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Black Sabbath : Vol. 4 1Y1 / 2Y1 1st Press Variant / 2nd Press? Vertigo 1972

This Vertigo pressing plays with stunning quality and with only minimal intrusion.  The only 'real' interference are a couple of momentary scratchy sounds on 'Under The Sun' but aside from that the clarity, depth and power of the audio is superb.  For once 'Changes' plays with exceptional clarity and 'FX' has only minimal static.  So many of the tracks play perfectly and as always I have played every track in full as described below.  The vinyl is in lovely condition also.

The gatefold cover is one of the finest I have seen in a long time with only minimal wear.  It has retained its original shape and structure perfectly and the photo booklet is still 100% attached to the cover.  The Plastic Bags inner sleeve is in excellent shape although I'm not convinced it is the original because it is dated 0772.

Discogs lists this as a label variant of the first pressing rather than categorising it as a second press.  It still has the first press 1Y1 / 2Y1 matrix but it does have 'Made in England' on the Side B label and the track-listing on the inside of the gatefold have their timings also.  It also reads 'We wish to thank the great COKE-Cola Company...'.

6360071  1Y//1  1  2 1  2 1   PORKY (etched)

6360071  2Y//1  1 2  2 5   PECKO (etched)

The gatefold is a very strong Ex

The photo booklet is Mint

The poly-lined inner sleeve is Ex

The Vertigo labels are Near Mint

Visual description

The vinyl is in lovely condition and still has a fine glossy sheen with no marks or scratches.  Under a bright light I can only see a small number of faint hairlines and there is nothing that stands out.  There is no groove or surface wear and no 'bag rash' either, it is a superb looking vinyl!  The run out grooves are very clean with only a couple of faint marks and you can easily read the matrix info.  The Vertigo labels have no marking as such - there is minimal spindle wear on S1 but there is more on S2.

Play grading

The intro on 'Wheels Of Confusion' has no background and plays with sublime clarity and depth and Ozzy's opening vocal section is on the same level.  The instrumental bridge is just as strong and the next verse again plays to such a high standard.  The original depth of sound is still very much there and Iommi's downtuned is sonically as strong as ever.  The following instrumental is close to perfect with only a couple of very quiet statics as the music 'speeds up'.  Hardly noticeable really.  This section plays with stunning power and there is no distortion on the top end and no static distortion either.  As Ozzy bursts back in the vocal is so clean and precise - remember it's loud here and yet the clarity of sound is superb.  The final verse is flawless and the closing instrumental (a classic piece of music in its own right) plays with a clarity and definition that is quite simply STUNNING!  Every subtle nuance in the music can clearly be heard and even the long fade has barely any background.  This classic opening track has to grade as Mint- it truly is a superb version. 

'Tomorrow's Dream' then plays to same high end standard.  The intro and opening vocal have no intrusion and this level is indeed maintained throughout.  I cannot praise it highly enough - there is no 'muddiness' to the sound and no distortion either.  It is as clean and powerful as it was when first pressed and has to grade as Mint such is the quality.

A little static in the dead wax and then the brief piano intro on 'Changes' plays perfectly.  The first vocal has only a couple of seconds of very light static at the start but might be shorter than that!  The chorus has no background at all and the mellotron instrumental right after plays with impeccable clarity also.  I mention this because this section and often the vocal play with a static distortion type sound but that is certainly not the case here.  It continues in much the same way and it is undeniably one of the cleanest versions I have ever heard.  A couple of minor statics maybe but nothing intrusive - the final verse and chorus a case in point - superb sound.  The final instrumental piece has only the bare minimum of static and overall I will grade this track as Near Mint although the vast majority is better than that it has to be said.

'FX' is the other quiet number that is often affected by static or worse.  This version has only the lightest of background static here and there and there are no ticks, clicks or pops.  Overall it plays extremely well with no intrusive background as such and Ex+ is a fair.

The intro on 'Supernaut' plays without fault and the opening vocal is very similar.  There is always some inner groove distortion on this track, mainly on the vocal, and it's just a matter of how much.  It's kept to a minimum here!  It continues to play with genuine quality and there is no interference.  The mid instrumental is powerful with only minimal distortion and Ward's solo is 100% perfect.  The end section including Ozzy's final vocal again has no intrusion and the very long fade out has only light static right at the every end.  I've always said it seems harsh to downgrade this track as this inner groove distortion is always prevalent but that's vinyl for you, part of its charm!  So I think a grade ranging between Ex+ and Near Mint is a fair assessment of the audio.

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The intro on 'Snowblind' is 'as new' and the opening vocal section is just as clean.  The instrumental bridge has just one light static tick and the next vocal then plays with great clarity and definition.  The following instrumental is faultless and the chorus has no intrusion either.  Iommi's mid solo again has no background and it continues to play with STUNNING quality.  Where the pace increases during the Right.  Don't you think I know what I'm doing... verse the sonic quality is amazing!  Further evidence, if it was needed, as to how important Ward and Butler were to the Sabbath sound.  The final vocal / end instrumental plays with sublime quality and there is only a little static literally at the end of the fade out.  Ok one minor static tick but I still think it deserves a Mint- grade.

The foreboding intro on 'Cornucopia' is deep and resonant with zero background and the first vocal is just as strong and clear.  It continues to play with that powerful deep, rich Sabbath sound and I cannot fault it.  This is one immense verse!  It has to be played to the max and by doing so you lose nothing sonically.  Every vocal and instrumental section play with imperious quality and Mint is the only grade I can give here.  What.  A.  Version!

'Laguna Sunrise' plays beautifully from start to finish without any background.  This is the definitive version with a superb clarity of sound and it has to grade as Mint

'St. Vitus Dance' again impresses on every level.  It's a relatively short track by their standards and it plays with full richness of sound and.... of course no interference.  Mint all the way.

The intro on 'Under The Sun' is deep, strong and clear and the opening vocal section is much the same.  If there is any inner groove distortion it is kept to an absolute minimum.  The instrumental bridge is perfect and the next vocal is as strong as the preceding one.  The faster mid vocal does have two very brief scratchy sounds that are intrusive but that is the only interference on the track.  A shame because the rest of it is so darn good!  The mid instrumental a case in point.  The final vocal is exceptionally clean and the classic closing section is SUPERB!  It builds and builds to a crescendo like finish and the sonic quality is incredible.  A classic track for sure.  I will grade that one brief passage as VG but the rest is very much Mint- in my opinion.

The Gatefold & Inner Sleeve

The cover is one of the best I have ever seen.  It has a matt finish so is very susceptible to spotting / surface rub but this one is extremely clean.  The edges are pristine and the wide spine is in superb condition also with barely any wear on the corners.  The right hand corners are very similar and the opening edge has only light handling wear on the back cover edge.  The front cover has very little marking, just very faint spotting on the band name here and there and it has hardly any of the common surface rub around the edges.  The back cover is similar with just a little rubbing / ringwear near the bottom edge and minor wear next to the left edge.  The inside of the gatefold is superb with barely any spotting and the 4 page photo booklet is still perfectly attached.  A fine example overall.

The poly-lined Plastic Bags... inner is in great condition with no side splits and just one very small tear on the central aperture.  It has only minimal creasing and just 3/4 small faint spots.

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

6360071  1Y//1  1  2 1  2 1   PORKY (etched)

6360071  2Y//1  1 2  2 5   PECKO (etched)

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!!

UK Postage Rates (First Class Recorded - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £6.50 up to 1kg then £1.00 per extra item 

EUROPE (Tracked - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £15.95 then £2.00 per extra

USA (Tracked - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £21.95 then £2.50 per extra 

REST OF WORLD (Tracked - Max 2kg)  

LPs/12" singles : £20.95 then £2.50 per extra

If you are not entirely happy with your purchase please contact me before leaving feedback and I will always resolve any issue, 100% guaranteed.  If you would prefer to send the item back I will also pay the return shipping cost if I am at fault, I am only human after all!!