QUEEN A Night At The Opera (EMI EMTC 103) RARE Blairs UK 1st Pressing MINT-
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Description
QUEEN A Night At The Opera (EMI EMTC 103) RARE Blairs UK 1st Pressing MINT-
RARE very first UK pressing of what is arguably Queen`s masterpiece, "A Night At The Opera" on EMI Records (November 1975). Featuring the embossed Queen "coat of arms" on the front sleeve and "Blairs" etchings in the run-off grooves.
"A Night at the Opera was reportedly the most expensive album ever produced at the time, and even if the only thing you knew about it was that it contained "Bohemian Rhapsody", you'd have a pretty good idea of the kind of record to expect. Yet the fun hardly stopped there: "Death on Two Legs (Dedicated to...)" was a heavy, hilarious kiss-off from Mercury to their former manager; "Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon" and "Seaside Rendezvous" were further entries into the band's vaudeville-rock canon; "You're My Best Friend" was Deacon's first big hit for Queen, while Taylor's "I'm In Love With My Car" was another good, slyly funny rocker. And if you're still in need of fireworks, May's "The Prophet's Song" features an amazing solo-through-delay vocal performance from Mercury that eventually transforms into a call-response choir, and further still into one of May's best guitar solos. No punches pulled, no expense spared: A Night at the Opera was Queen at the top of the mountain." - Dominique Leone for Pitchfork, March 2011.
GRADING:
EX+ COVER. Original unlaminated gatefold sleeve in very fine condition. Please see photos for details.
- Original first-pressing gatefold sleeve with embossed Queen "coat of arms".
- Minor all-round shading to delicate white cover, as shown.
- Untouched all-white inner gatefold.
- Also includes original cardboard insert with a cut corner (as it should be!), lightest beginnings of a seam split (at bottom) and a minor crease.
EX++ RECORD, carefully played a few times at most.
- Play-graded as having near-perfect vinyl on both sides, with impeccable audio reproduction throughout.
- A minuscule, invisible "speck" in the vinyl (at the end of "The Prophet`s Song") causes two audible clicks.
- A tiny thumbnail scuff (2-3 mm long; in "Sweet Lady") is absolutely inaudible.
- Other than that, no hairlines, scuffs or any other visible signs of previous play!
- Original custom-printed EMI Records labels with a single spindle line on each side.
- The matrix stamps in the run-off grooves read "YAX 5063 - 2 Blairs" and "YAX 5064 - 3 Blairs".
- Mothers/Stampers: "3 / R L R " on Side One and "2 / A G H" on Side Two.
- This record is certified to be a "Blairs" UK first pressing of "A Night At The Opera", released in November 1975.
PLEASE NOTE: Not to be compared with the more-often-than-not substandard vinyl on offer on eBay, this item is in honestly-graded EX+ to MINT- condition. For more information on the veracity and reliability of my grading, I kindly refer the prospective buyer to my feedback comments and seller rating.
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