YES Close to the Edge 72 EX++ RARE A1 Matrix & NM Cover

	£		271
	$		359

Hi, I am Mike, now 51. Old enough to remember the golden era of original, high quality music, bands, artists.

Also records from the 1960s and 70s bought from the shops from new, I have been a music collector and enthusiast for over 37 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, 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 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 and scanned labels will give a more accurate representation of the genuine colour than flash photography where light is variable. I cannot guarantee one hundred percent is exact colour matching for covers - 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. 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 with Ittok Mk IV arm and Ortofon Samba Moving Coil cartridge (tracks at 1.8 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired). 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.

POSTING & PACKING: What You Get: I post all my UK items on FRIDAY every week, most will arrive Saturday to make signed-for delivery easier. All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT mailers) with 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 TWO massively thick stiffners for even extra protection and bubble wrap if deemed necessary. These stiffners are the thickest possible and custom supplied for ‘Oneadayrecords’ – these are NOT commercially available and you will not have seen thicker protection anywhere. The cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW heavy duty 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. Printed address labels are used as well as ‘Fragile’ tape for that extra professional touch for the packet. 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. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if at all possible but NOT surface mail abroad. I never make profit on posting and offer probably the cheapest and safest shipping possible. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends, with the total costs including ‘standard’ or ‘optional extra insurance’ P&P – ALL UK and Russian packets go out non-negotiable Recorded Delivery. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 3,500+ items sold in over 5 years of Ebay trading (I am now one of most established sellers via Ebay) and I consider that pretty exceptional.

PLEASE NOTE: I will now only send packets to Russia with Recorded Delivery at a cost of £7 per single LP. If this is unacceptable to Russian collectors, please do not bid. I only want my records to arrive safely and this gives packets a better chance to do so. Also ALL UK packets will be sent with either Recorded or Special Delivery as standard (both have to be signed for). All shipping costs and rules can be found after my description. If they are not acceptable, please do not bid.

Album Title: Close to the Edge

Cat Number: K 50012 Stereo.

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 – Green and orange-brown format, later pressings a more pale orange. 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 earliest examples are the very dark types with the orange appearing more as a brick red colour and have a more intense hue. This pair are very clean examples that show light/very light spindle marks that how little, there is no wear around hole rims.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 131 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. Some records pressed around 1973 were very thin and light due an oil crisis and shortage around this time. Some records were even issued on recycled vinyl from this period and sounded poor with crackle and surface noise evident from the very first play. If any record I buy is deemed ‘recycled’, I will never offer it, I have a very simple test to detect these records if I suspect this to be the case other than audible imperfection. Some records from this period were even pressed on other materials the most notable was ‘Dynaflex’, used by RCA around this time. Although inferior to vinyl, this at least mostly sounded reasonably acceptable but pressings on this material were wafer thin and flimsy. Beyond the 70s, records often became thinner and lighter still but most played fine but were never quite the quality as from the ‘Golden Era’]. (This was based on ‘average’ weights for 20 records from these eras. Later pressings were usually lighter still).

Rarity & Info: This album is not that hard to find per se, but is very hard to find in top conditions and also this copy has the rare and elusive A1 matrix on side one, most seen are A3. Side two also has the early B2 matrix. Apart from a record that plays close to perfectly, and that is hard enough initself, the album’s cover is incredibly difficult to find even an attractive Excellent. But this one goes beyond that and must rank as quite possibly the best I have ever seen bar none. A deeply coloured and beautifully textured gatefold cover that rubs and ringwears so badly unless kept with the utmost care. Protection from day one inside a heavy duty cover is mandatory to have any chance and then handled very carefully or better still, not at all. This really does look fantastic and there lies the difference, I can happily grade this supreme example Mint(-) and only very rarely can this ever justifiably be graded as such. Indeed it could almost pass as new and will delight the connoisseur Yes fan who may have been waiting some time for such copy. I have zoomed right in to show the detail of the texturing on the Yes logo and title, ask yourself, how many examples of this cover could withstand such close scrutiny? Most a shabby faded, rubbed and worn mess with deep penetrating ring marks - nothing like this here in even the remotest sense. This truly is close to reference standard and will remind those around in 72 what this once looked like from new. The A1 matrix is significant also, few copies seem to have been pressed with this earliest matrix, as stated already, most are A3’s. The earliest pressings always tend to have the cleanest sound and in this case it’s certainly true. An album of 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. 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 (which I am currently reading), 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. This album and copy is really special and sets the bar very high for any others to better. The green lyric inner is also in fine condition but does have a few blemishes, it too is incredibly difficult to find without any wear and this also ringwears badly and few ever avoid it. So an A1 pressing with a stunning, barely even blemished cover, this really could be THE copy you have been waiting for.

Original Year of Release: 1972

Matrix Nos: K 50012 A1 / K 50012 B2

Brief Artist & Album Info: Probably the most popular album in the Yes catalogue, 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-fi 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. The line-up on this legendary record were: Jon Anderon, Bill Bruford, Steve howe, Chris Squire and Rick Wakeman. Everything about finding a top copy of this record is demanding. The cover, a delicate non-laminate and textured is heavily prone to all types of wear and most have it – but this example is truly immaculate. Later copies had the cover made smooth with the texturing removed, it even had a more glossy finish. 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 very early pressed record has the elusive and sort-after A1 matrix and is quite possibly the best pressed and most detailed copy I have yet heard. This is in very fine condition and plays beautifully. The laws of ‘chance’ usually state when a rare record shows it will be scratched or damaged in some way, but this one bucks the trend and will be hard to find in much better playing condition anywhere with earlier matrixes. Visually, there is one minor surface paper scuff mark on side one but – IT HAS NO SOUND WHATSOEVER and the whole album plays near blemish-free and that, as fans of this classic will know, is never easy. For those who own this album, check out to see if your’s is an A1 matrix – if it is, you have a fairly rare record you might have even known about, but the odds are it will be the latter A3 version. Serious collectors of this evergreen and important prog band still searching for this one, and some still deny it even exists. Well the proof is here and it’s available. A rare opportunity for sure, do not let this one slip the Net.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High+: [Unlaminated covers are always the most vulnerable for rubbing, fading, sticker tears and ringwear, gatefolds are more prone still and the darker they are, the more this type of wear occurs and shows. Some sleeves have a textured finish or die-cut shaped edges or ‘windows’. These are even more delicate and the hardest to find in top condition. Fully laminated covers are more resistent to wear but often the laminate ages with dulling, creases and blistering. Many 60s covers have outer flipback construction, these are very vulnerable to damage]. (US covers are the most fragile of all, very rarely laminated and made with thick brittle card that rubs and ringwears badly. Seams and edges split easily). Please see format below to access this cover’s potential for wear and damage.

Cover Condition and Details: Mint(-), beautiful but delicate, it tolerates rough handling, bad storage and abuse very badly, most seen are badly rubbed and ringworn. Don’t forget the later versions were produced smooth with a semi-gloss sheen for protection, hence more robust. This original is unlaminated and textured on all surfaces with a leather-like finish. Cover design by Roger Dean and made in England.

Cover Front: Very deeply coloured with no fading and with pronounced fine texturing (as is the case on all main surfaces) all of which are crease-free and clean. Rubbing is always the main factor on the outer surfaces and here it’s been avoided with obvious great care over the years. No ugly scuffs or ringmarks and avoiding the dreaded sticker tears too – many have them. All sides are unrubbed too as the main edges are near wear-free and this lies perfect flat and flush with no creasing, distortions or waving. A really beautiful sight to see.

Cover Back: Exactly the same 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-when).

Cover Gatefold Inner: Simply stunning and another classic Roger Dean landscape – totally unworn and ultra clean too.

Top Edges: Unworn and dead straight.

Bottom Edges: A very light surface rub on a small part of the back edge, but look hard to see it.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, very sharp with no wear or feathering. Record entered on right outside back edge.

Spine and Text: A beautiful robust spine also with no wear worthy of mention. Solid and very straight with no compression. Folded squarely with all the edges meeting up flush and parallel.

Corners: All have superb pointed shape, any rubbing to the very tips is tiny and miniscule and probably present from new. A very small tip crease to the front, bottom left.

Cover Summary: A quite remarkably preserved all round example of this fragile early 70’s cover, one that will prove nigh-on impossible to find much better. Remember originals are delicate and fragile, this will rarely be seen like this these days and it’s one to hold, view and enjoy, not hide away like so many. Remember the later printings were more robust with varnished non-textured surfaces, these do wear better than the originals. This example should please all collectors, yes even the perfectionists can consider this one, a very rare opportunity indeed.

The Inner: A very solid EX and that is 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 little creasing with only just one very small rub close to the edge opposite the opening that has only a small neat central split. The opening edge has one very small repaired thumb-tear. That apart, not much else to fault, the odd minor surface mark trace or minor rub blemish but overall, a very pleasing and way better than ‘average’ inner.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EX++/Mint(-) with lovely clean playing surfaces. Just one minor small paper scuff on side one with no sound as mentioned above but little else to fault. Ultra fine, few and faint hairline traces if scrutinised that just about every LP will have if you look hard enough – that’s why I never grade Mint for any played record. A very attractive copy that appears very little played. A very solid pressing, intense black with a lovely shine and importantly including the ultra rare A1 matrix – an elusive find, do not underestimate how difficult it is. If anyone offers an ‘original’ Close to the Edge with the A3 matrix, tell them ‘No’.

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 snippetts 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 even above its fine visual grading. 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. Brilliant clear sound, superbly produced and no pops or clicks noted and generally an exceptional pressing as early copies usually 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 audiophiles. Certainly up there with the very best copies I have yet heard. I feel this copy will please most-all collectors and can be strongly recommended.

End Piece: With the rarer A1 matrix, clean sound and an exceptional main cover, this is an unusual copy of this prog classic. Do not underestimate the rarity of such a copy, ‘Close to the Edge’ remains one of the most challenging and difficult 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.

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 & OPTIONS:

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

1 LP (First Class Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4 (OPTIONAL).

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA (NOT RUSSIA, see below) (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £5.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £9 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: RUSSIA (Recorded Only, if this is unacceptable, please do not bid):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ only £7) = £9 (OPTIONAL extra insurance as above).

Posting & Packing: OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. US; Australia; Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £8.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £13 (OPTIONAL).

* If Rules allow for that country.

PLEASE NOTE: I always get a Royal Mail ‘Proof-of-Posting’ receipt for ALL packets that are sent out and I am happy to prove this to any customer who wishes to see it via email.

Payment Conditions:

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

The customer can choose their method of shipping with the exception of second class or surface mail overseas – these I will NOT use. 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 (£35).

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. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help.

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’.