QUEEN (1st) RARER ORIG UK 1973 ‘KIP - HUGGYPOO KISSY’ Etched EX LP.

	£		25
	$		33

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Postage: UK £4.75. Europe (including Russia) £12.50. Rest of World £16.50. All boxes signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes that offer virtually no protection at all. More details on this nearer the end of the listing.

Posting to Russia: Yes, I do post to Russia. But delivery can take up to 4 to 6 weeks from the UK. So please be patient. I will submit a tracking number to the winning bidder, and when the packet arrives there it can be followed online using the Russian post website.

ALSO: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment. I try to keep my P&P prices as low as possible even yet another Royal Mail price hike, I will never compromise on solid, safe packing that is invariably a little heavier.

Artist or Band: QUEEN

Album Title: Queen.

Producer(s): John Anthony & Roy Baker.

TRACK LIST:

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... .

Label/Format: EMI – with matt, smooth surfaces and original format with Trident Audio Production 1973 logo.

Label Conditions: Both clean, fresh and attractive with any spindle marks, few, fine, light and faint.

Cat Number: EMC 3006 (YAX 4623/24).

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Warps: Assume all records I offer have no warping of any significance and all tracking is easy and effortless and should play on all turntables and even ‘budget’ decks.

Weight of this Record: 122 grams. A typical weight for this album.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: First pressings of this legendary album are far more elusive. Remember, few had even heard of Queen when this album was issued. No previous hit singles and sparse radio publicity. I actually bought a copy of this album after seeing them perform on BBC’s Old Grey Whistle Test – the track ‘Liar’ totally blew me away and hearing it again on a vinyl record did it again for me. I specially ordered a copy of this album from ‘Mann’s Music’ back in 1973, fearing a new band’s album would not be guaranteed to be stocked straight away. The first shop-sold pressings have to be checked carefully: the matrixes which are: YAX 4623-3U / YAX 4624-3U (as this copy has). The dead-wax area messages are: ‘KIP - HUGGYPOO KISSY’ (on side one) and ‘AGAIN!’ (on two). Second pressings replaced this text with ‘BLAIR’ and ‘BLAIR RULES’, often mis-sold as a first issue.

Original Year of Release: 1973

Matrix Nos: YAX 4623-3U / YAX 4624-3U [only the first issues had these matrixes]

Stamper Codes: 3 GDR / 2 HT

Run-Out Groove Etchings: These are highly significant and read: ‘KIP - HUGGYPOO KISSY’ / ‘AGAIN!’

Musicians: Freddie Mercury – Vocals; Brian May – lead guitar; John Deacon - bass guitar; Roger Taylor – drums.

Brief Info: The album that started the legend of Queen – the band that included one of the most charismatic showman vocalists of all-time, and from the very outset, it was clear this band were to become very special. Their early albums were far more rocky and heavy, they could even be classified as ‘progressive’, briefly anyway and appealed greatly to rock fans such as myself – their performance on ‘The Old Grey Whistle Test’ is legendary. This debut is stunning and always nice to offer a real early-cut. Right from the start, this band were a class act. Even from the earliest days, quality was paramount and this is an awesome recording. I just had to stop typing this listing during ‘Liar’, the massively powerful basslines towards the end left my body a mass of goosebumps - this has incredible power, depth and detail and no later pressing or CD version will compare. Pressing quality however can vary and finding copies that play ‘silent’ is even more difficult. I have heard several with inherent surface noise, loud crackle and even distortion. This has a small few sporadic ticks but is clean-cut with no distortion or unwanted pressing faults. All the power and detail overshadow any minor blemishes and this copy again rekindled those memories of 40-years-ago.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(–): a single matt, smooth format that was printed and made in England by Garrod & Lofthouse.

Cover Front: This has always been a difficult cover and it seldom wears well. This front has faired quite well with any rubbing light. Gentle rim rubbing but no cutting ring wear and the colour remains strong. There is some gentle creasing but little shows with full-on ‘normal’ viewing. A little rubbing near the edges where most of the finer surface creases are.

Cover Back: Very similar overall: maybe a little more creasing but the lack of ring wear for which this cover so often suffers is a bonus.

Top Edge: Solid but quite thin and straight. Little wear and this has text the same as the spine as seen in close-up. The end corner tips have rubbed.

Bottom Edge: Pretty much the same as above, but this has no text.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, fairly sharp with a little thickening of the front edge, both are guaranteed untrimmed. Record enters on this edge.

Spine and Text: Solid, again thin but mainly straight with any compression mild. All text is solid and present with little wear, the odd small rub blemish only. Looking closely, the odd tiny tip-in likely but far from obvious.

Corners: Only small and light tip rubs on the spine ends. The right pair have more moderate rubs but still fairly small.

Cover Summary: A difficult and thin dark matt cover and prone to just about anything time, handling and storage has to offer. This still a very respectable early one, not for the highly discerning, but many collectors will be happy.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT: an unlined EMI text inner sleeve that has aged only little. Very mild hints of darkening on the seams with all edges unsplit with no repairs. Some crinkle but hardly any real creasing. Very early with no date-codes.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT: a very fine visual copy that is clean, shiny, intense black and solidly pressed. Under bright angled light, some very faint surface traces or super-fine hairlines are seen, but little else. All points to a very lightly used copy and visually, this ‘HUGGYPOO KISSY’ early copy should again please many collectors.

Album Played For Grading: Yes. [I play ALL records I offer before submitting to Ebay, also the record is played in its entirety unless clearly stated otherwise. I do NOT play snippets or joining grooves to check for sound quality and quietness – I play from the beginning to end via clinically revealing B&W speakers that include the legendary tweeter from their awesome Nautilus range that reveals every blemish or miniscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This fantastic Queen debut plays mostly above it’s high visual grading with little to fault. Powerful, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is superb with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. Any surface sounds gentle, light and very infrequent with just the odd sporadic light tick here and there. Just enough to remind this is a 40-year-old record and no a squeaky clean digital version. I have heard this album several times with crackle and distortions, even significant pressing issues, even from new, pristine audio quality was not assured. This copy has avoided pressing problems and very little spoilt my listening experience. Not quite or the audiophile purist, but this offers far more positives than negatives and the inherent power, detail and sonic delivery of the music and vocals will not be beaten by more modern formats. This early-made issue should please many collectors again.

Now one of the most established sellers on Ebay and still offering the finest and most accurately described and graded records I can find. I pride myself on offering a variety of genres to keep my site as interesting as possible. I will rarely offer any record that falls below a true Excellent grading, unless its of a certain rarity which will justify offering a lesser grade. I try, to the best of my ability to describe as accurately and as honesty as I can all items I offer for sale with all the relevant information I can think of to help any potential bidder and collector. You may notice I only submit records sparingly on Ebay - on average ONEADAY, a couple more at weekends if time permits, hence the name - time rarely allows for more as I Play-Grade virtually every record I offer in their entirety, not just bits to guess a grade - visuals alone do not always tell a true or full story. I will mention any defects or flaws no matter how small that I notice to be fair as possible to any interested collector – I am very fussy and my buyers have the right to be too. Every record I offer, whether it be a common or rare item deserves the same respect as far as I am concerned and will be treated the same - just because an item is rare does not always mean its good. I get just as much pleasure offering a relatively common record in stunning near mint condition as the real rare items. All the pictures I use for your guidance are taken with a digital camera or scanned - they are NOT improved, cleaned-up or made better looking than they are with camera trickery or enhancing with digital programmes. What you see is what you get and scanned labels will give a more accurate representation of the genuine colour than flash photography where light is variable. I cannot guarantee total accuracy for colours however but most will be very close. If any picture I take looks more flattering than the actual item for any reason, I will clearly state the fact in the advert and vice-versa. I hope the item below is to your liking - any questions can be emailed and I will do my very best to answer you. I am enthusiastic, and have a fair degree of knowledge about many genres and I promise quality items - bid with confidence - excellence comes as standard and so does Near Mint regularly. Please assume all records I offer have NO jumps, sticks, warps or writing on covers or labels unless clearly stated to the contrary. Thanks for your interest and Good luck – MIKE.

Deck: Linn LP12/Hercules/Cirkus with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Rondo Red moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with Terrarium Black terminated cable). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional VPI-17 vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too. Pictures taken with a Nikon D5000 SLR Digital Camera.

PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET.

What You Get: To confirm to the strict Ebay rules on shipping, I must now send ALL my packets ‘Signed-For’ with NO exceptions. Both buyers and sellers want their packets to have a safer journey and this is not a bad thing.

I now offer the fastest possible posting, often the very next day after payment is received or within two to three days maximum (unless on holiday). I only use FIRST-CLASS Mail. The record’s cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my new VPI-17 Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. You will NOT get tired, dull looking, dust infested records inside worn and foggy covers with tatty inners from this seller and that’s a promise and guarantee. All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT Mailers, these do not offer any real protection). The record(s) are REMOVED from their main cover to avoid edge splits and placed within a brand new polylined inner. The record’s original inner will be included if available. The boxes are then reinforced with at least TWO, ULTRA THICK stiffeners for maximum extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffeners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will even be Double Boxed if deemed necessary and possible. When larger boxes are used, the thick record and stiffener ‘sandwich’ is then thickly embedded into bubble-wrap to bulk out the record inside the box to centre the item inside to reduce the risk of damage still further. Printed address labels are used for clarity as well as a sender label. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if at all possible but ‘Signed-For’ posting is NOT an option anymore. I do not profit on posting and the cost of this lavish packing is NOT even charged for, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners and bubble wrap make a near impregnable fortress for safe shipping and this is used inland and overseas for ALL my records, not just the rare and expensive. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than one in two thousand+ based on over 10,000+ items sold in over 12 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. The only damage rate acceptable for this seller is ZERO and I think my packets will offer just that. It would take a vicious postman or postal service to damage these for sure. Even one of these stiffeners cannot be bent by hand, so what chance 2 inside a box? Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FIVE records per box (one double can sometimes be included subject to total weight). All postage costs are below and at the top of the listing.

NOTE: First Time Bidders: Please ask me first.

PLEASE NOTE: I now exercise my right to open a dispute after the Ebay rule of FOUR days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the, again after the mandatory FOUR days and then offer the item to the runner-up or relist. The non-payer will also be blocked from my Ebay site and they take the Ebay consequences (a strike or removal from the system). Small businesses need prompt payment to trade and these strict rules WILL be applied.

SHIPPING COSTS & CONDITIONS – THESE comply with EBAY’S RULES - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY:

Posting & Packing: UK & CHANNEL ISLANDS all now sent via Recorded Delivery:

1 LP (FIRST-CLASS Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4.75

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £8. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £2 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£50 maximum]) = £12.50 (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3). Add £3 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); South America; New Zealand; Australia; Canada; Japan and other Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£50 maximum]) = £16.50 (£17.50 for double sets). Add £3 per extra LP. (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3)

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders or direct payment into my bank account.

Potential Bidders: I will cancel any bids I feel are time-wasters. A maximum 3 days for communication and 7 days for payment to arrive - if not I will relist the item or offer to the runner-up. Fast deals get great feedback from me. Any questions - please ask and thanks for looking.

My Guarantee: If any winning bidder is not satisfied with their purchase I will offer a complete refund. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer, so read the item description carefully. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help. Thank You.

SOME GENERAL GUIDES TO WEAR AND CONDITIONS TO HELP YOU DECIDE

My Use of Description Terminology: Surface Marks = Superficial, usually light marks, hairlines or light scuffs that rarely sound. Scratch = a needle mark that goes below the record’s surface, some will sound, some will not, my play-grade will inform. Original = a record that has been pressed with the first label design which does NOT necessarily mean a very first pressed record. First Pressing = A record that I believe or know to be a genuine very first pressed record. I do not claim to always know for sure, and that’s why I state the stamper and matrix numbers if at all possible, for those who claim to know what they all mean, the information is there for the collector to decide. I prefer to use terms like ‘Early Copy’ rather than ‘First Pressing’ if I am not totally sure. Surface Sound = Mild, light sound, usually light crackle or similar. Distortion = Break up of the actual sound caused by groove wear or damage from a chipped stylus – the most undesirable form of unwanted sound, vintage mono records were the most prone to this happening but not exclusively so. The symptoms of distortion are high frequency clipping, moderate constant crackle or an echo type sound quality. Violin, piano and vocals are most prone to groove-wear distortion. Feathering = Fraying or softening of the entry edge of a cover. Covers with feathered entrance edges are more likely to have had the actual record inserted and removed more than a non-feathered, sharp-edged cover which are always far more attractive. Set Off, actually a printer’s term for dark ink leaving mild residue on pale or white ink when rested upon. e.g. when a gatefold cover has black ink closed against white, this can leave some black residue on the pale area – this is mostly unavoidable or course.

The Argument for Vinyl Original sound and mix (mono mixes are rarely available on CD), high quality sound on clean copies (played on a hi-end dedicated analogue system – breathtaking sound!), beautiful, large format covers, artwork, inserts and even full size posters etc; huge investment potential, and the pleasure of owning ‘the real thing’.