YES Fragile Rare Orig UK 72 Late Plum Superb nr M(-) LP

	£		74
	$		98

Hi, I am Mike, now 48 and have been a music collector and enthusiast for over 34 years now. We all wish we could turn back the clock and buy those wonderful brand new records from the 60s and 70s, but alas, this is not possible; so I always try to offer the finest and most accurately described and graded records I can find. No vinyl/music lover really would choose to buy second-hand, but this is only way now to own these valuable, prized and elusive items now. 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, 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 (on a Rega 3 deck with Ortofon cartridge) - 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 reader – 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. The only thing I cannot guarantee one hundred percent is exact colour matching - this depends on the lighting at the time and that is out of my control, but I feel sure most items will be very close to the actual real item. Variation can sometimes occur too in colour of the label scans and labels taken next to the sleeve with a digital camera, the scanned full label pictures should be the most accurate. If any picture I take looks more flattering than the actual item for any reason, I will clearly state the fact in the advert. 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 or sticks or writing on covers or labels unless clearly stated to the contrary. Thanks for your interest and Good luck – MIKE.

Album Title: Fragile

Producer(s): Yes & Eddy Offord.

Track Listing: Side 1: Roundabout; Cans and Brahms; We Have Heaven; South Side of the Sky. Side 2: Five Per Cent for Nothing; Long Distance Runaround; The Fish; Mood for a Day; Heart of the Sunrise.

Label/Format: Atlantic – Original red and maroon (Plum) format.

Label Conditions: Very attractive and clean examples that show only light and faint spindle marks and no wear around the centre hole at all. Two of the finest seen yet on this elusive and popular Yes title.

Cat Number: 2401019.

Mode: Stereo.

Weight of this Record: 120 grams. [These days, many modern Audiophile reissues are pressed on super-heavyweight 180 gram vinyl. Only a small percentage of ‘vintage vinyl’ was ever pressed this heavy. Records pressed in the 1960s averaged around 140 to 150 grams. Records pressed in the 1970s were usually lighter and averaged more around 115 – 125 grams]. (This was based on ‘average’ weights for 20 records from these eras. Later pressings were usually lighter still).

Country of Manufacture: Gt Britain

Rarity Factor: This original plum copy is scarce, one of the very last rock LPs to be pressed with this label format (along with Led Zep IV, Loaded by The Velvet Underground and the very scarce Allman Brothers Live at Fillmore East - this I believe was issued later than all these). The original sleeve is sometimes found with the Kinney sticker on the back with the new cat number. So late was this album made on Plum it was even found after the transition, this copy has no sticker and would be one of the few that made the shops as a true original. Not only that, this is one of the best original covers I have ever seen, its a massive challenging to find this in top conditions. The record too plays superbly well and its a very difficult title on vinyl with so many quiet passages.

Original Year of Release: January 1972

Matrix Nos: 2401019 A1 11 4 and 2401019 B1 12 11.

Album Information: The very scarce original Fragile on ‘Plum’. This original has the book attached to the centrefold also (later copies were simply inserts inside the cover with the record). Being issued in early 1972 (the labels state 1971) this was one of the final run of plum originals. Some early pressings were also pressed on the green label, so even if you rushed to the shops to get Fragile on first day of issue you were not guaranteed to get a plum. I think these were possibly issued regionally - I remember for a fact I bought Led Zeppelin IV almost immediately it was issued but it was a green copy, a friend had the same experience too. Obviously I do not know how many plum Fragiles there are around but it has always been one of the hardest to find - scarcer than LZ 4, which does show up far more often. The original cover is always one of the most challenging to find in top condition, dark inks and no laminate this is one of the best ones I have ever seen ever, not quite perfect but this sets out a real challenge to find better. Highly attractive with minimal wear to the main four faces and a perfect book. Some almost mandatory edge rubs but probably the least I have seen on a 2401019 original. The book is superb - this original still being very securely stapled to the gatefold inner. Fragile along with The Yes Album and Close to the Edge are arguably the band’s finest albums and the musicianship is of the highest class. Complex and highly technical but mostly very easy on the ear. This one charted at 7 and 4 in the UK and US respectively - a fine achievement for a progressive album - technically light years ahead of many bands around at the time. Beware of later covers being offered with a plum copy, they are far easier to find, especially in top conditions. The album number changes for the reissue and have the K (Kinney) prefix, but this cover clearly has the 2401 019 number printed on the spine which proves beyond any doubt this cover is the original. Later covers were usually slightly lighter in colour too, put the two side by side and the difference is very apparent. This copy is one of the best all rounders I have ever had to offer and most Yes and prog fans will treasure it.

Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High(+), a near impossible task to find a near perfect original one and this ranks for as exceptional. Few will ever be seen with no ringwear, rubbing or damage, this one is worthy of a second look, few will compare and its way, way above average.

Cover Condition and Details: Being one of the most demanding covers from this period and ruthlessly intolerant of wear and abuse, this is well worthy of a strong EX grading and quite honestly I think it’s undergraded at even that – worthy of a (+) I feel. Although it does have some mild wear, mostly to the edges and corners, I think this is a very fair grading as only one in many will show like this. A gatefold format, made with double thickness, heavy card, the booklet stapled quite securely to centrefold, printed and made by MacNeill Press Ltd. This cover is highly attractive and any wear is mostly on the unprotected bottom edges. The main four faces and book are in very strong overall condition and when I have seen a high percentage with huge sticker pulls and horrendous ringwear, this one is exceptional.

Cover Front: Clean with minimal rubbing or marks and retaining a high degree of freshness. The deep rich artwork colour is unfaded and little worn and no sticker pulls or ringmarks. Light surface blemishes when angled viewed but uncreased and the superb Roger Dean artwork looks fantastic. A light central pressmark line shows little with normal viewing and this front sets its standards high.

Cover Back: Even better with little to really fault at all - the lack of ringwear is highly unusual and deeply refreshing. A very light surface rub to the very top but no creasing and few surface marks. This truly is exceptional and a seldom seen sight on this Fragile sleeve.

Cover Gatefold Inner: Both sides of the inside are as new. The booklet is secured by two staples, it remains secure and absolutely rock solid, probably hardly handled. One of two small chips on the tops of a couple of pages, that apart a near pristine book with razor sharp edges and no creasing. Some great vintage band pictures and more stunning Roger Dean artwork.

Top Edges: The odd faint rub trace and small corner tip rub.

Bottom Edges: Some relatively mild rubbing mainly to the front edge, the back shows little.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Both quite sharp with little real wear but some ultra fine ‘whites’ close to the very edges, no feathering. Record entered on right outside back edge.

Spine and Text: This must be the very best spine I have yet seen on this sleeve. Rock solid, dead straight, uncompressed and square, both right edges meeting up dead flush. All text is perfect and unworn and this is truly exceptional on this one. I reitterate the correct numbers and text on this spine: Atlantic Deluxe 2401 019. Just mild and small rubs to the very top and bottom.

Corners: All have light tip rubs, will any not have to be fair? Most have giant white area rubbing and look plain tatty, these are light years away from all of that. Shape for all is neat with fine definition retained.

Cover Summary: Of all the ‘classic’ covers I find, this is probably one of the most worn that comes along (along with Led Zeppelin’s second album). This one has survived still looking highly attractive and pleasing to the eye with minimal wear and no damage. A strong and attractive all round example of this very delicate early 70’s cover, one that could prove very difficult to find much better given all the facts. Blemishes, yes, and a little light edgewear but this strong item should please most collectors, if not maybe the connoisseurs or absolute perfectionists.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EX++/Mint(-). A light mark start of side one has no sound, it cannot be felt and is totally superficial and inaudable. In fact, this is one of the quiestest and best pressed intro to ‘Roundabout’ I have ever heard bar none, this is near perfection. A stunning looking copy and maybe the best for me yet. It is super clean and shiny, jet black and solidly pressed, the ultra clean grooves have superb sound and definition. A copy that more than matches the lovely clean plum labels. A copy with minimal plays I feel certain, this difficult Plum album will be difficult to find looking much better.

Album Played For Grading: Yes.

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: My play-grade was a joy, it plays beautifully, what a pleasure to find such a clean, lightly played copy of this stunning album as an original. How many times does a scarce record turn up, just to be badly marked or played into submission? Well this copy is one of the best I have heard for some time and most all plays with breathtaking sound and clarity. Clean, crisp sound and detail, and practically devoid of any sound degrading or distortion. The track ‘Cans and Brahms’, a keyboard solo by Wakeman is a massively difficult short track. I have rarely, if ever heard a copy that will play this absolutely perfect, it often has really bad distortion and breakup, quite why this is the case I am not too sure, but I have noted it most times even on later pressed copies. This one plays this near impossible track superbly and the best yet, hardly any unwanted sounds at all, mere traces at worst – highly refreshing indeed. I can remember no pops or clicks and surface sounds were minimal, an album that includes several very quiet passages like the silence before the door reopening to let the sound back in at the very end of the album and the delicate Anderson unaccompanied vocals sections – this will test any vinyl record but this gives a very fine account of itself – dead silence is almost unrealistic for all but this one comes close and it will take an extraordinary copy to better this significantly. The sounds encaptured on this plum copy will blow away any CD version for pure sound quality and detail and later pressings do not sound quite as rich and detailed - Plum pressings of this album are scarce and extra special – settle for nothing else.

End Piece: Classic progressive rock with the band’s finest ever line-up, taking nothing away from the rest of the band who are magnificent, Chris Squire’s bass playing is awesome throughout. They were: Anderson; Bruford; Howe; Wakeman and Squire. Fragile of course features terrific artwork from Roger Dean making this set that extra bit special. To find on a UK Atlantic plum is getting difficult, especially where the record is so clean housed in a cover so lightly worn. Experienced collectors will know this already - I strongly recommend this scarce copy, it was a pure joy to hear this prog classic sounding like this – a rare priviledge for sure.

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 neccessarily 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’.

My Terms For Bidding

Debutant Bidders: Many sellers refuse first time buyers: I do not follow this practice (everybody has to start somewhere), but I would appreciate any first timer letting me know their intentions for payment method and very prompt communication, preferably before any bid or soon after the auctions ends. This gives confidence that their intentions are honourable, and I in return guarantee extra special good feedbacks to get zero rated Ebayers off to a flying start to help them with future transactions.

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. Item wants are always welcome - email me with anything needed, you never know - I may just have a copy in stock. I buy quality single items and collections also (I am regularly told I offer the best prices – please Email me if you have items for sale).

Payment Details please read carefully - I know its boring but essential:

UK First Class: = £3 or Special Delivery (Next day, fully insured), the best service available = £7.00

Europe Air Mail: = £4 Insured & Signed For: £8.00.

Overseas, non-Europe e.g. USA, Japan, Australia etc. Airmail:= £7; Insured & Signed For (where available) = £11.00. Doubles add extra £1. Reductions for multiple items for all.

Any item that sells for over £75 will be sent Special Delivery in the UK at no extra cost. Items over £100 get the same service Overseas. This gives peace of mind for the winning bidder and myself for valuable items. Reduced postage of course for multiple items.

The winner bidder chooses his/her posting method and if uninsured is chosen, its their decision and they have to stick with it, I can accept no responsibility if an item is lost in the post. I can only try to claim at standard levels if no enhancement is chosen (£30).

Mailing Details: Please note I do NOT profit on postage, in fact I lose money on most packets (my packing standards are very high and the package weighs a little more - I simply refuse to compromise with poor packing. All records are sent in plastic covers with the record taken OUT of the sleeve and sent in professional mailers with FOUR proper stiffners for extra protection (if space allows). More expensive items are also inserted into a de-luxe heavy duty padded bag AS WELL to give that extra protection. I truly want ALL my items to arrive to their destination in the same condition they leave me. I will also include in most cases a brand new inner, but will include the original inner if available.

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal or IMO’s from overseas bidders.

Potential Bidders: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are timewasters. A maximum 3 days for communication and 7 days for payment to arrive - if not I will relist 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 minus the Posting and All Ebay costs as long as the item detail has been read and understood. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer.