QUEEN A DAY AT THE RACES 1U/1U 1st PRESS Very CLEAN COVER & SUPERB AUDIO EX+/M-
£
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Description
I will declare a lower amount on the customs form for all countries so as to avoid/decrease high import charges. However, in the case of the EU all purchases are subject to VAT which eBay collect at point of sale. No shipping to Russia currently.
Queen : A Day At The Races 1U / 1U 1st Press
This is the finest first pressing I have found in a long time. The clarity of sound is stunning on both sides - so often S1 especially plays with a fair amount of static but it really is kept to a minimum here and the majority of it does play with wonderful clarity. S2 may well be the strongest I have ever heard! There are so many highlights but the stonewall classics 'Somebody To Love' and 'Let Us Cling Together' play with perfect clarity and depth it has to be said. Not only that but the vinyl is also visually stunning and I would say only lightly played based on the audio and that there is no spindle wear at all.
The cover is of course so often found in poor condition but this is not one of them! This one is in excellent condition with only minimal wear and the original picture inner is also immaculate condition.
EMD 1003 // YAX 5245 - 1U / YAX 5246 - 1U // TL 4 / GRO 2 // STERLING stamped on both
The audio on S1 is Near Mint (Mint- for the majority / T2 Ex+ to Mint- / T4 Near Mint-)
The audio on S2 is Mint(-) (T2 Near Mint on quiet final section)
The gatefold is Ex
The labels are Mint
The picture inner is Mint-
Visual grading
The vinyl is in lovely condition and still has an immaculate glossy sheen with no marks or scratches. There is no groove wear or 'bag rash' and under a strong light I can only locate a small number of very faint sleeve removal hairlines. As stated there is no spindle wear and the labels have no marking or writing on them either.
Play grading
The 'orchestral' opening on 'Tie Your Mother Down' starts proceedings in fine style with no interference, just a handful of mega quiet dust ticks. The 'loud' crescendo note for once has no distortion and there is just one very light tick as Brian's classic riff kicks in. The opening vocal is flawless and the first chorus is just as impressive. It continues in the same precise with a power and depth that could not be beaten and this truly is an exceptional start to the album. The vocals are so 'clean' throughout and the music itself could not play with any greater definition, there is no 'muddiness' to the sound at all. I think Mint- is well deserved here.
As any Queen collector will know 'You Take My Breath Away' so often plays with a lot of static/crackle but this is easily one of the most STUNNING versions I have ever encountered. The 'choral' intro plays beautifully with not even a single dust tick and the following piano piece again play so clearly with only the lightest of static for 2/3 seconds which is totally non-intrusive. The first verse is so clean with only a small number of dust ticks and the next verse just has a handful of statics that are a little more obvious but again really not that intrusive. It still plays with great clarity and the vocal and gentle piano accompaniment are very much to the fore. It continues in much the same way and as the volume increase there is no let up in quality. Brian's brief instrumental section is perfect and the final vocal has just a couple of static ticks towards the end and then the closing repetitive vocal has only very minimal light static. So yes a very impressive version with no clicks or pops and only minimal static. I would say ranging between Ex+ and Mint- is a fair reflection of the audio.
'Long Away' is very close to perfect. The only 'background' is some light static just after the mid instrumental which lasts for only 3/4 seconds and a couple of minor ticks before the final vocal. Near Mint
The piano intro on 'The Millionaire Waltz' has no 'background' (a genuine rarity) and Freddie's opening vocal is equally as 'clean'. What a start! The second 'Once we were mad...' verse is nigh on perfect with only a handful of mega light dust ticks and the third verse is just as impressive. The short instrumental section that follows (it is of course so quiet!) plays with exceptional clarity with only a couple of insignificant light ticks just before the vocal comes back in. This 'Come back to me...' section plays with stunning precision and then the 'high octane' section again cannot be faulted. The next instrumental passage is so clean and the super quiet 'My fine friend...' verse just has one tick that is slightly more obvious at the beginning and then a small number of mega light ones soon after. The final verse is STUNNING and Near Mint- is deserved here. I do not think I have ever heard a Mint version on a 1U/1U first pressing but this has to be one of the finest examples I have ever heard as there is basically no real intrusion on the audio. Any 'background' is so light and kept to a minimum.
'You And I' ends a very impressive S1 with only 3/4 very light ticks that you could easily miss as they are very much 'buried' in the music. This track is often affected by distortion but there is zero here. A very strong Near Mint version.
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The 'choral' intro on the classic 'Somebody To Love' has no interference at all and the first verse can also be described 'as new'. The second verse is equally as strong and the sonic quality here is just phenomenal - each note is 'crystal clear' the sound has no issues despite the record now being 46 years old. It continues in the same way and the 'Find me somebody to love...' then plays with a clarity and power that is second to none. Pure audio perfection! You can even hear the 'echo' affect on the final 'love' - just listen out for it, it shows just how incredible the clarity is! To the final note it plays with STUNNING precision with only a couple of dust ticks on the fade out piano section. This has to grade as Mint as there are quite simply no negatives.
The quiet opening section on 'White Man' plays perfectly as does the first chorus. I often think this track is underrated and I am happy to say it delivers on every level with no interference and no distortion either. The playback is so impressive - the vocals are faultless and there is a real sense of depth and power during the 'heavy' sections. The quiet end section just has four light static ticks before the vocal comes in and then no other 'background'. This is Mint and then Near Mint right at the end.
'Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy' plays with outstanding clarity from start to finish with no interference. I do not need to elaborate this is Mint in every way
'Drowse' is of the same 'high end' standard and plays like it has never been played before. The clarity of sound and the sheer depth on the audio is up there with the best I have ever heard and of course...there is no interference. Another perfect fade out also. Mint
The delicate intro on 'Let Us Cling Together' plays beautifully with only a couple of inconsequential dust ticks - this is essentially the perfect start. The first verse again plays with exceptional clarity with only one light tick on the final note. The second verse does indeed play with perfect clarity and the first chorus does not disappoint. So far this classic is playing with unbelievable quality, and it continues to play with super clean audio. The powerful 'When I'm gone...' section so often is affected by intrusive distortion but in my opinion there is none here to be found and the 'choral' passage that follows is just as impressive. The organ 'finale' has no 'background' either. This truly is a stunning finish to the album and I have no hesitation in grading this as Mint- as it is very possibly the finest version I have heard in many years.
In summary this first pressing plays to a superb standard with no obvious intrusion and there are certainly no clicks or pops. There is a little static on S1 but it is kept to a minimum and the many quiet sections play so much better than they usually do! So S1 is very impressive but S2 is absolutely stunning! I have rarely found a genuine first press playing with a clarity of sound as good as this and for once even the cover is in excellent condition!
The Gatefold & Picture Inner
This cover, in the Queen catalogue, has to be the hardest to find in decent condition, even more so than A Night At The Opera. I am pleased to say this one, whilst not perfect, is in excellent order with only light wear. The edges are so clean with barely any rubbing and the wide spine remains very strong with only a handful of white marks and the usual two crease lines running down it caused by the opening of the gatefold. Only the bottom corners have a small amount of wear, the top edges are in superb condition. The opening edge is in pristine condition with no handling wear. The front cover is exceptionally clean with no obvious marking - there are a couple of minor sticker removal marks top right but they really are very faint. You can also see a small number of minor creases around the edges, a few tiny 'specks' and some minor abrasions which is common. The back cover is very similar and remains very clean and the inside of the gatefold is near perfect with only some light specks along the top edge. This cover is so much cleaner than 98-99% of the ones you see today and Ex is very much deserved.
The original picture inner (with rounded corners) is in perfect condition with no side splits or marking and no creasing either. 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
EMD 1003 // YAX 5245 - 1U / YAX 5246 - 1U // TL 4 / GRO 2 // STERLING stamped on both
I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.
Any questions please feel free to ask
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Postage & Packaging
I NOW ONLY SEND ITEMS WORLDWIDE VIA TRACKED SHIPPING. THIS PROVIDES 'PEACE OF MIND' IN CASE OF LOSS OR DAMAGE. ALL COSTS ARE SHOWN BELOW AND COMBINED POSTAGE IS ALWAYS OFFERED. ANY OVER-PAYMENT WILL ALWAYS BE REFUNDED BACK TO THE BUYER.
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