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Queen Bohemian Rhapsody - Blue Vinyl - Un-Numbered UK 7" vinyl single (7 inch record / 45)
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| Tracklisting / Additional Info: |
Condition:
The record has been stored for decades in a PVC sleeve, resulting in a misted surface appearance due to off-gassing. On play-testing, it delivers Fair audio playback overall with noticeable deterioration to sound quality, surface noise and crackle. Crucially, no skips or jumps are present and the record plays through from beginning to end. Both labels are clean and free from writing or damage.
There is no sleeve for this un-numbered example.
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 which used the album cover design for Queen II as inspiration.
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 Selfridge 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 - 48 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 |
QUE07BO878033 (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 QUE07BO878033 |
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Prices include duties & taxes (where applicable). No extra costs.
![](http://gb.pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://eil.com/shop/moreinfo.asp?catalogid=878033&media=https://images.eil.com/large_image/QUEEN_BOHEMIAN%2BRHAPSODY%2B%2D%2BBLUE%2BVINYL%2B%2D%2BUN%2DNUMBERED-878033.jpg&description=QUEEN Bohemian Rhapsody (Rare 1978 UK original <B><font
color=blue>Blue Vinyl</b></font> 7" single. A genuine piece of
<B>Queen</B> and <B>EMI</B> history produced to commemorate
EMI Records International Division's receipt of <I>The Queen's Award
to Industry for Export Achievement</I> in 1978. Pressed on striking
<span style="color:blue"><b>Blue Vinyl</b></span> (originally
intended to be purple) this particular example is one of the very few
known <B>un-numbered</B> copies to have surfaced. It features the
exclusive <I>A Night At The Opera</I>-style crest labels and is
housed in a plain paper sleeve - no original maroon & gold sleeve was
issued with this un-numbered variant. As with the numbered edition
the single pairs the timeless classic "Bohemian Rhapsody" with "I'm In
Love With My Car") <I>See 'More Info' for condition grading and
history...</I> )
