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Relisted due to non-payment

Black Sabbath : Master Of Reality 1Y1 / 2Y1 1st Vertigo Press 1971 Embossed Box Cover

This first Vertigo pressing plays with stunning quality for the vast majority and the only intrusion really is a little static and crackle at the beginning of 'Orchid' on S2.  'Solitude' so often problematic plays very clearly with only one static click.  As for the rest of this classic album the audio is incredible!  The clarity, depth and power is superb and there is no distortion on the top end, I cannot imagine this record has been played very much and certainly the sonic quality and the minimal spindle wear certainly suggests that.  It's fair to say the vast majority plays to a Mint standard and 'Children Of The Grave' is a classic example of that, I have never heard better!

The laminated box cover is one of the strongest I have seen in a long time and for once the spines are not angled meaning it has hardly had any compression over the years.  The original Vertigo inner is not date coded but it does have the familiar negative type design.  Unfortunately the original poster is not included.

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The audio on S1 is Mint(-) (T2 intro Ex+)

The audio on Mint(-) (T1 intro VG+ then Ex+ / T3 Ex+)

The embossed box cover is Ex

The Vertigo inner sleeve is Ex

The labels are Near Mint

Visual description

The vinyl is in excellent condition and still has a strong glossy look with no scratches.  S1 has one very small thumbnail type mark and a faint mottled type line on T1 but they are superficial as they have no affect on the audio.  S1 has one small faded area on T1 but other than that both sides are very clean and even under a bright light it is difficult to find any hairlines.  There is no groove or surface wear and the Vertigo labels are very clean with only minimal spindle wear.

Play grading

The initial cough on 'Sweet Leaf' has no intrusion and the intro then plays with great power and depth, there is just one barely audible static.  Ozzy's opening vocal section is just as impressive and the instrumental bridge has no intrusion either - I always think this album has the most down-tuned sound of all the Sabbath records and the audio really is so deep and resonant here.  The second verse has no background and the mid instrumental with Iommi at the helm (of course) plays with stunning quality.  Ward's contribution adds so much, the percussion here is so clean and powerful, sonically it could not play any better.  The final vocal passage is perfect and the concluding section including the fade out has no background.  A superb Mint- version for sure.

The intro on 'After Forever' has a couple of dull ticks a few seconds in and the first classic riff is stunning, it's one of the greatest riffs in the entire history of rock as I always say!  The opening vocal is 'as new' and it continues to play with that familiar deep, rich sound.  The staccato like third verse has just one very quiet static at the beginning and then plays perfectly.  The following instrumental is just as strong and clear and the next verse is as clean as the day it was first pressed.  The next instrumental plays with STUNNING clarity and definition and the final verse again has no interference.  The high octane finish is as good as anything I have ever heard before with zero distortion on the top end and it definitely has the wow factor!  The fade out is crystal clear also.  I will grade the intro as Ex+ but from then on it has to grade as Mint

The brief 'Embryo' so often plays with a static distortion type of sound but not here.  The audio is so clean and for once there is no background at all.  A rare Mint version.

The entire intro on 'Children Of The Grave' is absolutely STUNNING with a sonic quality you so rarely find today.  From the build up at the start to the beginning of the first vocal the power and depth of the audio encompasses the room in all its majesty!  Pure MINT audio basically and the opening vocal section is on the same level.  Jeez this version packs a punch!  The mid instrumental is as perfect as it is menacing (!) and the final verse has no intrusion.  Ward's sound is so unique here and as always he is ably supported by Butler's deep bass sound.  Iommi's end instrumental is 'as new' and again I cannot overstate just how immaculate the audio is - Iommi's solo near the end is a case in point, never heard better, and the powerful finish is so clean and well defined with no distortion, it could not play any better.  The quiet end section has only the bare minimum of light static but nothing intrusive of course.  It would be Mint apart from that but Mint- is still a fair assessment of the audio and it is without doubt one of the finest examples of this classic that I have EVER heard, the definitive version you could say.

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'Orchid' has a little static / crackle at the start and then a handful of minor statics.  From then onwards it plays very clearly and it's true to say the vast majority of this instrumental plays with great clarity.  A couple of light statics right at the end also.  The intro is VG+ and the remainder Ex+ at the very least.

The intro on 'Lord Of This World' plays with sublime clarity and depth and the opening vocal is flawless.  The instrumental bridge is equal to that and the next verse again plays with a clarity and definition that defies the age of the album!  The mid instrumental is so strong and deep and free of any background and the 'chorus' has no background either.  It continues in the same precise way with nothing to detract from the audio.  The final verse is perfect and the end instrumental has only a couple of minor ticks that you could easily miss.  The down-tuned sound again sounding so good!  The fade has a handful of minor statics but Mint- is definitely deserved here.

Now onto the track that so often has some issues!  The intro on 'Solitude' plays so clearly with barely any background and Ozzy's first delicate vocal has just one static click and no other background.  The instrumental bridge has a couple of light statics but honestly the clarity is very impressive.  The next verse has a little background static for 3/4 seconds but it's quiet and hardly intrusive, one minor tick also.  The following instrumental has hardly any background and the final verse is so close to perfect with barely any static.  The end section plays so clearly and the 'tinkling' percussion is superb!  I believe Ex+ is fair - a very clean version overall with a clarity of sound that is much better than the vast majority you find today, in my experience anyway.

'Into The Void' has another long intro and it's another one that plays to perfection.  The clarity and power is unrivalled and the first vocal is very clean.  I say clean because this vocal so often is affected by static distortion but that is certainly not the case here.  In fact the more I listen to it the more I can safely say that it has the cleanest vocal 'sound' I have ever heard.  From then on it plays with stunning quality - the fast paced middle is outstanding and the following instrumental is equally as impressive.  The final vocal is 'as new' and the closing instrumental is of the same hight end standard.  It goes without saying but this is a STUNNING finish to this classic track and Mint- is 100% deserved here.  There is no inner groove distortion at all.

The Embossed Box Cover & Vertigo Inner Sleeve

The fully laminated box cover is in excellent condition with only a little shelf wear.  For once it has retained its original shape and structure very well - the left and right spine are so often angled due to compression but they are very 'straight' here.  The main spine just has some light rubbing on the back edge and the left spine has only one small rub area near the top.  The top and bottom spine are very clean with only minimal rubbing.  The bottom corners have a little wear and the top ones are relatively clean - the top flap is hardly angled which is again rare.  The front cover is in excellent order with just some small laminate creases around the edges and the back cover is very similar.  This is a very strong example overall.

The original poly-lined Vertigo inner is in great shape with no side splits and just one very small tear on the central aperture.  It has very little marking and just some light creasing here and there.

Play tested on my Rega P2 with AT-VM95EN Cart / Denon PMA-520AE Amp / B&W 684 Speakers

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

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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 will only send items items worldwide via tracked shipping.  This provides 'peace of mind' in case of loss or damage.  The shipping costs are shown below and combined shipping is always offered.  Any over-payment will always be refunded.

The Royal Mail only insure up to a value of £250 so if an item sells for more it may be wise to use a courier service (e.g. Parcelforce or DPD).  An extra insurance premium will be required but I will not know the exact amount until the final sale price is known.  Because of this I will sometimes have to estimate the cost and this will be shown in the listing.  Please wait for the invoice before making payment and if you have any questions please feel free to ask.  Many thanks.

All vinyls are packaged in strong over-sized custom made mailers with plenty of extra cardboard protection.  They are placed inside separate poly-lined inners outside the cover so as to avoid seam splits in transit and then placed inside a PVC sleeve to provide even more protection.  I pride myself on my high quality packaging as my feed confirms and if any customer has any specific requirements I am more than happy to help.

The mailers I use cost £1.00 each and I will use anything between 3-5 cardboard stiffeners which cost approx £0.18 each.  There is also the cost of the poly-lined inner and PVC sleeve to consider, it all adds up!  Not forgetting that eBay take 10% of the shipping fee also!!

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