Queen : A Night At The Opera 2/2 1st Press

This first pressing plays to a fantastic standard and has only a couple of clicks on 'Good Company'.  The remainder has a clarity and depth that is exceptional for a 2/2 press, I cannot praise it highly enough!  S2 is so impressive and and both 'The Prophet's Song' and 'Bohemian Rhapsody' are prime examples of the 'high end' audio - they are both stunning and play with near perfect precision.  S1 though is absolutely immaculate and I have never heard 'Seaside Rendezvous' play with such 'clean' audio and no obvious distortion, this is just so rare!  This is no doubt due to the fact that the vinyl has only ever been lightly played and so well cared for down the years.  The vinyl is in fantastic condition and there cannot be many around like this today!

As this is a genuine first pressing it has Blair's etched into the run out grooves on both sides. 

The iconic gatefold is in lovely condition and the picture inner is also in excellent order with only one small split on the bottom edge.

EMTC 103 // YAX 5063 - 2 / YAX 5064 - 2 // RMA 3 / RMH 4 // Blair's etched on both run out grooves

The audio on S1 is Mint-

The audio on S2 is Near Mint (Mint- for the majority / track 1 intro Near Mint- / track 3 Ex)

The gatefold is Ex- very close to Ex

The picture inner is VG++

The labels are Mint-

 Visual grading

  The vinyl is visually stunning and retains a jet-black glossy sheen the likes of which you hardly ever see on a 2/2 first pressing.  There are no marks or scratches on either side and having looked under various lights I cannot detect any obvious hairlines either, it is immaculate!  There is barely any spindle wear and the run out grooves and labels are also in sublime condition.  What a stunning example!

Play grading

The piano intro on 'Death On Two Legs' plays extremely well with barely any static and as the music builds Brian's foreboding guitar affects are immaculate.  As it progresses the audio is of a standard that is so rarely found on these genuine 2/2 first pressings.  There is no interference at all, not even a dust tick, and the depth and quality of the audio is astounding.  Not only that but there is no distortion either which again is a rarity.  I am confident in grading this as Mint- the playback cannot be faulted.  Yes there are a couple of mega light static ticks on the intro but in no way can this be classified as interference!  It remains one of the cleanest intros I have heard in a long time.

The segue into 'Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon' is 100% perfect and it then plays in exactly the same way!  Again not a dust tick to be heard and put simply this is Mint as I know audio perfection when I hear it!

I am delighted to say 'I'm In Love With My Car' is of the same 'high end' standard with no 'background' whatsoever.  The power and definition of the music is sensational and quite honestly I cannot believe the quality of audio so far on this classic record.  It is obviously one that has been hardly played judging by the clarity and depth of the audio.  Mint again without question.

'You're My Best Friend' has a couple of insignificant static ticks on the intro and then plays without fault for the remainder.  No clicks, pops, static or crackle.  I'd go for Mint- here.

The acoustic intro on '39' often has some 'background' but this one has only one very faint tick and the clarity is very impressive.  As the vocal comes in the audio is 'as new' and it continues in the same sublime way.  Another mention for the definition of the audio here - it is so 'clean' and each note can be heard with stunning precision.  Even in the 'silent' section towards the end after the 'pity me' line there is not so much as a dust tick and the same applies to the final acoustic note on the fade out!  I cannot adequately explain the immaculate quality of the audio on offer here.  So far this is quite possibly the most stunning 2/2 press I have ever heard!

'Sweet Lady' is loud and true from the very first groove and has no distortion at all.  There is no interference aside from a couple of static ticks on the fade out, one of which is a strange 'squeak' type sound but very quiet.

As any collector knows 'Seaside Rendezvous' always has some inner groove distortion and it is just a matter of how much.  In a word...barely any....ok two words!  This is the strongest, most 'complete' version I have heard in many a year and there is nothing that intrudes on the playback.  This is another example of a vinyl that has hardly ever been on a turntable as the audio quality has not deteriorated in any way.  The lack of distortion is incredible and you don't need me to say how rare this is!   It can be turned up loud, the sound is not jarring at all, and is a stunning way to end this Mint- side.  This is a fantastic version!

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The 'wind' intro on 'The Prophet's Song' has only the lightest of static, barely noticeable, and as the acoustic section comes in there are only a couple of minor static ticks and the absolute minimum of static.  A very impressive start.  As Freddie's vocal begins the audio is faultless.  The music has a 'raw' power to it and once again there is no distortion.  The opening verses are immaculate, the playback is Mint in every way and the entire acapella 'Now I know' section is totally stunning!  It has to the 'cleanest' I have ever heard, I can't quite believe what I am hearing!  The playback is just fantastic - wow!!  As Brian comes back in the depth and power of the audio cannot be underestimated and the final verse is without equal.  The acoustic end section is also beautifully 'clean' with only a couple of mega light dust ticks.  This is a breathtaking version of this prog classic with the intro grading as Near Mint- but the remainder is Mint- without doubt.

The piano/acoustic intro on 'Love Of My Life' also plays to a sublime standard.  The clarity is stunning and it continues in exactly the same way.  I am conscious of not repeating myself but this is audio of a FINAL UPGRADE nature and it is just so rare for this classic ballad to play as well as this with no clicks or pops etc.  At most there are only a handful of mega quiet dust ticks but that is perhaps being too critical!  I will just say there is a very faint hiss sound for 3/4 seconds near the end as the piano builds but it is so minor and certainly not intrusive.  It really is very quiet and easily missed!  To the end it plays with wonderful clarity - a beautiful Near Mint version although the vast majority is better than that.  So much is 'as new' and that applies to the harp end section also.

'Good Company' is the one track on the album that has a little interference albeit not very intrusive.  The intro could not play any better but there is one faint click after 20 seconds and another further in.  There is another slightly more obvious click on the two minute mark but I must stress that apart from that the audio is very 'clean' with no static or crackle etc.  It's difficult to grade as the vast majority does play with wonderful clarity, 'as new' in fact but yes it does have three 'imperfections'.  Perhaps Ex is a fair reflection.

The iconic intro on 'Bohemian Rhapsody' is stunning and plays with immaculate clarity.  There are a handful of light static ticks during the 'easy come, easy go' passage but they are not intrusive in my opinion as they are so very quiet and could even be missed.  As my regulars know I take great pride in my gradings and will mention any 'background' however minor and believe me these ticks (almost dust ticks) are very minor!  From then on the audio is absolutely stunning and you could not wish to find greater clarity and definition, the playback is exceptional!  As the volume increases there is no decrease in quality and Brian's solo before the operatic section is so powerful and precise with no sign of any interference.  The 'opera' then plays to the same 'high end' standard as does the rock section that follows.  It is no exaggeration to say they play 'as new' with Mint quality.  The clarity on the quieter end section is so impressive and has no intrusion of any kind.  It's rare for this passage to play so cleanly and it does not disappoint here.  With only a couple of dust ticks it could scarcely play any better and provides a wonderful end to this epic track.

'God Save The Queen' ends the album in superb style with Mint quality audio.  There is no 'background' and sounds as 'fresh' as the day when it was first released back in '75!

In summary this 2/2 first pressing is of a standard that you rarely find today.  In essence the vast majority is 'as new' with not even any static in the background.  A couple of issues with 'Good Company' but that is the only obvious intrusion on an otherwise immaculate vinyl and everyone knows how difficult it is to find 'The Prophet's Song' and 'Bohemian Rhapsody' playing with such finesse and power.  They are both stunning!  These 2/2 pressings are highly collectable especially in this condition and it is obvious this vinyl has hardly ever been played.  As stated there is very little spindle wear and the vinyl itself is in beautiful condition and has been so well preserved over the last 44 years.

The Gatefold

 The embossed G&L gatefold is in excellent condition with only a little shelf wear at all.  The edges have no rubbing and there is only a relatively small amount of corner wear.  The spine is so clean and remains in great order.  The opening edge has no real handling wear, another indication that the vinyl has not been removed from the sleeve that often.  The front cover is very clean but does have some light marking/fading around the edges although this is mainly near the bottom edge.  The back cover is in excellent shape with very little fading and minor ringwear only.  The inside of the gatefold is pristine with only minimal creasing at the top and bottom of the inner spine.  Overall if has retained its original 'white' colour very well and is certainly not heavily marked or stained like so many you see.

Picture Inner

This is very clean and has no marking but, as is so often the case. has a small split on the bottom edge.  There are also a small number of faint creases next to each side edge.

The Labels

They are in superb condition and have retained their original colours so well.  There is no marking or writing and hardly any spindle wear.  They don't get much better than this!

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 // RMA 3 / RMH 4 // Blair's etched on both run out grooves

I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.

Any questions please feel free to ask

Please pay within 4 days of auction end

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