QUEEN A NIGHT AT THE OPERA 2/2 1st PRESS Single Stampers *Superb* AUDIO & COVER
£
51
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Description
QUEEN : A Night At Thee Opera 2/2 1st Pressing
This very early first pressing is very impressive and plays with only minimal interference. The vast majority is of Near Mint standard if not better and with only 3/4 clicks in total there are very few negatives.
The embossed cover is rarely seen as good as this also. It is in superb condition with barely any wear and perhaps even more rare is that the original picture inner has no split on the bottom edge!
A 2/2 matrix is of the course the first pressing of this album and has Blair's etched into the run out grooves as opposed to Mr. Blair's Cut on later pressings. What makes this first press even more collectable is that is has only a single stamper on each side, T and P. I honestly cannot remember when I last saw one of these and is obviously one of the first of the 'printing press'. My search for a G1/G1 continues!
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EMTC 103 // YAX 5063 - 2 / YAX 5064 - 2 // T 3 / P 1 // BLAIR'S etched on both run out grooves
The audio on S1 is Near Mint (Mint- in many sections / Track 2 VG+ / T5 Ex+ )
The audio on S2 is Ex+ (Near Mint / Mint- for the majority / T1 Ex end section )
The gatefold is Ex++
The picture inner is Near Mint
The labels are Near Mint-
Play grading
The quiet piano intro on 'Death On Two Legs' provides a superb start with only a couple of dust ticks and and rest of the intro also plays with sublime quality. There is one faint tick as the vocal begins but from that point on it plays with tremendous power and clarity and no interference at all. This deserves a Mint- grade I believe.
'Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon' does play very clearly and the intro is perfect. However, there is one light click near the beginning and a couple of louder ones in the middle section. Apart from that it plays very well indeed with no underlying static for example but will have to grade as VG+ because of the clicks.
No such problem with 'I'm In Love With My Car' I am pleased to say. An underrated track in my opinion this plays with wonderful power and depth from start to finish with no 'background' whatsoever. Mint all the way!
'You're My Best Friend' has a very 'clean' intro with just one light static tick and then plays with great precision with only only a couple of static ticks on the fade out. Near Mint
The acoustic intro on '39' is very impressive with barely any static, certainly nothing intrusive, and as the vocal comes in the audio could not be any stronger. It continues in the same precise way and the only negative is one static tick and one click on the final acoustic section but stunning otherwise! The majority does play to a Mint- standard but will grade as Ex+ which is a fair assessment overall.
'Sweet Lady' is loud and true from the opening groove and thereafter plays with remarkable power and depth. There is no interference and yes it can be turned up to maximum with no distortion. Mint-
'Seaside Rendezvous' of course always has some inner groove distortion that is just the nature of this album, you cannot avoid it. However, there is very little here and plays with great clarity in actual fact and no clicks or pops etc. A Near Mint end to this very very impressive side.
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The intro on 'The Prophet's Song' is very impressive when you consider, one, how quiet it is and two, that this is a very early first pressing. It has minimal static only and no clicks or pops. Once the vocal begins the playback is stunning, 'as new' in fact and this opening chorus/verse/chorus section cannot be faulted in any way. It progresses in exactly the same way the depth, power and clarity of the music is sensational! The acapella 'Now I know...' section is nigh on perfect with only a couple of very gentle ticks at the beginning and the 'la la' passage could not play any better. Once we hear Brian's familiar guitar the sound quality is outstanding and the final vocal section is absolutely stunning! No distortion, no interference just pure clarity and power. The acoustic end section grades as Ex as it does have a little static and a couple of static ticks but it still plays very clearly. As for actual track itself - well in my educated opinion it unquestionably deserves a Near Mint grade as there is barely any intrusion and is a superb version overall.
The classic 'Love Of My Life' has no 'background' on the intro, it plays beautifully, and the first verse is also as close to perfect as could be with only 2/3 light dust ticks. There are then 5/6 light static ticks but I emphasise the word light. They are very quiet and non-intrusive and from then on it plays with great clarity and no interference aside from a small number of dust ticks. I am sure many would grade this as Near Mint but I will grade as Ex+ as there is a little 'background' although very minimal. The final verse and acoustic end section are 'as new' a stunning finish.
'Good Company' in the main plays with wonderful precision but there is one pop type sound during the quieter 'All through the years...' section. A shame because apart from that it plays with great quality and no other intrusion. Ex+
'Bohemian Rhapsody' begins in fine style with barely any static on the opening verse. The second is almost as good with only a couple of light ticks but nothing that you would deem as intrusive and there are no clicks or pops. The third verse is stunning with perhaps just a minor hint of distortion towards the end but honestly it is hardly noticeable! Brian's first solo then plays with great power and the 'operatic' section is stunning! It has no interference, barely any distortion, and the 'heavy section' is equally as good with very strong audio. The quieter end section again has no 'background' aside from a minor touch of distortion but I may be doing myself a disservice by even mentioning it! Difficult to grade in a way - I would say this classic ranges between Ex+ and Near Mint and for once there are no clicks or pops, a fine version for sure.
'God Save The Queen' ends this iconic album with flawless audio. A Mint finish.
In summary this super early first pressing plays to a superb standard overall and with only minimal interference. The clarity and depth of the audio is very impressive and the two classics 'The Prophet's Song' and 'Bohemian Rhapsody' are very impressive indeed. Yes there are 3/4 clicks in total but aside from that there is no obvious intrusion and it's worth saying that I very rarely find this classic album with only single stampers on each side so in this respect it is quite a rare album and especially with such a superb cover and inner!
Visual grading
The vinyl is in lovely condition with no real flaws. There are no scratches and whilst there are a few hairlines and one very minor scuff hairline on S2 they are very faint and have no affect on the audio. They are not at all obvious and the record still retains a very strong healthy sheen. There is not very much spindle wear so has not been over-played. The run out grooves are super clean and the matrix info can clearly be read.The Gatefold
The iconic embossed cover is in lovely condition with no real shelf wear and has been so well preserved over the last 45 years. The edges are super clean with barely any rubbing, just a minimal amount near the bottom right corners and the spine is practically 'as new' with only a couple of very small faint 'spot marks'. As can be seen all there is barely any corner wear either and the opening edge is also pristine. The front cover has retained its original 'white' colour so well and has hardly any of the fading/staining that you regularly see. It has just one a couple of tiny 'spots' and one very faint blemish top right and only minimal (very minimal!) fading around the edges. The embossed crest is in perfect condition. The back cover is very similar with only a couple of minor 'spots' again and only 3/4 faint print type marks. The inside of the gatefold is close to perfection with only a very faint mark near the bottom of inner spine. It is also still very strong as if it has only ever been lightly handled and retains its original shape perfectly well. A fantastic example overall and rarely seen as good as this.
The Picture Inner
The picture inner (with the three cut corners) is stunning! I would 95% of the time if not higher it has a bottom edge split but not here! All edges are very strong and there is no creasing either and the thumb notch area is also in perfect condition. There is one miniscule corner crease but no creasing around the edges which is another rarity. A superb example!
The Labels
They are in great shape with no marking or writing and only a little spindle wear.
Play tested on my Pro-Ject Essential III Turntable // B & W 684 Speakers
This record has been professionally cleaned on a Pro-Ject VC-S machine
EMTC 103 // YAX 5063 - 2 / YAX 5064 - 2 // T 3 / P 1 // BLAIR'S etched on both run out grooves
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