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Black Sabbath : Paranoid 1Y1 / 2Y1 1st Press Vertigo Big Bear Credit

This first pressing plays with stunning quality with hardly any intrusion.  The clarity, depth and power of the audio is so impressive for a Big Bear edition and is one of the best I have listened to.  It has been well played but it has clearly been very well preserved - there is only one click and the 'Planet Caravan', so often affected by static / crackle, plays very well with only minimal static.  'Hand Of Doom' plays with superb audio throughout which is a genuine rarity and as you will see from my audio grading below S1 is very impressive but S2 is just stunning!  The vinyl itself is visually very strong with only some hairlines but no marks or scratches.

The matt textured cover, with the all important Big Bear credit on the inside, has only minimal wear and for once the inside is in lovely condition.  The original swirl inner is also in excellent condition.

This genuine first press has a 1Y1 / 2Y1 matrix and the Big Bear management credit on the inside cover.  It has a large swirl on the S2 label and VERTIGO is below the spindle hole.  The Roger Bain production credit is written on one line (Rodger inside the cover) and there is no break between 'Hand Of Doom' and 'Rat Salad' so it looks like there are three tracks on S2.

6360011 1Y // 1 ▽ 420  1 2  1 0

6360011 2Y // 1 ▽ 420  1 1  1 0

The audio on S1 is Ex+ (T1 Mint- / T3 Ex-)

The audio S2 is Mint(-) (T2 ranges between Near Mint & Mint- / T4 Near Mint)

The Big Bear gatefold is a very strong Ex-

The labels are Ex+

The original Swirl inner is Ex

Visual description

The vinyl is in excellent condition and still holds a very strong glossy sheen with no marks or scratches.  Only under a bright light can you see a number of faint hairlines but they are superficial as they have no impact on the audio.  There is nothing that really stands out on either side.  There is no groove wear or 'clouding' and when looking at it under normal room lighting it is immaculate.  The run out grooves are very clean and the iconic Vertigo labels are very clean but do have some spindle wear.

Play grading  

The intro on the classic 'War Pigs' plays perfectly and for once there is no background.  The air-raid siren section is just as clean and as you would expect from a high quality vinyl the audio is still so deep and strong.  The first quiet percussive section has no intrusion and Osbourne's opening vocal has only a couple of barely audible static ticks, not sure why I mention them really!  The following instrumental is faultless and the first up-tempo vocal passage is 'as new' - the depth and resonance of the audio is stunning!  The mid instrumental again plays with real precision and the next quiet 'percussive' section has just one mega quiet static at the beginning.  The next vocal is perfect and the closing instrumental provides further evidence of a vinyl so well preserved - it plays with exceptional clarity and depth with zero intrusion.  A STUNNING start to the album and Mint- is richly deserved.

With complete silence in the dead wax the intro on 'Paranoid' plays to perfection and the opening vocal is of the same standard.  It continues to play with that typical deep Sabbath sound and the only interference is one click on the final vocal due to that tiny speck that refuses to move!  It would be Mint but for that one millisecond of interference but Ex+ is still a fair assessment of the audio.

'Planet Caravan' is so often affected by interference due to it being so quiet but I am pleased to say this version plays with great clarity for the vast majority.  The intro is flawless and the first verse has just one very quiet static sound.  The second is just as impressive but the third verse does have five static ticks that are a little more obvious but I wouldn't class them as clicks.  The final vocal section plays very clearly with barely any background and the delicate guitar section is just as clean.  There is a little static near the end and three static ticks but overall I think Ex- is about right.

The percussive intro on 'Iron Man' has one static tick and just a hint of minor static on the I am Iron Man vocal.  The rest of the intro has no intrusion and the first vocal is superb.  From then on it plays with great clarity, power and depth and the mid instrumental impresses on so many levels and for once there is no inner groove distortion.  The final vocal keeps up the standard and Butler's heavy bass section combined with Ward and Iommi's work ends this classic with high end audio.  This has to grade as Ex+ at the very least and the majority is certainly stronger than that.

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'Electric Funeral' plays with impeccable audio from the get go.  The intro and opening vocal have no interference and it continues in the same precise way.  The mid instrumental plays with stunning precision and then the high octane vocal can also be described 'as new', the clarity is comparable to a vinyl pressed only yesterday!  The remainder plays with the same power and intensity and again there is no background.  The long fade out has only a handful of quiet statics at the end and overall Mint- is deserved.

The super quiet intro on 'Hand Of Doom' plays so clearly with only 3/4 very quiet statics and Osbourne's first vocal is even better!  Perfect clarity.  The first powerful section is faultless and the next quiet vocal section has nothing intrusive either.  A track with many different 'shades' it continues to play with breath-taking quality - Butler's quiet bass section has no background whatsoever and the 'heavy' mid section plays with unrivalled sonic quality, it just could not play any better.  Osbourne's vocal here is so clean, there is no distortion, and the next instrumental is of the same exact standard.  The final vocal section, quiet and not so quiet (!) plays with stunning quality and the end bass section is 'as new'.  Again.  This is without doubt one of the cleanest most impressive versions of this classic that I have ever heard and ranging between Near Mint and Mint is an honest appraisal.  There is no obvious intrusion at all, barely any intrusion truth be told!

The instrumental 'Rat Salad' plays with real precision throughout with no interference.  Ward's solo is superb without any background and each note is just so clean and sharp as is the entire track.  Mint

The intro on 'Fairies Wear Boots' has just a hint of mega light static for a couple of seconds and the first classic 'riff' from Iommi has no background at all.  Osbourne's opening vocal has perhaps just a modicum of distortion but it is so so minimal and hardly warrants a mention.  Shooting myself in the foot!  The mid instrumental is superb, the sonic quality is so strong, and then the final vocal section has not one single negative.  Incredible clarity and power in equal measure and the closing instrumental and fade out are perfect.  Near Mint is deserved here although I am sure many would grade higher...if they played the whole track!

In summary this genuine first pressing plays to a superb standard with only very minimal intrusion.  The clarity, depth, power and resonance of the audio is so impressive and the original sonic quality is still very much in evidence.  There is just one click across the entire album and whilst I have graded 'Planet Caravan' as Ex- it still much 'cleaner' than many other versions I have heard.  It is certainly not plagued by persistent static / crackle.  S1 is very impressive but S2 definitely takes it to another level!  The 'sound' here is exceptional and the clarity could hardly be any better and an example of that is 'Hand Of Doom' which again is often affected by a fair amount of background.  Not here!  This is a fine album and the vast majority does indeed play to a Mint standard.  In conjunction with a very clean 'Big Bear' cover and Vertigo inner this will add to any high end collection.

The Gatefold & Swirl Inner

The matt textured cover is in excellent condition with only a little shelf wear and it has retained its original shape and structure with no creasing or bending.  The top edges have only minimal rubbing and the bottom edges have just a little more mainly towards the corners.  The wide spine remains strong and 100% legible with only a handful of tiny 'specks' and a little wear on the corners.  The right hand corners are in great shape with only very minimal wear and the opening edge is very clean with hardly any handling wear, just a little towards the bottom.  The front cover has only a handful of minor specks and a couple of thumbnail type scratch lines but these can only be seen when you hold the cover at a certain angle they are not immediately obvious.  The back cover is also in great order with only very minimal spotting, one faint scratch line and a little wear on the corners.  For once the inside of the gatefold is so clean with none of the fading around the edges that you so often see.  There are only a couple of minor marks near the right hand edge, nothing else.  A stunning 'interior' in other words and the inner spine has no wear either.  This is a very strong Big Bear cover in my opinion.

The original poly-lined Swirl inner (dated 0470) is in excellent condition with only minimal age related fading around the edges and a little creasing.  There are no side splits or tears to be seen.

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

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

6360011 1Y // 1 ▽ 420  1 2  1 0

6360011 2Y // 1 ▽ 420  1 1  1 0

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 NOW ONLY SEND ITEMS WORLDWIDE VIA TRACKED SHIPPING. THIS PROVIDES 'PEACE OF MIND' IN CASE OF LOSS OR DAMAGE. ALL COSTS ARE SHOWN BELOW AND COMBINED POSTAGE IS ALWAYS OFFERED. ANY OVER-PAYMENT WILL ALWAYS BE REFUNDED BACK TO THE BUYER.

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ALL VINYLS ARE PACKAGED IN STRONG CUSTOM MADE OVER-SIZED MAILERS WITH EXTRA CARDBOARD PROTECTION. THEY ARE PUT IN SEPARATE POLY-LINED INNERS OUTSIDE OF THE COVER SO AS TO AVOID SEAM SPLITS. THEY ARE ALSO 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.

I ONLY USE HIGH QUALITY MAILERS AND THESE COST ME £1.00 EACH. I WILL OFTEN USE 3 OR 4 CARDBOARD STIFFENERS AND THESE COST AT LEAST £0.15 EACH AND THEN THERE IS THE COST OF THE POLY-LINED INNER AND PVC SLEEVE TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT. IT ALL ADDS UP! NOT FORGETTING EBAY TAKING 10% OF THE SHIPPING FEE ALSO!!

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