QUEEN - Very Rare 'CONFERENCE CUSTOM' B-2U UK Press

	£		166
	$		220

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Please see my Detailed Packing Description Further Down & All Shipping Costs and Options – NOTE: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment.

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 – original format with Trident Audio Production 1973 logo.

Label Conditions: Both clean, fresh and attractive with only light, fine and faint spindle marks seen under angled light.

Cat Number: EMC 3006 (YAX 4623).

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: 138 grams. This around 20 grams heavier than average.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity & Special Note: Genuine 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 clean first pressed 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.

Now this copy I have in hand I feel is extra special and almost certainly very rare. The information I can find on this may mean this is an EMI ‘Conference Custom’ pressing of this album. The few previous examples I have offered have had YAX 4623-3U / YAX 4624-3U matrixes and the dead-wax area messages are: ‘KIP - HUGGYPOO KISSY’ and ‘AGAIN!’ This I truly believed to be a first issue – and without doubt it is very early. But this one is very different. Not only is the side two matrix even earlier being YAX 4624-2U, the dead-wax area message on this side is TOTALLY different being: ‘OFF WITH HIS HEAD’. This I have never seen before and with mother and stampers being 1 H / 1 H, this will one of the earliest ever pressed. Clearly the ‘Off With His Head’ message was very quickly dropped and changed to ‘AGAIN’ – this, along with the ‘Huggypoo’ was then totally changed to ‘BLAIR’ and ‘BLAIR RULES’ for ‘second pressings’. I have seen many examples of this record over the years, most being the ‘Blair’ version with a smaller few ‘Huggypoo’ / ‘Again’ ones. I simply did not know an ‘Off With His Head’ etching even existed. The Net sources state, at the request of Freddie Mercury, these initial messages were made on Test pressings and clearly a few with standard EMI labels as well. The Test pressings are beyond rare, but how many of these exist either? Finding this debut album with low stampers is hard enough itself and now with a very rare appropriate message engraved – with reference to the Queen of Hearts in ‘Alice in Wonderland’ – this will be a significant collectable edition for serious Queen collectors. I would now be pretty certain, this version was only with initial runs of this album, and I state again, when this was first pressed, few people had even heard of the band. As an extra footnote, my play-grade of this incredibly early (an potentially very rare) copy was a revelation. It has the best sound and especially separation I have ever heard bar none. I am sure I heard small details I had previously missed and this is NOT hype, it is pure fact. Specialist collectors know the earliest pressings on records in most-all cases, offer the very best sound possible and sometimes with slightly different mixes. Well this record totally blew-me away. The audio quality appeared more open, detailed, powerful and dynamic with more distinct stereo imagery and refinement. It has taken me best part of 39 years to find such a copy and I am convinced few of these, in this particular format were made or exist.

Original Year of Release: 1973

Matrix Nos: YAX 4623-3U / YAX 4624-2U [this is very first -2U matrix I have ever seen]

Stamper Codes: 1 H / 1 H (incredibly early, most have higher numbers and often with 2 or 3 letters).

Run-Out Groove Etchings: These are highly significant and read: ‘KIP - HUGGYPOO KISSY’ / ‘OFF WITH HIS HEAD’ [please see these etchings on my close-up pictures]

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 this particular copy is the first I have ever seen to include the details seen above. Right from the start, this band were class acts. Even from the earliest days, quality was paramount and this is an awesome recording, and this one is simply incredible. 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 to this. The unlaminated cover rarely wears well but this has stood the test of time better than many. Get this on to a worthy system and be prepared to rock – early Queen were majestic and this record is special. It appears this pressing is little documented.

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

Front & Back: This cover is quite flimsy and prone to all forms of wear, and that is with a standard thin record inside. This one is much thicker and heavier pressed than any other I have had. So a little record impression is hardly a surprise. This has not penetrated and formed ringwear, so this has lesser visual impact. Some fine edge creases but mimimal rubbing. Given the facts, this is very respectable indeed.

Top Edge: Minimal wear and including the text as per the spine that has not rubbed.

Bottom Edge: Very light patchy rubbing only.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, mostly quite sharp with minimal traces of wear and no feathering or trimming of course. Not quite flush in manufacture with the back edge a couple of millimeters proud of front. Any burring or thickening modest as seen viewed end-on. Record enters on this edge.

Spine and Text: Quite solid and straight with some fairly modest compression. All text is perfect and unworn and any general rubbing very slight indeed.

Corners: Light tip rubs and fine to very fine shape retained.

Cover Summary: A difficult dark matt cover that has stood the test-of-time pretty well, especially so with a thicker and heavier than average record inside all these years. It should please may collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: NEAR EXCELLENT: an unlined plain white inner – most seen have the EMI text inner sleeve. . This has modestly aged with light ruffle near the top opening edge and the bottom edge has a very small central neat split. Minimal creasing or discolour.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+): a very fine visual copy that is clean, shiny, intense black and very solidly pressed. Very light and few fine surface marks are seen under light, but few will avoid these as the bare minimum. I am very sure this record has been played little and probably has not seen light-of-day for many years. A much rarer copy of this record that will rarely be seen or offered better.

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 even above its high visual grading with practically nothing to fault. Powerful, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is astonishing with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. Any surface sounds registered little and no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing for a complex and challenging album. Not all EMI pressings were pressed to this standard especially within this year of issue but this totally blew me away. I have heard this album several times with crackle and distortions, and these usually from later pressed copies that often looked like new. These unwanted audio sounds cannot be seen of course, but certainly can be heard when present. This one has avoided such issues and is a very clean pressing. What grabbed me particularly was the incredible separation and clarity – the whole recording seemed more open and detailed. The whole experience just seemed better and ‘different’. Few copies will even match let alone better this significantly for superb audio quality. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. Just how many of these -2U and ‘Off With His Head’ pressings are actually out there? I think this has the potential to be one of the rarest ‘major’ albums I have yet offered on Ebay. This is the King of Queen albums, and I feel pretty certain one that will seldom be seen offered better.

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 QED Silver 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 7,000+ items sold in nearly 10 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 3 or 4 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). I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included here and on ALL of my adverts. Details below:

NOTE: First Time Bidders: Please as 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.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (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 [£46 maximum]) = £10. (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 [£46 maximum]) = £14. Add £4 per extra LP. (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’.