A Night At The Opera 2/2 1st pressing

This pressing plays with very impressive audio and comes complete with a beautifully clean gatefold and an original inner with only one small split.

This of course has Blair's (not 'Blairs cut') etched onto the run out grooves as per all the 2/2 pressings.

EMTC 103 // YAX 5063 - 2 / YAX 5064 - 2 // GT 4 / RD 4

The audio on S1 is Near Mint (Mint- for the majority / Ex+ on 'Death On Two Legs' intro)

The audio on S2 is Near Mint (Mint- for the majority / VG for 5 seconds on 'The Prophet's Song' ) 

The picture inner is Ex+

The labels are Near Mint-

  S1 is very clean and has only a small number of very faint sleeve removal hairlines.  S2 has a few more faint hairlines and a couple of small scratch type lines on track one but these do not actually affect the audio in any way.  Do not let this put you off!  The audio plays to a very high standard as detailed below and the vinyl is very clean in my opinion.  There is some spindle wear although not an excessive amount and the run out grooves are very clean indeed.

Play grading

'Death On Two Legs' plays with very powerful, clean audio but with a little static on the intro.  From that point on the audio is very impressive with only a small number of barely audible static sounds and no clicks or pops at all.  There is complete silence in the dead wax and 'Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon' then plays with excellent audio and is not far off a Near Mint grading.  'I'm In Love With My Car' has a clarity of sound that is 100% perfect, the clarity and power is incredible and grades as Mint- without doubt.  'You're My Best Friend' also deserves this grading as again the playback was quite simply immaculate.  This quality continues, for example the quite intro on '39' plays with superb precision and no 'background' at all.  The remainder of this often underrated classic also plays in sublime fashion.  For a 2/2 first press to play so cleanly is a rarity and thus far the audio is 'high end' to say the least.  'Sweet Lady' equals this with superb power and again no interference whatsoever.  'Seaside Rendezvous' plays very clearly and there is certainly less of the ubiquitous distortion that you always find on this track.  It is one of the cleanest versions I have heard in a long time and again no clicks or pops.

There is some light crackle on 'The Prophet's Song' intro and yet the music still plays very clearly and lasts for only a very short time anyway.  There are 5-6 clicks on the second verse which is a shame as there is no other interference and the clarity otherwise is impeccable.  Thereafter the audio is stunning and the 'now I know' mid section is Mint- the quality is absolutely immaculate.  It has the wow factor!  Through to the end this classic plays with Mint- audio again and the acoustic lead in to 'Love Of My Life' is sublime, so quiet and yet no interference.  The intro on this classic ballad then plays in impeccable style and this quality prevails to the end.  This is one of best versions I have heard on a 2/2 pressing.  The clarity is incredible and for such a quiet track it plays with superb depth and warmth.  One soft click only it is Near Mint without a shadow of a doubt.  'Good Company' has a couple of clicks at the start and then has audio of the highest quality once again.  The intro on 'Bohemian Rhapsody' is Mint- there is no other way to describe it.  Wow!  It then continues in the same vein and for a 2/2 press the audio playback is just stunning.  With only a couple of light static sounds this is audio of the highest order.  The operatic section plays with incredible power as does the following 'rock' section and with no distortion whatsoever.  The quiet end section then plays with supreme clarity and no 'background'.  Absolutely stunning!  'God Save The Queen' ends this iconic album with only a little background static here and there, nothing intrusive.

In summary this first pressing plays with superlative audio.  Yes there is a very short section of interference on 'The Prophet's Song' but aside from that the playback is of an immaculate standard and 'Bohemian Rhapsody' in particular is just breathtaking.  With a super clean gatefold also this album will not disappoint.  Not quite perfect but not far from it.

The Gatefold

This iconic embossed gatefold is one of the cleanest I have ever seen and has been extremely well looked after.  It has retained its 'whiteness' incredibly well and has only one faint mark on the back cover.  The front cover and inside of the gatefold are in lovely condition and hopefully the photos do it justice.  The only negative is an area of wear on the top edge of the back cover which if you look closely has resulted in a very small fine split.  However, it really isn't that noticeable but obviously I have to mention it being an honest grader :-) .  Apart from that the edges and spine are in fantastic condition as are the corners that have no obvious wear at all.  Stunning!  The opening edge has no handling wear either.  So very close to Near Mint but I will err  on the side of caution and grade as Ex+ due to the minor split.

Picture inner

The inner, with the three cut corners, is in great condition with only one small split on the bottom edge.  That's quite a good result as it is so often found with large splits all over the place!  It is also very clean and has no marking or creasing and is an excellent example overall.

The labels

They have no marking or writing just some spindle wear.  Very clean overall.

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 103 // YAX 5063 - 2 / YAX 5064 - 2 // GT 4 / RD 4

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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