{"id":1458,"date":"2013-06-11T20:57:05","date_gmt":"2013-06-11T18:57:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/95.141.36.44\/apache2-default\/queenmuseum\/?p=1458"},"modified":"2026-07-23T13:00:04","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T11:00:04","slug":"queen-debut-album-1973-collectors-look","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/queenmuseum.com\/?p=1458","title":{"rendered":"Queen’s Debut Album (1973) \u2014 A Collector’s Look"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Queen” was officially out in the UK on July 13th 1973; \u00a0you probably know everything about early days and how they came to an agreement with EMI Records to release their first work. Here we will focus on the collector aspect of their debut LP. Sometimes additional useful information can be taken from original press sheets, withdrawn editions, etc. so let’s start…<\/p>\n

Finding acetates or reel-to-reel copies of the master tapes is quite impossible. Only few appeared in the auction houses and on private sales.<\/p>\n

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A rare Trident 12″ acetate with full album, probably dated late 72. This version contains a different version of Keep Yourself Alive.<\/figcaption><\/figure>
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\"Trident-sleeve
Another view of the same Trident-sleeve acetate \u2014 with its different version of “Keep Yourself Alive” \u2014 photographed here against the UK promotional poster for the debut album.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n

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\"reeltapequeen1973_wm\"
A Trident 10″ reel-to-reel tape (copy of Master) of the B side of their debut LP. Dated May 22nd, 1973<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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The very first piece of vinyl (not acetate) with the first Queen work on it is what in the collectors\u2019 language is called “Pop Conference” Test Press LP.<\/p>\n

\"Queen
Queen EMI Pop Conference LP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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I could not find any information about when this conference was held. EMI organized one in 1973 to promote three new artists. One was Queen, the other two were Blue Mink and James Webley (the EMI\u2019s answer to Elton John, at least so they hoped).<\/p>\n

All three artists used the same Die Cut promo cover, featuring on the back images and contact information of EMI managers.<\/p>\n

\"Queen
Queen EMI Pop Conference LP B<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Matrix numbers:<\/p>\n

A side: YAX 4623 – 3u KIP-HUGGYPOO-KISSY \u00a01 G<\/p>\n

B side :YAX 4624 – 2u OFF WITH HIS HEAD \u00a01 G<\/p>\n

There aren’t reported any earlier matrix codes (3u – 2u) for their UK debut LP. Please check this article about decoding UK matrix numbers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

So the first press of the commercial issue should have these codes in the run-off groove. Apart from the “1 G” letters which identify the mother and the stamper all the other information should appear on copy released in July 1973. Catalogue number EMC 3006 is reported on the promo sheet given with the LP.<\/p>\n

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All the publicists and press people were given the very first Queen press kit with information about this forthcoming \u00a0release. It\u2019s not clear if the purple envelope with the Queen gold crest was used to contain the promo stuff. Maybe it was used in the next weeks or months as promotion for both the LP and the UK tour supporting Mott the Hoople.<\/p>\n

\"EMI
EMI Queen Purple envelope 1973<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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The EMI promotional 10×8 photo is not a proper photo paper but more similar to card paper, the back is brown. This is the same photo early fans, writing to Trident before the Fan Club was born, received fully signed by the band!!<\/p>\n

\"press
Press sheet given with the conference LP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There\u2019s some interesting information in this sheet. The release of the album is promoted together with the issue of the first Queen single out on June 15th.<\/p>\n

You probably know from Queen bios that the first single “<\/a>Keep Yourself Alive\/Son & Daughter<\/a>”\u00a0was out on July 6th, and not on June 15th. But recently a copy of a demo 7″ appeared, featuring on the label this date, which matches what is reported on that promo sheet. According to a UK journalist who worked for EMI back in 1973 in promoting records, this was withdrawn for a wrong mix, even if no substantial differences were found with the released version. All copies were destroyed but a dozen were saved by him.<\/p>\n

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“Queen” or the album which many collectors and fans call “Queen I” was released July 13th in the UK with this picture sleeve:<\/p>\n

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\"Queen
Queen 1973 LP Acover<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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The cover of the first Queen LP was created by Freddie, Brian and Queen’s photographer \u00a0Douglas Puddifoot<\/a>\u00a0(what’s better than reading about the cover directly from Brian himself, check that link).<\/p>\n

\"quee73LP_Bcover\"<\/p>

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