QUEEN A Night at the Opera RARER ORIG UK 75 EX++ LP

	£		75
	$		99

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Postage: UK £4.25. Europe (including Russia) £12. Rest of World £16. ALL signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes.

NOTE: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment. I try to keep my P&P prices as low as possible after the very significant Royal Mail price increases and will never compromise on solid, safe packing.

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: Both immaculate: ultra clean and very attractive with only a couple of ultra light and faint spindle traces. This appears hardly played and the cover protected from new, thus this very white sleeve remains just that – white – not yellowed or grubby as per most seen. Although hardly rare, this is seldom seen this clean and the record offers immaculate, audiophile sound.

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: 118 grams. A typical weight for this one.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: A very popular album, this is more often seen heavily played in very grubby, well handled covers. Inners often have shredded edges from record movement and the disc itself often noisy. Pressing quality is known to be variable, this was mass-produced and seldom have I heard a copy that plays right through with little unwanted – well this one does. This is a superb all-round example: gorgeous clean cover, undamaged inner sleeve and the record appears hardly played. One fine surface mark has NO sound and this offers audiophile quality sound. Cleanly pressed with barely even a hint of surface noise or crackle, and certainly no distortion or pressing issues. If you have been seeking a copy in this more elusive condition, this should please most discerning collectors – and these are NOT easily found.

Original Year of Release: 1975

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

Stamper Codes: 4 RLM / 3 RTT

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 long-player 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 actually meant something. 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. 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. The very popular record, often a later thinner pressed example, often a swathe of spindle marks and clearly well played. Barely played, early pressed records inside still very attractive covers are much more of a premium. So a really strong example or the Queen connoisseur.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(++): and that is being somewhat critical. An unlaminated gatefold format with the front emblem being embossed. Printed and made in England by Garrod & Lofthouse and also includes the Trident logo.

Cover Front: This is very impressive indeed and I have rarely, if ever seen a better one since the 1970s. Bearing in mind I do not grade Mint, this is the merest whisker of my top grading of Mint(-). Also, like the record, this was mass-produced and attention to folding and trimming was likely to be hurried and less than careful. So these are often seen crooked and uneven on the edges. This has little to fault and is still a lovely shade of white – not yellow or darkened to any degree. Still very clean and white with the absolute minimal traces of any grubbiness or ‘set-off’. Any marks are miniscule – a faint tiny trace on the back (but look hard) – and the beautiful embossed emblem is pristine with no scuffs, fading or compression. Devoid of any noteworthy creasing – a trace on the top right corner tip possibly there from new – and still very attractive with no pressmarks or sticker issues. One that was protected in a cover very early from new. This is one to hold and admire as few are this beautifully preserved. This famous front will prove difficult to find much better.

Cover Back: All very similar again with just the faintest trace of rim impression near the bottom – again being ultra critical – there is no ring wear or grubbiness. Both front and back retain a genuine freshness that will please discerning Queen collectors.

Cover Centrefold: The inner gatefold is little short of as made and looks fantastic. A couple of ultra fine and small crease traces near the top right edge.

Top & Bottom Edges: All four immaculate: straight, unscuffed or rubbed and still white. Being cover protected, these have received no friction rubs or discolouration.

Right Edge(s), and Type: The front edge is tucked and folded with a real edge. The inner end is not quite flush in manufacture with the odd tiny burr trace or trim mark – all natural blemishes – if indeed you can call them that. The back opening is little short of immaculate. Very clean and sharp with no wear, burring or thickening worthy of mention, both guaranteed untrimmed.

Spine and Text: The spine is in superb condition also. Solid, straight with barely any any hint of compression. Folded square, so the edges meet up quite closely together and parallel. All text is perfect and unworn, the surface and folds still white with no discolouration or scuffs. All the edges on this cover are rarely seen like this.

Corners: All corners are in fantastic condition with no rubbing to the tips that also remain devoid of discolouration. A very small and mild semi-crease to the top right tip being critical. All retain near mint shape as when made.

Cover Summary: An exceptional example of this classic mid-70’s cover, one that will prove very difficult to find much better. With the majority really showing their ages (and poor storage history), this is a wonderful example owned by a very careful collector. This fantastic item should please most Queen fans.

The Inner Sleeve: PRACTICALLY MINT: an illustrated unlined card inner and one of the few I have seen with NO edge splits or pressure marks. The reason? – the one and only original owner immediately removed the record and stored it inside a Decca lined replacement. So this inner sleeve has survived almost as made. Ultra clean and fresh with barely even a hint of any rim impression for a change. These actually can and do often suffer ring wear, but with good sense and the record removed, can sometimes be found with little – and in this case – NONE. This early one has the complex machine cut corners on three and a deeply recessed top opening which is immaculate. No creasing or marks, this appears barely even handled, and possibly wasn’t other than to remove the record initially. I doubt if this inner had been removed from the main cover for decades and this vulnerable part of the set will rarely, if ever be found better.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++) / MINT(-): with just one surface mark on ‘Sweet Lady’ with NO sound whatsoever. Hardly even played, this beautifully preserved record sounds as good as it looks. A super visual copy that is very clean, shiny, intense black and solidly pressed. This classic fourth album will rarely be seen better from a vintage pressing. Visually a quality record that should please most collectors.

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 impressive record plays even above it’s high visual grading 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 standards and this again is beautifully produced with immense power and detail. Devoid of surface sounds and no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing that on any quality system, will excel. Pressing quality can and is an issue on this substantially produced album – finding the very quiet pressings can be a challenge. Crackle and even pressing issues often spoil this masterwork of sound, but this has avoided them. Few examples will match or outperform this early 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. This overall copy will prove near impossible to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended – it the very best all-round copy I have ever had since I bought one close to issue day back in 75.

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 Terrarium Black terminated cable). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional VPI-17 vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too. Pictures taken with a Nikon D5000 SLR Digital Camera.

PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET.

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 new VPI-17 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 boxes (NOT Mailers, these do not offer any real protection). The record(s) are 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 at least TWO, 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. When larger boxes are used, 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. 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. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners 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 8,000+ items sold in over 10 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 stiffeners cannot be bent by hand, so what chance 2 inside a box? Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FIVE records per box (one double can sometimes be included subject to total weight). All postage costs are below and at the top of the listing.

NOTE: First Time Bidders: Please ask me first.

PLEASE NOTE: I now exercise my right to open a dispute after the Ebay rule of FOUR days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the, again after the mandatory FOUR days and then offer the item to the runner-up or relist. The non-payer will also be blocked from my Ebay site and they take the Ebay consequences (a strike or removal from the system). Small businesses need prompt payment to trade and these strict rules WILL be applied.

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] = £4.25

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £8. (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 [£50 maximum]) = £12 (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3). Add £3 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); South America; New Zealand; 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 [£50 maximum]) = £16 (£17 for double sets). Add £3 per extra LP. (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an 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: I will cancel any bids I feel are time-wasters. 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 necessarily 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’.