BLACK SABBATH VOL 4 UK LP ORIGINAL VERTIGO SWIRL NM

	£		99
	$		131

BLACK SABBATH - VOLUME 4

• LABEL: VERTIGO
• CATALOGUE: 6360 071
• MATRIX: 6360071-1/1  / 6360071-2/1
• THIS IS A GENUINE FIRST PRESSING!!

ARGUABLY THE SABS FINEST HOUR. FROM THE SUPERB WHEELS OF CONFUSION THORUGH TO UNDER THE SUN, THIS LP IS FILLED WITH SUPERB TRACKS AND BRILLIANT MUSICIANSHIP. THIS WAS THE LAST LP BLACK SABBATH RECORDED WITH THEIR FIRST SPELL ON VERTIGO, AS DSPUTES LED TO THEM RECORDING THEIR NEXT LP (SABBAH BLOODY SABBATH) ON THE WWA LABEL

RIGHT LETS START WITH THE SLEEVE.

I HAVE TO SAY RIGHT OFF THAT THIS HAS GOT TO BE ONE OF THE HARDEST SLEEVES IN THE WORLD TO COLLECT IN ANYTHING LIKE A CONDITION THAT YOU WOULD ADD TO YOUR OWN COLLECTION. AND THE REASON IS THAT THE SLEEVE IS BLACK AND NON LAMINATED. IF EVER A SLEEVE NEED TO BE LAMINATED THEN THIS WAS IT. THE BALCK SURFACE WAS SO FRAGILE THAT ANY MARK WOULD SHOW ON IT, AND WORSE STILL IF IT WAS SLID IN AND OUT OF A RACK OF LP'S THE SURFACE WOULD WEAR OFF LEAVING WHITE MARKS ALL OVER THE PLACE. ADDED TO THE FACT THAT IT ALSO SUFFERS FROM RING WEAR MEANS THAT MOST OF THE SLEEVES YOU SEE AROUND ARE IN HOPELESS CONDITION.. PART OF THE JOY OF COLLECTING IS IN REMOVING A PRISTINE LP FROM A PRISTINE SLEEVE THAT IS YEARS OLD TO SHOW YOUR FRIENDS AND COLLECTORS ALIKE. SAD I KNOW BUT VERY TRUE. SO DON'T SETTLE FOR SECOND BEST. ALWAYS GO FOR THE BEST COPY YOU CAN AFFORD IS MY ADVICE. HAVING SAID THAT THE ONLY WAY TO GET A MINT EXAMPLE OF THIS SLEEVE WOULD BE IF IT HAD BEEN INDERTED INTO A PLASTIC PROTECOR FROM THE SECOND IT WAS PURCHASED, AND THE LP TAKEN OUT OF THE SLEEVE AND STORED SEPERATE, AND IN ADDITON THE LP NOT BEING TOO TIGHTLY INSERTED INTO A RACK OF RECORDS.

SO WHAT IS THIS ONE LIKE?

WELL IT'S NOT MINT, BUT I RECKON ITS THE NEXT BEST THING. IT HAS CLEARLY BEEN STORED WELL FOR MOST OF ITS LIFE AS THE BLACK SURFACE HARDLY SHOWS ANY WEAR AT ALL. JUST THE BAREST TOUCH ON THE TOP AND BOTTOM EDGES, AND ALITTLE AROUND THE OPENING EDGE. THE FRONT SURFACE IS PERFECTLY FLAT AND CLEAN  AND HAS NO CREASING. THE WHITENESS OF THE BLACK SABBATH WORDING IS SLIGHTLY HAND SOILED, BUT FAR SUPERIOR TO MOST COPIES. THE ONLY BLIP TO THE FRONT SURFACE IS THE TOP LEFT CORNER THERE IS A SMALL WHITE MARK, AND I CAN'T ACTAULLY DECIDE WHAT IT IS. WHAT IT ISN'T IS A TEAR WHERE A STICKER HAS BEEN REMOVED. THE SPINE I NEAR PERFECT WITH JUST ONE TINY THUMB NAIL NICK . THE OPENING EDGE IS RAZOR SHARP WITH JUST THE MOST MINUTE SIGNS THAT THE LP HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM THE SLEEVE A FEW TIMES. THE REAR SURFACE IS IDENTICAL TO THE FRONT WITHOUT THE MARK TOP LEFT. OPENING THE GATEFOLD IS IS FIRSTLY NOTICEABLE THAT THE BOOKLET IS STILL PERFECTLY SITUATED AND STUCK IN PLACE, AND HAS NEVER BEEN PULLED OUT AND RESTUCK. IN SUPERB CONDITION THIS IS DEFINED BY THE ORIGINAL PRINTERS BEING HOWARDS OF SLOUGH.

THE ORIGINAL SWIRL INNER SLEEVE IS INCLUDED WITH THE SET, AND WHILST IS A LITTLE SOILED IS PERFECTLY INTACT WITH NO SEAM SPLITS OR TEARS

THE LABELS ARE AS MENTONED THE ORIGINAL VERTIGO SWIRL LABELS, AND ARE IN IMMACULATE CONDITION. THE SWIRL SIDE IS UNMARKED, AND THE WHITE SIDE IS VERY WHITE WITH NO WRITING OR MARKS, THE SPINDLE HOLE IS UNWORN, AND THERE ARE ONLY A COUPLE OF TINY SPIDER LINES THAT I CAN COUNT WHICH TELLS ME THAT NOT ONLY HAS THE LP NOT HAD MORE THAN A HAND FUL OF PLAYS, BUT THAT IT HAS VERY VERY CAREFULLY BEEN HANDLED.

THE VINYL GLEAMS LIKE NEW, AND IS IN SUPERB CONDITION. IN DAYLIGHT IS CANNOT BE FAULTED, AND ONLY UNDER INTESE ILLUMINATION CAN YOU MAKE OUT A COUPLE OF WISPY LINES, AND A FEW HANDLING MARKS. IT IS WUITE STUNNING.

GENTLY LOWERING THE STYLUS ONTO SIDE ONE I CAN REPORT THAT THE RUN IN IS TOTALLY SILENT UNTIL WHEELS OF CONFUSION STARTS TO ATTACK YOUR EARDRUMS. EACH LINKING GROOVE IS SILENT OR NEAR SILENT, AND THERE ARE NO HINTS OF POPS OR CRACKLES ANYWHERE ON THE RECORD. THE ONLY TIMES I NOTICED ANY THING TO REPRT WAS A SLIGHT BIT OF STATIC WHICH WAS ONLY EVEIDENT ON TWO TRACKS, THE QUIESTEST ONES ON THE ALBUM FX, AND LAGUNA SUNRISE. SOME VERY FAINT ALMOST NON EXISTANT STATIC. THIS ASIDE THE LP PERFORMS SUPERBLY ALL THROUGH, AND ON THIS OCCASION I CAN SAY THAT IT HAS SUPERB DISTORTION. HEY THIS IS SABBATH AND IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE DISTORTED GREAT FUZZ BOX GUITAR RIFFS FROM MR IOMMI.

THIS IS WITHOUT QUESTION A VERY HIGH GRAE COLLECTIBLE LP, AND WILL GRACE ANY COLLECTION FOR SURE.

I AM HAPPY TO GRADE THE SLEEVE EX+ AND THE VINYL NMINT