[jsaliga]

I listened to the 45RPM Friday Music release of The Yes Album and then followed it up with side two of my minty 1971 Atlantic pressing.  Here is my take on it.  The Friday Music 45 provides a slight improvement over the original pressing.  And I don't mean that in a "no big deal really" kind of way.  This album was very well recorded and mixed in the fist place.  So even if this project got handed off to someone like Bernie Grundman or Kevin Gray there really isn't a lot they can do to improve on the original.  My minor quibbles with the original pressing was that came off as a little too strident, and the dynamics sounded slightly compressed to my ear.  Still a great sounding album and I like it so much that I have two minty 1971 copies.  One is in rotation and the other is a backup that I found a few years ago at a record store near Hartford for $3.  The 45 offers a sligtly more (but definitely noticeable) three dimensional presentation and I cannot detect any trace of compression.





So who is this Friday Music 45RPM pressing for?  It is most definitely for the die hard Yes fan.  It is also worth considering if you are having trouble running down a minty vintage Atlantic pressing.  And if you have $54 just burning a hole in your pocket there are worse things you could spend it on.  It is expensive to be sure, and it is fair to question whether the this reissue cut at 45RPM offers enough improvement over the original to justify its high price.  I think it does, but I also happen to be a fan and collector of 45RPM LPs so my threshold for purchase might be somewhat lower than yours.  If you already own a really nice original Atlantic pressing of this title and are looking for ways to get the most out of your music $$ then I think you can probably give this a pass and not feel that you missed something extraordinary.

--Jerome

[Devil Doc]

I opened mine in front of my record store owner, who has been selling records for over forty years. He was shocked to find how little you get for your money. No booklet, no photos, no notes. Yea, it sounds fine, but the guy has a point.

Doc

[jsaliga]

I suppose that all depends on what your priorities are.  I used to feel that way too until I realized that the booklets and notes and all that other filler just sat in the box.  All I care about is the music.  Music Matters probably has the best packaging in the business.  For $50 you get a great 45RPM pressing on two 180g LPs in a heavy duty laminated gatefold jacket.  Inside the gatefold are some black & white session photos of the musicians.  That is really all I need, though I can understand some people wanting more.

--Jerome

[Devil Doc]

I can't agree with you. It was over-packaged and they didn't put anything in the package, which in my mind makes it overpriced. It's a $35 record not a $55 record. I was more than happy with my original issue. This one is only slightly better sound-wise.

Doc

[jsaliga]

It doesn't matter whether or not you agree with me.  It was fairly evident from your previous comment that we both are judging value based on different criteria and we have different expectations from these expensive audiophile pressings.  There's really no point in arguing about it.

Cheers.

--Jerome

[Wayner]

I think the new release offed an opportunity for those that had a bad pressing, or didn't have the album at all, a chance to own this very excellent LP. It was made, after all, from a 44 year old master tape. The original LP did not come with any pictures or art work, so to be true to the original, the copy did not come with any either.

The only way Friday could do this LP was at 45RPM, as the other version was obviously licensed out to another label. MOFI could only do a CD version of it. I would have much rather had a MOFI version, but hey.

Jerome, glad you liked it. After hearing it a couple of times, I wish it was more dynamic myself, but on the other hand, I do have to give folks at Friday music kudos for doing a nice job.

'ner

[orthobiz]

Mine is coming via Amazon. I stopped the backordered copy from Friday Music. Hopefully I can weigh in on this one soon!

Paul

[vinyl_lady]

picked mine up today at 4000 Holes. Hope to be able to listen before the weekend and compare to an original pressing and a Japanese pressing.