A Night At The Opera 2/2 1st Pressing

This genuine first pressing plays with stunning 'as new' audio apart from a little interference towards the end of S1.  'Bohemian Rhapsody' is nigh on perfect and plays with fantastic clarity and power.  The embossed gatefold is quite possibly the cleanest I have ever seen, it is absolutely stunning, and the original picture inner has no splits, how rare is that!

This 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 // OO 1 / GRG 5

The audio on S1 is Mint- (track 1 intro Ex+ / end of track 6 VG / first minute of track 7 Ex) 

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

 The gatefold is Near Mint

The picture inner is Mint-

The labels are Mint
Visual grading

  At first glance this vinyl appears 'as new'.  It has an immaculate glossy sheen and there is no obvious spindle wear at all.  It is just so clean!  There are just couple of tiny spindle traces on the labels that are incredibly difficult to spot and without doubt this vinyl that has been hardly played over the last 44 years. There is just the one very faint hairline scratch towards the end of S1 that does cause a little interference but this is the only negative.  Aside from that is a visually perfect vinyl with no other hairlines or marks and is a stunning example of a 2/2 pressing.  S2 is absolutely pristine and does look 'as new', no exaggeration.  This is a beautiful record and is one of the cleanest first pressings I have seen in a long time.

Play grading

The piano intro on 'Death On Two Legs' has a little static and a couple of crackle sounds but is not exactly intrusive and still plays very cleanly.  The guitar section then plays superbly and there is barely any static before the vocal begins.  From that point on the audio is absolutely stunning and plays 'as new'.  The power and definition is incredible and Freddie's 'biting' lyrics have never sounded better!  So apart from a little 'background' on the intro this is audio of the highest standard and provides a stunning start to this classic album.  'Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon' is of the same quality and grades as Mint- without question.  There is no interference whatsoever, total perfection in other words!  'I'm In Love With My Car' plays 'as new' as the day when it was released back in '75.  It is a spine tingling track!  The power and clarity is second to none and again not one iota of interference.  Wow!  The fade out has no 'background' and quite simply this is the most impressive version of this track I have heard in many a year and let's not forget this is a 2/2 first pressing!  I try hard not to repeat myself but 'You're My Best Friend' is of the same immaculate standard and is Mint- once more, no other words are necessary.  '39' continues in the same fashion aside from 4/5 light clicks and a couple of louder pops right at the end of the track.  'Sweet Lady' also has a small number of clicks on the intro but they are largely buried in the loud music.  The majority of the track plays loud and true and with no distortion but you can hear the odd gentle 'tick' every now and then for the first minute.  Thereafter it plays exceptionally well with no other interference.  As any Queen fan knows 'Seaside Rendezvous' always has some distortion and it is just a matter of how much.  I am pleased to say there is only a minimal amount here and it still plays with great clarity and there are no clicks or pops.  I am sure this it played as 'cleanly' as this 43 years ago.

As is so often the case 'The Prophet's Song' has a little crackle on the acoustic intro but it is minimal and non-intrusive.  As soon as the vocal begins the audio plays with exceptional clarity and power and the opening verses again play 'as new'.  I cannot put into words just how powerful and stunning this entire section is.  It is 100% stunning!  The acapella 'now I know...' section then plays beautifully and is easily the best I have ever heard in a long time.  It is nigh on perfect with only a couple of seconds of barely audible static.  As the guitar resumes the power and depth is again sublime and to the end this prog classic plays to a breathtaking standard.  This is a truly spell-binding version and what is also impressive is that there is no static or worse (!) on the quiet acoustic end section.  This stunning clarity continues on the 'Love Of My Life' intro.  It plays so cleanly.  There is only the odd mega light dust tick but that is what you would find on a vinyl pressed yesterday let alone one pressed 43 years ago!  For such a quiet track it plays exceptionally well and grades as Near Mint in my opinion and there are no clicks or pops.  A superb version.  'Good Company' is immaculate and plays without fault.  Judging by the clarity across the entire album this is a vinyl that has been hardly played and this track is no exception.  There is no interference and again grades as Mint it could not play any better!  The iconic 'Bohemian Rhapsody' begins perfectly with no 'background' of any kind and continues to play in the same immaculate style.  This just has to be heard to be believed and it is so rare for a genuine 2/2 first press to play as 'cleanly' as this.  The opening verses have a sublime clarity and depth and there is absolutely nothing to detract from the sensational audio.  The guitar solo then plays 'as new' and there is then just a minimal touch of inconsequential light static just prior to the 'operatic/rock' section.  Hardly worth a mention really!  This dynamic section then plays with immense power and there is no distortion on the 'top end'.  It is quite simply stunning and is amongst the most impressive I have ever heard.  Wow!  The quiet end section has barely any static and ends this classic with wonderful clarity.  Overall a Near Mint version although perhaps Mint- would be a more appropriate grading!  'God Save The Queen' ends the side with superb audio although there is one faint click just towards the end.

In summary this 2/2 first pressing plays with immaculate audio and S2 in particular is stunning.  S1 is still Mint- for the vast majority but yes there is the interference as described at the end of '39' and less so on the beginning of 'Sweet Lady'.  With no obvious spindle wear this is a vinyl that has been hardly played and the clarity and warmth of the audio reflects that.  There cannot be many 2/2 first pressings that play as well as this today.  The embossed gatefold is also in fantastic condition as is the picture inner which has no splits!

The Gatefold

Now this 'first press' G&L gatefold has to be seen to be believed!  It has to be one of the finest examples I have ever seen and has been so well preserved over the last 44 years.  It obviously has the embossed front cover and has retained its 'whiteness' incredibly well and would be nigh on impossible to find a cleaner version.  The edges and spine have no shelf wear whatsoever and the only corner wear is one small crease on the top left corner.  The opening edge is also in sublime condition with only a couple of tiny 'dings'.  The front cover is so clean and hopefully the photos do it justice as there are no markings or scratches and the back cover is almost as good with only a couple of tiny 'specks'.  Plus the inside of the gatefold is immaculate and is 'as new'.  There is none of the discolouration that you so often find and as we all know this cover is so difficult to keep clean so to find one like this is very much a rarity.  A superb example of this iconic gatefold.

Picture inner

Another rarity, this inner has no splits!  As per all the original inners it has the three cropped corners and it really is in superb condition with no 'rubbing' on the edges and only one tiny corner crease that is hardly even worth a mention!  This is a fantastic example of this inner that is hardly ever found without splits!  It also has no creasing which again is very rare.

The labels

They are in both in wonderful condition with no marking or writing and they quite simply look 'as new'.  There is no obvious spindle wear either.  Absolutely stunning!

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 // OO 1 / GRG 5

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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