QUEEN II - RARER UK 1974 Orig FACTORY SAMPLE EX+ LP

	£		31
	$		41

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 II.

Producer(s): Roy Thomas Baker, Robin G. Cable and Queen.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Procession; Father to Son; White Queen (As it Began); Some Day One Day; The Loser in the End.

Side 2: Ogre Battle; The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke; Nevermore; The March of the Black Queen; Funny How Love Is; Seven Seas of Rhye.

Label/Format: EMI – original format with Trident Audio Productions Ltd 1974 logo. This is another from the ‘Factory Sample’ collection with a totally genuine sticker placed on the ‘Black Side’ as can be seen on my label scan picture. More of these will follow in the next few days.

Label Conditions: Both immaculate: ultra clean and very attractive and I am struggling to find a single spindle trace.

Cat Number: EMA 767 (YAX 4736).

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: 115 grams. A more typical weight for this record and era.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Moderate: a very popular record, but Factory Samples are elusive and seldom seen or offered.

Original Year of Release: 1974

Matrix Nos: YAX 4735-4U / YAX 4736-4U (both sides are error corrected).

Stamper Codes: 5 LT / 4 LO

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

Brief Info: Queen’s second album and now getting more intricate and compelling, this is not an overly commercial album and is far more rocky and even ‘progressive’ compared to later issues. They loved to emphasise the fact they did not use synthesisers, all the sounds were ‘natural’. Still newcomers, this follows-on from the superb debut and their reputation was gaining momentum quickly and superstardom was only just around the corner. It was clear from the outset, this band were to become very special and immensely popular and with a talismatic vocalist in Mercury, this was no surprise. ‘Queen II’ is a very original and powerful work, not lauded as highly as some future works but this is an amazing album in its own right and one of my personal favourites. Beautifully packaged with the very famous band pose artwork on the cover that became familiar to all via their anthem ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ single and video that followed later. This included their first major single success in ‘Seven Seas of Rhye’ – the first album included a taster of which, and they never looked back thereafter. Later becoming one of the greatest and popular bands of their era and Mercury the ultimate showman. Their popularity and collectability has never ceased to decline. Their early works were more different and appealed more to ‘rock’ fans. This copy has been beautifully preserved, the cover is simply superb with few of the usual issues with the laminate – I have rarely, if ever seen a better one. A very early Factory Sample copy for the connoisseur Queen and rock collector, this record (so often spoilt by variable pressing quality and crackle) was a real pleasure from start to finish and the production and audio quality breathtaking.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(++): a fully laminated gatefold format, I have taken my front and back pictures sideways to show the usual entrance area of the record – this in real terms is a top-loader. Printed and made in England by Garrod & Lofthouse and also includes the 1974 Trident logo and reference to the long defunct ‘cartridge’ format (please see this in close-up). The white lyric inner is also included in superb condition.

Lamination – Front, Back & Inside: Yes all FOUR faces are laminated and all looks superb with barely a noteworthy crease to be seen. Being quite flimsy, creasing is rarely avoided, but here, I am truly struggling to find one at all. Being so black on the outside faces, this is murderously revealing, so glad to state this has minimal evidence of any friction rubs or dulling, any light traces are only seen critically under light and finding one with much less will prove very difficult indeed. In fact, this cover is almost eye-candy for Queen and cover collectors – this is rarely seen looking so black, fresh and clean looking. Often ruined by lifting, this has almost total adhesion with just a tiny laminate lift on the front bottom right corner tip (look hard). This retains a lovely shine, freshness and clarity and the famous fours trademark portrait pose on the front will rarely be seen a great deal better. The back has only mild record impression, being so thin, this is near impossible to avoid totally. The inside is in supreme condition, so fresh with unbroken laminate on the fold hinge, I could not open this fully and it has a lovely crackle-creak when opened – so few these days will ever do that – many shed the laminate on the fold but here it’s fully intact. With a sheer beauty that has to be seen to be fully appreciated, this cover is pure class.

Top & Bottom Edges: All four little short of as new and when closed, this lies practically dead flat with no curl or bowing – that too – unusual.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Both pristine immaculate as made: ultra clean and sharp with no wear and guaranteed untrimmed. The front is tucked and folded, not cut in manufacture, so incredibly neat. Record enters on the back edge (of course) and there is not even a hint of thickening, burring or wear at all. The back side of this edge has an unprotected strip which is narrow and totally unworn.

Spine and Text: The spine is in supreme condition: solid, straight, uncompressed and square, the edges meet up perfectly together and parallel for absolute precision neatness which is always better to the eye for the more discerning collector. All text is perfect and unworn under the solid and uncracked laminate. Quite a thin-made spine that simply looks brand new.

Corners: The spine pair are simply immaculate. Any tip rubs to the right pairs are tiny indeed and I feel they were little different when made. All retain little short of Mint shape and definition with no dinks or creasing. For such a delicate cover, these are incredible.

Cover Summary: A truly beautiful example of this classic mid-70’s cover, one that will prove immensely difficult to find much better. This fantastic item should please most-all discerning Queen collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: MINT(-) a near flawless lyric inner which again has the G&L imprint. It has the custom-cut corner shapes and was not lined. With the wide opening top that is recessed, this fragile area is almost as made, any creasing tiny and faint. Still as white as new, this has not aged at all and is quite possibly the only one I have ever seen with NO edge splits. Many of these were knifed from new due to movement in transit, but this is fully intact with NO repairs. Only mild rim impression stops a full Mint grading, this is ultra clean, white and has no creasing worthy of note away from the opening recess that is minuscule. It’s still very attractive appearance is retained by the fact the owner kept the record inside a replacement lined inner.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+): a very fine visual copy that is very clean, shiny, intense black and solidly pressed. A copy hardly even played and it sounds superb. A few very fine and light surface marks seen under light. Like Test Pressings, Factory Samples may have been left lying around factory production areas and picked up minor surface blemishes before finding their way out. Remember, these were not made for distribution and not all will be absolutely pristine. What is crucially important for me is the sound quality, which is fantastic. Visually still an impressive record that should please many collectors, but not quite the absolute perfectionists.

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 scarce Factory Sample record plays even above it’s high visual grading with practically nothing to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is astonishing with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. From the beginning this band wanted high standards and this again is beautifully produced with immense power and detail. Practically devoid of surface sounds and no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing that on any quality system, will excel. Very brief and ultra gentle surface sound was just noted near the very beginning of each side, but it disappears fast and this too on a very revealing system. So many of these emit often constant and moderate crackle, this has nothing like that and quite honestly this copy sounded stunning. If all records were like this, it would make describing very easy, alas we all know that can never be the case. Few examples will match or outperform this early pressing significantly I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I know this record has been played very lightly indeed and has been clearly well stored and carefully handled within in a non-smoking environment. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record – early Queen albums are simply breathtaking with incredible sonic delivery and a thrill for rock fans. This copy will prove very difficult to find better and can be strongly recommended.

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 programs. 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’.