BLACK SABBATH Vol 4 RARER ORIG UK Vertigo Spiral EX+ LP

	£		90
	$		119

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Artist or Band: BLACK SABBATH

Album Title: Vol 4.

Producer(s): Black Sabbath & Patrick Meehan.

Track Listing:

Side 1: Wheels of Confusion; Tomorrow’s Dream; Changes; FX; Supernaut.

Side 2: Snowblind; Cornucopia; Laguna Sunrise; St Vitus Dance; Under the Sun.

Label/Format: Vertigo – Original Spiral format. Large label size spiral on side one and small spiral logo above outline Vertigo on side two.

Label Conditions: Both very clean and highly attractive with only very light and light+ and faint spindle marks and no wear around the hole area. Side two is incredibly white and looks superb, so often found ‘greyed’ and grubby, any Spiral Black Sabbath album with so few marks and blemishes is unusual.

Cat Number: 6360 071.

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: 113 grams. This is seldom heavily pressed and a typical weight for this one.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Scarce, and getting harder to find all the time. Although a popular Spiral album, this is never easy to find in anything like decent condition. The cover especially is highly elusive devoid of ringwear and heavy rubbing and this one includes the fixed inner gatefold book which again is often ripped, sometimes even missing. This example has only light traces of wear or blemishing and is certainly one of the best I have seen for quite some time. The record is fantastic and plays beautifully. Although known for their loud heavy music, they also included some quiet songs on most of their albums, these being the most challenging. Few are more critical than ‘Changes’ that so often crackles and breaks up if played too many times or on heavy tracking record players from the past. This example offers little more than stunning clear sound throughout and was a rare joy to hear this clean.

Original Year of Release: 1972

Matrix Nos: 6360071 1Y // 1 1 1 1 5 / 6360071 2Y // 1 1 2 1 1 3

Etchings: ‘PORKY’ and ‘PECKO’

Musicians: Ozzy Osbourne - Vocals; Geezer Butler - Bass; Tony Iommi - Guitars; Bill Ward - Drums.

Brief Info: As the title suggests, the fourth Black Sabbath album and all issued on the legendary Vertigo spiral swirl label. This is real heavy metal with massive power riffs and deep grinding doom-laden basslines. Fronted by the legendary Ozzy Osbourne, this set must be a contender for their best and heaviest album ever – but I usually say that for any of the Sabbath Spiral titles I offer – I love them all and all four are essential. A fantastic record that offers immensely powerful sound especially when the volume is cranked up. Although predominately heavy, this does have a few quiet songs notably ‘FX’ which is a minimalist instrumental that sounds like percussion through an echo box and the very difficult and challenging ‘Changes’. This so often has distortion and clipping from the intensely recorded Mellotron, few copies escape but this one plays this difficult song superbly and the whole album plays with clean focused sound which must never be taken for granted. With a little-worn cover and spiral inner, a copy that looks as good as it sounds.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT: an incredibly difficult cover as all matt black covers are. It’s an unlaminated gatefold format with finish as described above, it was printed and made in the UK by Howards. It has the booklet attached to the inside of the gatefold that was later replaced by an insert.

Cover Front: This remains very attractive and lacking the usual rubbing, fading and creasing so many seem to attract. A few light surface marks when scrutinised under light but just one very fine and faint surface crease only that hardly even shows. This front will take a fair amount of beating.

Cover Back: The most noteworthy feature here is the lack of ringwear that most seem to acquire over the years. There are a couple of fine marks on the bottom edge working up around 3 inches that appear to be gripper marks in manufacture. They are fine and have not removed any surface ink to any extent. These are not uncommon on covers. Again a few light surface marks and minor hairline edge creasing, but overall, like the front, this sets a high standard.

Cover Inner Gatefold & Booklet: Practically perfect, the book is nigh-on mint and fully and securely attached. Truly superb, rich and dark.

Top Edges: Light and faint rub traces only and I am fairly certain this has not been tipped-in.

Bottom Edges: Very light and patchy rubbing only.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with little wear and guaranteed untrimmed. Record entered on the back edge.

Spine and Text: Solid, straight, uncompressed and square, both right edges meet up very closely together. Barely a trace of any wear which again is unusual on a black unprotected spine. All text is unworn, clear and sharp.

Corners: Small tip rubs or fades which is almost the least to expect from a cover like this. All retain very fine shape.

Cover Summary: A strong all-round example of this very fragile and highly uncompromising cover, one that will prove difficult to find significantly better. Not perfect but an eye-pleasing item that should please many collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(-): no damage as such but one corner crease. Moderately aged with toning around the edges along with glue browning for which these Spiral inners often acquire over time. But with two immaculate crisp circle windows and solid, if wrinkled lining and all edges unsplit, more than a decent inner for this album.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+): a super visual copy that is very clean, shiny, intense black and solidly pressed. A copy with minimal plays on all the evidence and one that offers superb sound. The playing surfaces have only very few ultra fine and faint surface traces that few records fast approaching 40 will ever avoid. This was and still is (justifiably) a popular Spiral album and most were heavily played. Visually a super record that should please most collectors.

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 snippets 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 fantastic Spiral album plays even above it’s high visual grading with practically nothing to fault – do not underestimate just how hard this title is to play really well. This has powerfully strong, totally distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a full dynamic range and fine detail too – but play it LOUD! An intensely heavy album at times with grinding basslines, classic power-riffs, awesome drumming and of course Ozzy sounding young and fresh – this guy in his younger days was awesome. His charasmatic doom-laden vocal style was never bettered as much as others tried. For a change, any surface sounds on the quieter passages are minimal and very light and I feel silence is near impossible being honest. The track ‘Changes’ is very difficult and many copies will disort and crackle badly – Ozzy’s vocal with loudly mixed Mellotron is a huge test for vinyl and many clip with groove-wear or inground debris. The short echo laden ‘FX’ is almost as difficult and here this minimalist instrumental sounds fine. Just a couple of clicks on the entire album and the lack of any distortion was refreshing, few copies will play better than this overall. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this metal masterwork. This copy will prove very difficult indeed to find significantly better. An album to be played loud, as loud as possible. The Spiral four are often critisised for not being terribly well produced, all I can say to that is these listeners haven’t heard them on decent equipment. These have an in-built power and quality brings it out (as well as volume). Total silence on the quiet songs is almost unrealistic but this is almost as good as it ever gets. The bass grinds and rattles with awesome power, even testing out larger systems - it can shake the foundations. The drums pound and the cymbals crash, the guitars soar into sheer manic nirvana and of course Ozzy’s blood curdling screams speak for themselves - oh yeah!!! Forget your lightweight soundalikes, nobody does it better than vintage Sabbath. This stunning lesson in gloom was rarely bettered, even by them, Ozzy was, and still is – Lord of the metal World.

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/Hercules/Cirkus with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Rondo Red moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with QED Silver terminated cable). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional VPI-17 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.

PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET.

What You Get: To confirm to the strict Ebay rules on shipping, I must now send ALL my packets ‘Signed-For’ with NO exceptions. Both buyers and sellers want their packets to have a safer journey and this is not a bad thing.

I now offer the fastest possible posting, often the very next day after payment is received or within two to three days maximum (unless on holiday). I only use FIRST-CLASS Mail. The record’s cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my new VPI-17 Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. 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. All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT Mailers, these do not offer any real protection). The record(s) are 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 at least TWO, ULTRA THICK stiffeners for maximum extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffeners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will even be Double Boxed if deemed necessary and possible. When larger boxes are used, the thick record and stiffener ‘sandwich’ is then thickly embedded into bubble-wrap to bulk out the record inside the box to centre the item inside to reduce the risk of damage still further. Printed address labels are used for clarity as well as a sender label. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if at all possible but ‘Signed-For’ posting is NOT an option anymore. I do not profit on posting and the cost of this lavish packing is NOT even charged for, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffners and bubble wrap make a near impregnable fortress for safe shipping and this is used inland and overseas for ALL my records, not just the rare and expensive. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than one in two thousand based on over 7,000+ items sold in nearly 10 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. The only damage rate acceptable for this seller is ZERO and I think my packets will offer just that. It would take a vicious postman or postal service to damage these for sure. Even one of these stiffeners cannot be bent by hand, so what chance 3 or 4 inside a box? Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FIVE records per box (one double can sometimes be included subject to total weight). I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included here and on ALL of my adverts. Details below:

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 & CONDITIONS – THESE comply with EBAY’S RULES - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY:

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

1 LP (FIRST-CLASS Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £2 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£40 maximum]) = £9. (insurance optional extra £3). Add £2.50 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); South America; New Zealand; Australia; Canada; Japan and other Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £13. Add £4 per extra LP. (insurance optional extra £3)

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders or direct payment into my bank account.

Potential Bidders: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are time-wasters. 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. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer, so read the item description carefully. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help. Thank You.

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 necessarily 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’.