The Game

This early pressing plays with superb sound quality and S1 in particular is stunning, 'as new' in fact.  Rarely the cover is still enclosed within the original shrinkwrap and remains in great condition.

EMA 795 // A - 3U / B - 7U // Mastered at Allen Zentz L.A. , Calif.

The audio on S1 is Mint(-)

The audio on S2 is Near Mint (Mint- in many sections / track 2 is Ex+)

The cover is Ex++

Visual grading

S1 is in pristine condition with only one very faint hairline.  S2 does have some minor scuffing on track one but this has no affect on the stunning audio.  The other tracks are very clean with only a very small number of very faint hairlines and overall this vinyl has been very well preserved and still has a fantastic glossy sheen.  It has hardly been played and there are only two spindle lines on the S2 label.  The labels themselves and the run out grooves are in beautiful condition.

Play grading  

The intro on 'Play The Game' is amazing!  With only a couple of dust ticks literally on the first groove it plays as well as when first released in '80.  The remainder does not disappoint either and is of an immaculate standard.  There is no interference of any kind and I just cannot believe how well it plays if I'm honest!  The clarity is stunning and basically it could play any better and this is why we listen to vinyl.  The entire track is 'as new' and the fade out also plays with perfect precision.  I am confident in grading this as Mint- and as I often say the minus is only used because the album isn't sealed...despite having the shrinkwrap around it still!  'Dragon Attack' is of exactly the same standard and as you would expect the bass is so strong here.  Quite simply a breathtaking version and again there is just no interference of any kind.  I am happy to say 'Another One Bites The Dust' continues this fine form and is Mint- from start to finish.  Again the bass is so powerful and this is another prime example of a vinyl hardly ever played, the sonic quality is absolutely stunning.  Not one single click or pop and no static or crackle either.  'Need Your Loving Tonight' is faultless and again grades as Mint- the audio could not play with better clarity plus there is no distortion which is quite rare for this track.  'Crazy Little Thing Called Love' ends the side with, you guessed it, sound quality of the highest standard.  The clarity and definition is fantastic and it is no exaggeration to say it plays as well as it did back in 1980.  Every second plays with perfect precision and and the hand clapping sequence and long fade out are supreme examples of this.  There really are not enough superlatives I can use for this side, it is audio at its very best!

The intro on 'Rock It' is so clean with no clicks or pops and only the faintest of mega light static here and there, it really is barely audible though.  A superb start.  From then on the audio is 'as new'.  It 'rocks out' with stunning depth and there is no interference.  'Don't Try Suicide' plays very cleanly apart from a couple of clicks and 2/3 crackle sounds in the middle section.  The remainder plays extremely well in the main but there are a couple of crackle sounds again very near the end.  Thus far this is the only interference on the entire album!  'Sail Away Sweet Sister' has a small number of light crackle sounds on the intro but still plays with excellent clarity.  The rest of the track plays with wonderful quality, nigh on perfectly in fact.  The long fade out is very impressive with only a couple of mega light dust ticks.  'Coming Soon' is Mint- from the word go and displays tremendous power and depth that you only find on the early pressings.  Such strong bass again and no 'background', just pure quality all the way through.  'Save Me' has a little light static on the intro but it certainly is not intrusive, it is very much in the background.  The first chorus is incredible and plays with great power and definition.  The next quieter section has only a minimal amount of static and still plays with great clarity.  From then on the music is so 'clean' and plays with breathtaking quality to the very end.  So often final tracks play with some distortion but that is not the case here and overall this is a very impressive version of this track and the mega quiet piano fade out plays beautifully.

In summary the clarity and depth of the audio on this album is highly impressive to say the least.  S1 stands out as being 'as new' and whilst there is a little 'background' on a couple of tracks on S2 it is minimal and does not particularly detract from the overall quality.  As stated the 'silver' cover is still bound by the original shrinkwrap and is definitely one of the cleanest I have seen in a long time.

The Cover

This is the slightly later grey version and not the 'silver foil' version.  It is superb condition and is still enclosed within the original shrinkwrap apart from along the opening edge of course.  It has been preserved incredibly well and the edges and spine have no shelf wear at all and the corners are also in great condition.  Only the bottom right one has a mega small crease.  The opening edge has no handling wear just a very small amount of 'crimping' either side, barely visible though.  From what I can see the front and back covers are super clean with only a couple of minor scratch marks that were obviously put on there prior to the shrinkwrap!  This cover is so often found in poor condition and this is definitely one of the cleanest I have seen in a long time.

The Lyric Inner  

This is 'as new' with no marking or creasing at all and is made with the thinner card material (with the squared off corners) and not the thicker card of earlier versions.

The Labels

They are almost 'as new' with only a couple of spindle lines on the S2 label.  They have no marking at all and remain in superb condition which is rare for these white labels.

Play tested on my Pro-Ject Essential III Turntable / B&W 684 Speakers

This record was professionally cleaned on a Pro-Ject VC-S Cleaning Machine

EMA 795 // A - 3U / B - 7U // Mastered at Allen Zentz L.A. , Calif.

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 and 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.

COMBINED POSTAGE IS ALWAYS OFFERED WHEN MORE THAN ONE ITEM IS WON.

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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7" singles / CDs : £5.45 then £0.95 per extra 

REST OF WORLD  

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7" singles / CDs : £6.95 then £1.45 per extra

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