BLACK SABBATH Sabbath Bloody Sabbath RARE ORIG UK 1973 NEAR MINT LP, GREAT SOUND

	£		132
	$		175

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Postage: UK £4.75 (£1 per extra record). Europe (including Russia) £12.50 (£2 per extra record). Rest of World (including ALL parts of the USA) £16.50 (£3 per extra record). All boxes signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes that offer virtually no protection at all – in fact I think these things should be banned as records WILL arrive damaged in them at some time. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS. Full details nearer the end of the listing.

Posting to Russia: Yes, I do post to Russia. But delivery can take up to 4 to 6 weeks from the UK. So please be patient. I will submit a tracking number to the winning bidder, and when the packet arrives there it can be followed online using the Russian post website.

ALSO: I now apply the Ebay ‘2-day’ rule for non-payment to keep things moving – cash-flow is important for any small business. I will always keep my P&P prices as low as possible, and even after yet another Royal Mail price hike from April this year, I have NOT raised my prices and will never compromise on solid, safe packing that is invariably heavier than most you will get. My P&P offers probably the best value-for-money for vinyl records available, and I even will pay for full insurance on any record that sells for over £100 at NO extra cost – that is UK and abroad. Also I aim to post the very same day after payment is received. You WILL see the difference when my packet arrives.

FINALLY: Late payers, non-payers and ‘0’ bidders will now be blocked or cancelled at my discretion. As will any bidder who cancels a bid. I do not like this practice as it is most often used to phish out the price to beat. Ebay does not approve and neither do I – so only bid on my items if you want them.

Artist or Band: BLACK SABBATH

Album Title: Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

Producer(s): Black Sabbath

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Sabbath Bloody Sabbath; A National Acrobat; Fluff; Sabbra Cadabra.

Side 2: Killing Yourself to Live; Who Are You; Looking for Today; Spiral Architect.

Label/Format/Info: WWA with matt, smooth surfaces. This is a very first issue which vary from second and subsequent pressings. The WWA logo is silver grey, later ones are white. Also this only carries the WWA 005 number, with NO references to ACB 00166, again these are later. There are other variants to this album on the cover and inner sleeve which will be detailed further down. Genuine first issue copies of this album are considerably harder to find than later ones.

Label Conditions: In terms of spindle marks, just a couple, and side two looks superb. Side one has a couple of dull smears marks, quite possibly adhesive residue in manufacture, but that is only opinion. The most important factor is this is a first issue, hardly played and sounds fantastic.

Cat Number: WWA 005

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Warps: Assume all records I offer have no warping of any significance and all tracking is easy and effortless and should play on all turntables and even ‘budget’ decks.

Weight of this Record: 118 grams. A quite solid weight.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: There are at least two distinctly different pressings on WWA, this early copy considerably harder to find. Later still it was pressed on NEMS. This superb record offers ultimate sound and appears hardly even played, such copies are rarer. Also the cover is hugely prone to all forms of wear and is seldom seen without considerable grubbiness, rubbing and general ageing. Lastly, the inner sleeve is made with much thinner paper for originals which is gently textured and the paper feeling rough to the touch. This again very hard to find without splits and tears, creasing and discolouration. Both cover and inner on this copy are impressive as-seen. This a very fine all-round copy – the sound totally blew me away and will never prove easy to find better.

Original Year of Release: 1973

Matrix Nos: WWA 005 1Y//2 420 0 1 1 7 & WWA 005 2Y//2 0 1 1 6 [second WWA pressings included dual matrixes with ACB 00166 1Y preceding the matrixes I have shown]

Musicians: Ozzy Osbourne – vocals, synthesiser, hand claps; Tony Iommi – guitars, piano; synthesiser; flute, organ, acoustic guitar, steel guitar, harpsichord; bagpipes; Geezer Butler – bass guitar; fuzz bass; synthesiser, mellotrons; hand claps; nose; Bill Ward – drums, timpani, fuzz bass drum; percussion. Guest: Rick Wakeman – piano, synthesiser.

Brief Info: Brilliant fifth album from the masters of metal gloom and the album that really got them noticed by the masses. Slightly more commercial and more accessible for many rock fans, this album really took the band into the heavy-rock super-league and boosted sales of the earlier Vertigo albums. With more use of varied instruments, the songs are still dark but not as doomy and bleak as previous. The instrumental ‘Fluff’ is a beautiful delicate piece with Iommi switching his heavy guitar riffs to a more sensitive acoustic guitar and uncharacteristic harpsichord. Ozzy again in tremendous form and the title track has long become a rock classic and a firm favourite on digital radio’s ‘Planet Rock’. Of late, this album has become increasingly hard to find, especially the first format pressings. This little-used record plays with fantastic detail and clarity with no pressing issues the later ones often have. So get those amps warmed up and rock yourself away with this metal classic – no one ever did it better than Black Sabbath.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(+): and arguably better, this is rarely seen in better conditions. An unlaminated gatefold format with matt surfaces that have a gentle hint of texturing, no surface is quite smooth. Printed and made in England, uncredited. Later ones were printed by Howards. Originals also show the inner graphic flush to all edges, the later ones have a white border. This includes the original textured, thin paper lyric inner sleeve.

Cover Front: One of rock’s classic front covers but highly prone to wear. This front is one of the very best I have seen in years. The odd tiny tip rub apart, this is very close to as-made with hardly anything to fault. Clean and very fresh, the lack of creasing and rubbing makes this exceptional. Intense colours with no fading or sticker issues, this will delight most-all fans of this legendary metal band.

Cover Back: In contrast the to the black of the front, this has a lot of white, hence often seen very grubby and aged. This has a little discolouration near the edges and slight toning traces, but finding one without that as the barest minimum is beyond difficult. A problem with this cover is when manufactured, they were stacked against each other. The intense black front sets-off upon the white back, hence so few are ever seen without some discolouration near the sides. A bit like that zip on The Rolling Stones ‘Sticky Fingers’ album, that always presses into the back of other copies. But any discolouration on this one is quite mild and light, and there is little else to fault. It retains its original 2.45 price sticker on the top edge which will probably remove easily enough, I decided to leave it alone.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Note firstly, there is NO white border on this graphic, reiterating a first issue cover. This ultra clean, fresh and attractive with practically nothing to fault. I doubt if this surface has seen light-of-day for more than a few seconds over the years.

Top Edges: Both in superb condition, straight, flat, flush and parallel with barely a trace of rubbing, any discoluration to the white one light.

Bottom Edges: Largely the same with a tiny rub to the front right tip. These storage edges will rarely be seen better.

Right Edge(s), and Type: The front has a real tucked and folded edge which is unworn and straight. The back opening is clean, mostly sharp with any thickening or burring gentle and light as mostly seen viewed end-on, hardly any at all. These guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced, the back opening for the record sees the card ends not quite flush in manufacture which is totally natural and correct to emphasise the fact.

Spine and Text: A superb spine as well. Very solid and quite thick with no compression and folded square. Meaning the edges all meet up flush and parallel – this always the best news for the more discerning as it gives maximum neatness. The text unworn and very ell centred as seen. Slight hint of discolouration to the white surface, but rarely avoided, this spine way above average and again, seldom seen better.

Corners: Only tiny tip rubs to the right pair. Excellent to near mint shape retained with no dinks or knocks.

Cover Summary: A very impressive all-round example of this unforgiving 1970’s cover. With hardly any real wear, and far less grubbiness and ageing than most offered, it will prove difficult to find significantly better – I reiterate again – this is a real-deal original with all the criteria met. This classic cover should please many, if not most collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(++): again this again meets all the criteria for being an original – so beware of swapping because later inners are NOT the same. This has the correct thinner paper which is gently textured giving a rougher feel to the fingertip. Later ones were smooth and also whiter. This also carries only the WWA 005 number. Another crucial factor and detail is originals had a hand-stamped patent number and digit coding and ‘MADE IN GREAT BRITAIN’, this was NOT machine printed. In fact on this one, it was actually hand-stamped over the credits on the bottom line of the printed text as seen. An unlined inner (thus most will split) with two external flipbacks for construction on the rear side. Immensely fragile and seldom seen unsplit as per this one – it has NO repairs guaranteed – all sides solid and intact and hardly any creasing bar one on a lower corner. The lack of discolouration, toning and ageing makes this truly exceptional, bar the small corner crease, I would have graded this close to Mint. This original inner sleeve is more elusive and certainly rare intact and as clean as this.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: NEAR MINT: a stunning visual copy that is ultra clean with equally fine shine and quite solidly pressed. Purchased from new by the one owner who told me he only played it once or twice at most. He also confirmed the label smear marks were present from new as well. Even under my very bright grading lamp, this has barely any blemishes at all, one ultra fine and faint hairline seen. No penetrating stylus scratches, viewed in average room light, nothing even registers. Visually a supreme example of this metal masterpiece that should please all collectors.

Album Played For Grading: Yes. [I play ALL records I offer before submitting to Ebay, also the record is played in its entirety unless clearly stated otherwise. I do NOT play snippets or joining grooves to check for sound quality and quietness – I play from the beginning to end via clinically revealing B&W speakers that include the legendary tweeter from their awesome Nautilus range that reveals every blemish or minuscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: For me, no other band played real heavy rock better, this brilliant Black Sabbath album plays up to it’s high visual grading with barely anything to fault. Offering strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear – sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. Any surface sounds hardly registered and this is an exceptional clean pressing with no tracking issues*. Not all records play the same, some simply were better pressed and offer than little bit extra over others – this one certainly does that – this has ultimate separation and detail that simply left me aghast. This is a terrific album and copy, few available ones will outperform this very early pressing significantly I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, hardly played and generally well stored and carefully handled within a non-smoking environment. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. This is Black Sabbath at there very best, it will prove very difficult to find better and merits my highest possible recommendation.

* As played-graded on a high-end Linn LP12 Sondek turntable with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Quintet Black moving coil cartridge tracking at 2.2 grams.

Now one of the most established sellers on Ebay and still offering the finest and most accurately described and graded records I can find. I pride myself on offering a variety of genres to keep my site as interesting as possible. I will rarely offer any record that falls below a true Excellent grading, unless its of a certain rarity which will justify offering a lesser grade. I try, to the best of my ability to describe as accurately and as honesty as I can all items I offer for sale with all the relevant information I can think of to help any potential bidder and collector. You may notice I only submit records sparingly on Ebay as I Play-Grade every record I offer in their entirety – also on higher-end equipment – not just bits to guess a grade - visuals alone do not always tell a true or full story. I will mention any defects or flaws no matter how small that I notice to be fair as possible to any interested collector – I am very fussy and my buyers have the right to be too. Every record I offer, whether it be a common or rare item deserves the same respect as far as I am concerned and will be treated the same - just because an item is rare does not always mean it’s good. I get just as much pleasure offering a relatively common record in stunning near mint condition as the real rare items. All the pictures I use for your guidance are taken with a digital camera or scanned - they are NOT improved, cleaned-up or made better looking than they are with camera trickery or enhancing with digital programs. Room light factors can make things vary sometimes, that is hard to control, especially in winter. If any picture I take looks more flattering than the actual item for any reason, I will clearly state the fact in the advert and vice-versa. I hope the item below is to your liking - any questions can be emailed and I will do my very best to answer you. I am enthusiastic, and have a fair degree of knowledge about many genres and I promise quality items - bid with confidence - excellence comes as standard and so does Near Mint regularly. Please assume all records I offer have NO jumps, sticks, warps or writing on covers or labels unless clearly stated to the contrary. Thanks for your interest and Good luck – MIKE.

Deck: Linn LP12/Hercules/Cirkus with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Quintet Black moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2.2 grams). Amps: Naim Supernait 2 with Project USB phono stage and Tellerium Black interconnects. Speakers: B&W 805 Nautilus (bi-wired with Tellurium Black terminated cable) with REL subwoofer. All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional VPI-17 vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too. Pictures taken with a Nikon D5000 SLR Digital Camera.

PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET.

What You Get: To confirm to the strict Ebay rules on shipping, I must now send ALL my packets ‘Signed-For’ with NO exceptions. Both buyers and sellers want their packets to have a safer journey and this is not a bad thing.

I now offer the fastest possible posting, often the very next day after payment is received or within two to three days maximum (unless on holiday). I only use FIRST-CLASS Mail. The record’s cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my new VPI-17 Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. You will NOT get tired, dull looking, dust infested records inside worn and foggy covers with tatty inners from this seller and that’s a promise and guarantee. All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT Mailers, these do not offer any real protection). The record(s) are REMOVED from their main cover to avoid edge splits and placed within a brand new polylined inner. The record’s original inner will be included if available. The boxes are then reinforced with at least TWO, ULTRA THICK stiffeners for maximum extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffeners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will even be Double Boxed if deemed necessary and possible. When larger boxes are used, the thick record and stiffener ‘sandwich’ is then thickly embedded into bubble-wrap to bulk out the record inside the box to centre the item inside to reduce the risk of damage still further. Printed address labels are used for clarity as well as a sender label. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if at all possible but ‘Signed-For’ posting is NOT an option anymore. I do not profit on posting, better quality packaging costs, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners make a near impregnable fortress for safe shipping and this is used inland and overseas for ALL my records, not just the rare and expensive. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is minuscule in over 14­ years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. The only damage rate acceptable for this seller is ZERO and I think my packets will offer just that. It would take a vicious postman or postal service to damage these for sure. Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE – they offer next-to-no-protection, and should be banned, no ‘professional’ should consider using them in my opinion. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FIVE records per box (one double can sometimes be included subject to total weight). All postage costs are below and at the top of the listing.

NOTE: First Time Bidders: Please ask me first.

PLEASE NOTE: I now exercise my right to open a dispute after the Ebay rule of TWO days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the bid, again after the mandatory FOUR days and then offer the item to the runner-up or relist. The non-payer will also be blocked from my Ebay site as will any suspicious bids or bid withdrawals. Small businesses need prompt payment to trade and these strict rules WILL be applied.

SHIPPING COSTS & CONDITIONS – THESE comply with EBAY’S RULES - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY:

Posting & Packing: UK & CHANNEL ISLANDS all now sent via Recorded Delivery:

1 LP (FIRST-CLASS Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4.75

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £1 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£50 maximum]) = £12.50 (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3). Add £2 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); South America; New Zealand; Australia; Canada; Japan and other Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£50 maximum]) = £16.50 (£17.50 for double sets). Add £3 per extra LP. (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3)

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders or direct payment into my bank account.

Potential Bidders: I will cancel any bids I feel are time-wasters. A maximum 3 days for communication and 7 days for payment to arrive - if not I will relist the item or offer to the runner-up. Fast deals get great feedback from me. Any questions - please ask and thanks for looking.

My Guarantee: If any winning bidder is not satisfied with their purchase I will offer a complete refund. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer, so read the item description carefully. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help. Thank You.

SOME GENERAL GUIDES TO WEAR AND CONDITIONS TO HELP YOU DECIDE

My Use of Description Terminology: Surface Marks = Superficial, usually light marks, hairlines or light scuffs that rarely sound. Scratch = a needle mark that goes below the record’s surface, some will sound, some will not, my play-grade will inform. Original = a record that has been pressed with the first label design which does NOT necessarily mean a very first pressed record. First Pressing = A record that I believe or know to be a genuine very first pressed record. I do not claim to always know for sure, and that’s why I state the stamper and matrix numbers if at all possible, for those who claim to know what they all mean, the information is there for the collector to decide. I prefer to use terms like ‘Early Copy’ rather than ‘First Pressing’ if I am not totally sure. Surface Sound = Mild, light sound, usually light crackle or similar. Distortion = Break up of the actual sound caused by groove wear or damage from a chipped stylus – the most undesirable form of unwanted sound, vintage mono records were the most prone to this happening but not exclusively so. The symptoms of distortion are high frequency clipping, moderate constant crackle or an echo type sound quality. Violin, piano and vocals are most prone to groove-wear distortion. Feathering = Fraying or softening of the entry edge of a cover. Covers with feathered entrance edges are more likely to have had the actual record inserted and removed more than a non-feathered, sharp-edged cover which are always far more attractive. Set Off, actually a printer’s term for dark ink leaving mild residue on pale or white ink when rested upon. e.g. when a gatefold cover has black ink closed against white, this can leave some black residue on the pale area – this is mostly unavoidable or course.

The Argument for Vinyl Original sound and mix (mono mixes are rarely available on CD), high quality sound on clean copies (played on a hi-end dedicated analogue system – breathtaking sound!), beautiful, large format covers, artwork, inserts and even full size posters etc; huge investment potential, and the pleasure of owning ‘the real thing’.