with "British Patent..." and "MADE IN ENGLAND" text, with no tears or splits - just a little creasing towards the edges - and remaining 100% fully functional. Note that I always post the record in a new plain white inner sleeve in order to protect the original.

In summary a truly excellent (at least) copy of this increasingly rare and highly sought after 1970 UK original pressing heavy metal masterpiece - a "must" inclusion for any  vinyl collection and only continuing to gain in value.

 If you require any further information, including photos, then let me know and I'll do my best to oblige. 

If this record interests you then take a look at my other 60's & 70's classic vinyl listings.

A bit about myself : I have been collecting vinyl for more than 48 years and have amassed a huge collection covering a varied genre, but mostly of 1960's and 70's origin. Most of my records were originally bought by myself for my own collection, but during the past 30 years I have embellished my collection by buying records from a variety of sources : friends/acquaintances, car boot sales, auctions, and even through putting up a "vinyl wanted" notice in my wife's shop! I am now retired and take great delight in being able to spend more time scouring the country and attending boot sales and auctions in the hope of unearthing more vinyl gems...I am 63 years of age now and am still discovering bands and music of the 60's and 70's that I have never come across before. Wonderful! Richard

My ebay feedback speaks for itself so rest assured that you are buying from a trusted seller and in the very unlikely event that you are unhappy with your purchase just e-mail me and I'll sort out the problem. I offer a "no quibble" refund policy. 

On the subject of postage, I take great care in the packaging of all items, using a proper vinyl cardboard mailer along with at least two cardboard stiffeners. I take great care in separating the record from the outer sleeve in order to help prevent sleeve damage in transit and I always insert the vinyl, outer sleeve and inner into a clear plastic sleeve, thus adding further protection. 

For this item postage & packaging will be :

for the UK, Royal Mail 1st class, tracked & signed for  : £5.00, 

for continental Europe international tracked & signed for : £10.00

and for Rest of the World international tracked & signed for £15.00

 I do discount post & packaging costs for multiple purchases. I do NOT profit from postage.

Good luck with your bidding! Richard

NOTE : My vinyl descriptions comply with the official Record Collector vinyl grading guidelines :

Mint

The records 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, discolouration, 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 are torn, stained and/or defaced

Poor

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

Bad

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