Black Sabbath : Vol 4 1st Press 1Y1 / 2Y1

This first pressing on the Vertigo label plays with superb audio and no obvious interference.  It has just a little static/crackle at the start of S1 and on the two quieter tracks and one light click on S2.  Apart from that you could wish for greater clarity and depth.

A first pressing is denoted by there being no 'Made in England' on the Side 2 label and no track times on the inner gatefold.  The original cover has a matt texture and the VO Price Code on the back.  Porky and Pecko which is hand etched on the run out grooves is also only seen on the first pressings.  This of course relates to the famous cutting/mastering engineer George Peckham which is another reason why this issue is so collectable.

This cover has some shelf wear but nothing major and remains so much 'cleaner' than many you see and inner booklet is still partially attached.

Apologies for the shipping cost but the Royal Mail have massively increased their prices recently.

6360071 1Y//1  1 1 1 7 PORKY

6360071 2Y//1  1 1 1 4 PECKO

The audio on S1 is Near Mint for the majority (Track 1 intro Ex- / T3 & 4 Ex)

The audio S2 is Mint- (T3 intro Ex)

The gatefold is VG++ (but better than so many!)

The labels are Near Mint

The inner is Ex+

Play grading  

'Wheels Of Confusion' has only minimal static on the intro and 3/4 light crackle sounds but as the vocal begins the audio is nigh on perfect.  About one minute in there are are a small number of 'raspy' sounds but they are very quiet and hardly intrusive in my opinion.  Thereafter it plays superbly with no interference.  This is Ex- at the start and Mint- for the remainder, the final instrumental section is stunning!  'Tomorrow Dream' plays with wonderful clarity and definition from start to finish and is Mint- without a doubt, an incredible version.  'Changes' plays very well for a relatively quiet track with only light static here and there.  There is perhaps just a little more on the final third but I still think Ex is about right and 'FX' is of the same standard also.  'Supernaut' ends the side with great power and depth with just a little inner groove distortion on the vocal.  This is common for this final track and still grades as Near Mint- at the very least.

'Snowblind' on S2 plays is as near to perfect as is possible.  It has no interference and all I heard were a couple of very light ticks and provides a stunning Mint- start to the side.  'Cornucopia' is of the same immaculate standard, the playback is just sensational and yes IU have listened to every second!  The sonic quality is just so impressive.  'Laguna Sunrise' plays with great clarity for such a quiet instrumental and the only intrusion is four ticks near the beginning.  I would say just one of them qualifies as a light click!  So the intro is Ex but the rest grades as Mint- for sure.  'St. Vitus Dance' is Mint- as I heard just one faint tick, the clarity is again out of this world!  'Under The Sun' ends this superb album with no interference aside from a minimal and I do mean minimal (!) amount of distortion, it is just what you expect to hear basically and does not impair the audio in any way.  It is Mint- and as you can see from my gradings this side plays to an amazing standard!

Visual grading

The vinyl is in lovely condition and for a genuine first pressing is very clean indeed.  There are no scratches and only a small number of faint hairlines.  S1 has two very small faint marks and a couple of hairlines that are a little more obvious but it still retains a strong glossy sheen and a very impressive overall 'look'.  S2 is even better, it is visually stunning with only a handful of mega faint hairlines that obviously have no affect on the audio.

The Gatefold

The cover is in excellent condition with only a little shelf wear.  The edges only have a small amount of rubbing - the top edge of the back cover has a little wear in the centre but it is not a split!  The wide spine is in great shape with just one crease mark in the centre and a little wear on the corners.  The other corners have some minor wear also and the opening edge has no handling wear at all.  The front cover is very clean and has barely any of the spotting/fading that you so often see, just a little near the top edge.  The top left corner does have a small crease as if it may have been dropped at some point and this is a little more obvious on the reverse side.  Apart from that the back cover is in great order with barely any marking, again a rarity.  The inside of the gatefold is in superb condition although whilst taking the photos the inner booklet did become a little loose from the spine (typical!) so I would say is only now 40% attached.  I guess it could be re-attached with some careful superglueing!  Despite that the booklet is pristine with no marking.

The Inner Sleeve

This does not have the original swirl inner although in saying that I'm not exactly sure if they were all issued with one.  This is a plain white poly-lined inner with a patent application number printed on one side.  It has no side splits or marking and only some light creasing.

The Labels

The Vertigo labels are in superb condition with only minimal spindle wear and no marking, writing or 'spotting'.  There is also some vinyl 'flecks' around the spindle hole suggesting it may not have been played very much.

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

6360071 1Y//1  1 1 1 7 PORKY

6360071 2Y//1  1 1 1 4 PECKO

I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.

Any questions please feel free to ask

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