QUEEN Queen Vinyl Record LP EMI 1973 Original UK 1st Pressing -5/-5 Matrix Blair Rules Cut Debut

Queen - Queen
(Original UK 1st Pressing with Tan EMI Label. Housed in Matt Card Picture Sleeve, with period-correct plain white inner sleeve. -5/-5 Matrix. BLAIR RULES / BLAIR hand etched in runout grooves)

Format: Vinyl Record - LP Album (33 rpm)
Country: UK
Year: 1973
Label: EMI
Catalogue No. EMC 3006

Matrix / Runout (Side A, runout, stamped, etched): YAX 4623-5 BLAIR RULES 2 MD
Matrix / Runout (Side B, runout, stamped, etched): YAX 4624-5 BLAIR 2 PD

Condition: VG+/EX (Sleeve has some surface wear and small creases around the edges. It has a tiny sticker on the back in the top right-hand corner. The inner sleeve and vinyl are in a strong excellent clean condition)

Track Listing:
1. Keep Yourself Alive
2. Doing All Right
3. Great King Rat
4. My Fairy King
5. Liar
6. The Night Comes Down
7. Modern Times Of Rock 'N' Roll
8. Son And Daughter
9. Jesus
10. Seven Seas Of Rhye

This original 1973 UK first pressing of Queen's self-titled debut vinyl LP (EMI, EMC 3006) is an essential cornerstone piece for classic rock vinyl collectors. As the album that launched Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon onto the global stage, this historic release captures the band's raw, heavy progressive rock foundations. This definitive UK first issue features the standard tan EMI labels and is housed in its original, vintage matt card picture sleeve.

Crucially for audiophiles and serious collectors tracking matrix variations, the deadwax features the early -5/-5 matrix termination, featuring the famous hand-etched mastering credits by cutting engineer Chris Blair. Side A is stamped and etched YAX 4623-5 with "BLAIR RULES", and Side B is stamped and etched YAX 4624-5 with "BLAIR". This specific cut is highly regarded among Queen discography enthusiasts for its excellent, punchy audio playback quality.

The record grades as a strong, clean Excellent (EX), retaining its beautiful original glossy sheen with minimal signs of play to ensure a top-tier listening experience. The original matt card picture sleeve grades as Very Good Plus (VG+); it remains structurally solid but displays typical age-related surface wear and light creasing around the outer edges, consistent with a well-preserved 50-year-old vintage rock record.

This copy is complete with its original, period-correct plain white inner sleeve featuring PATENT Nos. 1,125,555 and MADE IN GREAT BRITAIN text. Featuring definitive early masterpieces like "Keep Yourself Alive", "Liar", and "Seven Seas Of Rhye", this legendary Blair-cut debut album is a prime addition to any serious archive. Order from Planet Earth Records for secure, warp-proof worldwide mail-order shipping.