BLACK SABBATH MASTER OF REALITY LP VERTIGO SWIRL 1971

	£		26
	$		34

BLACK SABBATH

MASTER OF REALITY 1st PRESS LP

1971 VERTIGO STEREO 6360 050 MADE IN HOLLAND

SLEEVE....the  sleeve is in  very good++ condition

VINYL.....condition is excellent++ with black mirror like surfaces (has only a few tiny faint lines)

LABELS.....both labels are in excellent+++ /near mint condition

MATRIX NUMBERS..... 6360 050 1Y    6360 050 2Y1

SORRY NO POSTER
 

Master of Reality is the third album by the British heavy metal band Black Sabbath, released in 1971. The album's "darker" or "sludgier" sound was a significant influence on the heavy metal genre known as doom metal, and on heavy metal in general.

To date, Master of Reality has sold two million copies and reached 2x platinum

 Recording

For the recording of this album, guitarist Tony Iommi, who had injured his fingers in a factory accident years earlier, decided to de-tune his guitar down three semi-tones (or one and a half steps to C-sharp). This reduced string tension, thus making the guitar easier for him to play. Geezer Butler also de-tuned his bass guitar to match Iommi. The result was a noticeably "darker" or "sludgier" sound.

Master of Reality was recorded at Record Plant Studios in Los Angeles, California between February and April 1971. This was the first time the band had recorded an album outside their home country of England. The album was produced by Rodger Bain, who had also produced their previous two albums. However, this would be his final collaboration with the band.

 Music and lyrics

The slow and heavy songs that comprise most of the album are interspersed with quiet ballads written by Tony Iommi. Two of these, "Embryo" and "Orchid", are short instrumentals serving as interludes. The third, "Solitude", is much longer in comparison and features Ozzy Osbourne's soft, mournful vocals.

Unusually, the lyrics of the song "After Forever" written by Tony Iommi, focus entirely on Christian themes. At the time, some viewed Black Sabbath as Satanists due to their dark sound, image and lyrics. Similarly, the song "Lord of this World" has lyrics that appear to concern someone who is possessed by Satan.

The album opener, "Sweet Leaf" is a song about cannabis sativa. "Children of the Grave" was written about war, peace and revolution, and is lyrically similar to "War Pigs" and "Electric Funeral" on their previous album.

 Artwork

The album cover reads Master of Reality coloured grey, underneath Black Sabbath coloured purple, against a black background. The words are written in a large font with a ripple effect like that of moving water or a waving flag. The first editions of the album came in an embossed 'envelope sleeve', which contained a poster of the band. This was the first Black Sabbath sleeve on which the lyrics were reproduced on the back of the sleeve. On the first North American editions of the album, several songs had subtitles given to segments, making it appear that there were more songs than there actually were. The intro of "After Forvever" was given the title "The Elegy", The outro of "Children of the Grave" was given the title "The Haunting", the intro of "Lord of This World" was titled "Step Up," and the intro of "Into the Void" was titled "Deathmask". This treatment had also been used on the North American editions of Black Sabbath's previous two albums. These pressings also incorrectly listed the album title as Masters of Reality. Subsequent editions corrected the album's title and removed the Four subtitles.

 Release and reception

The album broke the top ten in both the United Kingdom (#5) and United States (#8) and achieved Gold status on advance orders alone. Eventually it sold two million copies in the US. However, critical response of the era was again unfavourable, with Lester Bangs of Rolling Stone dismissing Master of Reality as "naive, simplistic, repetitive, absolute doggerel". However the very same magazine would later place the album at number 298 on their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list, compiled in 2003. The magazine described the album as "the definitive studio relic of Sabbath's golden-hellfire era (1970-74)..."[1]

Thirty years after the album's release, Q magazine (7/01, p.86) included it in their 50 Heaviest Albums of All Time and described it as "malevolent...casting Black Sabbath as a Titanic-style house band on the eve of Armageddon, cranking it as the bomb drops." Another edition of Q magazine that year (1/01, p.122) gave it 5 out of 5 stars, describing it as "the most cohesive record of their first three albums."

 Track listing

All songs by Tony Iommi, Bill Ward, Geezer Butler and Ozzy Osbourne, except where noted.

 Side one

1. "Sweet Leaf" – 5:05
2. "After Forever" (Iommi) – 5:27
3. "Embryo" (Iommi) – 0:28
4. "Children of the Grave" – 5:17

Side two

1. "Orchid" (Iommi) – 1:30
2. "Lord Of This World" – 5:26
3. "Solitude" – 5:02
4. "Into the Void" – 6:13

 Personnel

• Ozzy Osbourne – lead vocals
• Tony Iommi – guitar, flute, piano
• Geezer Butler – bass guitar
• Bill Ward – drums, backing vocals
• Keef – photography, poster design
• Mike Stanfod – art direction

my records are condition graded visually in accordance with Record Collector's Grading System as follows:

MINT (M): Unplayed, pristine condition, often still sealed.

NEAR MINT (NM): The record itself is in almost brand new condition with no apparent surface marks, full original vinyl lustre, and no deterioration in sound quality.The cover and any extra items are in near perfect condition.

EXCELLENT (EX): The record shows signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and/or packaging might have slight wear and/or creasing.

VERY GOOD (VG): The record obviously has been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover and/or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

GOOD (G): The record has been played so much that the sound quality has deteriorated noticeably, perhaps with some distortion and/or scratches. The cover and/or contents may suffer from folding, scuffing, spine-splits, major discolouration, etc.

+ or - indicates a grading in between the given categories

Postage and Packing: UK 2nd class £3.50 ; Europe airmail £8.00; ROW airmail £9.00 sent fully insured & signed for

I offer reduced postage rates for combined multiple purchases as follows:

UK mainland: Price as quoted above for the first LP  plus £1.50 for each additional LP

Overseas: Price as quoted above for the first LP plus £2.00 for each additional LP

The above prices apply to a maximum combination of 4 x LP records only. Purchasers of multiple items should await invoice before making payment. fully insured & signed for

Please note that, all my vinyl will be packed in proper mailers with at least 2 cardboard stiffeners for added protection to ensure that you will receive it in the same condition as despatched

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