YES "Relayer" 1974 UK ATLANTIC 1st PRESS A1/B1 Nr MINT
£
68
$
90
£ 68
Sold For
May 9, 2011
Sold Date
Apr 29, 2011
Start Date
£ 24
Start price
5
Number Of Bids
Great Britain
Country Of Seller
eBay
Auctioned at
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Description
YES "Relayer" 1974 UK ATLANTIC 1st PRESS A1/B1 Nr MINT
ROGER DEAN G/F, TEXTURED GREY INNER, STUNNING SOUND
YESRelayer
ORIGINAL UK ATLANTIC (K 50096) FIRST PRESSING (November 1974) OF YES' SUPERB AND VASTLY UNDERRATED "Relayer" LP
THEIR LAST GREAT PIECE OF WORK AND AN OUTSTANDING PROG/JAZZ MASTERPIECE
IN EXCEPTIONAL CONDITION - THIS COPY HAS HARDLY (if ever) BEEN PLAYED AND IT DELIVERS SENSATIONAL AUDIO THROUGHOUT WITH NOTHING TO FAULT
PRESSED WITH THE FIRST ATLANTIC CUSTOM (ROGER DEAN) PICTURE LABELS
FIRST UK PRESS MATRIX: K 50096 A1 (etched "PECKO") / K 50096 B1 (etched "PORKY")
THE RECORD IS HOUSED IN THE ORIGINAL GATEFOLD SLEEVE WITH FACTORY SEALED LEFT SIDE EDGE AGAIN, DESIGNED BY ROGER DEAN AND PRINTED IN ENGLAND BY "Shorewood Packaging Ltd."
COMPLETE WITH THE ORIGINAL (FIRST ISSUE) THICK GREY CARD TEXTURED LYRIC INNER SLEEVE WITH A SMOOTH WHITE INNER COATING
After the ambitious double-concept album Tales from Topographic Oceans, Rick Wakeman left Yes to resume his solo career.
The band auditioned several prospective replacements, the closest contender being the Greek keyboardist Vangelis. He did not become a member of Yes, but these auditions paved the way for several future collaborations between Vangelis and Jon Anderson. The band finally chose Swiss-born Patrick Moraz as a replacement while this album was well into production.
The album title comes from the lyrics of 'The Remembering' from 'Tales from Topographic Oceans'
Relayer has the same song format as Close to the Edge—a long epic on the first side, and two nine-minute pieces on the second—but employs a radically different musical style.
"The Gates of Delirium" is a dense, 22-minute piece that was inspired by Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace and features lengthy improvisations by each member of the band, sometimes clashing intentionally with one another. Featuring lyrics about the futility of war, it remains one of the most musically aggressive songs ever produced by the band. The final section, in which the drive of the previous sixteen minutes is suddenly replaced by a gentle melody and a lyrical prayer for peace, was released as a U.S. single under the title "Soon" in early 1975. "Sound Chaser" is a jazzy, mostly instrumental piece that echoes King Crimson. "To Be Over" is the gentlest piece on the album, and features complex, melodic arrangements of guitar and electric sitar.
The critical reaction to Relayer, coming after a predecessor that many critics felt was pretentious and long-winded, was mixed. However, it was still a commercial success, with many observers later considering it vastly underrated. No doubt, many were surprised at the sudden departure in terms of sound which Yes had made on this disc.
The atmosphere and sonic quality are very different from Close To The Edge or most of Tales From Topographic Oceans (the one track on that album which could be said to point towards Relayer is The Ancient with its free-form, spinning rhythms, Arabic-tinged percussion and its frantic, dramatic guitar work.)
The vocals on Relayer are more dramatic, emotionally charged with aggression, and the guitar has stepped up to the front (in consequence of Wakeman's sudden departure), with a new hard edge. "Gates of Delirium" is "all Telecaster" according to Howe; before which he had generally and famously used Gibson. On "To Be Over" and the last parts of "Gates of Delirium" a pedal steel guitar is used. Squire's bass lines and White's drumming throughout the album are of great dynamic range and complexity
Track Listing:
Side 1: THE GATED OF DELIRIUM
Side 2: SOUND CHASER / TO BE OVER
LABELS: The Roger Dean labels are clean, fresh and unmarked with no spindles or signs of use (the spindle hole is still tight) - this copy has possibly never been played - MINT
VINYL Visual: The vinyl surfaces retains their original deep, like new glossy sheen and are practically unmarked - there are some superficial light hairlines from the card inner and a light circular (one groove) mark on Side Two - but these have no audio consequence at all - the playback is sensational - EXCELLENT+
VINYL Audio: Outstanding audio delivery throughout - crystal clear, deep, rich, very sharp and extremely strong. The soundscapes Yes create on this work are absolutely stunning and the complex prog/jazz structures (especially on "Sound Chaser") outshine all of their previous work in scope and ambition. On my one careful play-check at a loud volume there are no audio issues of note - no scratches, no loud clicks/pops and no surface noise to speak of (just a touch on the run-in grooves - very minor and non-intrusive) - otherwise, the whole LP plays beautifully from start to finish and is critically and conservatively graded NEAR MINT for audio quality - beautiful copy
SLEEVE: The original matt gatefold cover is clean, bright and fresh with no wear to speak of. The edges and spine are crisp and sharp and all spine text is clear and bold (although it's hard to read as it's printed in white) - lovely example - NEAR MINT
INNNER SLEEVE: The textured, thick card lyric inner is also in superb condition - MINT - clean, crisp and square with no marks, no wear and no splits. (The LP is now housed - and will be posted in a new inner sleeve with a NAGAOKA anti-static liner to avoid any 'knifing' damage to the original during transit)
PLEASE HAVE A LOOK AT MY PICTURES - I USUALLY TAKE QUITE A FEW SO YOU CAN GET A CLEAR INDICATION OF EVERY DETAIL OF THE ITEM
I HAVE UPLOADED AS MANY AS I CAN BUT I WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO SUPPLY ANY ADDITIONAL PHOTOS ON REQUEST
PLEASE CHECK OUT MY OTHER AUCTIONS FOR MORE RARE AND COLLECTABLE VINYL
AND PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO CONTACT ME WITH ANY QUERIES YOU MAY HAVE
THANKS FOR LOOKING, CHEERS
PLEASE REFER TO MY 'ABOUT ME' PAGE FOR MORE DETAILED INFO ON MY PLAY-GRADING, EQUIPMENT USED, P&P etc
ALL RECORDS ARE PROFESSIONALLY CLEANED BEFORE DISPATCH AND PACKAGED WITH THE VINYL OUTSIDE OF THE SLEEVE TO PREVENT ANY 'KNIFING' DURING TRANSIT.
A PROTECTIVE POLY SLEEVE, NEW INNER WITH NAGAOKA ANTI-STATIC LINER, QUALITY BOX (NOT ENVELOPE) MAILER AND STIFFENERS ARE ALWAYS USED TO ENSURE THAT YOUR RECORD ARRIVES SAFELY
POST & PACKING
UK: 1st Class: £4.00 (recorded delivery)
EUROPE: Airmail: £11.00 (International Signed For delivery with tracking)
INTERNATIONAL: Airmail: £15.00 (International Signed For delivery with tracking)
UK bidders: PayPal or Cheque
INTERNATIONAL bidders: PayPal ONLY
I will combine postage for items purchased within any 10 day period. However, at the end of each 10 day period, all outstanding items will need to be paid for in full and will be posted to you. Any items purchased after payment will be included in the next 10 period. I am continually adding new items which may be of interest to you and it is impractical for me to allow payment to be postponed indefinitely in the expectation that you might wish to bid on future items. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation
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435 (GS 6.1 (435))
price rating
