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

This first pressing on the famous Vertigo label plays with genuine quality across both sides and very little intrusion.  The clarity and depth of the audio is very impressive and there are no clicks or pops to be heard.  Even the quiet 'Planet Caravan' plays very clearly with only minimal background and the same applies to the quiet sections on 'Hand Of Doom'.  The power and definition of the audio is easily equal to what it would have been when first pressed 53 years ago and whilst there are some hairlines they have no impact on the audio quality.

A real stand out is the matt textured cover with the Big Bear management credit on the inside.  So often found in poor condition this one has been so carefully looked after and has hardly any wear and I hope the photos do it justice!  It is so clean and has kept its original shape perfectly.  The original swirl inner is also in fantastic condition.

As this is a genuine first press it has the 1Y1 / 2Y1 matrix and of course the Big Bear credit on the inside of the gatefold.  It has a large swirl on the Side B label and VERTIGO can be seen above the spindle hole.  The Roger Bain production credit is written on one line and there is also no break between 'Hand Of Doom' and 'Rat Salad' making it look as if there are just three tracks on Side 2.

6360011 1Y // 1 ▽ 420  1 2 1 2

6360011 2Y // 1 ▽ 420  1 2 1 6

The audio on S1 is Mint(-) (T3 Ex / T4 intro Ex+)

The audio S2 is Near Mint (T1 Mint- / T2 ranges between Ex+ and Near Mint)

The gatefold is Ex++

The labels are Ex+

The original Swirl inner is Ex+

Visual description

The vinyl is in excellent condition and still has a very strong glossy sheen with no marks or scratches.  There are a number of faint sleeve removal hairlines that obviously have no affect on the audio but there is nothing that stands out.  There is no bag rash or groove wear and the run out grooves are also very clean.  The iconic Vertigo labels do have a fair amount of spindle wear and some faint spots but this can only be seen at a certain angle.

Play grading  

The iconic intro on the classic 'War Pigs' is so close to perfect with only a hint of barely audible static on a couple of occasions.  The air-raid siren section is 'as new' and the following quiet percussive section has no background at all.  Osbourne's opening vocal has no intrusion either and the next instrumental with Iommi leading it is superb with that deep typical Sabbath sound.  Osbourne's more powerful vocal plays with perfect clarity and it continues to play with STUNNING quality - the mid instrumental is just so strong and clear and the next quiet 'percussive' section has no interference whatsoever.  There is a lot to admire here!  I picked up one tick during the instrumental near the end but it isn't intrusive and the remainder plays with phenomenal quality.  I am confident in grading it as Mint- as it has lost none of its original sonic quality and has no obvious intrusion on the audio.  What a start!

'Paranoid' plays with exceptional quality throughout and no interference.  As you would expect the music is so intense and the 'sound' resonates around the room with such power and depth and obviously demands to be played loud!  This is Mint there is no need for a minus here!

'Planet Caravan' is of course so often affected by sound issues for obvious reasons but this is a very impressive version for a first pressing.  The intro has only minimal static and a couple of crackles and Osbourne's first 'gentle' vocal is very clean with again only minimal static and 2/3 very light ticks near the start.  From then on it plays very clearly with only the odd very light tick but certainly nothing intrusive.  No clicks or pops!  The delicate guitar section that closes the track plays extremely well with no obvious intrusion and the long fade out is very clean indeed.  I think Ex is a fair overall assessment of the audio here.

The percussive intro on the classic 'Iron Man' has only a couple of very light ticks and the 'spoken' piece is faultless.  As the volume picks up the playback is stunning and opening vocal is of the same high end standard.  It continues to play with that genuine dynamic quality you only get on the first pressings and the power and depth of the audio is undiminished.  The vocals are so strong and the mid instrumental is 'as new' with no interference.  There are no negatives here, every section plays with exceptional quality and for once there is no inner groove distortion either.  The final vocal, Butler's heavy bass section and then Iommi's final work complete this track with STUNNING audio.  An Ex+ intro but Mint- from then onwards.

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The intro 'Electric Funeral' has no background and the opening two verses are just as strong with no intrusion.  It continues to play with genuine power and with that deep menacing sound.  The mid instrumental is near perfect with only one quiet background tick and the high octane vocal sections are stunning.  The remainder plays with the same intensity and the long fade out has not even a single dust tick.  A superb Mint- version.

The very quiet bass intro on 'Hand Of Doom' has only the lightest of static and a couple of light crackles.  Osbourne's first vocal is very clean with only the bare minimum of quiet static and as the volume increases the playback is flawless.  The next quiet vocal section has only one static and the following 'heavy' vocal / instrumental section plays with great precision and power.  The audio definition is so impressive, it resonates with such depth, and it just could not play any better.  The next quiet passage plays very clearly with only a handful of minor static ticks and the remainder plays with outstanding quality once more.  This classic often has a lot of background but it is kept to a minimum here and there is certainly nothing that you would say is really intrusive.  One static click right just before the fade out but overall I would say this ranges between Ex+ and Near Mint

'Rat Salad' plays with superb audio with no actual interference.  A handful of light ticks but nothing else.  Ward's solo is stunning and Near Mint is about right.

The entire intro on 'Fairies Wear Boots' plays with remarkable depth and clarity with only a couple of mega light ticks and the first classic riff has no intrusion.  Osbourne's opening vocal has just one easily missed quiet tick and from then on it plays with impeccable power and definition.  There is no inner groove distortion, the playback is so clean, and there is no 'muddiness' to the sound either.  The mid instrumental is perfect and the final vocal keeps up this fine standard.  You can turn the volume up to max on this classic with no loss in sonic quality, it is a superb version.  The end instrumental has just one dull tick and overall this has to grade as Near Mint as there is no obvious intrusion from start to finish.

In summary this first pressing pressing plays to a very high standard with only minimal intrusion.  The clarity of sound is very impressive and there are certainly no clicks or pops.  Whilst 'Planet Caravan' isn't perfect in no way is it beset with constant static or worse like so many versions you hear today and the quiet sections on 'Hand Of Doom' again play very clearly with very little background.  The power and depth of the audio has not lost any of its original quality I am pleased to say.  In conjunction with one of the cleanest 'Big Bear' covers you will find the winning bidder I am sure will be very pleased with their purchase!

The Gatefold & Swirl Inner

As stated the matt textured cover has to be one of the finest Big Bear editions I have ever seen.  So prone to wear because it isn't laminated this one has been preserved so well and has been so well preserved down the years.  It has also retained its original shape and structure extremely well.  The top edges are perfect and the bottom edges have only light rubbing.  The wide spine remains 100% legible with only a couple of small marks and one small area of wear in the centre.  It has only a little wear on the bottom corner and the other corners are in superb condition with barely any wear, a genuine rarity!  The opening edge is close to pristine with only a couple of barely visible crimps.  The front cover is lovely and clean with no obvious marking - it has just a couple of faint scratch lines in the lower corner that you can only see when you hold the cover at a certain angle.  The back cover is even more impressive with only faint ringwear and the inside of the gatefold is for once super clean with only a few faint specks and one small mark next to the inner spine.  So...as you can see a very impressive cover!  There cannot be many around today as good as this one!

The original poly-lined Swirl inner (date coded 0470) is also in great condition with no side splits or tears, very little age related fading and only minimal creasing.

Play tested on my Rega P2 Turntable / 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 2

6360011 2Y // 1 ▽ 420  1 2 1 6

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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