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

This first pressing plays with great clarity and depth for the vast majority and has only minimal interference.  The vinyl itself is in lovely condition and has clearly been very well looked after down the years. 

The gatefold (so difficult to find in decent condition!) is in very good condition with only a little shelf wear.  Whilst not perfect it is certainly cleaner than many you see today.

Please wait for the invoice before making payment thank you.

EMC 3601 // YAX 5245 - 1U / YAX 5246 - 1U // LM 4 / AT 2

The audio on S1 is Ex+ (Near Mint in many sections / Track 3 VG- for three seconds)

The audio on S2 is Near Mint (Mint- for the majority / T2 Near Mint-)

The gatefold is VG+

The lyric inner is Near Mint

The labels are Near Mint

 Visual grading

The vinyl has been very well looked after down the years and has definitely not been overplayed.  There is not too much spindle wear and there is no groove wear either.  It retains a stunning glossy sheen and S1 has only one hairline that is a little 'obvious'.  Aside from that it is very clean with only a small number of very faint sleeve removal hairlines.  S2 is visually stunning and has only a small number of mega faint hairlines and one tiny faint mark that has no affect on the superb audio.  The run out grooves and labels could hardly be any cleaner.

Play grading

The intro on 'Tie Your Mother Down' is so 'clean' with only a couple of light static ticks and as May's iconic riff 'kicks in' the audio is superb.  It plays with immense power and no distortion and continues in the same breathtaking manner.  There is no 'background' and the clarity is just sensational!  A Near Mint intro with the remainder grading as Mint I can safely say.

'You Take My Breath Away' plays with great clarity on the acapella intro and it is only when the piano begins that you can hear a little static.  It is only minor and there are certainly no intrusive clicks or pops.  As the vocal comes in the audio is very clear and as it progresses there is only a little light static here and there.  In saying that the actual music is very precise and for such a quiet track on a genuine first press the playback is excellent.  Ex+ is an honest grading in my opinion.

'Long Away' plays so well for the majority and the only interference is a static tick about one minute in and 3/4 clicks in the very quiet section as you approach the end.  Aside from that the audio is very strong and clear and is Ex+ overall but with a brief VG- section as stated.

'The Millionaire Waltz' has only light static on the intro and the vocal comes in the audio is superb!  There is no interference and the very quiet 'Once we were mad...' verse is a real highlight as the playback is stunning.  There is a few seconds of light static in the following instrumental piece and the 'rock' section then plays without fault.  A little static on the next section but the very quiet 'My fine friend...' verse is very impressive with only minimal static.  The closing section is so strong and has no interference at all.  An overall grading of Ex+ is about right.

'You And I' ends the side with 'high end' audio from start to finish.  There is no interference and rarely there is no inner groove distortion at all.  A stunning Near Mint version.

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The classic intro on 'Somebody To Love' plays beautifully with no obvious 'background' and continues to impress.  The clarity and definition of the audio is sublime and you would not think you were listening to a genuine first press!  You can turn it up to loud without fear of distortion, the playback is 100% stunning!  It plays with incredible sonic quality and the iconic 'choral' section is just phenomenal!  This is without doubt one of the most amazing versions I have ever heard and I have heard a lot!  The remainder is of the same quality and I happy to grade this as Mint- it would be difficult to find a better version.

'White Man' has a very 'clean' intro with very little static and any that can be heard is so minor as to be totally insignificant.  The first chorus is 'as new' and it continues to play with real power and intensity and there is no interference at all.  This track so often has a fair amount of static/crackle especially in the quieter sections but this is a sublime version that has a clarity of sound that is equal to that of an un-played vinyl.  The quieter end section has hardly any static although there is one click sadly.  In spite of that I think this deserves a Near Mint- grade as the remainder plays with great distinction.

'Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy' is almost perfect with only a touch of barely audible static in a couple of places.  This grades as Mint- as the audio is stunning throughout.

'Drowse' is of the same immaculate standard with no sign of any interference and again plays with 'high end' Mint- precision.

The piano intro on 'Let Us Cling Together' plays beautifully and there is only a couple of seconds of light static at the start of the first verse.  It is only very quiet and from then on this classic plays with fantastic clarity and rarely do you hear it play this well.  The first chorus is breathtakingly good and it continues to play in the same precise way.  As the volume increases the playback cannot be faulted and it's only on the choral section where there is a little inner groove distortion.  As I always say this is a common feature on any final track and has to be accepted as a given - don't get me wrong it still sounds great!  I only mention it to be 'complete' in my grading.  The organ section at the end is also very 'clean' and has only a little static right at the end.  Overall a very impressive Near Mint version.

In summary this first pressing plays with a clarity and definition that you rarely find on these first pressings.  Yes S1 has a little static and a couple of clicks but overall it still plays extremely well and I hope my grading explains that.  S2 in particular is absolutely stunning with barely any interference!  A very enjoyable and respectable first pressing :-)

The Gatefold

 This G&L cover does have a little shelf wear but as can be seen from the photos it is a very respectable copy.  The edges have only a small amount of 'rubs' and the wide spine remains 100% legible and in lovely condition with only a couple of white 'specks'.  There is only minimal corner wear and the opening edge has no handling wear at all.  The front cover has only one area of 'wear' near the bottom edge, a little fading, and apart from that is very clean indeed.  So often it has a lot of spotting around the edges but that is not the case here.  The back cover has just one scuff type mark lower left but is otherwise in excellent condition with minimal spotting and the inside of the gatefold is in lovely condition with no marking.  Many aspects are very impressive and with only two obvious areas of wear it is 'cleaner' than the majority around today.

The Picture Inner

This is near perfect and has only a couple of areas of minor fading.  There are no side splits or creasing and has the four rounded corners as per the first/early pressings.

The Labels

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

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

EMC 3601 // YAX 5245 - 1U / YAX 5246 - 1U // LM 4 / AT 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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