QUEEN A Day At The Races 1U/1U 1st Press Great COVER & Incredible AUDIO RARE
£
40
$
53
£ 40
Sold For
Feb 23, 2025
Sold Date
Feb 13, 2025
Start Date
12
Number Of Bids
Great Britain
Country Of Seller
eBay
Auctioned at
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Description
I will declare a lower amount on the customs form for all countries so as to avoid/decrease high import charges. However, in the case of the EU all purchases are subject to VAT which eBay collect at point of sale. No shipping to Russia currently. Queen : A Day At The Races 1U / 1U 1st Press 1976
This genuine first press is one of the finest examples I have listened to in many a year. There are no clicks or pops and any static is kept to a minimum. As always I have played the album in full and both 'You Take My Breath Away' and 'The Millionaire Waltz' play with great clarity and like I say only very minimal static. These are the two tracks that are so often affected by a fair amount of static / crackle but that is not the case here. The best versions I have heard in a long long time! As for the rest of the album? In a word, stunning. The clarity, depth, power and warmth of the audio is incredible and 'Let Us Cling Together' is a prime example, the sonic quality is breath-taking, there is no background whatsoever. The vinyl is visually stunning also which is not surprising in a way when you consider the audio quality.
The gatefold has been very well preserved which makes a change! It has only minimal wear and is so much cleaner than the vast majority you see today. It is close to Ex but I have graded it as Ex- which is perhaps a better appraisal. If I'm honest the photos make it look worse than it is! The picture inner is in superb condition with barely any wear.
EMTC 104 // YAX 5245-1U OT 1 / YAX 5246-1U LP 2
The audio on S1 is Mint(-) (T2 Near Mint- / T4 Near Mint)
The audio on S2 is Mint(-)
The gatefold is a very strong Ex- The picture inner is Near Mint
The labels are Mint-
Visual description
The vinyl is in superb condition and still has a lovely glossy sheen with no marks or scratches. I can only make out a small number of faint hairlines under a bright light and there is nothing that stands out. This is clearly an album that has not been played very much. There is no groove or surface wear and the labels are as near to perfect as is possible with just one faint spindle trace on S2. A stunning first press!
Play Grading
The 'orchestral' intro on 'Tie Your Mother Down' for once plays so well with no interference and only a couple of minor statics. As the track 'kicks in' the audio is so clean and powerful and the first verse and chorus play perfectly and it proceeds in the same way with zero intrusion. There is no distortion and the audio definition is as strong as it could be. A superb start to the album and it grades as Mint- I am confident in saying.
The quiet vocal intro on 'You Take My Breath Away' plays with great clarity and only one obvious static tick which is not loud anyway. The first piano section plays beautifully with only a handful of mega quiet statics, hardly worth a mention really. The first vocal has no background and it continues to play with a clarity that belies its age. We all know how this track is so often plagued by static or worse but this is without doubt one of the cleanest versions I have ever heard. The second and third verses play with superb quality once more and the brief instrumental section is very clean with only a small number of minor statics again. The repeating end vocal is much the same with only 3/4 very quiet statics at the start. Not quite perfect but not far from it! I think Near Mint- is fair.
'Long Away' plays with stunning precision through every vocal and instrumental section. The depth on the audio and the clarity is 'as new' ands even the quieter mid section has no intrusion. Mint
The intro on 'The Millionaire Waltz' has only a couple of minor statics and Freddie's opening vocal section could not be any more impressive. The even quieter second verse plays with sublime clarity also as does the instrumental that follows. The first 'powerful' section is superb! Incredible power and no distortion. The next instrumental passage has no background and the My fine friend... vocal is so clean with barely any background. The rest of the track plays with great quality also and it has to grade as Near Mint a rarity for this track!
'You And I' again plays with stunning precision. From the first note to the last there is no interference and it ends S1 in true Mint style.
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The opening vocal on 'Somebody to Love' has no background and the first verse is equal to that. From then on this perennial classic plays with such strong audio and, needless to say, there is no interference. The iconic Find me somebody to love vocal plays with impeccable quality and right to the end it plays like it has never been played before! A superlative Mint version in every way.
The often underrated 'White Man' plays with phenomenal audio from the outset. The quiet opening vocal is perfect basically with no intrusion and the first chorus is strong, deep and clear. The standard does not drop as it progresses - real power and depth - and the quiet end section is flawless. There is no background during the ultra quiet sections! Mint
Another Freddie classic in 'Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy' and it plays so clearly without any interference. No ticks, clicks, pops or static this is pure Mint audio from start to finish.
'Drowse' plays with genuine quality through every section. Again I cannot overstate just how clean and precise the audio is as there is just nothing that gets in the way of the playback. No need to elaborate it is Mint including the spoken end section.
I'm always 'concerned' when I playtest 'Let Us Cling Together' because I'm always expecting some background somewhere! I am pleased to say this verse is stunning! The intro and opening vocal section play with incredible clarity and the first chorus is just as impressive. It continues to impress through every quiet section and as the volume increases during the When I'm gone... passage the playback is breath-taking! In fact my 14 year old daughter just popped in the room to say 'this is good'! Is there any inner groove distortion? If there is any it is so so minimal. The 'choral' section is superb and the closing instrumental again plays with great clarity. This is easily one of the finest versions of this classic that I have ever heard and Mint- is richly deserved. A fantastic finish to this very well looked after album.
The Gatefold & Picture Inner
This cover is so often found in poor condition but not this one! The edges have barely any rubbing and the wide spine is still very wide and so clean without any wear on the corners. The right hand corners are in great shape also and the opening edge appears hardly handled. The front cover for once (!) is very clean with only a handful of minor specks and a small number of the usual creases around the edges. The back cover is similar with perhaps just a little more spotting and the inside of the gatefold is very clean with just minimal fading / spotting along the top edges but no actual marking. You'll never find a true Mint cover of this 1U/1U cover but this is very respectable one it has to be said.
The inner sleeve is in superb condition also with no marking and no side splits or tears. There is just a hint of minor ringwear.
EMTC 104 // YAX 5245-1U OT 1 / YAX 5246-1U LP 2
Play tested on my Rega P2 with AT VM-95EN Cart / Denon PMA-520AE Amp / B&W 684 Speakers
This record has been professionally cleaned on my Pro-Ject VC-S machine
I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.
Any questions please feel free to ask
Please pay within 4 days of auction end
Recent Feedback
THIS IS WHAT A SELLER SHOULD BE LIKE ON HIGH END VINYL! Exactly as described if not better ! I could not be a happier customer .. well packed for international flight .. and shipped and received very fast .. No worries here this guy is the topsGREAT AS DESCRIBED BEST SELLR OF ALL THE UK PEOPLE AND I HAVE BOUGHT FROM ALL OF THEM
Beautiful record as described, fast safe delivery, top seller. Cheers Steve.
Another fantastic LP from this seller - condition exactly as shown and the audio as described! Fast delivery, vinyl properly and carefully packed. Very highly recommended A++++
Another stunning LP from this very reliable and helpful seller.
Very quick delivery. Album exactly as described. Excellent packaging. Once again all perfect. Thanks!!!
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Great seller and great vinyl record, professionally packaged. I’m very satisfied with my purchase and will certainly buy again!
Postage & Packaging
I will only send items items worldwide via tracked shipping. This provides 'peace of mind' in case of loss or damage. The shipping costs are shown below and combined shipping is always offered. Any over-payment will always be refunded.
The Royal Mail only insure up to a value of £250 so if an item sells for more it may be wise to use a courier service (e.g. Parcelforce or DPD). An extra insurance premium will be required but I will not know the exact amount until the final sale price is known. Because of this I will sometimes have to estimate the cost and this will be shown in the listing. Please wait for the invoice before making payment and if you have any questions please feel free to ask. Many thanks.
All vinyls are packaged in strong over-sized custom made mailers with plenty of extra cardboard protection. They are placed inside separate poly-lined inners outside the cover so as to avoid seam splits in transit and then placed inside a PVC sleeve to provide even more protection. I pride myself on my high quality packaging as my feed confirms and if any customer has any specific requirements I am more than happy to help.
The mailers I use cost £1.00 each and I will use anything between 3-5 cardboard stiffeners which cost approx £0.18 each. There is also the cost of the poly-lined inner and PVC sleeve to consider, it all adds up! Not forgetting that eBay take 10% of the shipping fee also!!
UK Postage Rates (First Class Recorded - Max 2kg)
LPs/12" singles : £6.50 up to 1kg then £1.00 per extra item
EUROPE (Tracked - Max 2kg)
LPs/12" singles : £12.95 then £2.00 per extra
USA (Tracked - Max 2kg)
LPs/12" singles : £22.95 then £2.50 per extra
REST OF WORLD (Tracked - Max 2kg)
LPs/12" singles : £21.95 then £2.50 per extra
If you are not entirely happy with your purchase please contact me before leaving feedback and I will always resolve any issue, 100% guaranteed. If you would prefer to send the item back I will also pay the return shipping cost if I am at fault, I am only human after all!!
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