Black Sabbath VOLUME FOUR Vertigo Swirl UK 1ST MINT

	£		117
	$		155

BLACK SABBATH - VOLUME 4

1ST PRESS VERTIGO SPIRAL LABEL MINT CONDITION VINYL AND NM- SLEEVE

• CAT:6360 071
• MATRIX: 6360 071 1-Y1 / 6360 071 2-Y1
• PORKY & PECKO ETCHED INTO THE RUN OFF
• VERTIGO SPIRAL LABEL 1ST PRESS

I DON'T BELIEVE I HAVE EVER SEEN A BETTER COPY THAN THIS

THE RECORD LABELS

THE FAMOUS VERTIGO SWIRL LABELS WHICH ARE IN ABSOLUTELY MAGNIFICENT PRISTINE CONDITION. THE A SIDE HAS THE FULL BLACK SWIRL AND THERE IS NOT A MARK ON IT. SPINNING THE DISC OVER REVEALS THE VERY VULNERABLE WHITE SIDE. VULNERABLE BECAUSE SO MANY OF THESE LABELS ARE IN FACT ANYTHING BUT WHITE. THIS LABEL HOWEVER IS COMPLETELY AS NEW. THE WHITE SURFACE IS BRILLIANT WHITE AND THERE ARE NO MARKS WHATSOEVER EVEN AROUND THE SPINDLE HOLE WHERE GRIME USUALLY HAS DISCOLOURED THE SURFACE. THE BLACK LETTERING ON THE WHITE BACKGROUND IS VERY CLEAR AND SHARP. THE SPINDLE HOLE HAS JUST TWO MINISCULE SPIDER LINES CLOSE TO THE HOLE WHERE THE ORIGINAL OWNER PLACED THE LP CAREFULLY ONTO THE TURNTABLE .THERE IS ALSO A TINY BIT OF VINYL STILL INSIDE THE SPINDLE HOLE PROVING JUST HOW LITTLE THIS HAS BEEN PLAYED. THIS IS CLEARLY A WELL CARED FOR BARELY PLAYED VAULT CONDITION ALBUM

THE VINYL

ABSOLUTELY PRISTINE GLOSSY BLACK HEAVYWEIGHT VINYL. REMOVING IT FROM THE SLEEVE AND GENTLY AND CAREFULLY EXAMINING THE DISC REVEALS A SPOTLESS SURFACE. THIS VINYL APPEARS EXACTLY HOW A NEW VINYL WOULD HAVE LOOKED BACK IN 1972 WHEN THIS DISC WAS ORIGINALLY PRESSED. ETCHED INTO THE RUN OFF WAX ARE THE DIGITS THAT IDENTIFY THIS ALBUM AS A VERY FIRST PRESS. NAMELY THE CATALOGUE NUMBER 6360 071 1-Y1 / 2-Y1 AND PORKY AND PECKO. THE HIGH GLOSS AND  MARK FREE DISC IS WITHOUT A DOUBT ONE OF THE CLEANEST I HAVE EVER SEEN. EVEN WHEN OFFERED UP TO A SPOTLIGHT THERE IS NOTHING TO SEE. THIS LOOK LIKE IT HAS JUST BEEN PRESSED. THERE IS NOT A BETTER COPY OF THIS OUT THERE, THERE CAN'T BE , BECAUSE THIS IS IMMACULATE

PLAYING THE RECORD

I BELIEVE THAT LISTENING TO WHAT THIS SOUNDS LIKE IS BETTER THAN ANY WORDS THAT I MIGHT USE IN DESCRIBING THE QUALITY OF THE PRESS, AND THEREFORE I HAVE INVESTED IN THE SOFTWARE TO ALLOW YOU TO LISTEN BEFORE YOU BUY.

I HAVE INCLUDED 6 EXTENDED SEGMENTS OF THIS ALBUM TO HOPEFULLY DEMONSTRATE THE QUALITY OF THIS PRESS, AND   HOW GREAT THIS RECORD SOUNDS. PLEASE CLICK ON THE MEDIA PLAYER ABOVE TO HEAR THEM. I ALWAYS BELIEVE THAT THE INTRODUCTION (RUN IN GROOVE) IS A REALLY GOOD REFLECTION OF THE OVERALL QUALITY OF THE DISC. SO I HAVE STARTED THE RECORDING FROM THE RUN IN GROOVE, HENCE A FEW SECONDS BEFORE THE MUSIC STARTS. HOWEVER YOU WILL BE ABLE TO CLEARLY HEAR WHAT THAT RUN IN SOUNDS LIKE, WHETHER IT HAS ANY NOISE ETC.

THE TWO TRACKS THAT WILL SHOW UP ANY UNWANTED NOISES ARE CHANGES AND LAGUNA SUNRISE, AND I HAVE RECORDED VIRTUALLY ALL OF CHANGES, AND ALL OF LAGUNA SUNRISE, AS WELL AS 4 OTHER TRACKS. THIS WILL DEMONSTRATE JUST HOW MAGNIFICENT THIS VINYL IS

THE RUN IN IS SILENT, AND AS THE RECORD STARTS TO PLAY "WHEELS OF CONFUSION" IT IS VERY OBVIOUS THAT YOU ARE LISTENING TO SOMETHING SPECIAL. THE FIRST THING THAT IS CLEAR IS THAT THE SOUND IS DISTORTION FREE. ALMOST POINTLESS STATING THIS IN LIGHT OF HOW LITTLE THE ALBUM HAS BEEN PLAYED, BUT IT DOES MEAN THAT THE PLAY THAT THE RECORD HAS HAD WAS DONE WITH A GOOD QUALITY STYLUS AND NOT ONE THAT WOULD HAVE CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE GROOVE SUCH AS A WORN, CHIPPED STYLUS, OR INDEED ONE THAT WAS TRACKING TOO HEAVILY.

EACH TRACK PLAYS THROUGH WITH UTMOST CLARITY. THE PERFORMANCE ALL THE WAY THROUGH BOTH SIDES IS JUST OUTSTANDING. THERE IS NO BACKGROUND NOISE ANYWHERE ON EITHER SIDE, AND EACH LINKING GROOVE IS AS SILENT AS THE RUN IN THAT YOU HAVE ALREADY HEARD BY NOW. EVEN THE RUN OUT WHICH HISTORICALLY HAS NOISE ON MOST ALBUMS IS AS CLEAR AS A BELL. I CANNOT FAULT THIS VINYL IN ANY WAY

I HAVE NO HESITATION IN GRADING THIS DISC MINT ( NOT EVEN A MINUS)

THE SLEEVE

THIS IS THE FIRST PRESS HOWARDS OF SLOUGH SLEEVE

THE OVERALL GRADING OF THE SLEEVE IS NEAR MINT MINUS 

THIS PRECIOUS NON LAMINATED GATEFOLD WAS NOTORIOUS FOR LOSING ITS POWDER STYLE MATT BLACK SURFACE. IT SEEMED THAT YOU ONLY HAD TO PUT IT UP AGAINST ANOTHER SLEEVE AND YOU WOULD LOSE SOME OF THE COLOUR. IT IS THEREFORE VERY HARD TO FIND A PERFECT ONE. THIS ONE I BELIEVE IS WAY ABOVE THE GRADE THAT MOST WILL BE FOUND IN

THE FIRST THING TO SAY IS THAT THE POWDERY BLACK HAS BEEN RETAINED OVER 98% OF THE SLEEVE, AND THIS IN ITSELF IS JUST AMAZING. THE ONLY AREAS WHERE THERE IS A LITTLE LOSS IS ALONG THE RIGHT HALF OF THE BOTTOM EDGE, BUT ONLY A SLIVER, AND A DOT IN THE TOP RIGHT CORNER, AND ON THE BACK, JUST THE BOTTOM LEFT CORNER.

THE BLACK IS A VERY DEEP BLACK ALL OVER AND THE SLEEVE LOOKS STUNNING. THERE IS NO GRUBBINESS IN THE WHITE LETTERING LIKE MOST COPIES YOU WILL FIND, AND NO HEAVY CREASES. THE ONLY CREASE LINES IS ONE ON THE FRONT ABOUT ONE INCH OUT FROM THE SPINE JUST ABOVE THE VERTIGO LOGO.

I STRESS AGAIN THAT FINDING A NEAR MINT ONE OF THESE SLEEVES IS NEAR IMPOSSIBLE. BUT THIS IS VERY CLOSE.

OPENING THE GATEFOLD REVEALS A PROPERLY STUCK DOWN INNER 4 PAGE BOOKLET. IT IS IN IMMACULATE CONDITION 

THE ORIGINAL SWIRL INNER SLEEVE IS ALSO INCLUDED, IT HAS ONE MINUTE SPLIT ON ONE EDGE BUT IS OTHERWISE IN EXCEPTIONAL CONDITION

THE RECORD HAS BEEN PRESERVED IN A NEW POLY LINED INNER SLEEVE, THE ORIGINAL IS INCLUDED AND LEFT INSIDE THE SLEEVE. THE LP WILL BE SENT VERY CAREFULLY PACKAGED AND I WILL PLACE THE LP OUTSIDE OF THE SLEEVE FOR MAXIMUM PROTECTION. YOUR NEW PURCHASE WILL ALSO COME HOUSED IN A NEW STIFF PLASTIC OUTER SLEEVE.

SO ONCE AGAIN THIS IS A VERY VERY HIGH GRADE COLLECTIBLE ALBUM IN THE MOST SUPERB CONDITION IMAGINABLE, SO BID WITH CONFIDENCE, AND GOOD LUCK IF YOU DECIDE TO GO FOR IT

GARRY