QUEEN: 1973 DEBUT UK EMI 1st PRESSING - SUPERB SOUND

	£		58
	$		77

 
QUEEN: 1973 DEBUT UK EMI 1st PRESSING - SUPERB SOUND MATT G&L SLEEVE (7307), 1st -3U/-3U MATRIX & ETCHINGS

QUEEN
Queen

ORIGINAL UK EMI (EMC 3006) FIRST PRESSING (July 1973) OF QUEEN'S FANTASTIC EPONYMOUS DEBUT LP IN SUPERB CONDITION (few careful plays only) AND DELIVERING JUST ABOUT THE FINEST AUDIO YOU ARE LIKELY TO FIND FOR THIS OFT TROUBLESOME FIRST PRESSING (for example, I have another copy which looks stone cold mint, unused and unmarked but it plays with excessive crackle, especially on 'Doing All Right' which always seems to be the most problematic track)
THIS COPY HOWEVER, PLAYS WITH THE ABSOLUTE MINIMUM OF THESE PROBLE (see detailed audio assessment below) AND SOUNDS STUNNING WITH AN INCREDIBLY STRONG, DEEP, RICH AND POWERFUL DETAILED SOUND

PRESSED ON QUALITY MID-WEIGHT VINYL (quite chunky for the time) WITH THE FIRST EMI LABELS WITH THE QUEEN CREST AND "MADE IN GREAT BRITAIN" TEXT
MATRIX: YAX 4623 - 3U (etched "KIP HUGGYPOO KISSY'') / YAX 4624 - 3U (etched ''AGAIN!") (the lowest matrix set for this first pressing)
MOTHERS/STAMPERS: 1/AA and 1/AR
THE LP IS HOUSED IN THE ORIGINAL SINGLE MATT SLEEVE "Printed and made by Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd.” WITH NO BARCODE ON THE REVERSE AND DATE CODED "7307" (1973, JULY)

Like any patchy but promising debut from a classic rock group, it's often easy to underrate Queen's eponymous 1973 debut, since it has no more than one well-known anthem and plays more like a collection of ideas than a cohesive album. But what ideas! Almost every one of Queen's signatures are already present, from Freddie Mercury's operatic harmonies to Brian May's rich, orchestral guitar overdubs and the suite-like structures of "Great King Rat."
That rich, florid feel could be characterised as glam, but even in these early days that appellation didn't quite fit Queen, since they were at once too heavy and arty to be glam and — ironically enough, considering their legendary excess — they were hardly trashy enough to be glam. But that only speaks to the originality of Queen: they may have traded in mystical sword 'n' sorcerers themes like so many '70s prog bands, and they may have hit as hard as Led Zeppelin (and Jimmy Page's guitar army certainly was a forefather to May's overdubs), but they didn't sound like anybody else, they were too odd in their theatricality to be mistaken for another band. That much was apparent on this debut, but one thing was crucially missing: songs that could coalesce their sound and present it in a memorable fashion. There is an exception to that rule — the wild, rampaging opener "Keep Yourself Alive," one of their very best songs — but too often the album plays like a succession of ideas instead of succinct songs, and the group's predilection for suites only highlights this, despite the occasional blast of fury like "Modern Times Rock & Roll." This can be quite appealing as sheer, visceral sound and, in that regard, Queen is kind of irresistible. It showcases the band in all their ornate splendour yet it's strangely lean and hard, revealing just how good the band was in their early days as a hard rock band.

Track Listing:
Side 1: KEEP YOURSELF ALIVE / DOING ALL RIGHT / GREAT KING RAT / MY FAIRY KING
Side 2: LIAR / THE NIGHT COMES DOWN / MODERN TIMES ROCK 'N' ROLL / SON AND DAUGHTER / JESUS / SEVEN SEAS OF RHYE...

LABELS: The labels are clean, bright and unmarked with just one light spindle trace on side one and just a handful on side two - this copy has seen only a few careful plays only
VINYL Visual: The vinyl surfaces retain their original deep, glossy sheen and apart from some light and superficial hairlines are unmarked
VINYL Audio: Sensational audio quality on this first pressing - clean, sharp, warm and vibrant sound and on playback at a loud volume (which is how I always listen to my LPs prior to listing) there are no scratches, no sticks or jumps, no surface noise and barely any clicks or pops (really hardly any, and in my experience it's very rare to find a copy which sounds this good). This is a very clean pressing which plays to an extremely high standard throughout with all frequencies bright and clear, no groove-wear and no distortion (it's seen little play) and is critically graded a strong EXCELLENT+ for audio - this is a really fantastic copy and they really don't come much better than this (in fact, checking back through my records this is only the second copy I have ever offered for sale as all others I have come across have too many of the problems mentioned above)
SLEEVE: The delicate, very thin and flat matt G&L cover is EXCELLENT with only a little wear. The edges are sharp and unrubbed and the spine text (reproduced on the top edge of the cover) is clear and bold. The spine has a few light creases but overall, this is a very fine example of this incredibly easily worn untreated sleeve


PLEASE HAVE A LOOK AT MY PICTURES - I USUALLY TAKE QUITE A FEW SO YOU CAN GET A CLEAR INDICATION OF EVERY DETAIL OF THE ITEM
I HAVE UPLOADED AS MANY AS I CAN BUT I WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO SUPPLY ANY ADDITIONAL PHOTOS ON REQUEST
OUTSTANDING FIRST PRESS COPY OF QUEEN'S DEBUT AND SURPRISINGLY RARE TO FIND IN SUCH WONDERFUL PLAYING CONDITION - GREAT STUFF
AS WITH ALL MY RECORDS THIS HAS A LOW START PRICE AND NO RESERVE
PLEASE CHECK OUT MY OTHER AUCTIONS FOR MORE RARE AND COLLECTABLE VINYL
AND PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO CONTACT ME WITH ANY QUERIES YOU MAY HAVE
THANKS FOR LOOKING, CHEERS

PLEASE REFER TO MY 'ABOUT ME' PAGE FOR MORE DETAILED INFO ON MY PLAY-GRADING, EQUIPMENT USED, P&P etc

POST & PACKING
UK: 1st Class: FREE or £1.00 (recorded delivery)
EUROPE: Airmail: £5.00 or £8.50 (International Signed For delivery with tracking)
INTERNATIONAL: Airmail: £9.00 or £12.50 (International Signed For delivery with tracking)
***Any record (or combination of records) which sells for more than £40 MUST be sent by a trackable method ie INTERNATIONAL SIGNED FOR or RECORDED (UK)

UK bidders: PayPal or Cheque
INTERNATIONAL bidders: PayPal ONLY

REDUCED POSTAGE FOR MULTIPLE ITEMS (EACH ADDITIONAL LP: EUROPE & INTERNATIONAL £2.00)
I will combine postage for items purchased within any 10 day period. However, at the end of each 10 day period, all outstanding items will need to be paid for in full and will be posted to you. Any items purchased after payment will be included in the next 10 period. I am continually adding new items which may be of interest to you and it is impractical for me to allow payment to be postponed indefinitely in the expectation that you might wish to bid on future items. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation
Guarantee: I endeavour to be as accurate and honest as possible when describing the condition of any LP but of course if you feel that I am mistaken and the description is inaccurate I will offer a complete, no quibble refund (through Paypal) upon return of the item.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to a recent spate of bidders with no feedback not paying for records I must insist that all bidders with 0 feedback contact me first before bidding to confirm their genuine intention to buy the record otherwise their bid will be cancelled and they will be blocked. Sorry to sound so authoritarian but non payers are a real waste of not only my time but genuine eBayers

ALL RECORDS ARE PROFESSIONALLY CLEANED BEFORE DISPATCH AND PACKAGED WITH THE VINYL OUTSIDE OF THE SLEEVE TO PREVENT ANY 'KNIFING' DURING TRANSIT
A PROTECTIVE POLY SLEEVE, QUALITY CUSTOM WRAPRO MAILER AND STIFFENERS ARE ALWAYS USED TO ENSURE THAT YOUR RECORD ARRIVES SAFELY


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 308 (GS 5.3.7 (308))