BLACK SABBATH Paranoid Orig UK 70 Vertigo Spiral EX+ LP

	£		42
	$		56

Artist or Band: BLACK SABBATH

Album Title: Paranoid.

Producer(s): Roger Bain.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: War Pigs; Paranoid; Planet Caravan; Iron Man.

Side 2: Electric Funeral; Hand of Doom; Rat Salad; Fairies Wear Boots.

Label/Format: Vertigo – Original full spiral format on side one and large spiral above the hole on side two.

Label Conditions: Side one with the full spiral is immaculate. Side has the original owner’s name written in small ink. Generally clean and attractive with only one small and faint handling trace. Spindle marks are fine and light and only a modest few that only show under angled light. (Please see label scans for all information needed).

Cat Number: 6360 011.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Warps: Assume all records I offer have no warping of any significance and all tracking is easy and effortless and should play on all turntables and even ‘budget’ decks.

Weight of this Record: 127 grams. [These days, many modern Audiophile reissues are pressed on super-heavyweight 180 gram vinyl. Only a small percentage of ‘vintage vinyl’ was ever pressed this heavy. Records pressed in the 1960s averaged around 135 to 145 grams. Records pressed in the 1970s were usually lighter and averaged more around 115 – 125 grams. Some records pressed around 1973 were very thin and light due an oil crisis and shortage around this time. Some records were even issued on recycled vinyl from this period and sounded poor with crackle and surface noise evident from the very first play. If any record I buy is deemed ‘recycled’, I will never offer it, I have a very simple test to detect these records if I suspect this to be the case other than audible imperfection. Some records from this period were even pressed on other materials the most notable was ‘Dynaflex’, used by RCA around this time. Although inferior to vinyl, this at least mostly sounded reasonably acceptable but pressings on this material were wafer thin and flimsy. Beyond the 70s, many records often became thinner and lighter still but most played fine but were never quite the quality as from the ‘Golden Era’]. (This was based on ‘average’ weights for 50 records from these eras.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Moderate but fast getting harder to find (like most Spirals to be honest). This reached number one in the UK, a very rare occurrence for any album on this label and was indeed the biggest selling Spiral album of all. Finding decent copies with an attractive cover is a different matter however, this album was played into submission in many cases and the cover is very hard to find with little wear. But this one is the rarer laminated version which for looks blows away the ‘standard’ version. I am still uncertain which came first the laminated or non-laminated version – opinions vary – whatever, this one looks fantastic and is far harder to find.

Original Year of Release: 1970

Matrix/Stamper Nos: 6360011 1Y 2 420 1 2 4 / 6360011 2Y 2 420 1 1 1

Brief Artist & Album Info: For me the definitive heavy metal band of all time - this is how heavy music should sound - heavy and loud, with menace and power with vocals from the legend in his own lifetime Ozzy Osbourne. A band, derided and unliked by the critics when they first appeared, the fans gave the finger and bought their albums anyway and rightly so. How times change, with Oz now a cult hero to millions and the band still touring and as popular as ever. From the opening seconds of ‘War Pigs’ with Geezer’s grinding bassline and sirens wailing to the manic vocal on ‘Iron Man’ you know this is The Sabbs at their awesome best. The murderous riff on which the title track hinges set the tone for this bruising album. Doom, death and destruction are Black Sabbath’s staple diet, which they devour with numbing intensity. Repetition is at the heart of the album, sustained chords and heavy bass often slowing tempos to crawling pace until, on ‘War Pigs’, they groan with suffocation. Guitarist Tony Iommi complements the sound with blistering lengthy solos, leaving Ozzy to inject his sinister cockiness. Others have often tried to grasp their crown, but Paranoid shows that Black Sabbath remain the best ever heavy metal band. This copy on offer is a strong one with a clean record that actually plays brilliantly. Many disappoint, even ones that appear lightly played, often rife with surface noise and distortions especially on ‘Hand of Doom’ and the subdued ‘Planet Caravan’. The laminated cover adds extra class and wonderful good looks and the original inner is included, also signed by its original owner. Although one of the biggest selling spirals, this is fast disappearing.

Cover Grade and Format: EX++ and one of the most attractive I have ever seen or had. A gatefold format and LAMINATED on front and back. This has the VO Price Code in a box on the back, top right. The inner WARNING has ‘Copyright subsists in all recordings issued under this label’ text. Printed in Great Britain. Far more elusive laminated, this is the connoisseur’s choice.

Lamination – Front & Back: The difference laminate makes to this cover is immeasurable – not only does it protect the wearprone dark surfaces it gives them an intense blackness that is instantly eye-catching and pleasing. Only a small percentage of these were laminated and it still seems uncertain which came first. If I had to give an opinion, I feel fairly confident the laminated version followed the initial non-laminate and then reverted back again simply because the early ‘Warning’ inside does not mention ‘Vertigo’ but ‘this label’ instead. Quite honestly I am not too bothered as the laminated versions’ beauty blows away the less exciting matt version – I guess both are essential for the serious Vertigo Swirl collector however. Both sides of this retain fantastic shine, freshness and clarity and the intenseness of the black has to be seen for real to be fully appreciated. All is fully adhered bar a tiny blister on the top left front corner atop a tiny hairline crease. There is minimal traces of any dulling or friction rubs so the artwork can be enjoyed to maximum advantage and creasing is few and very light. The left edge on the back sees the laminate end slightly short of full width but even this exposed strip is unchipped or grubby. Marks are few but a few light pressmarks are visible near the bottom edges when held to light. With normal viewing this is remains one of the most attractive ‘Paranoid’ covers you will see with any visual imperfections small and light, this will take a fair amount of beating.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Superb, little to fault here, odd tiny mark or set-off trace if being critical. The laminate runs inside over the top edges with a very mild dark strip along its end, but this is being somewhat critical. Great band picture too – this is what heavy metal bands should look like!

Top & Bottom Edges: Practically perfect as made and very straight, all four are ultra smooth to the finger touch with no grazing.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with minimal wear and no feathering Record entered on right outside back edge.

Spine and Text: The spine is fully laminated also and all is fully adhered with no peeling, flaking or loosening. Solid, dead straight, uncompressed and square, both right edges meeting up near perfectly and parallel with little wear. A very fine crease as formed from opening but only the most ‘unused’ examples will ever avoid this minor blemish. All text is perfect and unworn and very easy to read in a very dark red which is also enhanced by the laminate.

Corners: Little wear to any and all look neat and well defined.

Cover Summary: A very strong and super attractive all round example of this fragile early 70’s cover, one that could prove very hard to find much better in real terms. The unlaminated versions cannot really compete or compare to this vastly superior, and scarcer laminated version. With a real de luxe finish, this should please most Sabbath fans.

The Spiral Inner: A solid EX inner and guaranteed original for this copy as it also has the owners name written on one side as can be seen in my picture. The date code is 0671 (June 1971?) It retains its lining which is solid and clear and creasing is minimal witih no edge splits or tears. Slightly darkened with age but only modestly lightly so. These swirl inners now are also becoming scarce and many Spirals find them missing altogether.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EX+ (at the very least). An attractive visual copy with just a few ultra fine hairline type marks or surface marks – these blemishes are supericial and non-sounding and this record plays really well and way better than most I have heard. I have often found this one to be difficult, often with considerable surface noise and even distortions on the quieter passages but here they are absent. A very clean, shiny, jet black and very solidly pressed record. A copy with very modest plays on all the evidence. Visually a super record that should please many collectors again.

Album Played For Grading: Yes. [I play ALL records I offer before submitting to Ebay, also the record is played in its entirety unless clearly stated otherwise. I do NOT play snippetts or joining grooves to check for sound quality and quietness – I play from the beginning to end via clinically revealing B&W speakers that include the legendary tweeter from their awesome Nautilus range that reveals every blemish or miniscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This super record plays up to and beyond its high visual grading with little to fault. Even those two more critical songs play well as outlined above with little unwanted. The sound is strong with no distortion, all frequencies are sharp and clear but with a slightly muted production on some songs, the title track the most apparent with a muddy bassy mix. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed and I noted no major pops or clicks and few copies will generally play much better than this for their entirety. Both channels are clean and sharp, I feel very sure this record has been played sparingly and has been generally well stored and looked after, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this classic Black Sabbath album, still many fans favourite, if not mine. This copy will prove quite difficult to find significantly better and is strongly recommended – oh Lord yeah! If the name on the label and inner are an issue, please do not bid.

Now one of the most established sellers on Ebay and still offering the finest and most accurately described and graded records I can find. I pride myself on offering a variety of genres to keep my site as interesting as possible. I will rarely offer any record that falls below a true Excellent grading, unless its of a certain rarity which will justify offering a lesser grade. I try, to the best of my ability to describe as accurately and as honesty as I can all items I offer for sale with all the relevant information I can think of to help any potential bidder and collector. You may notice I only submit records sparingly on Ebay - on average ONEADAY, a couple more at weekends if time permits, hence the name - time rarely allows for more as I Play-Grade virtually every record I offer in their entirety, not just bits to guess a grade - visuals alone do not always tell a true or full story. I will mention any defects or flaws no matter how small that I notice to be fair as possible to any interested collector – I am very fussy and my buyers have the right to be too. Every record I offer, whether it be a common or rare item deserves the same respect as far as I am concerned and will be treated the same - just because an item is rare does not always mean its good. I get just as much pleasure offering a relatively common record in stunning near mint condition as the real rare items. All the pictures I use for your guidance are taken with a digital camera or scanned - they are NOT improved, cleaned-up or made better looking than they are with camera trickery or enhancing with digital programmes. What you see is what you get and scanned labels will give a more accurate representation of the genuine colour than flash photography where light is variable. I cannot guarantee total accuracy for colours however but most will be very close. If any picture I take looks more flattering than the actual item for any reason, I will clearly state the fact in the advert and vice-versa. I hope the item below is to your liking - any questions can be emailed and I will do my very best to answer you. I am enthusiastic, and have a fair degree of knowledge about many genres and I promise quality items - bid with confidence - excellence comes as standard and so does Near Mint regularly. Please assume all records I offer have NO jumps, sticks, warps or writing on covers or labels unless clearly stated to the contrary. Thanks for your interest and Good luck – MIKE.

Deck: Linn LP12 with Ittok Mk IV arm and Ortofon Samba Moving Coil cartridge (tracks at 1.8 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional Moth vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too.

First-time, zero-rated bidders, who do not ask permission to bid, will be cancelled immediately and blocked – NO exceptions. For winning bidders who I consider excessively slow to make contact or submit payment, I will use my right to block future bids. If any bidder who wins in the final seconds is present to do so, surely they can at least email me to inform of intention and payment method? If swift or promp payment is a problem, please do not bid.

POSTING & PACKING: What You Get: I usually post on Fridays, most will arrive Saturday to make signed-for delivery easier. All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT mailers) with the record(s) REMOVED from their main cover to avoid edge splits and placed within a brand new polylined inner. The record’s original inner will be included if available. The boxes are then reinforced with TWO thick stiffners for even extra protection. The cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW heavy duty soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my Moth Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. Printed address labels are used for clarity and well as sender label. You will NOT get tired, dull looking, dust infested records inside worn and foggy covers with tatty inners from this seller and that’s a promise and guarantee. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if at all possible but NOT surface mail abroad. I never make profit on posting and offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends, with the total costs including ‘standard’ or ‘optional extra insurance’ P&P – ALL UK and Russian packets go out non-negotiable Recorded Delivery. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 4,000+ items sold in over 7 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional.

PLEASE NOTE: I will now only send packets to Russia with Recorded Delivery at a cost of £7 per single LP. If this is unacceptable to Russian collectors, please do not bid. I only want my records to arrive safely and this gives packets a better chance to do so. Also ALL UK packets will be sent with either Recorded or Special Delivery as standard (both have to be signed for). All shipping costs and rules can be found after my description. If they are not acceptable, please do not bid.

NOTE: First Time Bidders: I will cancel ALL first-time bidders with no feedbacks or excessive negatives who do not ask me if its OK to bid first – NO EXCEPTIONS.

Please Note: I will now offer any item to the runner-up after the mandatory Ebay 3 days if no contact is made by the winning bidder unless prior notice of any delay is given beforehand. The same applies if no payment is received within the mandatory 7 days so any bidder who has just lost out can still email me to reserve the item as priority second chance – it’s always worth asking.

SHIPPING COSTS & OPTIONS:

Posting & Packing: UK & CHANNEL ISLANDS all now sent Recorded Delivery:

1 LP (First Class Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4 (OPTIONAL).

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: ALL EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA (NOT RUSSIA, see below) (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £5.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £9 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: RUSSIA (Recorded Only, if this is unacceptable, please do not bid):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ only £7) = £9 (OPTIONAL extra insurance as above).

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (any part); Australia; Canada; Japan and other Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £8.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £13 (OPTIONAL).

* If Rules allow for that country.

PLEASE NOTE: I always get a Royal Mail ‘Proof-of-Posting’ receipt for ALL packets that are sent out and I am happy to prove this to any customer who wishes to see it via email.

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders.

The customer can choose their method of shipping with the exception of second class or surface mail overseas – these I will NOT use. The winner bidder chooses his/her posting method and if uninsured is chosen, its their decision and they have to stick with it, I can accept no responsibility if an item is lost in the post. I can only try to claim at standard levels if no enhancement is chosen (£35).

Potential Bidders: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are timewasters. A maximum 3 days for communication and 7 days for payment to arrive - if not I will relist the item or offer to the runner-up. Fast deals get great feedback from me. Any questions - please ask and thanks for looking.

My Guarantee: If any winning bidder is not satisfied with their purchase I will offer a complete refund minus the Posting and All Ebay costs as long as the item detail has been read and understood. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help.

SOME GENERAL GUIDES TO WEAR AND CONDITIONS TO HELP YOU DECIDE

My Use of Description Terminology: Surface Marks = Superficial, usually light marks, hairlines or light scuffs that rarely sound. Scratch = a needle mark that goes below the record’s surface, some will sound, some will not, my play-grade will inform. Original = a record that has been pressed with the first label design which does NOT neccessarily mean a very first pressed record. First Pressing = A record that I believe or know to be a genuine very first pressed record. I do not claim to always know for sure, and that’s why I state the stamper and matrix numbers if at all possible, for those who claim to know what they all mean, the information is there for the collector to decide. I prefer to use terms like ‘Early Copy’ rather than ‘First Pressing’ if I am not totally sure. Surface Sound = Mild, light sound, usually light crackle or similar. Distortion = Break up of the actual sound caused by groove wear or damage from a chipped stylus – the most undesirable form of unwanted sound, vintage mono records were the most prone to this happening but not exclusively so. The symptoms of distortion are high frequency clipping, moderate constant crackle or an echo type sound quality. Violin, piano and vocals are most prone to groove-wear distortion. Feathering = Fraying or softening of the entry edge of a cover. Covers with feathered entrance edges are more likely to have had the actual record inserted and removed more than a non-feathered, sharp-edged cover which are always far more attractive. Set Off, actually a printer’s term for dark ink leaving mild residue on pale or white ink when rested upon. e.g. when a gatefold cover has black ink closed against white, this can leave some black residue on the pale area – this is mostly unavoidable or course.

The Argument for Vinyl Original sound and mix (mono mixes are rarely available on CD), high quality sound on clean copies (played on a hi-end dedicated analogue system – breathtaking sound!), beautiful, large format covers, artwork, inserts and even full size posters etc; huge investment potential, and the pleasure of owning ‘the real thing’.