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

	£		121
	$		160

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 LABELS

ORIGINAL GREEN AND ORANGE ATLANTIC LABELS THAT ARE IN SUPERB CONDITION. EACH OF THE TWO COLOURS ARE VIBRANT AND UNMARKED OR STAINED, AND SEPERATED BY A WHITE BAND WHICH FULLY ECTENDS INTO THE UNWORN SPINDLE HOLE. THE TYPEFACE ON BOTH SIDES IS PERFECTLY LEGIBLE, SHARP AND CLEAR. THERE ARE SOME VERY LIGHT SPIDER LINES NEAR THE HOLE WHICH CAN REALLY ONLY BE SEEN WHEN THE ALBUM IS ANGLED INTO THE LIGHT

THE VINYL

THE RECORD GLEAMS LIKE NEW AND HAS RETAINED ALL OF ITS ORIGINAL LUSTRE. THERE ARE NO HANDLING MARKS OR SCUFFS ANYWHERE ON THE VINYL. OFFERING THE VINYL UP TO A STRONG LIGHT DOES REVEAL VERY VERY LIGHT HAIRLINES, BUT I AM CERTAIN THESE ARE SUPERFICIAL AND NON SOUNDING

PLAYING THE RECORD

I HAVE RECORDED 4 DIFFERENT SEGMENTS FROM THE LP INCLUDING BOTH RUN INS TO THE START OF EACH SIDE AND TWO SECTIONS THAT HAVE QUIET PASSAGES SO THAT YOU ARE FULLY ABLE TO JUDGE THE QUALITY OF THE VINYL YOURSELF.

THE RUN INS ARE PERFECTLY SILENT AND AS THE ALBUM STARTS TO PLAY CLOSE TO THE EDGE IT IS CLEAR THAT THE MUSIC IS BACKGROUND FREE, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY THERE IS NO DISTORTION TO THE SOUND, MEANING THAT AT NO POINT HAS THE VINYL HAD TO SUFFER A HEAVY OR WORN STYLUS. THE ALBUM PLAYS THROUGH PERFECTLY ON BOTH SIDES AND THE ONLY NOISES THAT CAN BE HEARD IS THE OCCASIONAL BIT OF LIGHT STATIC, AND SOME VERY VERY MILD BACKGROUND IN ONE OR TWO SPOTS. THE RECORDINGS WILL ALLOW YOU TO HEAR HOW MINIMAL IT IS AS SIDE2'S SIBERIAN KHATRU HAS A LITTLE RIGHT AT THE BEGINNING. THERE IS NOTHING TO HIDE. THIS IS A SUPERB EXAMPLE OF THIS SOUGHT AFTER VINYL AND I AM PERFECTLY HAPPY WITH THE NMINT- GRADE

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, APART FROM ONE MINISCULE LINE RIGHT AT THE TIP TOP RIGHT. IT IS VERY VERY SMALL. THERE ARE NO CREASE LINES EVEN NEAR THE SPINE. THE TOP AND BOTTOM EDGES WHICH SUFFERS 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.

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!!!

GARRY