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Why is this so rare?

This is what I have been told by a Black Sabbath expert......

Black Sabbath's first four albums on the 'Swirl' label sold very well in the UK, consequently, it is not too difficult to obtain  UK 'swirl' label pressings - although they are still highly sought after and command high values when in nice condition.

However, when Black Sabbath changed record labels to WWA in 1973, they managed to secure the rights to their back catalogue (Black Sabbath, Paranoid, Master of Reality & Volume 4) which meant that from mid 1973 onwards, Vertigo no longer had the right to issue these albums on the Vertigo label - although they continued (under contract to WWA) to manufacture and distribute Black Sabbath albums for Sabbath Bloody Sabbath,  Sabotage & Technical Ecstacy.

Shortly before leaving Vertigo, it is alleged that some 500 copies of each of the first 4 Black Sabbath albums ('Black Sabbath', 'Paranoid', 'Master of Reality' & 'Volume 4') were manufactured in the UK on 'Spaceship' labels - Vertigo having changed their labels from 'Swirl' to 'Spaceship'. These were manufactured and distributed in the UK some time in early to mid 1973 - just  before Black Sabbath joined WWA. These can be clearly identified by the '420' number in the run-off groove which denotes the pressing as a UK manufactured one.

It is possible that this modest (c500 each) re-release of the first 4 Black Sabbath albums was a spoiler tactic by Vertigo -  who wanted to capitalise on BS's success before their contract expired, knowing that WWA would want to re-release these albums themselves. More likely, given that Vertigo continued to contract with WWA to supply overseas markets, this was simply a production run that was intended to be larger but was curtailed to 500 copies of each LP when it was realised that Black Sabbath would definitely be leaving the Vertigo label  in 1973; and the Vertigo UK production rights therefore expired.

Either way, it is now incredibly difficult to find UK 'Spaceship' (sometimes called 'UFO') label versions of the first 4 Black Sabbath albums. You only need to check out ebay listing for Black Sabbath, at any time, to see that the Swirl labels far outnumber the spaceship labels for these first 4 LPs.

If anyone has any more information to add to (or dispute) what I have been told, do please contact me and I will add the information to the listing.