BLACK SABBATH – DEBUT LP – Nr MINT/EXC+ 1Y1/2Y1 UK 1970 VERTIGO SWIRL OZZY

Black Sabbath
(Vertigo Records  1970  VO6/847903VTY)
Matrix No’s: V0 6 1Y * 1 420 12 23 / V0 6 2Y * 1 420 12 25 – UK Pressing

Vinyl in Nr MINT/Excellent+ condition
(there are some surface marks visible on the vinyl when held up to the light but they don’t affect the sound quality apart from the odd light pop/crackle)

Gatefold Sleeve in Excellent+ condition
– some wear to edges/corners
Vertigo Swirl Inner Bag has some small tears one side on the centre ring but no splits

Black Sabbath were an English rock band, formed in Birmingham in 1968, by guitarist and main songwriter Tony Iommi, bassist and main lyricist Geezer Butler, singer Ozzy Osbourne, and drummer Bill Ward. The band experienced multiple line-up changes, with Iommi being the only constant member throughout its history. Originally formed as a blues rock band, the group soon adopted the Black Sabbath moniker and began incorporating occult themes with horror-inspired lyrics and tuned-down guitars. They also composed songs about social instability, political corruption and drugs.

Osbourne’s regular use of alcohol and other drugs led to his dismissal from the band in 1979. He was replaced by former Rainbow vocalist Ronnie James Dio. Following two albums with Dio, Black Sabbath endured countless personnel changes in the 1980s and 1990s that included vocalists Ian Gillan, Glenn Hughes, Ray Gillen and Tony Martin, as well as several drummers and bassists. In 1992, Iommi and Butler rejoined Dio and drummer Vinny Appice to record Dehumanizer. The original line-up reunited with Osbourne in 1997 and released a live album Reunion. Black Sabbath’s final studio album and nineteenth overall, 13 (2013), features all of the original members but Ward. A year after embarking on a farewell tour, the band played their final concert in their home city of Birmingham on 4 February 2017, after which they broke up. Iommi has stated, however, that he has not ruled out the possibility of new material or one-off shows under the Black Sabbath name.

Black Sabbath are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped define the genre with releases such as Black Sabbath (1970), Paranoid (1970) and Master of Reality (1971). They were ranked by MTV as the “Greatest Metal Band” of all time, and placed second in VH1’s “100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock” list. Rolling Stone magazine ranked them number 85 in their “100 Greatest Artists of All Time”. They have sold over 70 million records worldwide. Black Sabbath were inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. They have also won two Grammy Awards for Best Metal Performance.

Black Sabbath is the eponymous debut album by English heavy metal band Black Sabbath. Released on 13 February 1970 in the United Kingdom, and later on 1 June 1970 in the United States, the album reached number eight on the UK Albums Chart and has been categorised as the first major album to be credited with the development of the heavy metal genre.

Track listing

All songs credited to Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward and Ozzy Osbourne, except where noted.

Personnel

Black Sabbath

• Ozzy Osbourne – vocals, harmonica on “The Wizard”
• Tony Iommi – guitar
• Geezer Butler – bass
• Bill Ward – drums

Production

• Rodger Bain – production, Jew’s harp on “Sleeping Village”
• Tom Allom – engineering
• Barry Sheffield – engineering
• Marcus Keef – graphic design, photography