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

This first pressing plays to a superb standard for the vast majority and it is only 'Planet Caravan' that has some interference but even then not a major amount and still better than many versions I have heard.  All other tracks play with stunning quality with only very minimal 'background' and much of it plays to a Near Mint standard.

As this is a genuine first press it has the 'Big Bear' management credit on the inside.  It also has the catalogue number on the spine and on the back of the cover above VO PRICE CODE.  The vinyl also has a large swirl on Side B with VERTIGO below the spindle hole.  On a first press it looks like there are only three tracks on Side B - there is no break in between the tracks 'Hand Of Doom' and 'Rat Salad'.

The only issue with the matt textured gatefold is that it has some wear on the edges.  Otherwise it is in excellent order and the inside is in fantastic condition!

6360011 1Y // 1 ? 420  1 2 5

6360011 2Y // 1 ? 420  1 1 5

The audio on S1 is Near Mint- (T1 intro Ex+ / T3 VG+ / T4 intro Ex then Near Mint)

The audio S2 is Near Mint (T2 Near Mint- / T3 Mint- )

The gatefold is VG+ (although the inside is superb!)

The labels are Ex+

The original swirl inner is Ex-

Visual grading

This vinyl is in excellent condition and still has a very healthy glossy sheen with no 'cloudy' areas or foxing.  I am also pleased to report there are no scratches.  There are a number of faint hairlines with 3/4 on Side A that are a little more obvious.  However, I must stress this does not really reflect on the audio and as any vinyl collector knows hairlines can often be superficial i.e. have no affect.  My grading of the audio below confirms.  Don't get me wrong there are not 'loads' of hairlines but there are some but I reiterate no scratches!  Side B is actually very impressive visually.  There is some spindle wear not surprisingly but the labels and run out grooves are very clean overall.

Play grading  

The classic 'War Pigs' has only very minimal static on the intro - no intrusive 'background' at all and the first quiet percussive section then plays with great clarity as do the opening two verses.  Just a hint of very minor static which is not intrusive in any way.  As the tempo increases the playback is STUNNING and continues in the same way.  The audio is so deep and strong in that typical Sabbath style and the clarity is outstanding.  The mid instrumental is 'as new' and the next 'quiet' section is almost perfect with only a handful of barely audible dust ticks.  The final two verses are of the same standard and the Iommi's work to end the track plays with wonderful power and clarity.  From start to finish there are no clicks or pops, no crackle and only a very minimal amount of light static.  I would grade the intro Ex+ but the rest is easily Near Mint- if not better.

'Paranoid' just has one light tick on the intro and then plays in much the same way as the previous track.  There are no clicks or pops and only a small number of very light static sounds.  The mid instrumental is again stunning and all verses play with a genuine clarity and with no distortion on the top end.  Near Mint-

I have heard some dodgy versions of 'Planet Caravan' in my time but I am pleased to say this is not one of them!  There is no hiding place for any 'background' being such a quiet track and whilst this version does have some static the music still comes through very clearly.  There are some ticks in the middle section and I would say only a small number of them classify as light clicks but they are not loud.  There are a couple of very minor 'hiss' sounds that last for only a couple of seconds and the gentle solo that plays out the track has just a little static and plays very well indeed.  I would grade this as a highly creditable VG+ overall.  Still an excellent listen :-)

The drum beat intro on 'Iron Man' has no 'background' apart from one light click and the remainder of this section has only very minimal static.  As Iommi joins in the audio is stunning and it continues to play with breathtaking quality and no interference whatsoever.  The vocal sections could not play with any greater clarity and the mid instrumental is so dynamic with no distortion despite being the final track on the side.  The bass solo that signals the start of the final section is INCREDIBLE and to the very end it plays with a sonic quality that you so rarely find today on these first pressings.  I would grade the intro as Ex but the remainder is Near Mint for sure.

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'Electric Funeral' is superb from the very first groove and from then on plays with great power and definition and has no obvious 'background' at all, the clarity really is very impressive.  I detected only a small number of static ticks but they are so much in the background as to be totally insignificant.  The sonic quality is again so good and it has lost none of its original quality over the years.  There are no clicks or pops from start to finish and is Near Mint without doubt.  Even the long fade out plays with stunning precision.

The very quiet intro on 'Hand Of Doom' is so 'clean' with no underlying static and only a handful of mega quiet dust ticks.  The first vocal is nigh on perfect and as the volume increases there is no let up in quality.  Thereafter it plays extremely well and for a genuine first press the clarity cannot be faulted.  There are of course so many quiet sections and yet there is no intrusive interference at all and at worst only a small number of light static ticks.  The mid section is mind-blowing as the audio can correctly be described 'as new' much like the vast majority of this classic.  The final two verses have barely any 'background' and the quiet end section has only a couple of 'swish' type static sounds but nevertheless I believe this deserves a Near Mint- grade

'Rat Salad' plays with great precision from beginning to end.  There are 2/3 seconds of barely audible static on the intro and from then on no clicks, pops, static or crackle and the clarity is again exceptional!  The percussive section is 'as new' and Mint- is richly deserved here.  A stunning version!

The intro on 'Fairies Wear Boots' once again shows how well this vinyl has been preserved and has hardly any 'background' - the playback is outstanding!  When that classic riff eventually 'kicks in' the audio is so strong and deep, just a handful of dust ticks, and the first verse is nigh on perfect.  It continues to play as you would want it to!  The mid section instrumental is among the finest I have ever heard and has no interference whatsoever - I cannot overstate how superbly it plays!  There is no 'muddiness' to the sound, no audio deterioration over the last 50 years and each note can be heard perfectly.  The final verses also play with such precision - great clarity and definition.  I have played it twice now and it sounds just as good on the second listen if not better!  The quality of the audio cannot be underestimated and even the quiet fade out section has no 'background'.  Oh and I nearly forgot, there is no inner groove distortion at all.  This is Near Mint although arguably it could be graded higher.  A stunning finish to a very impressive album. 

In summary this album plays to a very high standard and as any keen collector knows it is not easy to find a Big Bear first press playing with this kind of quality today.  In my opinion it is one of the hardest to find in near mint / mint condition and this one isn't far off.  Yes there is some interference during 'Planet Caravan' but there are no loud clicks or pops and certainly no skips or jumps.  As for the rest of the album?  Stunning I would say with only very minimal static, no clicks or pops and no distortion either.  I can confidently say this is the finest 'Big Bear' I have heard in a long time and S2 in particular is stunning.

The Gatefold

The matt textured cover with the 'Big Bear' credit is a difficult one to find in decent condition.  This one is in excellent shape overall and the only real wear is on the edges which do have a fair amount of rubbing but there are no edge splits.  The wide spine is still 100% legible but does again have some 'rubs' here and there and a little wear on the corners.  The right hand corners have a little wear also but I am pleased to say the opening edge has only minimal handling wear.  The front cover is very clean with no marking but you can see some imprinted 'ghost' writing where they have used the cover as a notepad!  This can only been seen when you hold it at a certain angle.  The back cover is in excellent order with only a couple of white 'specks' and 3/4 minor creases.  The inside of the gatefold really stands out as so often it is found in poor condition and marked quiet a bit.  It is near perfect here with only a handful of tiny 'specks'.  Not a perfect cover then but it is so much better than many you find today and just having edge wear is not a major problem and like I say the inside is superb!

The Swirl Inner

The original swirl inner has no side splits which makes a change and the central 'window' just has one small tear on each side.  The 'Plastic Bags...' side is very clean with only a little age related fading around the edges but the reverse side does have a little marking/foxing.  This side also has a 'shop' date stamp of 17 SEP 1970 in the top right hand corner.  The album was actually released 5 days later!  Can't say I've seen this before!

The Labels

The Vertigo labels are in excellent shape and have no marking or writing, just some spindle wear as stated.

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

6360011 1Y // 1 ? 420  1 2 5

6360011 2Y // 1 ? 420  1 1 5

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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