Queen : A Day At The Races 1U/1U 1st Press

This genuine first press plays with great clarity and depth and only a little interference as detailed below.  The vast majority plays to a superb standard and the vinyl is also visually in lovely condition.

Of course a G1 first press would be the earliest off the 'factory line' but GG and GL stampers are still very early making this a little more collectable in my opinion.

The gatefold is one of the best examples you will find today and has only minimal wear.

Please wait for the invoice as it may have to be sent via tracked shipping, conditions below.

EMTC 104 // YAX 5245 - 1U / YAX 5246 - 1U // GG 1 / GL 1

The audio on S1 is Near Mint ( Mint- in many sections / Track 2 VG for a few seconds / T4 Ex+ / T5 NM-)

The audio on S2 is Mint- (T4 NM / T5 intro VG- then NM ) 

The gatefold is a very strong Ex-

The picture inner is Near Mint

The labels are Mint-

This is a lovely looking vinyl and still has a superb glossy sheen.  There is one very small barely visible scratch at the end of track two and one very small faint mark at the end of S1 but is otherwise in superb condition.  S2 similarly is visually stunning and has only a small cluster of 5/6 tiny specks at the start of the final track which may have been caused by needle drops.  You have to look hard in order to see these imperfections!  There are no obvious hairlines and at first glance this record appears 'as new' it is that clean.  There is no spindle wear on S1 and only a couple of faint traces on S2 and in my opinion this album has only ever been lightly played.  The run out grooves and labels are in perfect condition.

Play grading

The opening 'orchestral' intro on 'Tie Your Mother Down' plays with great clarity.  There are only a couple of minor static ticks and once the familiar riff enters the scene the playback is absolutely stunning!  The power and definition of the audio is of a level that can only be described 'as new'.  It plays loud and true with no distortion and if the intro is Near Mint then the remainder the is undoubtedly Mint it cannot be faulted.  A superb start to this first pressing.

'You Take My Breath Away' regularly has a lot of 'background' on the first/early pressings as any Queen collector will be aware but this is one of the finest examples I have heard in many a year.  The acapella intro plays beautifully with only a handful of mega light dust ticks, perfect clarity in other words, and as the piano comes in there is just a minimal touch of very light light static which soon dissipates.  The first verse has barely any static and just one light tick on the 'I lose control...' line.  The second verse plays with incredible precision and thus far I am hugely impressed with the clarity on offer here!  The only negative is a small number of static ticks at the end of the final verse.  This is some crackle/static clicks in the following 'silent' section and the first few seconds of the final 'vocal' piece.  This is a shame because aside from that short VG section it plays with exemplary Near Mint audio which is a rarity for this quiet ballad.

'Long Away' is nigh on perfect and the only 'background' is 3/4 very light ticks at the end of the third verse which are totally non-intrusive (you can hardly hear them!) and a couple of static ticks at the end of the fade out.  The clarity throughout is superb and this is easily deserving of a Near Mint grade.

'The Millionaire Waltz' is another track that often has a fair amount of 'background' but not here!  The intro has barely any static and the first verse plays with superb Mint precision.  Even during the next quieter verse there are only a small number of insignificant dust ticks, the clarity is very impressive.  There is a little static at the start of the third verse but it soon disappears and the 'louder' section is superb!  There are a small number of static clicks in the following instrumental but the final quiet section has no intrusion at all.  This track closes with 'high end' audio and no interference.  I think Ex+ is about right here but with many sections playing better than that.

'You And I' ends the side with audio that is very close to perfect.  There are just 3/4 light static ticks in the brief quieter section near the end and a couple of slightly louder clicks on the fade out but aside from that the clarity cannot be faulted.  Due to this I will grade as Near Mint- even if this interference is literally at the end of the track!

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For once the acapella intro on 'Somebody To Love' plays with immaculate clarity and I am delighted to say this stunning quality is prevalent throughout this timeless classic.  There are a couple of quiet static ticks at the beginning of the 'Find me somebody to love...' section but otherwise from start to finish it plays with stunning precision.  It plays with great clarity and nowhere is that more obvious than on the gentle piano end section.  A fine example and Mint- is a fair assessment of the audio on offer here.

'White Man' has barely any static on the quiet intro and the chorus plays with great power and depth.  It continues in the same exact way with no interference of any kind.  The clarity and definition of the audio is exceptional and there is no distortion either.  The quiet end section plays perfectly and this is Mint- without doubt.  Not bad for 44 years old!

'Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy' is superb from the very first groove!  The clarity is so impressive and with only a couple of barely audible ticks this underrated classic is Mint- from start to finish.

Again the audio on 'Drowse' cannot hardly be faulted.  Yes there is one tick near the beginning and one light click near the end but apart from that the clarity is very impressive.  With barely any static on the fade out Near Mint is about right.

The intro 'Let Us Cling Together' does have some static ticks and crackle sadly but by the time the vocal starts there is barely any 'background'.  From then on the audio is so 'clean' with no intrusion and the playback is fantastic!  The quieter moments show just how good the clarity is and as the music builds into the final verse the audio is again so strong and for once this section has no inner groove distortion at all.  The final 'choral' section also plays with sublime clarity and the closing instrumental piece just has a handful of light static ticks.  So apart from the VG- intro this is a very respectable Near Mint version.

In summary this very early first pressing plays to a very high standard with only minimal interference.  A little towards the end of 'You Take My Breath Away' but is otherwise one of the 'cleanest' versions I have heard and some intrusion at the start of 'Let Us Cling Together' but this does not last long anyway.  It is so hard to find a near mint/mint version of this pressing, even harder than A Night At The Opera in my opinion, but the vast majority of this one does play with great clarity and definition.  The gatefold is also one of the finest around.

The Gatefold

In my opinion this is one of best examples you will find of this G & L gatefold today.  It is regularly found in poor condition and whilst this one is not pristine it is still in excellent condition with only a little shelf wear.  The edges are very clean with hardly any rubbing and the wide spine is very strong with just a little wear on the corners and a small indent just below the title.  It also has some of the usual crease lines.  The right hand corners also have some light wear and the top ones are in superb shape with no shelf wear.  The opening edge has no handling wear at all.  The front cover (for once!) is in great condition with no obvious marking, only a small number of faint crease lines next to the spine, although the back cover does have a little more wear with a handful of scratch lines and some creases that are a little more obvious.  The inside of the gatefold however is perfect with no marking.  A very respectable cover and cleaner than so many.

The Picture Inner

The original inner with the rounded corners is near perfect aside from a minor rub on the bottom edge, it is not a split.  There are no marks etc and it remains very clean.

The Labels

They are beautifully clean with no marking or writing and only a couple of minor spindle traces on S2.  

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

EMTC 104 // YAX 5245 - 1U / YAX 5246 - 1U // GG 1 / GL 1

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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