News Of The World 1/2 (1st Pressing)

This is a very early first pressing as denoted by the single 'L' stamper on S1.  The audio is immaculate and it would be very difficult to find a genuine first press play as 'cleanly' as this.  Hardly played it is a beautiful archive final upgrade archive copy.  A stunning gatefold and lyric inner completes this museum piece.

EMA 784 // YAX 5355 - 1 / YAX 5356 - 2 // L 1 / AA 2

The audio on S1 is Mint (track 2 is Mint-)

The audio on S2 is Mint (tracks 1 & 5 are Mint-)

The gatefold is Near Mint

The lyric inner is Mint-

The labels are Mint

Visual grading

This vinyl is a thing of beauty!  With only 2/3 plays maximum the visual quality of this record is spectacular.  It has only a couple of mega faint spindle traces on each label and still has a fantastic glossy sheen and has obviously been so well cared for down the years.  I have looked under various lights and I cannot see any hairlines and obviously there are no scratches or marks.  This is one stunning vinyl and a final upgrade museum piece for certain.  It is quite probably the 'cleanest' first press vinyl I have seen (or heard) and I've seen a lot!  Plus a single stamper on S1!

Play grading  

With no lead in static on S1 'We Will Rock You' then plays with a power and clarity that is second to none.  You could not hear a better version on a first pressing!  It can only be described as Mint the audio is truly superb.  I'm not sure I've heard better to be honest!  No interference of any kind.  A amazing start to S1.  The quiet intro on 'We Are The Champions' has only a small number of mega light dust ticks and the playback is still of a superb standard.  Thereafter the clarity is exceptional and there is no distortion on the top end, in fact the remainder plays as Mint the audio could not be any better.  'Sheer Heart Attack' has no interference and 'rocks out' loud and true with no distortion.  The audio is so strong and the rhythm section is all conquering here as you expect on a Taylor track.  Again Mint in every way.  'All Dead All Dead' is more of test for this first pressing being such a quiet track and I am pleased to say it impresses on every level.  A minimal number of dust ticks on the intro that do not intrude on the listen and sublime, near perfect audio thereafter.  The clarity is just so good for such an early first pressing and it plays with wonderful depth and warmth.  'Spread Your Wings' from the first groove plays with stunning definition and plays 'as new'.  The playback was immaculate and there was no interference of any kind.  So often there is distortion on this track but not on this version!  The clarity is first class and even the long fade plays with perfect precision.  'Fight From The Inside' ends the side with very strong audio and no interference.  This final track always plays with some distortion, but there is very little here a sign that it has been hardly played.

The quiet intro on 'Get Down Make Love' is absolutely stunning!  It plays with supreme clarity and continues in the same 'high end' way throughout.  The strength and depth on the louder sections is so impressive and with no 'background' this qualifies as Mint- without question.  The instrumental section just has one mega faint tick at the beginning but aside from that it plays with stunning precision.  The often underrated 'Sleeping On The Sidewalk' is 'as new' from the very first groove.  The strong bass is so high in the mix and again I am just blown away by the immaculate quality on offer here.  What an immaculate version!  With any Near Mint / Mint records I often find myself running out of suitable adjectives in which to describe the audio.  That is certainly the case with 'Who Needs You' so all I will say is that it plays 'as new' again.  This is one stunning first pressing!  The super quiet intro on 'It's Late' is just mind-blowing.  With no 'background' it provides a stunning start to this classic.  And yes this quality does not diminish and is very probably the most stunning version of this track I have ever heard on a first pressing.  There is no distortion on the top end and the power and clarity is just Mint from beginning to end.  I cannot adequately put into words just how fantastically this plays, it is 100% breathtaking!  The mid guitar section is so powerful and dynamic and the crescendo end section is stunning.  Wow!!  'My Melancholy Blues' provides a perfect antidote to the previous track as you need a nice little quiet track to calm down!  Perfect track-listing.  I am pleased to say it ends this classic album with hugely impressive clarity and all I heard was one faint 'tick'.  No static or crackle - a sublime finish to this superb first pressing.

In summary this mega early first pressing plays 'as new' for the vast majority, approx 99% in my opinion!  I do not over-grade as my regular customers know and this is without doubt a final upgrade archive first press.  There is complete silence in the dead wax between every track and quite honestly it is astonishing just how well this plays.  I am sure many sellers would just grade it as Mint throughout but I am nothing if not fair in my assessment.  The sonic quality could not be any better and the fact that the gatefold and lyric inner are also in near pristine condition just makes this even more impressive and collectable.  A truly incredible first pressing and I repeat just the one stamper on S1!

The Gatefold

This is a stunning gatefold and very rarely seen in this condition.  There is very little shelf wear.  The edges have no rubbing and the wide spine has only a minimal amount of wear at each end.  The opening edge has no handling wear whatsoever.  The front cover is in superb shape with only two very small brown 'spots' and the back cover and inside is immaculate.  A very impressive example of this iconic cover.

The Lyric inner

This has the four rounded corners as per the first pressings and has no splits!  That is such a rarity for this paper inner!  It is also incredibly clean and if not for a couple of very faint creases it would be in Mint condition.  A fantastic example.

The labels

They are both mega clean and have no marking or writing.  As stated there are only a couple of wispy spindle lines on each side but they really are very faint.

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

EMA 784 // YAX 5355 - 1 / YAX 5356 - 2 // L 1 / AA 2

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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Postage & Packaging

I SHIP WORLDWIDE BUT WHEN SHIPPING ITEMS TO ITALY, RUSSIA AND SOUTH AMERICA I WILL ONLY SEND THEM "TRACKED/SIGNED FOR" AND THIS COSTS AN ADDITIONAL £5.00. PLEASE WAIT FOR THE INVOICE. WHEN ITEMS EXCEED A SALE PRICE OF £50.00 AND ARE TO BE SENT INTERNATIONALLY TRACKED SHIPPING IS AGAIN NECESSARY PLUS INSURANCE AND THIS COSTS AN EXTRA £7.50 IN TOTAL.  PLEASE ONLY BID IF YOU AGREE WITH THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PLEASE WAIT FOR THE INVOICE, MANY THANKS.

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ALL VINYLS ARE PACKAGED IN STRONG CUSTOM MADE OVER-SIZED MAILERS WITH EXTRA CARDBOARD PROTECTION. THEY ARE PLACED IN SEPARATE POLY-LINED INNERS OUTSIDE THE COVER IN ORDER TO AVOID SEAM SPLITS IN THE POST. EVERYTHING IS THEN PLACED INSIDE A PVC SLEEVE TO PROVIDE EXTRA PROTECTION. I PRIDE MYSELF ON MY HIGH QUALITY PACKAGING AS MY FEEDBACK TESTIFIES AND IF ANY CUSTOMER HAS ANY SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS I WILL ALWAYS ENDEAVOUR TO HELP.

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REST OF WORLD  

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