QUEEN – A Night at the Opera – SUPERB UK 1975 'BLAIRS' EX++, HARDLY PLAYED LP.

	£		18
	$		24

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World in Quality, Safe Packing.

Postage: UK £4.75 (£1 per extra record). Europe (including Russia) £12.50 (£2 per extra record). Rest of World (including ALL parts of the USA) £16.50 (£3 per extra record). All boxes signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes that offer virtually no protection at all – in fact I think these things should be banned as records WILL arrive damaged in them at some time. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS. Full details 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 ‘2-day’ rule for non-payment to keep things moving – cash-flow is important for any small business. I will always keep my P&P prices as low as possible, and even after yet another Royal Mail price hike from April this year, I have NOT raised my prices and will never compromise on solid, safe packing that is invariably heavier than most you will get. My P&P offers probably the best value-for-money for vinyl records available, and I even will pay for full insurance on any record that sells for over £100 at NO extra cost – that is UK and abroad. Also I aim to post the very same day after payment is received. You WILL see the difference when my packet arrives.

FINALLY: Late payers, non-payers and ‘0’ bidders will now be blocked or cancelled at my discretion. As will any bidder who cancels a bid. I do not like this practice as it is most often used to phish out the price to beat. Ebay does not approve and neither do I – so only bid on my items if you want them.

Artist or Band: QUEEN

Album Title: A Night at the Opera

Producer(s): Roy Thomas Baker and Queen

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Death on Two Legs/Dedicated to…; Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon; I’m in Love with My Car; You’re My Best Friend; ’39; Sweet Lady; Seaside Rendezvous.

Side 2: The Prophet’s Song; Love of My Life; Good Company; Bohemian Rhapsody; God Save the Queen.

Label/Format: EMI – customised format with matt, smooth surfaces.

Label Conditions: Both immaculate, ultra clean, fresh and attractive with one faint spindle trace.

Catalogue Number: EMTC 103 (YAX 5063)

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: 110 grams. Quite light, but very well pressed. As many will know, this one can be a lottery.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: A very popular album, this is more often seen heavily played in very grubby, well handled covers. Inners often have shredded edges. Pressing quality is known to be variable, this was mass-produced and seldom have I heard a copy that plays right through with little unwanted – well this one does. This is a lovely all-round example.

Original Year of Release: 1975

Matrix Nos: YAX 5063-2 / YAX 5064-3

Stamper Codes: 5 RLO / 3 AGL

Run-Out Etchings: ‘BLAIRS’ on both sides.

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

Brief Info: Queen’s fourth long-player and arguably their most famous ‘landmark’ album. This includes the massively successful ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ which spent several weeks topping the singles charts – and at a time when it actually meant something. An album that was also showing more diversity with various styles of songs and beautifully recorded with reference standard high-fidelity production and sound. The complexities of the engineering is of outstanding quality and the vocal arrangements of the famous single still astonish even today. The cover again mentions no synthesisers were used. Superbly packaged, this album sold very well, but is never too easy to find in top conditions. The cover, more often than not, becomes yellowed, toned and grubby and is far less seen still a nice shade of white. The very popular record often a swathe of spindle marks and clearly well played. Pressing quality always factor, this is often blighted by invisible pressing sounds, and even distortion and crackle. So always a challenging record in all respects, one that demands to be play-graded prior to listing because even the cleanest looking and hardly played record will often disappoint, that a plain and clear fact. Something I do for every item I offer.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(+): arguably being critical for a ruthlessly revealing cover. An unlaminated gatefold format with the front emblem embossed, elsewhere smooth, and all matt. Printed and made in England by Garrod & Lofthouse, this includes the Trident logo. The unlined card graphic inner sleeve is also included.

Cover Front: Gentle, light and fine toning the spine edge fold, any grubbiness or other discolouration minimal and very light indeed. A cover that seldom wears well and ages badly unless treated and protected with care. This has avoided creasing and hardly any marks of note as can be seen.

Cover Back: The back has a ‘Downtown Records’ sticker, these usually remove easily, with care, but I decided to leave it alone. Overall the back is at least the equal of the front, and to my eyes even better with little to fault bar the fine spine edge darkening, just like the front. These large areas of white rarely escape and remain this clean overall.

Cover Centrefold: Very impressive again with little to fault at all, any blemishes bordering on minuscule.

Top & Bottom Edges: All four straight, flush and flat, any hint of wear or discolouration tiny and faint.

Right Edge(s), and Type: The front edge is tucked and folded with a real edge, this barely worn at all, the panel end inside has remained sharp as well. The entrance edges on the back are both very clean and sharp with any burring or thickening tiny and barely any, both are guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced.

Spine and Text: Solid, straight with barely any any hint of compression. Folded square, so the edges meet up closely together and parallel. All text is perfect and unworn, the surface and folds are gently darkened as seen, this so hard to avoid totally. Compared to some I have seen, this vulnerable area has fared quite well in all respects.

Corners: All corners are in fantastic condition with no rubbing to the tips. Shape for all is practically as-made with no knocks or dinks, these are very impressive indeed.

Cover Summary: A near exceptional example of this classic mid-70’s cover, one that could prove difficult to find much better. With the majority really showing their ages (and poor storage history), this is a lovely example owned by a very careful collector. With only the merest hint of age, this quality cover should please many Queen fans.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT: an illustrated unlined card inner with three angle cut corners and a wide shaped and recessed top opening. The only blemish of note is a small rub to the bottom edge, this around an inch. This small area has thinned just short of a full split. I decided to leave this as-is, any inner I offer that has a full split, I normally repair as neatly as possible, but I deemed this one as unnecessary as most would store the record inside the soft-lined inner I always supply. All other edges solid and strong, this is very clean and fresh with minimal creasing or evidence of handling. Edge issues are seldom avoided on this or similar inners, often split on arrival to retailers due to record movement. In real terms, this has fared well compared to many, if not most.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++): and as close to my full Mint(–) grade as they get without quite grading as such. Without any doubt, this has been hardly played, this beautifully preserved record leads you right back to the 1970s. A super visual copy that is very clean with lovely shine and quite solidly pressed. Generally well-pressed with immense sound and visually a quality record that should please most 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 minuscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This impressive record plays up to, and most even above it’s high visual grading with little to fault. Offering powerful distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear with no tracking issues*. Audio quality and production both being of the highest quality with a wide dynamic range and supreme stereo separation. Just listen to the imaging on the vocals, this is of reference quality and will make any system excel. From the beginning this band wanted high standards and this again is beautifully engineered with immense detail. Any unwanted sounds little and very light indeed, the odd trace being near impossible to avoid on such a recording that does have some complex and quiet passages. None more so than ‘The Prophet’s Song’, the track that so often gives, often substantial issues. I have in the past heard this track literally fall apart with pressing rasps and crackle – the vocal only passage is incredibly challenging and difficult to track. This one of the quietest I have heard for some time, any blemishes are very few and light and this ultra difficult track is mostly very pleasing – this being played on sensitive equipment as listed further down. Be under no illusion, this album was mass-produced in considerable numbers to meet demand, such albums meant pressing faults and issues were more common, and I know for a fact this album is very difficult to ever find ‘perfect’. I am not saying this copy is pristine, but it will blow many, if not most away and was a joy to play-grade. Both channels are clean and sharp, I know this record has been played very lightly and has been clearly well stored and carefully handled. Barely anything spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. This overall copy will prove difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended unless ‘digital silence’ is mandatory, and good luck with that from an early vinyl copy.

* As played-graded on a high-end Linn LP12 Sondek turntable with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Quintet Black moving coil cartridge tracking at 2.2 grams.

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 as I Play-Grade every record I offer in their entirety – also on higher-end equipment – 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 it’s 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 programs. Room light factors can make things vary sometimes, that is hard to control, especially in winter. 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 Quintet Black moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2.2 grams). Amps: Naim Supernait 2 with Project USB phono stage and Tellerium Black interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with Tellurium 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, better quality packaging costs, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners 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 minuscule in over 14­ 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. Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE – they offer next-to-no-protection, and should be banned, no ‘professional’ should consider using them in my opinion. 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 TWO days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the bid, 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 as will any suspicious bids or bid withdrawals. 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] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £1 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 £2 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’.