YES, Fragile UK 1st pressing A1 stamper PLUM Atlantic EXCELLENT LP Rick Wakeman

	£		90
	$		119

UK FIRST PRESSING PLUM POLYDOR ATLANTIC VINYL LP IN GATEFOLD WITH BOOKLET AND ORIGINAL INNER SLEEVE.

Yes' 4th album, their first with Rick Wakeman and their first to be housed in a Roger Dean sleeve. This is one of the best copies of this album we have had in a long time. These plum Atlantics, in decent condition, are utterly stunning - an all-analogue 8-track recording that captures an amazing the performance, stunning production and dynamics, and breathtaking musicianship. The album was released in the UK in November, 1972, and this copy has very low stamper/mother numbers. It can be dated as having been bought just over 6 months after it had been released, in June 1972, because the original owner handwrote the date of purchase neatly in fountain pen by the Marketed By Polydor logo on the rear inner sleeve. These early stamper plum Atlantics have legendary sound on good hi fi, and all the remasters, CDs and other pressings of this album wilt like old flowers in a vase compared to these early copies in our humble opinion. They will probably never make music and vinyl pressings with this kind of audio fidelity ever again - grab them while you can as they are getting harder and harder to find in playable condition...

MATRIX NUMBERS IN RUN-OFF GROOVES: SIDE A: 2401019 A//1 12 11; SIDE B: 2401019 B//1 11 18

SLEEVE: RANGES BETWEEN EXCELLENT MINUS AND VERY GOOD++. THERE IS SOME LIGHT SCUFFING ALONG THE EDGES AND MINOR CORNER BUMPS, LIGHT RING WEAR ON THE REAR. THE COLOURS AND OVERALL LOOK ARE VERY STRONG AND SPINE IS BRIGHT, CLEAR AND READABLE. THE INNER TEXTURED AREAS ARE EXCELLENT MINUS WITH JUST MINOR WEAR AND THE AFOREMENTIONED PEN NAME/DATE BY THE 'MARKETED BY POLYDOR' LOGO. THE BOOKLET IS EXCELLENT AND FIRMLY STUCK INTO THE MIDDLE, AS WAS THEY WERE PRESENTED ON THE ORIGINAL PRESSINGS. THE ORIGINAL INNER IS VERY GOOD, THE DISC HAS BEEN HOUSED IN A HIGHER QUALITY INNER SLEEVE AS THESE ORIGINAL INNERS TENDED TO 'STICK' TO THE LPS SOMETIMES.

DISC: EXCELLENT MINUS - BOTH SIDES HAVE VERY CLEAN VINYL WITH NO MARKS OR SCRATCHES AND ONLY MINOR SPINDLE WEAR. THERE ARE A FEW VERY LIGHT HAIRLINES AND INDICATIONS THAT THIS DISC HAS BEEN PLAYED A FEW TIMES, BUT IT IS GLOSS SHINY, HAS NO REAL APPARENT WEAR, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, GIVES SPLENDID REPRODUCTION FROM START TO FINISH. IT IS A 40 YEAR OLD RECORD, AND TIME HAS BEEN KIND TO THIS COPY. WE BELIEVE IT WOULD SATISFY ALL BUT A PERFECTIONIST - BUT WE DO NOT KNOW WHERE YOU WILL FIND MANY COPIES AS DECENT AS THIS ONE ANYMORE - IF YOU REALLY WANT A NEAR MINT ONE WE SUGGEST INSTEAD THAT YOU TRACK DOWN STEVE HOFFMAN'S RECENT AUDIOPHILE REMASTER FROM ORIGINAL TAPES, WHICH DOES HAVE SUPERB CLARITY AND NEAR SILENT SIDES, BUT SOMEHOW IT DOES NOT JUMP OFF THE DECK THE WAY THESE PLUM ATLANTICS DO, THEY REALLY ARE THE ONLY COPIES TO OWN IN OUR VIEW - WE HAVE CLEANED THIS DISC WITH RECORD RESEARCH FLUIDS, AND IT DOES SOUND AWESOME. SOME LIGHT STATIC AS IS ALWAYS THE CASE IN THE QUIETEST OF MOMENTS, BUT NOTHING, IN OUR VIEW, OBTRUSIVE AND DETRIMENTAL TO THE OVERALL ENJOYMENT OF THE MUSIC - NO SKIPS, NO JUMPS AND AN INCREDIBLE STEREO SPECTRUM. CHRIS SQUIRE'S BASS IS QUITE FRIGHTENING AT TIMES!!! THIS DISC WOULD BE A SIGNIFICANT UPGRADE FOR MANY LISTENERS.

Paypal and eBay Buyer/Seller protection policies require us to ship all packages with signature proof of delivery. This policy protects both you and us in the event of damage or non-receipt, and in order to comply we can only ship inside the UK by Signed-For Delivery (3-5 days average delivery time), and outside the UK by Royal Mail Small Packet Air Mail (with Tracked and Signed-For Delivery) (10-15 days average delivery time). We will enter the tracking number in your eBay purchases section shortly after your package has shipped. Shipping and handling rates quoted are non-negotiable, and please ensure that you make payment for your purchases within 5 days of the auction ending. Thank you for your interest in our listing and good luck with your bid.