Vertigo Swirlblind

Well, that escalated quickly. A few months ago, after some conversations with friends, I was hit with a strong desire to collect some original pressings for old Metal records. I immediately set out and bought a few relatively cheap ones through eBay. I was feeling pretty good about my recent purchases and was discussing them with Doug. Now, if you follow Doug's blog at all, you know that he does not fuck around. After talking with him, I was dreaming bigger, and had thoughts of original silver label Megaforce pressings of Kill Em All and UK Neat pressings of Black Metal dancing through my head. It didn't stop there though, as soon we were talking about the holy grail...original UK Vertigo swirl labels for Black Sabbath.

I've bought a lot of Black Sabbath vinyl over the years, but I never really imagined myself stepping up to the Vertigo swirl level of collecting. That shit just seemed to be out of my league. Still, after talking with Doug, I couldn't stop thinking about them. They were the only records that I had on my mind. Nothing else seemed to matter. I needed a fix, and I needed it bad.

I spent a bunch of time talking with Doug, and reading stuff on the internet on how to identify the UK Vertigo pressing. I needed to make sure that I bought the pressing that I wanted. Can you imagine the embarrassment and shame to mistakenly end up with a French or Italian pressing? The horror!

After watching record after record come and go on eBay, I came across a copy of Sabbath's Vol. 4 album listed with a Buy It Now price. It was reasonable, but I was so stressed over this purchase as I checked and double checked all the info to verify it was the one that I wanted. Everything looked to be in great shape, but I was so nervous that there was some horrible flaw that I was not seeing in the photos. After sweating over it for a couple of days, I couldn't take the stress any longer and finally just pulled the trigger.

When it arrived, I could not have been happier. This thing is in amazing condition, with no sign of ring wear. And the sound? Holy shit. Typically Vol. 4 gets looked down on a bit because of the muddy production, but the audiophiles are right...UK Vertigo is the way to go for the best sound. This sounds great. It's funny because, I've probably listened to this album a hundred times, but as far as the last song, Under The Sun, goes, I wouldn't have given it a second thought. As I sat there listening to this pressing, it was like I was hearing this song for the first time. This song that I've probably overlooked many times over, sounded so powerful...so vital. It blew me away. Easily, one of my favorite Sabbath songs right now.

Even the attached booklet on the inside of the gatefold cover looks amazing. The paper pages are crisp and clean...damn near perfect.

When we finally get time machines, my first stop is going to be this Sabbath show. This picture from the inside booklet absolutely captivates my attention, and I can't tear my eyes from it. I can't even imagine how cool it would be to watch Sabbath play in such an intimate setting.

So yeah, I already had a few copies of Vol. 4, and of course they are now obsolete now that I have the first press Vertigo swirl copy. Still, there isn't any such thing as too much Black Sabbath, so I don't see myself getting rid of them any time soon.

I'm in no rush to try and keep up with Doug's original six, but I've started down that path. We'll see where it takes me, and how long until I get to the finish line.