BLACK SABBATH - MASTER OF REALITY, their 3rd studio album released in UK by VERTIGO in 1971. This is the MEGA RARE 1st UK PRESSING with UNUSED GENUINE ORIGINAL POSTER. The record is in MINT to MINT- condition.
THE MATRICES: Side1 - 1Y//1 420 1 8. Side2 - 2Y//1 420 1 1 5.
THE COVER: this is a genuine 1st press laminated cover, printed by HOWARDS PRINTERS Slough Ltd. The cover is in MINT- to EX condition, on the back in the lower right side corner there is a narrow strip about 3 and a half inches of lamination which is fully intact that has pulled away from the artwork without tearing. In a course of time it happens quite often with laminated covers for UK pressings of 1960-70 s, there are also some small laminate creases, which was the other common problem with laminated covers. There s also a small dent on one of the sides see photo . There are no big creases, the box-like cover is not crushed, there are no rips/tears, all the corners are straight.
THE INNER SLEEVE: a genuine 1st press poly-lined inner sleeve is the original one for this release dated 06/71 - right before the album s release and it is in EX condition, due to some age related yellowing. There are no stickers/sticker residue,
dirt or handmade writings on it.THE POSTER: this is a genuine 1st press rough paper 3-fold poster with 6 panels. It is unused in MINT CONDITION - there are no pin holes, sticker residue or other signs of usage. This is the rarer smaller version of the 2 variations of the 1st press poster. The following is a quote from VERTIGOSWIRL.COM: We have found two different posters included with this release. The more common one is 35 inch high and 24 inch wide. There is also a smaller variation which is printed on thicker paper and much darker of colour. This is 27 inch high and 18 inch wide.
THE LABELS: are in MINT CONDITION. Both sides of this copy have been checked under 100 watt lamp at an angle, there is just 1 spindle mark on Side1 and none on Side2. There are absolutely NO stickers/sticker residue, dirt or handmade writings on either side. There s no fading or discoloration whatsoever, the colour is beautiful jet black as intended.
THE VINYL/VISUAL INSPECTION: the lp graded visually as MINT- to EX , there s a small number of superficial paper scuffs that originated when the record was taken out and put back in the inner sleeve. None of the scuffs affect sound reproduction, which was proved by playgrading. The record lies flat on the turntable, there s no warping. This
is a vintage PHONOGRAM lp, heavily pressed to the highest standards with deep grooves, it still has this magnificent original lustre.
THE VINYL/PLAYGRADED: The lp was playgraded on my high-end system including
MICHELL GYRODEC with SUMIKO BLUE POINT SPECIAL CARTRIDGE, with following
results: I m pleased to say that both sides are playgraded as MINT to MINT-.
Perhaps I have at this point to elaborate on the system of grading that is
currently used by the sellers on the internet. I think you ve noticed that
sometimes it can be rather vague and basically imperfect way of describing the
condition of the LP. Partially it is due to subjective nature of the listening
process itself and consequently grading, i.e. - one guy s near
mint is another guy s barely excellent minus . Also, grading
is heavily influenced by the quality and set-up of the record player
especially it s cartridge and at times, erm... by the desire of the seller to
get as much as possible for his record. I think for the most expensively priced
lps, more detailed grading system should be adopted. For this particular
listing, in view of how high a starting bid is, I would ask you to adopt a 10
point scale, where 10.0 is a compact disc like silence . So,
if we can agree on this 10 point system - I have no reservations to playgrade
the lp advertised in this listing as at least 9.0. I would also like to point
out, that to avoid buyer s disappointment I PLAY GRADE ALL RECORDS VERY and I
mean VERY LOUD, so that all audible imperfections would reveal themselves. I
want to assure you that I m very strict and perhaps even too unforgiving a
grader, and I m confident that you will agree with my grading, allowing 0.5
point either way to the 9.0 points that I awarded to this lp on the 10 point
scale . Anyway, without further ado - I m happy to playgrade the lp as an
overall STRONG CONFIDENT MINT to MINT-.
FINAL THOUGHT:
I realize that a lot of people do not enjoy long-winded descriptions like this
one here, some probably would not have enough patience to read up to this
point. In my defense, I should say that descriptions like it s a
record... it plays... I think... are equally irritating. At least
detailed description gives you an opportunity to get some insight about
the seller, as well as about the product, this way you are able to form an
opinion whether the seller is honest, careful and meticulous enough person, for
you to trust him/her with your hard earned money. I ve had my fair share of
dealing with rare records over the years, and it is my sincere and impartial
opinion that it will be very difficult for YOU THE COLLECTOR to find
another copy of this album offered in such great condition. My starting bid is
high, but I am of the opinion that it is justified. A lot of consideration went
into it, such as: this pressing s rarity in general, it s rarity in such
condition and the history of previous internet sales. Happy bidding
Postage: insurance is required for this
item, it is included in the prices shown - UK 5.00, Europe 20.00, Worldwide 25.05.
