Description I am the world that hides the universal secret of all time, Destruction of the empty spaces is my only crime, I've lived a thousand times, I've found out what it means to be believed, The thoughts the images, the unborn child child that never was conceived. When little worlds collide, I'm trapped inside my embryonic cell, And flashing memories are cast into the never ending well. The name that scorns the face, the child that never sees the cause of man, The deathly darkness that belies the fate of those who never ran. Well I know it's hard for you to know the reason why, And I know you'll understand more when its time to die. Don't believe the life you have will be the only one, You have to let your body sleep, to let your soul live on. Love has given life to you and now it's your concern, Unseen eyes of inner life, will make your soul return. Still I look but not to touch, the seeds of life are sown, Curtain of the future falls, the secret stays unknown. Just remember, love is life and hate is living death, Treat your life for what it's worth and live for every breath. Looking back, I've lived and learned, but now I'm wondering, Here I wait and only guess what this next life will bring. BLACK SABBATH: "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" LP. UK FIRST PRESSING, ISSUED 8th DECEMBER, 1973. When albums were released as late in the year as December, only the intial records actually originated in the actual year of the publication. From the Beatles to Jimi Hendrix in the recent 1960's decade, for top selling LPs like "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath," the majority of existing still playable copies were made during 1974, not 1973. In 1974 the 'WWA' labels, the vinyl indexing, the gatefold cover and the lyrics inner sleeve developed huge differences, the further you move away from these pre-release genuine first UK pressings, the bigger the changes become, even includinga different catalogue number! The later variations are easily identifiable and I will detail the multiple unique features of authentic first pressings. BLACK & SILVER WWA TEXTURED LABEL, WITH THE FIRST PRESSING ONLY, SILVER ' WWA' LOGO PRINTED IN SILVER. THE FOLLOWING PRESSINGS HAD THE LOGO IN WHITE PRINTING. WWA LABEL: WWA 005 The very first made records had heavily textured paper on the labels and they normally had a silver 'WWA' logo.... but that is wide open to variations due to printers making the labels in advance of the pressing beginning. There was not even a printing credit given this early in the production, so there is a possibility two or even three printers were contracted, as usual maitrix numbers are definitive for identification purposes, they alone were machine stamped when the vinyl was in the molten stage. From a personal perspective, looking at these labels was a déja vú experience, I bought my copy on the day of release and the labels were just as thickly textured as this pair are. I remember at the time thinking the new WEA company's labels looked like the early 1967 textured Track labels, as found on the first pressings of "Are You Experienced." The silver 'WWA' labels deviate from approximately 90% of all these first pressings, so I will present them accurately, the circled logo large 'WWA' letters on the top centre of this record's labels are in silver, the majority have white lettering and silver lettering is rare enough for this particular very first pressing, this is only the sixth time I have listed one on ebay in seventeen years. MAITRIX: W W A 005 1 Y ▽ 1 / W W A 005 2 Y // 2 ▽ 420 0 The very first pressing made for the December 1973 release, the manufacturing starting point of all Phillips related records was, '1 Y 1 / 2 Y 1.' This first pressing has Side 1 still at 1 Y 1' and Side 2 has only been increased by one digit to '2 Y 1.' Once again the separating symbol ▽ inverted triangle is on Side 1 and the other separation symbol '//' is on Side 2, with the inverted triangle after the side's digit, the earliest possible "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" UK records I have seen to date, had them as given above, the inverted triangle was in outline format. For a huge selling album like this, digit rises per side were perfectly normal for pre-release indexing of batches, this record is a first pressing and extremely rare in this unplayed Mint condition. ORIGINAL 1973 VERY FIRST ISSUE ONLY, TWO SIDED LYRICS & ALBUM CREDITS INNER SLEEVE, I WILL GIVE THE FULL DETAILS BECAUSE EVERY PART OF THE ALBUM HAS DISTINCTIVE FEATURES UNIQUE TO THE EARLIEST OR FIRST PRESSINGS. LIKE MOST PHILLIPS RELATED PRINTING, INCLUDING VERTIGO, TWO DIFFERENT PRINTERS WERE ACONTRACTED AND THAT CREATED THE MANY VARIATIONS. THIS IS THE VERY 'FIRST OF THE FIRST' INNER SLEEVES, MADE FROM VERY SOFT, TEXTURED PAPER, SO THEY SPLIT VERY EASILY, THIS WAS SUPERBLY STORED AND ESCAPED ANY HANDLING BY THE RECORD BEING UNPLAYED, EXTREMELY HEAVY PLAYS WAS THE NORMAL IN 1973 ALONE. 1.) "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" is printed as headers on both side's top rims, in the same Gothic type face as the titles on the gatefold cover. 2.) The original or first catalaogue number, 'WWA 005,' is printed on the top right corner, the bottom corners are square shaped or at 90 degrees, the top corners are shaped at 45 degrees for easier replacement in the cover. 3.) Hand stamped and out of line, along Side One's bottom rim is : "Made In Great Britain", the Patent Number and a central number without any obvious relevance. It had to have one though because of the sheer scale involved in hand stamping all the first issue/original WWA sleeves, over the existing machine printing with the above and that number, was a mammoth task. nobody knows what the hand stamped '4913 006 1541 - 331' signified, even stranger still, no other Phillips, Vertigio, Fontana or Mercury related records, were placed into these textured sleeves during the early 1970's, even if they were left plain and without printed lyrics & credits. 4.) Phillips 'Warning' boxed copyrights and stereo record playing on mono equipment, is printed on Side 1, unlike the practice of previous Phillips / Vertigo covers, neither of the two printers for "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" printed it on the covers. 4.) Rick Wakeman is credited on Side 2 for his contributions on "Sabbra Cadabra," but nowhere else on the cover. The original 1973 lyrics inner sleeve was made from textured paper, nearly everyone one has been split at the LP's contact points. This is in amazing unsplit condition without any blemishes from not being used, no tears etc. just an expected record impression and that inevitable ever present ageing as it possibly can be for these very first made rare sleeves, all the printing is perfectly clear. What an essential companion to the album this is, I have now placed the record inside a new plain white inner to preserve it indefinitely now. I heartily recommend this is used as an insert only, too many are in a battered and torn state or just lost lost over the last 45 years. I supply all my records with new inner sleeves to give options to customers for storing their records, even for the plain white, unprinted ones, that also ensures the safest shipping. THERE ARE NO SPLITS, RIPS OR TEARS DUE TO NOT BEING USED OR HANDLED, ONLY A RECORD IMPRESSION AND RELATED LIGHT CREASES / MINOR RIPPLES IN THE CONTOURS, THAT ONCE AGAIN SETTLE IN DURING THE 45 YEARS OF STANDING IN STORAGE. EVEN WITH A RARE UNPLAYED RECORD INVOLVED, THEY ALL AGED. THE INNER SLEEVE IS IN UNUSED, NEAR MINT CONDITION. VERY FIRST ISSUE GATEFOLD COVER, WITH 'WWA 005 Super De Luxe' PRINTED ON THE BACK TOP RIGHT CORNER, AND 'WWA 005' ON THE SPINE. AS JUST MENTIONED, THE VERY FIRST MADE WERE NOT CREDITED AND THE BACK HAS THIS UNIQUE TEXT IN USE FOR A VERY SHORT DURATION; "Manufactured And Printed In England". EVEN THE INSIDE GATEFOLD'S PICTURE HAS AN EXCLUSIVE FEATURE, THE ARTWORK EXTENDS TO THE EDGES, FOR THE RE-ISSUES, A BLACK BORDER WAS ADDED FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON. BOTH TYPES ARE RENOWNED FOR A 'ROUGH / BOBBLY' TOP SURFACE WITH INK THAT STARTED FADING AS EARLY AS 1973, USUALLY WITH A GREEN BASE COLOUR SHOWING THROUGH THE BLACK OF THE FRONT'S BACKGROUND COLOUR. ALL THIS APPLIES TO THE VERTIGO LP TITLES RIGHT FROM 1969 TO EARLY 1970's BECAUSE THE SAME PRINTERS MADE THEM, CREDITED OR NOT. OF COURSE WEAR, AGEING AND STORAGE PLAYED A LARGE PART AS WELL. I ONLY SELL THIS ALBUM WITH NEAR MINT/ MINT RECORDS, DRASTICALLY LESSENING WEAR & HANDLING FACTORS. THIS VERY FIRST MADE COVER'S FRONT ONLY HAS SLIGHTEST FADING TO THE BLACK SECTIONS, WITH FRACTIONAL RUBBING TO THE EASILY AFFECTED WEAK INK. THE FRONT BLACK COLOUR BACKGROUND HAS NEARLY ALL THE INK, AS USUAL THE BACK AND SPINE HAVE SOME OF THE THE VERY COMMON AGEING TO THE ORIGINAL WHITE BACKGROUND. LIGHT RUBBING TO THE SPINE ENDS, ANYTHING ELSE IS REALLY STANDING IN STORAGE TRAITS OVER THE LAST 45 YEARS. FOR THIS PARTICULAR GATEFOLD COVER, I ALWAYS FEEL HOPELESS BECAUSE THEY ALL HAD THE SAME PROBLEM REGARDLESS OF THE TWO VARIATIONS. I ALWAYS ADOPT THE STRICTEST GRADING, SO THE COVER IS IN EXCELLENT +++ CONDITION. THE RECORD IS IN TOTALLY UNMARKED, AS NEW, UNPLAYED, MINT CONDITION. 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" All Songs Written By Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler & Bill Ward. Ozzy Osbourne - vocals & synthesizer Tony Iommi - all guitars, piano, synthesizer, organ & flute Geezer Butler - bass guitar, synthesizer & mellotron Bill Ward - drums & timpani Rick Wakeman - various keyboards on "Sabbra Cadabra" & "Who Are You" Recorded At Morgan Studios, London, September 1973. Produced By Black Sabbath. I faced my usual dilemma for an absolutely stunning first pressing of the magnificent "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath," whether to offer this without playing the record at all, I never lose sight of how amazing that choice actually is for an album of this magnitude. My plays are undetectable and with a track as vulnerable to noise as "Fluff," I decided to take a listen and make certain this is a perfectly pressed record, well....that was my excuse! I love "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" too much to miss the opportunity of hearing a very first pressing in the ultimate unplayed/Mint condition, the sound was absolutely stunning. It still left me with a dilemna because I really enjoy supplying a track by track description, playing so many top condition records every day, I change my stylus on a very strict basis, I never wait until the tip is worn and that way playing Mint vinyl will only enhance the sound. I left it on my turntable for a full description, I only sell this LP in Mint anyway, for previous copies I have written a fan's eye view of the events surrounding the album, it would feel mean if this stunning very first pressing missed out on that. Today so few ebay sellers experienced following Black Sabbath's singles & LP's as they were released, those who provide background's just copy and paste from one of the websites with reviews. A personal and factual account will accompany this magnificent album! After the October,1972 "Black Sabbath 4" the band members were unchanged, just the management, Jim Simpson's reign since 1969 was over and he was replaced by Patrick Meehan. In the same January,1974, when "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" was the current album, Meehan was replaced by Don Arden, best known from the 1960's when he managed artists like the Small Faces. Don Arden was the father of Sharon, who married Ozzy, I had better not deviate too far away from "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath," meanwhile their first manager, Jim Simpson, was still seething about what he felt was a contract broken by Black Sabbath and wanted compensation at the cost of the band's immediate future. Seeking his pound of flesh, he picked the time to cause the most damage, and in a moment of high drama during Black Sabbath's January USA tour, as Ozzy Osbourne walked on stage he was handed a subpoena, what a place to deliver it to him! That began a two year period of legal wrangling which had a devastating effect on the band, courtroom battles raged on forcing Black Sabbath into two years of inactivity, unable to carry on their successful careers as recording or touring artists. Ozzy was left high and dry, if not quite dry, he slumped into even heavier drinking than normal and became isolated from Tony, Geezer & Bill during the long enforced lay-off. It would not be until 1975 when they were allowed to return to playing gigs or enter a studio to begin recording the next album "Sabotage," very appropriately titled under the circumstances. "Sabotage" did not appear until September,1975, few bands would have survived such a massive set back without a record released for nearly two years, they had at least left fans "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath." Rated by most as the ultimate album from the original line-up so it more than spanned the long period of inactivity without any new material being released. I made sure to comprehensively give the first pressing details for the record, gatefold cover & inner sleeve just now, writing an album description is not just about pressing details for me, I will always do it to the very best of my ability but giving some needed background information is just as relevant. Listing such a loved album like this has to involve the historical context, original fans followed the events weekly in the music press, I admit it does sound obsessive now but so like many others, I read three from cover to cover well before the next week's editions were out, "Melody Maker", "New Musical Express" & "Sounds." Of course variations take up most of my time and I often feel like a lawyer giving evidence in a courtroom, it was impossible to produce that many printed items and keep all of them identical, they are the unrealistic expectations today from those who who only know a world of computers and bar codes. My experience of these first issues of "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" did not end in 1973, becoming a professional record seller meant I constantly handled uncountable copies of most of the records I now sell on ebay, decades ago at record fairs before we joined ebay in 2001. Since then many, many top condition originals/first pressings have been sold on ebay, from this 'beginning' of the first pressings, to the final pressings with 'ACB' that came at the end of massive manufacturing processes.That all started a long time ago, following artists on a record by record basis as they were issued, naturally meant taking in often unknown background details, nothing brings back very vivid memories than hearing music from a specific time period. Black Sabbath left Vertigo after becoming one of the first signings in 1969, "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" was their first LP not on Vertigo, they moved onto another Phillips subsidiary label, 'WWA.' Before long 'WWA' were in turn taken over by 'NEMS', in between that and during the pre-release pressings, the catalogue number was changed to 'ACB', the complications are covered when I list the records from slightly further along in the pressing sequence, there's only so much I can include! On a musical level, uncredited on the cover and only on the lyrics inner sleeve, Rick Wakeman played keyboards on"Sabbra Cadabra," adding a new dimension to an extraordinary recording. "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" has often been named as 'the ultimate heavy metal album of all time,' maybe, but that detracts from the beautiful melodic acoustic tracks also part of the listening experience, but it would take a hell of an album to better this! Both labels are in pristine condition without a solitary spindle use trace, nobody deliberately aligned centre holes in the '70's and too often the same is true of every successive decade, including now well into the 21st century. The matt black labels show the slightest contact, the vinyl does not have any playing signs or any handling traces either. Completely unmarked and in just stunning condition, I naturally leave my plays undetectable on the labels and vinyl, as I was just saying earlier I took a listen and as expected the visual appearance delivers all it promises, the sound quality is simply awesome! The vinyl is gleaming like new, a Mint record, I only sell the album in top condition and that is not easy for these first pressings, I am always amazed by a genuine 1973 "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" when they still have beautiful appearances and such absolutely perfect audio. That is the only way I ever have, or will ever sell any of Black Sabbath's original LP's, I do not accept a mis-conception Black Sabbath record's are made up with only bone crunching heavy metal guitar riffs, even if that was remotely true, who wants to to hear the music distorted and drowned out by loud crackles. Like this brilliant album the music was far more subtle than that, the heaviest sounds have a perfect balance with their more melodic acoustic side as well, "Fluff" speaks for itself. That completely exposed to noise acoustic track has staggeringly clean sound, I have also always found the lyrics from this period highly imaginative and thought provoking, the clarity on the vocals is as essential as the instruments being just as perfectly reproduced. An immaculate first/original pressed record, playing precisely as pressed in 1973, ultra faint, low level static is natural to vinyl, a second play will actually remove most of that. When the stamping plates either side of the molten vinyl lift clear, tiny/microscopic 'pips' fall from the polished surface of the metal stampers, a stylus on fast spinning records dislodges and remove them to leave an even clear and clearer sound. I expect to find my stylus will have an even smoother 'journey' through the grooves and I am really looking forward to hearing that staggering sound again. The unused centre hole was a very tight fit on my spindle and I also make certain that also remains that way for the next owner to experience. An unbelievable, very first UK pressing of one one of, if not the greatest Black Sabbath album with the original line-up, in ultimate unplayed Mint condition. The real beauty of Mint records of this vintage, light static will be removed after several plays and the sound improves, which is the complete opposite for heavily played scratched records. Side 1's run-in grooves are nearly silent, I love Mint records, all credit for the mastering and another perfect pressing, then with an almighty explosion of massive power, Tony Iommi's block busting guitar riff intro to the album title track, the awesome "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath". This has to be one of the heaviest tracks Black Sabbath ever recorded, that initial Iommi riff is also played in synch by Geezer's bass guitar, just relentless and with Bill's drums hammering out the matching rhythm, it was just a staggering way to open up an album. For all of the pile driving heaviness, there is a superb melody here, Ozzy sings powerfully, he had quite a vocal range in the early 70's. The lyrics are the most outstanding written to date, with such a blisteringly red hot performance, those lyrics can become overlooked. They were intelligently written about re-incarnation, the vocals carry an emotional content superbly, surely one of Ozzy's finest ever deliveries. The sound quality is simply stunning audio perfection, unleashing such staggering power, as mastered in the grooves of the original / first pressing Mint record, none of the common 45 years of damaging wear, as loudly as my volume is set, there are none of the awful distortion problems found on most originals. I must stay aware of the stunning condition of the record and not write too much text, there was no surface sound during that first track and the same applies to the first gap, precisely as it was pressed and exactly how it came in 1973, so there will be no need to keep mentioning them. I try my very hardest to include the sound pressed on a record but there is a limit to how far I am prepared to go for a Mint record like this. Immediately following, another real killer of a performance for the electrifying, "A National Acrobat". This certainly isn't a theme or a concept album, although "A National Acrobat" is very closely connected to the previous track with lyrics that pick up on the same reincarnation theme. Their fascination with old haunted old houses is later on. Ozzy sings how he has lived a thousand times and found out what it needs to be believed, a track taut with a dramatic tension, again a far more melodic approach on this song and they play it with a softer feel. The backing to Ozzy's amazing vocal is one of restraint with an undercurrent of something about to burst, creating the dramatic tension. About two thirds of the way into this track, the vocals and and the backing explode into full power, Tony Iommi's guitar here is just astounding! The ending section turns really heavy, featuring everything that made Black Sabbath such a major force, being used to a devastating effect. Iommi's two differently recorded blistering guitar parts, are panned in a fantastic stereo mix, with the alternating notes flying between the speakers as fast as your ears can follow their path, the 1973 mix is amazing in such perfect audio clarity. The first two tracks on this side are very special, so are those that follow them, the sound quality is fantastic on the heavier stuff, now for the album's biggest test! I will describe the superb intro to "Fluff" in detail, the track gap is usually excessively noisy, with the intro drowned out by loud crackles and much worse. The gap runs silently, only faint ultra low level natural static and this is not played in yet, so absolutely perfect clarity when Tony Iommi's acoustic guitar plays this truly beautiful folk melody from the left speaker, from the right speaker, Tony's second instrument, a superb harpsichord. Then the third and fourth Iommi instruments are a piano and a really gentle electric guitar. There is no percussion on "Fluff", the only other musician involved is Geezer playing a melodic bass guitar along with Tony's multiple instruments, the effect is lovely soothing tranquil music with a rippling water like effect. The same mixture of an acoustic track between wall shaking heavy music was there on the previous Black Sabbath albums. "Fluff" is a track to clearly demonstrates how remarkably their songwriting had now developed over the last four years since the self titled debut album. The beautiful song has stunningly crystal clear sound, skilfully crafted, the stereo panning is another reason why "Fluff" works superbly. Ending in a completely silent gap and then from the right speaker, Tony Iommi's guitar punches out a brilliant blues riff to introduce the great "Sabbra Cadabra," the track with an expanded input of Rick Wakeman's keyboards. The rest of the band come storming in with some very intensive performances, a loud throbbing Geezer bass guitar is enjoyed at full volume, superbly clean and undistorted. All my records being sound checked are subjected to excessive volume, partly because it's how I love to hear music, it also means any distortion is instantly revealed. Ozzy sings with full out power on a song dedicated to a "lovely lady," at first this is played as only a bass, drums and a guitar propelled track, now Rick Wakeman gives an added sophistication to elevate the growing sound up to fantastic proportions. Wakeman's piano is rooted in blues improvisations, so it was ideal for Tony Iommi to work off and this final instrumental section produced awesome music! It was not so much a departure from their previous records but a progression, moving forwards a few decades, Rick Wakeman joined up with Ozzy again for his 1995 solo album "Ozzmosis." Needless to say, the sound was like the whole first first side, immaculate and razor sharp edged, the only way to hear this incredible album! Side 2's run-in grooves are nearly silent, amazing, like most unplayed records do need several plays to achieve their potential maximum audio clarity. Simply because near microscopic 'pips' of vinyl from when it was molten fall back from the metal stamping plate, an avid recorder of latest records in this early 70's era, I learnt to take a good few plays before pressing the 'record' button on my cassette recorder. The difference is massive, often patience is required, this record has near perfect audio clarity and ranks among the most stunning "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" first pressings I have ever heard. Tony's heavy riffing guitar powers in with the bass & drums, an astonishing impact, the intro to a simply staggering "Killing Yourself To Live". If I had to pick a personal favourite album track, I would be torn between this and the just heard "Sabbra Cadabra." Ozzy Osbourne's vocal is just immense, inspiring some of the greatest ever blues guitar and that heavy riffing from Tony Ommi, moving on into an incredible section, becoming almost another song. I realise most people do not associate Black Sabbath with great lyrics but this album is stacked full with them, they are not the demonic kind expected from their image, they are in fact, full of concern about the pain and suffering in the world. They also contained a warning to be wary about who you should put your trust in, certainly not their former manager who was prepared to end the careers of Black Sabbath to satisfy his greed. "Killing Yourself To Live" features Ozzy singing with a really fired up voice delivering the lyrics,not only him, the other three contribute such electrifying energy and musicianship to really hammer the message home, "Never give your trust away, you will end up paying 'til your dying day." Ozzy sings that with an extra emphasis, the lyrics were so prophetic and they would soon return to haunt him in that described period of exile from every aspect of being free to make music of this magnitude. The second side is in the same stunning sound quality as the first, I have to say the gap runs smoothly into yet another song of sheer brilliance,"Who are You?" This is taken at a much slower tempo and the progression of Black Sabbath's music generated tremendous force here, but without needing a barrage of riffing guitars. Ozzy, Tony and Geezer played synthesisers and a mellotron, and together created the most fantastic sounds! These lyrics carry great weight on an extremely powerful song asking pertinent questions about religious figureheads and an unquestioning blind worship. This is positively nothing at all to do with devil worship, it's more like an outspoken, head on confrontation and a condemnation of the devil. Musically this is a sensational track and the chorus of "Who are You?" has the very reason Ozzy was such a brilliant vocalist in this inspired early 1970's period. The stereo panning effects on the track are mesmerising, with alternate synthesiser notes appearing in the opposite speakers, the sad part of all this was the imposition of an enforced exclusion from a recording studio for two years, at the very point the band were really peaking at making records. "Who are You?" was a really positive signpost that their next album would pick up from this blossoming of new sounds, for this great melody alone. The great's just keep on coming though, those eerie sounds gradually become one note and from that straight into "Looking For Today", yet another magnificent listening experience, behind Ozzy's stunning vocals the band play out of their skins! They give a very powerful base for the vocals to launch from, but I must stress the melodic side to the music is the reason "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" has the reputation of being their masterpiece. Sure, they could also let rip like no other band in the 'heavy and mean department,' they certainly do that on this perfectly balanced album, but not for the whole 45 minutes! Thought provoking lyrics once more, these are telling about someone powerful who is only looking/living for today without a thought for the future, and having to pay for it. The track features great subtlety, not reliant on a riff, the sound quality is just stunning with a lethal mixture of overwhelming power in absolutely perfect audio definition, there is literally no surface sound or even a sensation of vinyl being the source of such fantastic sounds. The end track on this masterpiece of an album is a remarkable song, "Spiral Architect" begins from a completely silent gap, a major rarity for this album, because only Tony's acoustic guitar plays a beautiful folk music melody for the first few minutes. 'A calm before the storm' all right because "Spiral Architect" starts to ignite with Pete Townshend like power chords beefing up the sound, before exploding into loud and very heavy music. Bill Ward's drums are played with tremendous force and Tony's guitar goes into overdrive, Ozzy sings a line that makes total nonsense about their demonic image; "Sorcerers of madness selling their time, child of God sitting in the sun, giving peace of mind." This is some record, immaculately clean when you need it to be, then delivering tremendous power without a hint of distortion, if only that was true for as high as 90% of these first pressings, still, we bought records to play and enjoy in the early 1970's, I always hunt for the toughest condition of them all, as close to mint as possible. Wave after wave of orchestrated instruments now come flooding into the backing and Ozzy steps up his vocal power to singing out the great lyrics with an increased passion. A fantastic melody was fully explored with sensational such arrangements and a glorious production, Black Sabbath themselves produced this album. 'Audience' applause follows the sensational finalé, then the band play a very short reprise, with Geezer's superb bass part dominant, they all fade out to leave a long lasting impression of an absolutely stunning album. {Roy} R & M RECORDS. My lifetime's love of music and records began at a very young age, the arrival of the Beatles and the 1960's decade in general had a very profound effect. It was only natural to bring all my first hand experience of collecting vinyl into becoming a professional record seller. Nearly thirty years ago we entered into the wonderful atmosphere of record fairs with the highest possible standards set. When the Internet became the world's new market place for vinyl, in 2001 it was time to join ebay. Those standards were rigidly adhered to as they will always continue to be, the basics of honesty and integrity were very much part of the era the music I love originated in, so here is our friendly and very efficient service we are proud to provide; EVERY RECORD IS FULLY PLAYED AND COMES WITH A 'NO ARGUMENT' MONEY BACK GUARANTEE. I USE GOOD OLD COMMON SENSE AS WELL AS A GLOBALLY ACCEPTED GRADING TERMINOLOGY FROM THE U.K. "RECORD COLLECTOR PRICE GUIDE" BOOK. THERE IT CLEARLY STATES "Sound Quality" AFFECTS EVERY GRADING LEVEL AND THAT IS THE ONE AND ONLY POSSIBLE WAY TO ACCURATELY GRADE RECORDS. i.e. COMBINING A STRICT VISUAL INSPECTION WITH VERY CLOSELY LISTENING TO EVERY SECOND, UNLESS PERHAPS IN THE CASE OF GENUINELY UNPLAYED VINYL. EVEN THEN WE STILL TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR A RECORD WHEN A CUSTOMER RECEIVES EITHER A SEALED OR AN UNPLAYED RECORD. We take 100% responsibility after an item has been posted and offer our fullest support in the event of any problems. "There Are No Problems, Only Solutions" (John Lennon) MY DESCRIPTIONS WILL ALWAYS BE 100% HONEST AND TOTALLY ACCURATE ON ALL GRADINGS FROM 'V.G.' ( VERY GOOD), TO THE ULTIMATE 'MINT' CONDITION. ANY QUESTIONS ON OUR ITEMS ARE WELCOMED AND WILL BE PROMPTLY REPLIED TO. WE ARE FULLY EXPERIENCED AT SHIPPING WORLDWIDE AND NO EFFORT IS SPARED TO PROTECT RECORDS AND COVERS ETC. WE WELCOME BIDDERS FROM ANY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD. ALL RECORDS ARE REMOVED FROM THEIR SLEEVES AND PLACED INTO NEW PROTECTIVE CARD SLEEVES AND THEN PLACED INTO NEW, HEAVYWEIGHT PLASTIC OUTER SLEEVES. THE GREATEST ATTENTION IS PAID TO MAKING THE PACKAGING EXTREMELY STRONG & SECURE. EVERY POSSIBLE EFFORT IS MADE TO ENSURE A SAFE DELIVERY AND WE ONLY USE THE VERY BEST QUALITY PACKAGING MATERIALS, THE COST OF THE ITEM IS IMMATERIAL, EVERY RECORD IS TREATED EXACTLY THE SAME. WE DO NOT TREAT POSTAGE AS A MONEY MAKING PROJECT, POSTAGE IS LESS THAN COST, USING ONLY PROFESSIONALLY PACKED BOXES WITH SUBSTANTIAL PROTECTIVE PACKAGING THAT DOES WEIGH A LITTLE EXTRA. UNDER PAYPAL & EBAY'S GUIDELINES, ALL RECORDS WILL BE SENT VIA A FULLY INSURED TRACKABLE SERVICE. For LP's valued above £50, the cost will be £9, we are unhappy about either increase but our high standard of packaging has meant in 16 years of ebay trading, there has not been one record damaged, we are determined to maintain that in the present and future. IN THE UK RECORDS UP TO THE VALUE OF £50 WILL BE SENT RECORDED DELIVERY, OVER £50 WILL BE SENT SPECIAL DELIVERY. FOR THE REST OF THE WORLD ALL RECORDS WILL BE SENT VIA 'INTERNATIONAL SIGNED FOR.' POSTAGE COST FOR LP's UK: UP TO VALUE OF £50, FIRST CLASS RECORDED DELIVERY £5.00 UK: OVER VALUE OF £50, FULLY INSURED SPECIAL DELIVERY £9.00 EUROPE: FULLY INSURED VIA INTERNATIONAL SIGNED FOR £15.00 USA,JAPAN & REST OF THE WORLD FULLY INSURED VIA INTERNATIONAL SIGNED FOR £20.00 POSTAGE COST FOR EP's & 7" SINGLES UK: UP TO THE VALUE OF £50 FIRST CLASS RECORDED DELIVERY £3.00 UK: OVER THE VALUE OF £50 FULLY INSURED SPECIAL DELIVERY £6.00 EUROPE: AIR MAIL VIA INTERNATIONAL SIGNED FOR £10.00 USA, JAPAN ETC. AIRMAIL VIA INTERNATIONAL SIGNED FOR £12.00 PAYMENT DETAILS. WE WILL SEND ALL WINNING BIDDERS AN INVOICE WITH THE FULL PAYMENT AND POSTAL DETAILS, AS NEAR TO THE AUCTION ENDING AS POSSIBLE. OUR AIM IS TO MAKE YOUR PURCHASE SMOOTH AND TROUBLE FREE. FOR UK BUYERS; WE ACCEPT: PAYPAL, CHEQUES, POSTAL ORDERS & BANK WIRES. FOR OVERSEAS BUYERS; WE ACCEPT PAYPAL, INTERNATIONAL MONEY ORDERS IN POUNDS STERLING ONLY. OR BANK TO BANK WIRE TRANSFERS. WE WILL NOT MAKE FALSE STATEMENTS ON CUSTOMS DECLARATION FORMS AND WILL ALWAYS CONDUCT ALL OF OUR BUSINESS WITH TOTAL HONESTY. AS MUCH AS WE SYMPATHISE WITH THE WAY SOME COUNTRIES CHARGE SUCH HEAVY IMPORT DUTIES, WE WILL NOT LIE.