YES Close to the Edge SCARCE Orig UK 72 N/M LP & Inner

	£		36
	$		48

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Artist or Band: YES

Album Title: Close to the Edge

Producer(s): Yes and Eddie Offord.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Close to the Edge.

Side 2: And You and I; Siberian Khatru.

Label, Format & Condition: Atlantic – With the deep green and orange-brown format, later pressings saw both colours much paler. This album was never issued on the red and maroon (‘Plum’) format, Fragile was the last Yes album to appear on that previous design. These very early examples are the very dark types with the orange appearing more as a brick red colour and have a more intense hue and the green matches the deep green inner. Side two labels are a fraction lighter but only marginally so. This pair are very clean, fresh examples that show only very light and faint spindle marks. Although this is not the rare A1/B1 ultimate first pressing, it’s the next best thing being an A3/B1 and for looks and sound this record must rank as one of the very best I have ever seen or heard.

Cat Number: K 50012.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 130 grams. a good average weight for this title.

Rarity & Info: This album is not that hard to find per se, but is very hard to find in top playing conditions as a very early pressing. A very few examples include -1 matrixes both sides but are elusive and hard to find, they were quickly repressed and the ‘1’s were changed. This one still as the B1 matrix and the second A3 one on side one. What is more important for me is the supreme sound quality this hardly played copy offers. An album with many quiet passages, none-more-so than the very beginning of the title songs that occupies all of side one. This fade-in gentle intro is probably as good as they ever get with practically nothing unwanted and the quality never lets up. That incredibly intense and demanding church organ passage on the title song is notably difficult to find that will play totally devoid of distortion or high frequency clipping but here – NONE. An album with many intense keyboard passages with Moogs, synths, Mellotrons etc, and all play with pristine focused sound – this is very unusual and rare, make no mistake. This tracks and plays with astonishing clarity and sharpness and believe me, few ever will. A copy that really delighted from start to finish, this left me totally thrilled and the sound embedded into such an early pressing almost takes you into the recording studio itself. And what an album too: this has to be the bedrock of any Yes collection, no wonder Wakeman states in his ‘Grumpy Old Rock Star’ book, ‘it was the absolute peak of the Yes catalogue and he felt it could not get any better and made his decision to eventually leave all the more easy to make’. The original textured cover is massively wear-prone and this has a little on the edges but the equally, if not more so green lyric inner is in amazing condition, easily my best ever. Incredibly difficult to find without any wear and this also ringwears badly and few ever avoid it. This has none and seeing is believing, almost unbelievably all the edges are unsplit and I guarantee this has NO repairs. Overall, for looks and sound, this sets the bar high and such copies are difficult to find.

Original Year of Release: 1972

Matrix Nos: K 50012 A3 / K 50012 B1

Musicians: Jon Anderson – vocals; Steve Howe – guitars, vocals; Chris Squire – bass, vocals; Rick Wakeman – keyboards; Bill Bruford – drums, percussion.

Brief Artist & Album Info: Probably the most popular album in the Yes catalogue, their fifth, it charted at 4 in the UK and 3 in the US – for me musically, it’s the perfect Yes album. A musical suite of three parts with stunning musicianship and super-fidelity sound and beautifully packaged. Pure prog-rock of the highest quality, Yes remain within this field as popular today as they were back in the early 70s and long may they continue to be so. With their very strongest line-up ever of Anderson, Bruford, Howe, Squire and Wakeman, the music this quintet made was awe-inspiring. Everything about finding a top copy of this record is demanding: the cover, a delicate non-laminate and textured is heavily prone to all forms of wear and most have it. Later copies had the cover made smooth with the texturing removed, it even had a more glossy finish – beware of substitutions. The inner is equally delicate and often suffer horrendous ringwear, rubbing and sliced edges. And the record itself with so many quiet passages, will highlight any defects on less than perfect copies ruthlessly. The beginning is very similar to the opening of Pink Floyd’s More album, with silence that gradually fades in with delicate bird song until the band kick-in hard with a stunningly complex instrumental break. This is a demanding and highly rewarding album that fails to age, it sounds as fresh and exciting now as it did when first made and this copy looks and sounds ‘just-made’. A wonderful copy of one of the greatest ‘progressive’ albums ever issued.

Cover Condition and Details: EXCELLENT: only marked down for corner and mild edge rubbing that few avoid. The main faces are lovely with little wear. This original is unlaminated and textured on all surfaces with a leather-like finish. Cover design by Roger Dean and made in England. Includes a stunning original green lyric inner.

Cover Front: Only some corner rubbing detract a little from what is an exceptional front. The main face itself has barely any rubbing, grubbiness or marks of any real note – any present are tiny. Just a faint right edge crease barely even shows and this retains rich deep colour with no ring marks or fading. Still an impressive front overall.

Cover Back: Very similar again, the lack of any ringwear is a massive bonus on this one, one of the very few ever I have seen like this (and most from way-back). Again this has corner rubs but the main areas so clean and nice, who wants to look at the corners?

Cover Gatefold Inner: Simply stunning and another classic Roger Dean landscape – unworn and ultra clean too. One small and minor adhesive smear from manufacture near the bottom left edges has minimal visual impact and the corners inside are neat with barely any wear. The bottom area has a stunning green pastel hue and the top an equally impressive sublime blue colour. This has to be seen for reall to be fully appreciated.

Top Edges: Barely any wear up to the actual corners with moderate rubbing on the spine top and only light opposite.

Bottom Edges: The front has little wear at all, the back has light+ patchy rubbing, again more near the ends.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, reasonably sharp with minimal traces of any wear and no feathering. Slight thickening seen when viewed end-on and guaranteed untrimmed. Record enters on the back edge.

Spine and Text: Solid and very straight with no compression. Folded squarely with all the edges meeting up practically flush and parallel. There is a small central rub and the ends have more, most at the bottom, but the really good news is all the text is present and unworn.

Corners: All the wear of significance lies on the corners: the most on the spine with moderate rubbing, less so on the right four which is more light. Reasonably fine shape is retained.

Cover Summary: Being so wear-prone, I feel this is still a nice example. I have seen very few with less wear on the main four faces and the spine text is still fully present too. The main issue is corner rubs which are far from excessive anyway. So many collectors will enjoy this one, but not for the more discerning cover collector. Any doubts, do not bid – but the record and inner more than compensate.

The Inner: MINT(-): and a strong case for a full Mint grading. No mean grading for an inner as difficult to find as the record and main sleeve. A very dark green matt finished, unlined inner that ringwears very badly in most cases. This one has certainly avoided ringwear and has no creasing with ALL three closed edges unsplit with minimal traces of rubbing. A high percentage of these were even split from new with the records moving in transit to the retailers, along with Led Zeppelin’s fourth album inner (equally as delicate), few ever survived the trips unscathed. The opening edge is as crisp and sharp as new with not even a thumb-crease. This one has internal flipback construction and is the deepest green imaginable. I guarantee, this has had NO repairs and is one of the very few I have ever seen undamaged by knifing by the record’s rims. Many collectors from day one realised how perilous this inner sleeve was, hence this is often seen with taped edges to keep it intact. The original owner stored this one inside an alternative lines inner and the difference that makes is immeasurable. Seriously, you could wait for years to find this inner better than this.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: MINT(-): a very solid pressing, intense black with a lovely shine and any surface blemishes, tiny few and faint. It may not be the very first off the production line but it’s still a very early pressing and without any doubt, with the B1 matrix, still from the year of issue. Let’s be clear: the A1/B1 matrix copies are scarce and elusive and it appears very few were issued with them.

Album Played For Grading: Yes. [I play ALL records I offer before submitting to Ebay, also the record is played in its entirety unless clearly stated otherwise. I do NOT play snippets or joining grooves to check for sound quality and quietness – I play from the beginning to end via clinically revealing B&W speakers that include the legendary tweeter from their awesome Nautilus range that reveals every blemish or miniscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This classic Yes album plays with astonishing clean sound. That ‘impossible’ intro that is silence and fades in with birdsong and then loud music is as close to ‘silent’ as vinyl ever will be - this is pretty exceptional for any record with little unwanted. Brilliant clear sound, superbly produced and no pops or clicks noted and an exceptional pressing as early copies often are. A challenging album with several lengthy passages of quietness, this has barely any surface sounds worthy of note and will prove very difficult to get a cleaner playing example. No distortion or sound degrading whatsoever and this is a real hi-fi recording that will thrill audiophile listeners. Those people, like me I guess, who are prepared to spend considerable sums on quality British equipment to glean the most from ultra clean records for maximum pleasure. I mention again Wakeman’s church organ passage on the title song, most all will clip and the sound stressed especially if subjected to heavy tracking pickups from the past. This one has clearly avoided such abuse and tracks with pristine clarity and has no distortions whatsoever, a wonderful refreshing change. Church organ is one of the most difficult sounds to track and those complex grooves are so easily damaged, not just by careless playing, but also by inground debris, that’s why a professional quality clean is crucial. Certainly up there with the very best copies I have yet heard. I feel sure this copy will please all collectors and can be strongly recommended.

End Piece: ‘Close to the Edge’ remains one of the most challenging and difficult albums to find like this and is ultimately one of the greatest progressive rock albums ever issued. Five brilliant men at the very peak of their creativity, it hardly ever got better than this. With all the blandness and mediocrity around these days, get this on to a worthy system and once again cherish the music that made those times so creative and special. This is truly wonderful.

Now one of the most established sellers on Ebay and still offering the finest and most accurately described and graded records I can find. I pride myself on offering a variety of genres to keep my site as interesting as possible. I will rarely offer any record that falls below a true Excellent grading, unless its of a certain rarity which will justify offering a lesser grade. I try, to the best of my ability to describe as accurately and as honesty as I can all items I offer for sale with all the relevant information I can think of to help any potential bidder and collector. You may notice I only submit records sparingly on Ebay - on average ONEADAY, a couple more at weekends if time permits, hence the name - time rarely allows for more as I Play-Grade virtually every record I offer in their entirety, not just bits to guess a grade - visuals alone do not always tell a true or full story. I will mention any defects or flaws no matter how small that I notice to be fair as possible to any interested collector – I am very fussy and my buyers have the right to be too. Every record I offer, whether it be a common or rare item deserves the same respect as far as I am concerned and will be treated the same - just because an item is rare does not always mean its good. I get just as much pleasure offering a relatively common record in stunning near mint condition as the real rare items. All the pictures I use for your guidance are taken with a digital camera or scanned - they are NOT improved, cleaned-up or made better looking than they are with camera trickery or enhancing with digital programmes. What you see is what you get and scanned labels will give a more accurate representation of the genuine colour than flash photography where light is variable. I cannot guarantee total accuracy for colours however but most will be very close. If any picture I take looks more flattering than the actual item for any reason, I will clearly state the fact in the advert and vice-versa. I hope the item below is to your liking - any questions can be emailed and I will do my very best to answer you. I am enthusiastic, and have a fair degree of knowledge about many genres and I promise quality items - bid with confidence - excellence comes as standard and so does Near Mint regularly. Please assume all records I offer have NO jumps, sticks, warps or writing on covers or labels unless clearly stated to the contrary. Thanks for your interest and Good luck – MIKE.

Deck: Linn LP12/Hercules/Cirkus with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Rondo Red moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with QED Silver terminated cable). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional Moth vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too.

First-time, zero-rated bidders, who do not ask permission to bid, will be cancelled immediately and blocked – NO exceptions. For winning bidders who I consider excessively slow to make contact or submit payment, I will use my right to block future bids. If any bidder who wins in the final seconds is present to do so, surely they can at least email me to inform of intention and payment method? If swift or promp payment is a problem, please do not bid.

PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET - PLEASE SEE MY TYPICAL PACKING BOX PICTURE.

What You Get: To confirm to the strict Ebay rules on shipping, I must now send ALL my packets ‘Signed-For’ with NO exceptions. Both buyers and sellers want their packets to have a safer journey and this is not a bad thing.

I now offer the fastest possible posting, often the very next day after payment is received or within two to three days maximum (unless on holiday). I only use FIRST-CLASS Mail. The record’s cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my Moth Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. You will NOT get tired, dull looking, dust infested records inside worn and foggy covers with tatty inners from this seller and that’s a promise and guarantee. All records are posted in professional thick boxes (NOT Mailers or Cruciforms, these do not offer maximum protection). The record(s) REMOVED from their main cover to avoid edge splits and placed within a brand new polylined inner. The record’s original inner will be included if available. The boxes are then reinforced with THREE or EVEN FOUR ULTRA THICK stiffeners for maximum extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffeners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will even be Double Boxed if deemed necessary and possible. The thick record and stiffener ‘sandwich’ is then thickly embedded into bubble-wrap to bulk out the record inside the box to centre the item inside to reduce the risk of damage still further. Printed address labels are used for clarity as well as a sender label. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if at all possible but ‘Signed-For’ posting is NOT an option anymore. Please see my picture of a typical finished box packet that will now be used on ALL transactions as from now. I do not profit on posting and the cost of this lavish packing is NOT even charged for, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. These boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffners and bubble wrap make a near impregnable fortress for safe shipping and this is used inland and overseas for ALL my records, not just the rare and expensive. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than one in two thousand based on over 7,000+ items sold in nearly 10 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. The only damage rate acceptable for this seller is ZERO and I think my packets will offer just that. It would take a vicious postman or postal service to damage these for sure. Even one of these stiffners cannot be bent by hand, so what chance 3 or 4 inside a box? Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FOUR records per box (one double can sometimes be included subject to total weight). I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included here and on ALL of my adverts. Details below:

NOTE: First Time Bidders: I will cancel ALL first-time bidders with no feedbacks or excessive negatives who do not ask me if its OK to bid first – NO EXCEPTIONS.

Please Note: I will now offer any item to the runner-up after the mandatory Ebay 3 days if no contact is made by the winning bidder unless prior notice of any delay is given beforehand. The same applies if no payment is received within the mandatory 7 days so any bidder who has just lost out can still email me to reserve the item as priority second chance – it’s always worth asking.

SHIPPING COSTS & CONDITIONS – THESE comply with EBAY’S RULES - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY:

Posting & Packing: UK & CHANNEL ISLANDS all now sent via Recorded Delivery:

1 LP (FIRST-CLASS Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £2 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£40 maximum]) = £9. (insurance optional extra £3). Add £2.50 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); Australia; Canada; Japan and other Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £13. Add £4 per extra LP. (insurance optional extra £3)

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders or direct payment into my bank account.

Potential Bidders: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are time-wasters. A maximum 3 days for communication and 7 days for payment to arrive - if not I will re-list the item or offer to the runner-up. Fast deals get great feedback from me. Any questions - please ask and thanks for looking.

My Guarantee: If any winning bidder is not satisfied with their purchase I will offer a complete refund. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer, so read the item description carefully. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help. Thank You.

SOME GENERAL GUIDES TO WEAR AND CONDITIONS TO HELP YOU DECIDE

My Use of Description Terminology: Surface Marks = Superficial, usually light marks, hairlines or light scuffs that rarely sound. Scratch = a needle mark that goes below the record’s surface, some will sound, some will not, my play-grade will inform. Original = a record that has been pressed with the first label design which does NOT necessarily mean a very first pressed record. First Pressing = A record that I believe or know to be a genuine very first pressed record. I do not claim to always know for sure, and that’s why I state the stamper and matrix numbers if at all possible, for those who claim to know what they all mean, the information is there for the collector to decide. I prefer to use terms like ‘Early Copy’ rather than ‘First Pressing’ if I am not totally sure. Surface Sound = Mild, light sound, usually light crackle or similar. Distortion = Break up of the actual sound caused by groove wear or damage from a chipped stylus – the most undesirable form of unwanted sound, vintage mono records were the most prone to this happening but not exclusively so. The symptoms of distortion are high frequency clipping, moderate constant crackle or an echo type sound quality. Violin, piano and vocals are most prone to groove-wear distortion. Feathering = Fraying or softening of the entry edge of a cover. Covers with feathered entrance edges are more likely to have had the actual record inserted and removed more than a non-feathered, sharp-edged cover which are always far more attractive. Set Off, actually a printer’s term for dark ink leaving mild residue on pale or white ink when rested upon. e.g. when a gatefold cover has black ink closed against white, this can leave some black residue on the pale area – this is mostly unavoidable or course.

The Argument for Vinyl Original sound and mix (mono mixes are rarely available on CD), high quality sound on clean copies (played on a hi-end dedicated analogue system – breathtaking sound!), beautiful, large format covers, artwork, inserts and even full size posters etc; huge investment potential, and the pleasure of owning ‘the real thing’.