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

This first pressing on the famous Vertigo label plays with stunning quality for the vast majority and with only minimal intrusion.  The clarity, depth and power of the audio is so impressive and there are no intrusive clicks or pops.  Even the quiet 'Planet Caravan' plays extremely well with only minimal background and the same applies to the quiet sections on 'Hand Of Doom' which have only light static here and there.  As always a full grading is given below and there you can read just how superb the audio is!  The definition and resonance of the audio is up there with the best I have ever heard and whilst there are some hairlines you can tell this vinyl has been very well looked after and not overplayed.

Another genuine highlight is the matt textured cover with the Big Bear management credit on the inside.  It is easily one of the cleanest most impressive versions I have ever seen and has only minimal shelf wear.  Just look at the photos - the inside especially is in fantastic condition!  The original swirl inner is also in superb condition.

As this is a genuine first press it has the 1Y1 / 2Y1 matrix and of course the Big Bear management credit on the inside cover.  It has a large swirl on the S2 label and VERTIGO is above the spindle hole.  The Roger Bain production credit is written one line on the S2 label (Rodger on the cover) and there is of course no break between 'Hand Of Doom' and 'Rat Salad' so it looks as if there are just three tracks on S2.

6360011 1Y // 1 ▽ 420  1 2  4

6360011 2Y // 1 ▽ 420  1 1  9

The audio on S1 is Mint(-) (T1 Ex one early section / T3 Ex+)

The audio S2 is Mint(-) (T2 ranges between Ex+ and Mint- / T3 Near Mint)

The gatefold is a very strong Ex

The labels are Near Mint-

The original Swirl inner is Ex+

Visual description

The vinyl is in excellent condition and still has a strong glossy sheen with no marks or scratches.  Under a bright light you can see a number of faint hairlines as you would expect but they are superficial and do not stand out.  There is only one on S2 that is a little more obvious but it is still faint.  Under a more forgiving light the vinyl is visually stunning for sure and looks very glossy indeed!  There is no bag rash or groove wear and the iconic Vertigo labels are very clean with just some spindle wear around the spindle holes but certainly not an excessive amount.  There is one tiny faint mark next to the cat number on the S2 label, hardly worth a mention really!

Play grading  

The intro on the classic 'War Pigs' plays with such deep rich audio and no interference.  The air-raid siren is also 'as new' and the quiet percussive section that follows plays very clearly but with three static ticks.  Osbourne's opening vocal has no background static and only 3/4 static ticks.  The next instrumental with Iommi leading it is faultless and the more up-tempo vocal section then plays with stunning clarity and power.  The mid instrumental is of the same high end standard and again the audio is so strong and deep, this is a vinyl that has definitely not been overplayed.  The quiet 'percussive' section has only a couple of barely audible dust ticks, the playback is STUNNING - so clean, and the next vocal plays to perfection.  The closing instrumental is just as impressive and has no background.  The vast majority here is indeed Mint- but I will grade that section near the beginning as Ex I believe that is fair.

'Paranoid' plays with exceptional audio throughout with NO interference.  The music is so deep and intense and the 'sound' resonates so powerfully around the room.  Osbourne's voice is just as strong and you can turn it up to 'loud' with no distortion.  This is Mint in every way.

'Planet Caravan' is of course so often affected by sound issues being such a quiet track and the first pressings especially rarely play well.  This is the exception!  The first note has one very minor tick and it then plays with great clarity with no clicks or pops.  Osbourne's 'gentle' vocal throughout is very clean and whilst there is modicum of very light static here there there is nothing that you would deem intrusive.  The delicate guitar section that closes the track is a prime example of that with only a handful of light ticks and very little static.  The long fade out is also very clean with no intrusion.  I have actually just played it back again and I was even more impressed second time round!  Ex+ is definitely a fair assessment of the audio.

The percussive intro on 'Iron Man' is flawless and that actually applies to the entire intro.  Incredible sonic quality!  The opening vocal is on the same level and it continues to play with a clarity and power that defies the age of the album!  I cannot praise this version highly enough - the vocals are so strong and the work from the rest of the band can only be described 'as new'.  The mid instrumental is so powerful and dynamic, I cannot fault it.  In fact there are no negatives here, every section plays with exceptional quality and for once there is no inner groove distortion.  The final vocal, Butler's heavy bass section and then Iommi's final solo complete this track with sensational quality.  It's not you find a Mint version of this total classic but we certainly have one here!

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Another menacing intro on 'Electric Funeral' and another that plays perfectly!  The first four verses are of the same exact standard and the mid instrumental is just as strong and clear.  The high octane vocal section plays like the record was only pressed yesterday and the remainder plays with the same intensity.  The long fade out is nigh on perfect with only a couple of very light ticks and a hint of static right at the end.  A superb Mint- version.

The very quiet intro and opening vocal on 'Hand Of Doom' play very clearly with only minimal light static here and there and the first up-tempo section is perfect.  The next quiet vocal section has only light static and the following 'heavy' vocal / instrumental section plays with stunning precision and power.  The quiet bass section is faultless and the mid 'heavy' section could not play any better, the audio definition is superb.  There is no distortion on the top end, this entire section is superb!  The quiet passage that follows including the vocal from Osbourne plays with great clarity and no real intrusion and the remainder is of the same standard if not better!  I would say this ranges between Ex+ and Mint but certainly more of the latter!  The quieter so often play with a fair amount of static / crackle but there is only minimal static here and there are no clicks or pops.

'Rat Salad' has only a couple of minor static ticks on the intro and then plays with genuine quality for the remainder, a couple of barely audible ticks that is all.  Ward's solo is stunning, great depth and resonance here, and overall Near Mint is about right but yes the vast majority is better.

The entire intro on 'Fairies Wear Boots' plays with stunning precision, the clarity and depth of the audio is up there with the best I have ever heard.  That first classic riff is just as good and Osbourne's opening vocal has no intrusion either.  From that point on it plays with such strong and deep audio - the original sonic quality is still very much there which is impressive when you consider this is the final track on the album.  There is no inner groove distortion, no muddiness  to the sound and the mid instrumental is 'as new' in every sense.  The final vocal keeps up the standard and the instrumental that closes the album plays with audio of the highest calibre.  Wow this is good!  Another classic (aren't they all!) and Mint is 100% deserved as there is no interference not even on the fade out.

In summary this genuine first press plays to a very high standard with only minimal intrusion - the clarity, depth, power and resonance of the audio is so impressive and there is no inner groove distortion.  As stated 'Planet Caravan' plays with much 'cleaner' audio compared to so many other versions I have heard - not perfect but still damn good!  It is not affected by constant irritating loud static or crackle.  'War Pigs' has only a small number of light ticks and 'Hand Of Doom' has only minimal light static during some of the quieter sections.  There are no clicks, pops or jumps and so much of this classic album does indeed play to a Mint standard.  Like I said so so much of the original sonic quality has been retained.  Together with a superb 'Big Bear' cover this will add to any 'high end' serious collection!

The Gatefold & Swirl Inner

The matt textured cover is in excellent condition and is easily one of the cleanest Big Bear editions I have ever seen.  It is of course very susceptible to wear because it isn't laminated but this one has been so well preserved over the last 53 years (very nearly!)  It has also retained its original shape and structure extremely well with no bending or creasing.  The top edges have only very minimal rubbing and there is just a little more on the bottom edges as is common.  The wide spine remains very strong and is still 100% legible with only a small number of 'rubs' and a little wear on the corners.  The right hand corners are very clean overall and the opening edge has only the bare minimum of handling wear.  The front cover is very clean with no obvious marking - I can see just one small faint mark on the left side and a handful of minor scratch lines that you can only see when you hold the cover at a certain angle.  The back cover is just as impressive with only a couple of minor marks that again are only obvious when you hold it to the light.  It could be said that the inside of the gatefold is the star of the show!  So often found in poor condition it is in beautiful condition here with only a small number of minor specks.  It is STUNNING and the inner spine is in superb shape also.  All in all one very impressive Big Bear cover and there certainly cannot be many around today as strong and clean as this one!

The original poly-lined Swirl inner is superb condition with no side splits or tears and hardly any age related fading around the edges.  A couple of tiny 'nicks' on the central aperture and only minimal creasing.

Play tested on my Rega P2 Turntable / Denon PMA-520AE Amp / B&W 684 Speakers

This record has been cleaned on a Pro-Ject VC-S machine

6360011 1Y // 1 ▽ 420  1 2  4

6360011 2Y // 1 ▽ 420  1 1  9

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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Postage & Packaging

I NOW ONLY SEND ITEMS WORLDWIDE VIA TRACKED SHIPPING. THIS PROVIDES 'PEACE OF MIND' IN CASE OF LOSS OR DAMAGE. ALL COSTS ARE SHOWN BELOW AND COMBINED POSTAGE IS ALWAYS OFFERED. ANY OVER-PAYMENT WILL ALWAYS BE REFUNDED BACK TO THE BUYER.

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ALL VINYLS ARE PACKAGED IN STRONG CUSTOM MADE OVER-SIZED MAILERS WITH EXTRA CARDBOARD PROTECTION. THEY ARE PUT IN SEPARATE POLY-LINED INNERS OUTSIDE OF THE COVER SO AS TO AVOID SEAM SPLITS. THEY ARE ALSO PLACED INSIDE A PVC SLEEVE TO PROVIDE EXTRA PROTECTION. I PRIDE MYSELF ON MY HIGH QUALITY PACKAGING AS MY FEEDBACK TESTIFIES AND IF ANY CUSTOMER HAS ANY SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS I WILL ALWAYS ENDEAVOUR TO HELP.

I ONLY USE HIGH QUALITY MAILERS AND THESE COST ME £1.00 EACH. I WILL OFTEN USE 3 OR 4 CARDBOARD STIFFENERS AND THESE COST AT LEAST £0.15 EACH AND THEN THERE IS THE COST OF THE POLY-LINED INNER AND PVC SLEEVE TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT. IT ALL ADDS UP! NOT FORGETTING EBAY TAKING 10% OF THE SHIPPING FEE ALSO!!

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