[Wayner]

For all you guys that like this progressive band, the mother lode is now available. I just ordered mine from Music Direct (along with Alan Parson's Tales of Mystery and Imagination of Edger Allen Poe). It sounds like the entire Yes catalog will be eventually be released on 180 gram. Don't know how far up they will go. I certainly would want Tales of Topographic Oceans (voted all time number one rock album cover), Relayer, 90125, Big Generator and Tormato.

Well, at least I'm pretty excited about it.

Wayner  aa

[topround]

That is good news for this Yes lover!
And Tales was, is, my favorite Yes album.
Tales usually is the fav of Yes lovers.

[BobM]

I'd be interested to know if they remastered it and made the sound better. Loved the music but Eddie Offord never did a real good job of mastering the records. The original vinyl (which I have all of) was never great sounding.

Looking forward to a review and comparison.

Thanks,
Bob

[Dan_ed]

I'll watch from the sidelines and see what the feedback is when people buy this reissue. I was never impressed with the Rhino Yes Album. Some of Yes originals are surprising good on the right systems. Nothing will ever make them sound better than how they were mastered though.

[TONEPUB]

Unfortunately, it's on the Friday Music label...

Everything we've tried from them so far has been absolute junk.
Really compressed and way to bright, even brighter than CD.

Saw this one in the record store yesterday, saw Friday Music and
put it back down.  $30 will get you a nice clean MoFi Close to The Edge
on Ebay and it's a lot better.

[Dan_ed]

True. But I think the original CTTE is better than my MoFi copy. Finding an original is easy. Finding a clean original is a bit harder. Still, we're talking about a $4-$10 purchase compared to $30.

[Wayner]

You are not going to find a good copy for 7 to 10 dollars on ebay (of a Mofi). I've been watching. Well, Wait till I get my copy (Monday) and I will audition it and let everyone know how it sounds. I do have a copy now and It's pretty clean. I was hoping for an improvement. I thought the Yes album and Fragile were done fairly well, though I have the original Fragile (bought a few days after I heard Roundabout), the 2 pressings do have sonic differences.

As far a Eddie Offords efforts, I think he did the best with what they had. Yes signed with Atlantic records who at the time was really only recording Black "jazz" type musicians. That was their niche. Atlantic decided to record Yes, 'cause they didn't sound like rock and roll....more like some kind of new wave jazz. When Bill Bruford auditioned for the band, he thought they were going to do jazz, as he was a jazz drummer. Ti's a strange story.

Another thing....I don't know, but I wonder if allot of pot was smoked during the recording sessions of Close to the Edge?

Wayner

[Bill A]

From what I've read, they were all teetotalers, except for Rick Wakeman.

I have two "Close To The Edge" albums and neither album is a good pressing.  In fact they both have the same flaw in the same place, and the albums were purchased two or three years apart or so IIRC.

Bill

[Danberg]

I am also a Yes fan. 
Not knowing much about the recording process, I often wondered about the poor sonics of the Yes albums.  I have all original copies purchased in my college days and listened to on my "audiophile" grade system (for it's day) and I recall noticing the poor sonics even back then.

 What are the sonic differences between a "poor recording", "bad mixing process" and "poor mastering?"

[orthobiz]

Another thing....I don't know, but I wonder if allot of pot was smoked during the recording sessions of Close to the Edge?

Wayner

No drugs, I agree. In college I wrote a review of Animal Notes by Crack the Sky and made up a clever (so I thought) quip about drug crazed proggies falling into the topographic ocean, or something. Received a scathing letter to the editor about how Yes didn't do drugs...

Paul

[orthobiz]

I HAD the Rhino version of The Yes Album. I bought it, gave my original to my 15 year old. My original cover had the wear right through the bottom of the jacket so the innersleeve wanted to fall out.

Anyway, put the pristine new copy on the old 'table and ... nothing, no dynamics, like the life sucked out of it.

So, I gave the new one to my daughter and took my old one back, rotting cover and all. WAY better. Heck, she doesn't even have a turntable yet.

Does that make me a bad dad?

Paul

[Dan_ed]

Does that make me a bad dad?

Not a bit. Sometimes kids need tough love!  aa 

I remember Wakeman as serious beer drinker. Way back when we all thought the lyrics to most of the early Yes tunes were drug induced. Much later we found out that the writing is more prose-like (I hope that's the right word). South Side of the Sky was written about a mountain expedition (Himalaya's I think) that was lost and never returned. Ever since finding this out that song never fails to give me goose bumps.

I find it somewhat interest that like a lot of jazz, most of the Yes catalog was poorly produced. Nevertheless, much of the music is timeless.

[Toka]

Jon Anderson was on Howard Stern (I think?) a few years ago and was very candid about his use of drugs...mostly psychedelics. While far from Zeppelin, Yes didn't always say no.  Not that it really matters in the end, but still.

[Wayner]

I have received the album today and I am finishing side one. Concerned about the content by Jeff's comments about the Friday Music label, I had a very uneasy feeling. I did a side by side comparison with my original and was fairly impressed that Friday Music did everything to preserve the original content, which could be considered "schrilly" because of the year and equipment the original recording was made on.  I will say the sonic signature is very close, very close indeed. This recording is a half speed master and I think they did a good job. I haven't heard the Mofi version, But I have two other versions (different year pressings) and the sound is very similar. I am happy with the results.

There is my piss poor review of the Close to the Edge re-issue by Friday Music.

Wayner 

Later added: Siberian Khatru beginning sounds a little schrilly, but recovered. Also music leans to the right.

[TONEPUB]

Hey, good to hear!

I'll go give one a try then.

Thanks!

Worst case, I've still got my trusty Manley Massive Passive to
rearrange reality to suit my needs!  It did a killer job on Death
Magnetic!

[Wayner]

Also got my Alan Parsons "Tales of Mystery and Imagination of Edger Allen Poe" on 180 gram Universal Records, Russia. This album is great! Nice to hear it again without all of the ware and tear. Such a great album with such talent. Music isn't really made like this anymore. Also very deluxe album cover, embossed with full liner notes and insert. I feel I really got my money's worth on this one. I must now go light a candle and shut off the lights................................. ................................

w

[beachbum]

I have a good copy of the MFSL and original. Both please the ears with good sound.  Being a Yes man from way back i will give serious consideration on getting the reissue.
Looking forward to seeing the boys live minis Anderson unfortunately real soon in concert early next month.

[Wayner]

Why isn't Anderson with them?

Wayner


Added later: I think I found out the problem, Another Icon ill.

http://nfte.org/interviews/BD309.html

[beachbum]

Wayner a bummer for sure. Would have loved to see the intact Yes. I have been doing some looking around on the Internet about the tour and it seems that they are pulling it off with happy results. Here is one quote

"They opened with Siberian Khatru, for Pete's sake, a showcase for Howe's needlepoint guitar and Squire's precision thunder on bass.

They dared to turn it into I've Seen All Good People, deftly pulling off its ragtime break, before heading into Heart Of The Sunrise. By the time they had finished off the opening set with the Close To The Edge suite, the audience was simply dumbfounded. The vocal harmonies were fantastic. There was a White drum solo that made us understand why he was John Lennon's favourite.

Back in 1971, we had nothing to be ashamed of. Last night, Yes stood the test of time."

Ill give my take after the show. We are lucky us classic rockers caught Dave Mason a few weeks ago the man can rock and roll like a kid. It seems a lot of the classic groups are touring lucky us.