YES Close To The Edge UK LP VERY 1ST PRESS A1/B1 MINT-

	£		195
	$		258

YES - CLOSE TO THE EDGE

• CATALOGUE:K 50012
• MATRIX:K 50012A1 / B1
•  

THE HOLY GRAIL OF YES ALBUMS. THE VERY VERY RARE FIRST PRESSING OF THE BRILLIANT CLOSE TO THE EDGE.

I THOUGHT I WOULD TAKE A FEW MINUTES JUST TO EXPLAIN HOW TO TELL IF YOU HAVE A GENUINE FIRST PRESS IN YOUR HANDS. WELL CLEARLY THE ALBUM HAS TO HAVE THE A1/B1 MATRIX, BUT THERE IS ALSO THE SLEEVE TO CONSIDER. THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT VAIATIONS OF THIS SLEEVE, AND AS EACH REPRESS WAS ISSUED THERE SEEMED ALWAYS TO BE A CHANGE TO THE SLEEVE, WHETHER IT BE IN THE TEXTURED SURFACE OR THE INNER SLEEVE. BUT WHAT WE ARE CONCERNED WITH HERE IS HOW TO TELL A PROPER FIRST ISSUE SLEEVE.

FIRST OF ALL THE GENUINE ARTICLE IS MADE FROM A VERY HEAVY CARD AND THIS CARD IS VERY HEAVILY TEXTURED. IN FACT THE FEEL OF THE OUTER SURFACE IS ALMOST LIKE AN ANIMALS HIDE. THERE ARE SOME LATER PRESSES THAT ARE TEXTURED, BUT NO TO THIS DEGREE. ALSO A FIRST ISSUE HAS THE SAME TEXTURED SURFACE ON THE INSIDE GATEFOLD AS WELL AS THE OUTSIDE, AGAIN LATER PRESSES DID NOT HAVE THE INNER TEXTURED AS WELL. I AM ALSO VERY CERTAIN THAT IF YOU OPEN THE SLEEVE TO REMOVE THE LP, THE COLOUR OF THE CARD ON A FIRST PRESS ON THE INSIDE IS GREY, WHEREAS WHITE WAS USED IN LATER ISSUES

ONE OTHER FINE DETAIL THAT OFTEN GETS OVERLOOKED IS THE INNER SLEEVE. BECAUSE IT IS VERY PRONE TO SPLITTING, THERE IS ALWAYS A TEMPTATION TO REPLACE A SPLIT ONE WITH A GOOD ONE, HOWEVER THE FIRST ISSUE HAS ONE SMALL LINE ADDED TO IT THAT ALL LATER PRESSES DO NOT, AND THAT LINE SITS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE LYRICS FOR SIBERIAN KHATRU. RIGHT AT THE VERY BOTTOM IN SMALL PRINT IS THE LINE "PRINTED IN ENGLAND BY GOTHIC PRINT FINISHERS" EVERY OTHER PRESS OTHER THAN A GENUINE FIRST DOES NOT HAVE THIS LINE. YOU WILL SEE THIS QUITE CLEARLY IN MY PICTURES

SO THERE YOU HAVE IT HOW TO TELL IF YOU HAVE THAT RARE PRESSING IN YOUR COLLECTION OR NOT. NOW ONTO CONDITION.

THE SLEEVE

AS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED THIS IS THE FIRST PRESS TEXTURED SLEEVE. NOT ONLY IS FINDING A FIRST ISSUE SLEEVE RARE THESE DAYS, BUT TO FIND ONE IN THIS UNBELIEVEABLE CONDITION IS ALMOST UNHEARD OF. WHY? WELL BECAUSE THE SLEEVE WAS TEXTURED AND NOT LAMINATED IT IS SO PRONE TO COLOUR LOSS. IF YOU WANT TO SEE WHAT I MEAN LOOK ON EBAY FOR A TEXTURED SLEEVE AND THEN SEE IF YOU CAN SEE AN ALL GREEN SLEEVE WITHOUT ANY WHITE SHOWING THROUGH ON WITHER SIDE, INCLUDING THE SPINE. LATER PRESSES WERE NOT AFFECTED BACUSE THEY WERE NOT TEXTURED AND FINISHED IN A SEMI GLOSS CARD. BUT A TEXTURED SLEEVE VIRTUALLY ALWAYS LOOKS VERY VERY SHABBY. I HAVE 4 COPIES OF THIS ALBUM IN MY OWN COLLECTION AND THIS SLEEVE THAT I AM OFFERING WITH THIS FIRST PRESS IS THE BEST BY FAR. THE ONLY WAY TO ENSURE THAT RUBBING DID NOT OCCUR WAS TO PLACE THE ALBUM INTO A PLASTIC SLEEVE FROM NEW, AND CLEARLY THIS IS WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THIS BEAUTY.

THE FRONT SURFACE IS JUST ABOUT AS PERFECT AS YOU COULD WANT. TOTALLY FLAT AND CLEAN AND HAS ONLY THE BAREST TRACE OF WHITE ON A SMALL SEMENT ON THE FAR LEFT SIDE ABOUT AN INCH IN FROM THE SPINE. YOU MAY NOT EVEN BE ABLE TO SEE IT IN THE PICS IT IS THAT SMALL. THERE ARE NO CREASE LINES EITHER ANYWHERE ON THIS SLEEVE. NOT EVEN NEAR THE SPINE. THE TOP AND BOTTOM EDGES WHICH SUFFER  BADLY FROM SHELF WEAR ARE UNWORN, AND THE SPINE IS SIMILARLY PLACED. THE OPENING EDGE IS VERY VERY SHARP AND THIS IS A GOOD INDICATOR AT JUST HOW LITTLE THE LP WAS REMOVED FROM THE COVER.THERE IS ONE REALLY SMALL CREASE LINE ACCROSS THE VERY TOP RIGHT TOP OF THE SLEEVE. REALLY SMALL

THE REAR SURFACE IS JUST AS PRISTINE AS THE FRONT. IT REALLY IS QUITE AN INCREDIBLE ACHIEVEMENT TO HAVE ONE THIS GOOD. FINALLY THE INNER GATEFOLD WITH THE ROGER DEAN IMAGE IS JUST BRILLIANT.

MOVING ON TO THE INNER SLEEVE. IT IS A DEEP GREEN COLOUR, AND HAS NO SPLITS TO ANY OF THE SIDES. IN FACT THERE ARE NO CREASES AT ALL ON IT EITHER.

I AM PERFECTLY HAPPY TO GRADE THIS BEAUTIFUL SLEEVE NEAR MINT. IT JUST IS THAT GOOD!!!

I WANT TO START WITH THE SOUND QUALITY BECAUSE IT IS THE MOST VITAL ELEMENT. YES ALBUMS HAVE MANY MANY QUIET PASSAGES WHERE ANY BACKGROUND WOULD BE EASILY DETECTED, AND WOULD RUIN THE SOUND.

I WANT TO BE VERY CLEAR HERE

THERE IS NO BACKGROUND NOISE WHATSOEVER ON EITHER SIDE OF THIS ALBUM

THE LABELS ARE CLEAN, NO STAINS OR MARKS AND NO SPINDLE HOLE WEAR AT ALL. THERE ARE SOME SMALL SPIDER LINES NEAR THE HOLE

UNDER INTENSE ILLUMINATION THERE ARE A SOME VERY VERY LIGHT WISPS, BUT TOTALLY NON SOUNDING

GENTLY LOWERING THE STYLUS ONTO SIDE ONE, THE FIRST THING THAT CAN BE SAID IS THAT THERE IS TOTAL SILENCE IN THE RUN IN. SUPERB!!!

THE INTRO IS AS QUIET A PASSAGE AS YOU COULD EVER WANT TO HEAR AND THERE ARE JUST NO  INTERFERING NOISES WHATSOEVER. NOTHING NO STATIC AND NO POPS. EQUALLY IMPRESSIVE IN MY EYES IS THE RUN OUT GROOVE WHICH IS ALSO TOTALLY SILENT ON BOTH SIDES OF THE DISC.

NO DISTORTION TO THE SOUND ANYWHERE, AND WORTH REPEATING NO BACKGROUND NOISE AT ALL!!

NOT ONLY IS THIS THE VERY RARE FIRST PRESS, BUT IT IS IN THE HIGHEST GRADE COLLECTIBLE CONDITION. I HAVE NO HESITATION IN GRADING THIS MINT MINUS, AND BELIEVE THIS WILL NEVER NEED UPGRADING. IT JUST IS THAT SPECIAL AND GOOD

 .

GARRY