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Queen Bohemian Rhapsody - Blue Vinyl #122 UK 7" vinyl single (7 inch record / 45)
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| Tracklisting / Additional Info: |
Condition :-
The vinyl is in excellent condition - it has a handful of faint marks on side one and a blemish on side two which need to be mentioned, however these are only visible under strong, direct light and would be mostly unobtrusive if played, but as the music itself isn't exclusive this isn't so much of an issue.
The exclusive labels are perfect and unmarked.
The flipback sleeve shows scuffing to the corners with some light creasing around the edges (mainly at the opening edge) on the front. There is also a little ringwear and some ribbing indents to the outside of the front and back caused by storage against some other ribbed 7"s in the past - the Bohemian Rhapsody 7" within does NOT have a ribbed rim, so it would not have been this.
That's the bad news dealt with.
The good news is that the sleeve is clean with all edges intact and secure flipbacks, no writing (apart form the hand numbering of course!), rips or tears.
History :-
Released on October 31st 1975, 'Bo Rhap' entered the charts the following week at No. 47, climbing to No. 1 three weeks later, where it stayed for an incredible nine weeks, helped by a memorable innovative video.
Three years later, Queen had gone from strength to strength, creating stadium anthems such as 'We Are The Champions' and 'We will Rock You', but it was 'Bohemian Rhapsody' that was remembered when EMI was awarded the prestigious Queen's Award To Industry For Export Achievement. Beating off competition from thousands of other manufacturers, EMI's International Division won the title due to the massive increase in exports of records by British artists.
Justifiably proud, Paul Watts, then General Manager of EMI's International Division, decided to commemorate the award with the release of a special single. The choice of artist was easy.
The then current vogue for coloured vinyl seemed to the the ideal way to present this special edition of 200 copies: "We came up with the band's original colors - purple and gold, as on the 'Queen I' cover," Watts remembered. "These colors signified Queen in a way. We decided on a maroon and gold sleeve and a single in purple vinyl." But it wasn't to be: the project became a corporate event, with EMI Records Ltd (and not just EMI the label) getting in on the action. Paul Watt reluctantly relinquished control of the project to "the team upstairs", imploring them to "make sure you do it right!"
But as Watts had feared, there was a blunder: "Lo and behold, when the record came back from the factory, it wasn't purple at all, but blue! It was a cock-up, but as we only had 200, it wasn't worth changing it." At the EMI pressing plant in Hayes, Middlesex, Production Controller John Tagg had no idea that the vinyl should have been purple, and - acting on corporate directives - pressed the record in blue. "The blue granules were specially formulated for the project," he remembered.
Pressing the run of 200 blue vinyl singles from the usual minimum of 1,000 or 1,500 black vinyl records was no easy feat, with Tagg and his team having to isolate the special edition from the rest of their system. Getting a pure blue strain of vinyl was also time-consuming, and the Queen single took around three days to produce, costing an exorbitant £4 to £5 per copy, where the usual rate was 50p. To finish off the record, full-colour "Night At The Opera" crest labels were printed and each disc was hand numbered on the A-side and again on the back of the special purple-and-gold sleeve.
Although John Tagg claims that the record was "very much a limited edition" of only 200 and that all the materials associated with the pressing were destroyed afterwards, some unnumbered test pressings or end-of-run copies did slip out. These come with finished labels but no sleeves.
EMI's International Division was formally presented with the Queen's Award To Industry for Export Achievement at a three-hour luncheon in the Cotswold suite at London's Sellfridge Hotel on Wednesday, 26th July 1978. EMI directors and management were out in force, but Her Majesty was absent, sending instead the Vice Lord-Lieutenant Of Greater London, Admiral Sir Charles Madden as her representative. the group themselves were also noticeably absent, being holed up in Montreux, Switzerland, recording the "Jazz" album and holding a typically extravagant party for Roger Taylor's 29th birthday
The initial 10 copies of blue vinyl singles were framed and given to the members of Queen's entourage and EMI executives.
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| Condition : |
This item is in Excellent condition or better (unless it says otherwise in the above description). We buy items as close to Mint condition as possible and many will be unplayed and as close to new as you could hope to find. Irrespective of the source, all of our collectables meet our strict grading and are 100% guaranteed. Click here for more info. |
| Availability: |
Sold Out - 'Request Next' to get an email if it comes back into stock.
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| Year of Release: |
1978 - 46 years old |
| Artist: |
Queen (click here for complete listing) |
| Title: |
Bohemian Rhapsody (click here for more of the same title) |
| Postage/Shipping: |
Add item to your basket for a postage/shipping quote |
| Format: |
7" vinyl single (7 inch record / 45) |
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| Record Label: |
EMI |
| Catalogue No: |
EMI2375 |
| Country of Origin: |
UK
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| Language: |
Regardless of country of origin all tracks are sung in English, unless otherwise stated in our description. |
| Additional info: |
Deleted
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| EIL.COM Ref No |
QUE07BO345801 (quote this reference in any e-mails, letters, faxes or phone calls to help identify this item) |
| Genres: |
Rock
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| Related Artists: |
Anita Dobson, Bad News, Billy Squier, Brian May, Carmine Appice, Catherine Porter, Claire Sweeney, D-ROK, Darkness [Dance], Eddie Howell, Freddie Mercury, Heavy Pettin, Hilary Hilary, Ibex, John Deacon, Larry Lurex, Left-Handed Marriage, Minako Honda, Montserrat Caballe, Peter Straker, Roger Taylor, Smile, The Cross, The Immortals, The Others [1960S], The SAS Band, Tim Staffell, Wire Daisies |
| Complete Stock List: |
Queen |
| email: |
sales@eil.com to contact our sales team. |
| Alternative Names: |
None |
| To order by phone: |
Call +44 1474 815010 quoting EIL.COM reference number QUE07BO345801 |
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![](http://gb.pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://eil.com/shop/moreinfo.asp?catalogid=345801&media=https://images.eil.com/large_image/QUEEN_BOHEMIAN%2BRHAPSODY%2B%2D%2BBLUE%2BVINYL%2B%23122-345801.jpg&description=QUEEN Bohemian Rhapsody (Legendary 1978 UK limited edition
<B><font color=blue>BLUE</b></font> vinyl 7" also featuring I'm In
Love With My Car, specially commissioned by EMI for presentation at
an exclusive luncheon held to celebrate the record company winning
'The Queen's Award To Industry For Export Achievement' that year.
This is hand numbered on the A-side label 122/200 copies only!
Complete with the original custom purple and gold sleeve which is also
hand numbered on the back. The most desirable Queen collectable of them all!) <BR> See 'More info' for further details....)
