Black Sabbath : The Eternal Idol A / B1 1st Press

This first pressing plays with stunning quality and there is no interference on either side.  It plays with exceptional precision and the clarity and definition of the audio could not be any better.  'As new' is certainly the case here!

It is obvious the vinyl has hardly been played - just once or twice at most.  It is immaculate and has no marks or scratches.

The cover is in great condition with only minimal wear and the lyric inner has only a one mega small split on the bottom edge and a small number of faint 'spots'.

VERH 51 // A   1 1 8 / B1   1 1 8

The audio on S1 is Mint(-)

The audio S2 is Mint(-)

The cover is Ex+

The labels are Mint

The lyric inner is Ex+

Visual grading

The vinyl is in pristine condition and retains an immaculate jet-black glossy sheen.  Never seen better!  There are no marks or scratches and only a very small number of very faint sleeve removal hairlines.  This has clearly hardly ever been played and that is reflected in the audio grading below.  I could only find one tiny spindle trace and the labels and run out grooves are also in superb condition.

Play grading  

The first track on S1 'The Shining' plays with great clarity and power and has no intrusion at all.  Already you can tell by the overall sonic quality that this has hardly been played, if at all!  The clarity really is exceptional and every note can be heard so precisely.  Even the long fade out has no 'background'.  This is Mint from start to finish.

The quiet intro on 'Ancient Warrior' is 'as new' and this 'high end' quality is maintained throughout.  As always I have played every second so as provide a 'correct' grading and I am pleased to say this is Mint on every level.

'Hard Life To Love' is of the same immaculate standard.  The audio is so so strong and deep and the clarity again cannot be faulted.  Mint

'Glory Ride' ends the side with sublime quality from the first groove to the last.  With no intrusion, no distortion and not one single dust tick Mint is again easily deserved.

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'Born To Lose' on S2 continues where S1 left off and plays to the highest standard with no interference whatsoever.  'As new' is no exaggeration.  Mint

The brief instrumental section that precedes 'Nightmare' plays with stunning clarity and only a handful of barely audible dust ticks.  The track then plays as per all the others so far with no interference.  Mint

The instrumental 'Scarlet Pimpernel' is quite simply STUNNING!  With such a quiet number you would expect a dust tick at the very least but no the clarity is 'shop fresh' and Mint is an easy grade to give.

The powerful intro on 'Lost Forever' is faultless and it proceeds in exactly the same way with no interference.  Just pure clarity and supreme definition all the way through.  Another Mint track.

The quiet and foreboding intro on 'Eternal Idol' plays with stunning precision.  This entire intro is fantastic!  The clarity is again outstanding and the first verse plays to the 'high end' standard.  It continues in the same precise way which is very impressive when you consider how many quiet sections there are.  It is certainly the finest version I have heard and from start to finish there are no negatives.  No ticks, clicks, pops, static or crackle and no distortion either.  Perhaps more reminiscent of early Sabbath this is Mint without a doubt.

In summary this first pressing is STUNNING!  Such is the clarity and depth of the audio I suspect this has only been played once or twice.  There is no interference on either side and of course there are a lot of long fade outs on this record and yet they have no interference either.  A couple of ticks in the dead wax but you won't find better audio than this!

The Cover

This cover you often find worn because of its flimsy nature this one has stood the test of time extremely well and remains in excellent condition.  The edges are near perfect with only a couple of minor rubs on the top edge and the spine is in fantastic condition.  There is only very minimal corner wear and the opening edge has no obvious handling wear at all.  The front cover is immaculate with no marking or creasing and the back cover is almost as good with only a very mild touch of ringwear at the top.  A fine excellent example overall.

The Lyric Inner

This has no side splits and only one very small 1cm split on the bottom edge.  It has no creasing and only a small number of faint 'spots' on S1.  S2 is perfectly clean.

The Labels

The Vertigo labels are in perfect condition and I could only detect one tiny barely visible trace on the S2 label.

Play tested on my Pro-Ject Essential III Turntable / B&W 684 Speakers

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

VERH 51 // A   1 1 8 / B1   1 1 8

I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.

Any questions please feel free to ask

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Postage & Packaging

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