Black Sabbath VOLUME 4 UK LP SPACESHIP LABEL 100% MINT MINUS

	£		67
	$		89

BLACK SABBATH - VOLUME 4

THE VERY RARE SPACESHIP REISSUE

IN MAGNIFICENT BARELY PLAYED  CONDITION

NEAR MINT SLEEVE AND MINT INSERT

• CATALOGUE:VERTIGO 6360071
• MATRIX: 6360071 1 Y // 2 v 420 1 3 5  /  2 Y // 2  1 8 

FIRST OF ALL WHY IS THIS VERSION RARER THAN THE SWIRL PRESSING????

VOLUME 4 WAS RELEASED IN SEPTEMBER 1972 AFTER WHICH TIME THE BAND COMPLETED AN EXTENSIVE TOUR OF THE USA. SABBATH BLOODY SABBATH WAS RELEASED IN DECEMBER 1973, AND IN BETWEEN THE BAND GETTING BACK FROM THE STATES AND COMPLETING SABBATH BLOODY SABBATH THERE WAS A FALLING OUT WITH RECORD COMPANY VERTIGO. THUS 'SBS' WAS ISSUED ON THE WWA RECORD LABEL WHO THEN HAD THE RIGHTS TO REISSUE THEIR BACK CATALOGUE, AND DID SO. HOWEVER VERTIGO WERE ALSO GRADUALLY RE ISSUING THE BACK CATALOGUE ON THEIR NEWLY DESIGNED SPACESHIP LABEL, AND THE TROUBLES OCCURRED RIGHT AT THE POINT WHERE VOLUME 4 WAS BEING REISSUED, AND THEREFORE IT WAS HALTED, BUT NOT BEFORE A FEW HUNDRED COPIES HAD MADE IT OUT OF THE FACTORY.

NOW YOU MAY BE ASKING WHY WWA COULD REISSUE THE VERTIGO BACK CATALOGUE, WELL THE ANSWER IS SIMPLY BECAUSE BOTH VERTIGO AND WWA WERE SUBSIDIARIES OF PARENT COMPANY PHONOGRAM

SO THE SPACESHIP REISSUE OF VOLUME 4 WAS HALTED AND LATER REAPPEARED ON THE WWA LABEL WITH THE CATALOGUE NUMBER WWA009 AND THEY EVEN USED THE ORIGINAL VERTIGO SWIRL SLEEVES INITIALLY AND JUST STUCK A CATALOGUE NUMBER STICKER OVER THE VERTIGO CATALOGUE NUMBER ON THE BACK. AND THIS WAS COMPLETED BEFORE THE FEW SPACESHIP LABELS MADE IT OUT OF THE FACTORY. IT WAS CLEARLY NEVER INTENDED TO BE RELEASED ON THE SPACESHIP LABEL AS WWA HAD THE RIGHTS TO RELEASE IT, AND IT WAS CLEARLY THEIR INTENTION TO DO THAT BY STICKER THIS STICKER OVER THE VERTIGO CATALOGUE NUMBER.

THIS THEN IS WHY THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE IS FAR RARER THAN THE STANDARD VERTIGO SPIRAL ISSUE

THE RECORDS

THE LABELS

THE VERTIGO SPACESHIP LABELS ARE IN ABSOLUTELY MAGNIFICENT CONDITION. THE COLOURS ARE TOTALLY UNRUBBED AND STRETCH FULLY INTO THE UNWORN SPINDLE HOLE. THERE ARE JUST 2 MINUSCULE SPIDER LINES CLOSE TO THE SPINDLE HOLE, AND EVEN THESE I HAD TO USE A MAGNIFYING GLASS TO SPOT

THE VINYL

THE  VINYL IS IN EXCEPTIONAL CONDITION AND HAS NOT LOST ANY OF ITS ORIGINAL LUSTRE. I CANNOT SEE ANY MARKS ON IT WHATSOEVER, AND IT LOOKS AS GOOD AS THE DAY IT WAS PRESSED. EVEN UNDER INTENSE ILLUMINATION THERE IS NOTHING MORE THAN A FEW WISPY HAIRLINES

PLAYING THE RECORD

I BELIEVE THAT IF YOU ARE GOING TO SPEND YOUR MONEY ON A FANTASTIC COLLECTIBLE VINYL, THAT YOU SHOULD BE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR WHAT YOU ARE BUYING. I HAVE THEREFORE INVESTED IN THE SOFTWARE THAT ALLOWS YOU TO DO JUST THAT.

I HAVE RECORDED THE ENTIRE ALBUM FROM START TO FINISH AS I AM NOW DOING WITH ALL MY LISTINGS. I AM CONVINCED THAT BIDDERS WOULD LOVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO HEAR THE RECORD BEFORE LAYING A BID. THIS IS A SERVICE I AM DELIGHTED TO BE ABLE TO OFFER MY CUSTOMERS

THIS ALBUM PLAYS SUPERBLY ALL THE WAY THROUGH BOTH SIDES, AND THERE IS NOT ONE JOT OF DISTORTION TO THIS STEREO REPRODUCTION AT ANY POINT, MEANING THAT THE FEW PLAYS IT HAS RECEIVED WERE COMPLETED ON A SYSTEM THAT HAD A CORRECTLY WEIGHTED AND UNBORN STYLUS

THIS VINYL HAS ONLY HAD THE COUPLE OF PLAYS AND CLEARLY HAS BEEN PLAYED WITH CARE ON A TOP HI FI SYSTEM. THE STEREO REPRODUCTION IS MAGNIFICENT AND THE NOTES ARE HEARD CRISPLY AND CLEARLY EXACTLY AS WAS INTENDED,

THE VINYL PRODUCES NO BACKGROUND CRACKLE WHATSOEVER, AND NO VINYL NOISE OR EVEN STATIC AT ANY POINT

TAKE A LISTEN TO 'CHANGES' AND 'LAGUNA SUNRISE' WHICH ARE THE TWO QUIETER TRACKS AND YOU WILL HEAR WHAT I MEAN

THERE ARE JUST 3-4 OF THE TINIEST DUST POPS THROUGH THE ENTIRE PLAYTHROUGH

I AM MORE THAN HAPPY TO GRADE THIS VINYL MINT MINUS

BUT DON'T TAKE MY WORD FOR IT, TAKE A LISTEN AND JUDGE IT FOR YOURSELF

THE SLEEVE

THIS IS THE ORIGINAL UNLAMINATED HOWARDS GATEFOLD SLEEVE

AS I HAVE MENTIONED AT THE TOP OF THE LISTING, THE VERY LAST REISSUES ON THE SPACESHIP LABEL, CARRIES A SLEEVE WITH A WWA LABEL ATTACHED TO THE BACK COVERING THE VERTIGO CATALOGUE NUMBER. HERE IS ONE OF THOSE SLEEVES

THIS SLEEVE IS ONE OF THOSE THAT IS NIGH ON IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND IN THE SORT OF CONDITION THAT SERIOUS COLLECTORS WOULD WANT TO ADD TO THEIR COLLECTIONS. DUE ENTIRELY TO THE POWDERY BLACK SURFACE WHICH RUBS ALMOST BY LOOKING AT IT, AND THE VAST MAJORITY OF COPIES THAT YOU WILL SEE WILL BE HEAVILY POCK MARKED WITH WHITE PATCHES

THIS ONE IS AS CLEAN AS I HAVE SEEN FOR MANY A YEAR. THE ORIGINAL OWNER HAD THE FORESIGHT TO PLACE THE SLEEVE IN A SEPARATE OUTER SLEEVE, AND REMOVE AND STORE THE VINYL AWAY FROM THE SLEEVE. THE RESULT BEING ONE SUPERBLY LOOKED AFTER AND NEAR MINT CONDITION SLEEVE

THE FRONT SURFACE IS IN SUPERB CONDITION. FIRST OF ALL IT'S COMPLETELY FLAT AND HAS NO HEAVY CREASES OR CREASE LINES.AND ONLY 5 REALLY SMALL LINES BY THE SPINE. AND EVEN THESE ARE STILL SO LIGHT THAT THE WHITE HAS NOT COME THROUGH FROM UNDERNEATH

THE ONLY MINOR BLEMISHES TO THIS SURFACE ARE THE VERY TIPS OF THE CORNERS WHICH HAVE VERY LIGHT RUBBING, AND IN THE TOP RIGHT CORNER THE ORIGINAL LADY OWNER HAS PENNED HER NAME, BUT IN BLACK BIRO, SO I DIDN'T EVEN SPOT IT UNTIL I ANGLED THE SLEEVE INTO THE LIGHT, SO ITS NEAR INVISIBLE

THERE IS NO LOSS OF THE JET BLACK POWDERY SURFACE WHATSOEVER, WHICH IN ITSELF IS A REAL RARITY

THE WHITE 'BLACK SABBATH' LOGO IS STILL VERY WHITE AND HAS NOT BEEN STAINED LIKE MANY COPIES

BOTH TOP AND BOTTOM EDGES ARE VIRTUALLY FREE FROM ANY SHELF WEAR WITH JUST A COUPLE OF TINY WHITE FLECKS SHOWING THROUGH ON EACH AND THE VERY TIPS OF THE CORNERS LIGHTLY RUBBED

THE SPINE IS IMMACULATE WITH ALL OF THE DELICATE BLACK SURFACE INTACT. AND ALL OF THE ORANGE TYPEFACE BEING PERFECTLY LEGIBLE. IN ADDITION THERE IS NO FINGER TO THUMB SQUASHING OF THE SPINE.JUST THE VERY TOP AND BOTTOM TIPS HAVE THE LIGHTEST SHELF RUB

THE OPENING EDGE IS STILL VERY SHARP WITH JUST A COUPLE OF THUMB NAIL NICKS ALONG THE EDGES, AND A TINY BIT OF BURRING AT THE VERY TOP AND BOTTOM

THE REAR SURFACE IS IN EVEN BETTER CONDITION THAN THE FRONT WITH JUST ONE TINY LINE NEAR THE SPINE , AND AGAIN NO COLOUR LOSS WHATSOEVER, AND NO GRUBBINESS TO THE WHITE AREAS. ALSO IT IS HERE THAT THE WWA LABEL HAS BEEN STUCK OVER THE CATALOGUE NUMBER JUST BELOW THE ORANGE NUMBER '4'

OPENING THE GATEFOLD REVEALS TWO ABSOLUTELY PRISTINE INNER PANELS . MY BELIEF IS THAT BECAUSE THE SLEEVE WAS HOUSED SEPARATELY TO THE RECORD, THAT IT HAS JUST NOT BEEN OPENED FOR YEARS, AND YOU ONLY HAVE TO TAKE ONE LOOK AT THE MINT CREASE FREE 4 PAGE INSERT TO SEE WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT

THE ORIGINAL SWIRL INNER SLEEVE IS INCLUDED AND PERFECTLY UNSPLIT. IT IS ALSO TOTALLY FLAT WITH JUST ONE MINUSCULE NICK ON ONE SIDE OF THE DIE CUT HOLE, AND SOME LIGHT GLUE AGEING NEAR THE PERIMETER EDGES

WITHOUT A SHADOW OF DOUBT THIS SLEEVE GRADES NEAR MINT!!! 

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR BID IF YOU CHOSE TO GO FOR IT

GARRY