QUEEN A Night at The Opera UK 75 LP, SUPERB WHITE COVER

	£		24
	$		31

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Artist or Band: QUEEN

Album Title: A Night at the Opera.

Producer(s): Roy Thomas Baker and Queen.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Death on Two Legs/Dedicated to…; Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon; I’m in Love with My Car; You’re My Best Friend; ’39; Sweet Lady; Seaside Rendezvous.

Side 2: The Prophet’s Song; Love of My Life; Good Company; Bohemian Rhapsody; God Save the Queen.

Label/Format: EMI – Beautifully customised format (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Little short of immaculate: super clean and very attractive with only ultra light, very few and faint spindle traces. Another hardly played record where the original owner put direct to tape, and importantly, put the cover inside a protective sleeve from day one meaning, this ultra difficult cover still appears practically as new. Records of this era and vintage will rarely be found better.

Cat Number: EMTC 103 (YAX 5063).

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: 119 grams. Around average for this period.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: A very popular album that sold in big numbers, but, and a considerable but, this is more often seen heavily played in very grubby, well handled covers that look scruffy. When the cover is seen in anything like new condition, it’s one of genuine beauty and this is simply that. Protected from new and the different immediately apparent, this still looks white, not off-white or grubby. The record looks hardly played, it does have a couple of friction scuffs from that record-unfriendly hard card inner sleeve, but they have NO SOUND. Also I have found, this album often suffers from surface noise almost certainly due to mass production. This emphasised by customers asking me for a clean copy as they own less than wonderful ones. ‘The Prophet’s Song’ is known to be hard to find that plays without unwanted noises. I can assure anyone wanting this album or seeking an upgrade copy, this one plays beautifully and has practically nothing unwanted at all. Both cover and inner are great too as I hope my picture shows. A common record, yes, but far less than common like this, fact.

Original Year of Release: 1975

Matrix Nos: YAX 5063-2 / YAX 5064-3

Stamper Codes: 3 ALP / 4 MHD

Run-Out Etchings: ‘BLAIRS’ on both sides.

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

Brief Info: Queen’s fourth album and arguably most famous ‘landmark’ album. This includes the massively successful ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ which spent several weeks topping the singles charts – and at a time when it was more relevant to do so. An album that was also showing more diversity with various styles of songs and beautifully recorded with reference standard high-fidelity sound. The complexities of the production and engineering is of outstanding quality and the vocal arrangements of the famous single still astonish even today. Shame it’s so often let-down by less than wonderful pressing quality, the standard being variable at best. The cover again mentions no synthesisers were used. Superbly packaged, this album sold very well but is never too easy to find in top conditions. The cover, more often than not, becomes very yellowed, toned and grubby and is far less seen still a nice shade of white. A very popular record, most often seen with a swathe of spindle marks and clearly well played. Light, or little played examples inside still incredibly attractive covers are much more of a premium. So a really strong example for the Queen sound and cover connoisseur.

Cover Grade and Format: I have no hesitation whatsoever in grading this stunning cover Mint(-) and I feel even that is being conservative. An unlaminated gatefold format with matt finish. The front emblem being embossed. Printed and made in England by Garrod & Lofthouse and also includes the Trident logo.

Cover Front, Back and Inside: I bought a copy of this album when it was first issued, and since that time, I have never seen one better than this. Still as white as when made and I guarantee, this has had NO enhancements or rubbing to make it so. Simply the one-and-only owner put it directly into a plastic protective cover and there is stayed within a nicotine-free house. Even with ultra careful storage, this is near impossible to keep like this, this has no grubbiness or toning at all and any surface marks or blemishes are microscpic. A couple of mega-fine small hairline spine creases if being crazy-critical – how many even survive manufacture or distribution with so few? – these four faces will prove nigh-on impossible to find better these days.

Top & Bottom Edges: All four still very white and looking great with barely any friction traces or marks. Being white, these of course will show any minor blemish but these will be hard to find better and all four remain very straight too.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Totally immaculate as made: Ultra clean, very sharp with no wear or feathering, guaranteed untrimmed. Record enters on the back edge, the front being closed.

Spine and Text: Immaculate: the spine is in supreme condition also: solid, thick, straight, uncompressed and square, both right edges meet up quite closely together and parallel. The manufacture trim not quite flush but still neat and that’s out of my control. All text is perfect and unworn and incredibly, still very white again without any toning from light exposure or cigarettes.

Corners: Probably getting boring now, but. All corners are in fantastic condition with no creasing, dinking or rubbing worthy of note. All have superb pointed shape and great definition.

Cover Summary: An exceptional example of this classic mid-70’s cover, one that will prove near impossible to find much better. With the majority really showing their ages (and poor storage history) freely, this is a truly wonderful example owned by an ultra careful connoisseur collector. This fantastic, and without doubt, classic cover should please all Queen collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EX+. The illustrated unlined card inner has a very small rub/split on the bottom edge. If it hadn’t, I would have graded practically Mint because there is little else to fault. The owner, as you would expect, did not store his records inside hard card inners very long and most of these splits were caused by movement from distributors to record outlets. Such splits occur in transportation where the record moves – hence that’s why all records should be posted with the disc removed from the inner to avoid similar issues. Unfortunately manufacturers and distributors did not bother with such detail to safety and many inners, as per this were split from new. I have seldom seen this album’s inner with no edge issues and that’s the truth, but here, it’s only small. Both left and right edges are perfect and the recessed top opening practically the same. One very tiny crease on the right of the recess, this being critical. The rest of the inner is practically as made.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Difficult to grade: without any doubt, the record has hardly been played but, no untypically, it has a couple of surface scuffs and a few ultra fine surface hairlines. Importantly, these have NO sound and this is a still a lovely visual copy that is very clean, shiny, intense black and solidly pressed. The card inner is particularly hard and harsh and I guess many, if not most had the record rammed inside when being manufactured – and many were manufactured - so time in getting these out was a factor. Few of these will escape a few light surface marks, similar hard cover albums were the same, one that springs to mind is Led Zeppelin’s ‘Physical Grafitti’, the record’s on that suffer the same fate as do many of the mid-70s Floyd albums. Most collectors will know this of course. The really important matter is this has hardly been played and also the sound quality is outstanding. For visuals an excellent grading does not do it justice.

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 landmark and classic record plays above its 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 sound standards and this again is beautifully produced with immense power and detail. A real high fidelity masterwork that has arguably the best imaging ever made. Devoid of any noteworthy surface sounds and no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing that on any quality system, will excel. Few examples will match or outperform this certainly better pressing significantly I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I know this record has been played very lightly 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. For audio quality and clarity, this copy will prove near impossible to find significantly 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 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 Moth vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too.

First-time, zero-rated bidders, who do not ask permission to bid, will be cancelled immediately and blocked – NO exceptions. For winning bidders who I consider excessively slow to make contact or submit payment, I will use my right to block future bids. If any bidder who wins in the final seconds is present to do so, surely they can at least email me to inform of intention and payment method? If swift or promp payment is a problem, please do not bid.

PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET - PLEASE SEE MY TYPICAL PACKING BOX PICTURE.

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 Moth 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 thick boxes (NOT Mailers or Cruciforms, these do not offer maximum protection). The record(s) 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 THREE or EVEN FOUR 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. 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. Please see my picture of a typical finished box packet that will now be used on ALL transactions as from now. 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. These boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffners 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 6,000+ items sold in over 8 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 stiffners 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 FOUR 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: I will cancel ALL first-time bidders with no feedbacks or excessive negatives who do not ask me if its OK to bid first – NO EXCEPTIONS.

Please Note: I will now offer any item to the runner-up after the mandatory Ebay 3 days if no contact is made by the winning bidder unless prior notice of any delay is given beforehand. The same applies if no payment is received within the mandatory 7 days so any bidder who has just lost out can still email me to reserve the item as priority second chance – it’s always worth asking.

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 [£40 maximum]) = £9. (insurance optional extra £3). Add £2.50 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); 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 [£39 maximum]) = £13. Add £4 per extra LP. (insurance 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: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are timewasters. 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 neccessarily 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’.