QUEEN II (early pressing)

This very early pressing is in wonderful condition.  The vinyl is stunning to the naked eye and the gatefold remains in superb condition also as does the lyric inner.  It has 'Blair's' cut into the dead wax on Side One.

EMC 767 // YAX 4736 (crossed out) 4735 - 4U / YAX 4735 (crossed out) 4736 - 4U // Mother Stampers GDO 3 & GRL 1

The audio on both sides is Ex+ (Near Mint in many sections)

The laminated cover is Near Mint-

The lyric inner is Near Mint

The original EMI labels are Mint-

 Visual grading

  Visually this is immaculate and retains a stunning glossy sheen.  There are no scratches and only a handful of very faint hairlines no doubt caused by sleeve removal.  Side White has minimal spindle wear with Side Black just a little more so I would say it has not been played too often.  For a rare 4U/4U pressing this is a classic example of this progressive LP.

Play grading

'Procession' plays extremely well with one click at the beginning and only a hint of very quiet static at the end.  What follows is an excellent rendition of 'Father To Son' that has no interference, just a little distortion on the top end perhaps.  'White Queen' does have two clicks near the start and thereafter plays with exceptional audio, a stunning listen.  There is just a small amount of underlying static but it is so much in the background as to be superfluous.  'Some Day..' and 'Loser...' have incredible clarity for a first pressing and play to Mint standard, the quality is that good.

The intro to 'Ogre Battle' plays superbly well and this quality continues throughout the track and is one of the best versions I have heard in a long time.  Loud and with great bass also!  '..Fairy Feller..' again does not disappoint and plays with high quality audio and no background noise.  'Nevermore' plays extremely well for such a quiet track with only a tiny hint of static.  The classic 'March of the Black Queen' plays in sublime fashion with a couple of clicks in the middle section.  'Funny How Love Is' and 'Seven Seas..' end the side with high level audio with only a touch of static at the end of the latter.

In summary the audio here plays extremely well for a 4U/4U first pressing with only a little interference here and there.  It is minimal and for there to be only 5/6 light clicks during the entire playback is rarity for this highly collectible album.

Gatefold cover

This G & L laminated cover is in wonderful condition and is one of the best I have seen.  It is so clean and even the inside is in superb shape as you often find it in a poor state of repair.  The edges and wide spine are in fantastic condition with no shelf wear and only the opening edge has a absolute minimal amount of handling wear.  The quality of this gatefold belies its age.  So often you find the laminate is damaged but not here.  There are no splits and no bubbling and barely any creasing which is very rare.  There is some etching on the front cover where the previous owner has written 'Queen' onto a piece of paper that has gone through to the gatefold and a little doodling also.  This is only obvious when held under a certain light.  The inside of the gatefold is stunning and the colours remain vibrant and strong.  There is no staining to the white background and no damage to the inner spine which is very rare.  Overall this a fantastic example of this iconic gatefold.

Lyric inner

The paper lyric inner is in near perfect condition with no splits or tears.  It is extremely clean and only has very faint red dotted marking on Side White perhaps caused by the EMI label on the vinyl.  It has the four cropped corners as per the first pressings and is a great example considering it is made of paper.

The labels

They are both in superb condition with no marking or writing and only minimal spindle wear.

Play tested on my Technics SL-J110R turntable system 

EMC 767 // YAX 4736 (crossed out) 4735 - 4U / YAX 4735 (crossed out) 4736 - 4U // Mother Stampers GDO 3 & GRL 1

Any questions please feel free to ask

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