Best LP version of Close to the Edge

Is it a Japan version from 1972.....the 10th Anniversary Japan edition.....the UK first pressing....the MFSL LP?

 

Many feel that the 1st issue USA is the best. Personally I like the A1/B1 UK version. The MFSL is very detailed but suffers from the standard treble brightness.

 

From what I've read, the UK 1st pressing is the best. I haven't been able to find one in good condition for a reasonable price. I've seen them go for over 200 bucks on ebay. The MFSL is supposed to sound good (I haven't heard it).

I had a UK 2nd pressing, and it sounded compressed, and I have an early US pressing thats kinda bright. I prefer the CD for this recording.

 

I have the SD 19133 issue w/ ST-A-722620-RI on the label. That an early one?

 

Hi,

This is a later issue. The first pressings of "Close To The Edge" had 4 digit catalogue numbers in the USA. I think the UK version of this LP has a K catalogue number since this was released close to Kinney International's purchase of Atlantic Recording Corporation.

 

I have a later U.S. pressing that George Piros mastered...it is notable in that there is about an inch gap between the label and the end of "Close to the Edge" itself...

I kinda like this one, wondering if anybody else has it...I should think it is a late 1970's pressing....(I will not have access to my records until the end of this month so I can't actually give anymore info than that it says AT/GP somewhere on both sides...
...which begs the question...
How many times did Piros cut this record?

 

Oh, okay. Well thanks for cluing me in, Kent!

 

None of the above. There was clearly something wrong with the master tapes used for all three versions from Japan. One need only listen to the opening of And you and I to hear an out of phase acoustic guitar. How did they manage to do that? The MoFi doesn't do anything terribly wrong nor does it do anything exceptionally well. The first U.K. pressing is strangely dull and lacking in dynamics. The best versions are the later U.K. and the GP original U.S. versions. The U.K. I better balanced and the Pyros is bright. Thats said, the Pyros excels at everything over every other version. Better detail, better dynamics, bigger sound stage, more ambiance etc. The Pyros can be found in many incarnations. the best i have so far is the 2nd edition with the original catalog numbers but with the Rockefeller label. I don't have the original Broadway label much to my dismay.

 

Well, I grew up with a version from Music+ I bought in early 1988. I thought it sounded great back then, and was disappointed when I heard the first cd issue (Matsushita Japan from Barry Diament). I was hard-pressed to shift from LP's to CD's. I thought cd's sounded cold in comparison. I've since enjoyed the Diament of course, and haven't heard the old LP in about 15 years.
I just won an MFSL M- Lp on Ebay for $36. As I will be getting a Rega turntable this summer, we'll see if this is money well spent or not. Close to the Edge is my favorite album of all-time, so I thought it was about time I hunted for the best sounding version.

 

Pure luck, I have those two.

SD 7244 with 75 Rockefeller Plaza (second pressing)
side 1 matrix: ST-A-722619 A AT/GP PR
side 2 matrix: ST-A-722620 A AT/GP PR

UK Atlantic K 50012 textured cover
side 1 matrix: K50012A3
side 2 matrix: K50012B3

 

The A3 B3 textured cover is part of the original release. the later UK pressings are with the smooth cover and have substantially higher numbers. A3 B3 sounds pretty identical to the A1 B1.

 

Strange: I just found the same UK pressing, Ben, at the same sale where I found the "Who's Next." Haven't cleaned it yet--looking at the surfaces, I anticipate some noise, but not catastrophic.

How do you like the sound of your UK pressing?

One other quick question: I noticed a fair number of "PR" markings on Atlantic pressings--what do they signify? I think I've got the "GP" part now ... finally!

 

Couldn't resist: just cleaned the LP and gave the first eight minutes of side one a listen. Not dull, but very compressed sounding, and hard to listen "in" to. The voices sound pretty nice, and the tonality is inviting when the instrumentation becomes spare, but for the big stuff it sounds like the record is yelling at me. I'll give side two a listen tomorrow.

Just pulled out my US copy. It's pretty beat--I've played it on everything from a Longines Symphonette ceramic cart to my current rig, and I can see the circular groove the ceramic cart dug into the hard-to-track part where the organi comes in (ouch!). I'll give this one a listen tomorrow as well.

It's a Broadway label, matrix side one ST-A722619AAA-I-III side two ST-A722620BBB-I-III with AT/GP PR on both sides. I got it from the Record Club of America, with the "In-A-Sleeve Shop" selling five models of Koss headphones.

 

Well, I've just finished listening to both records back to back. The UK pressing sounds a bit dull, but I prefer it to the GP cut. The US pressing is kind of bright and the drums and bass seem a bit weak. Clearly two different presentations. I probably need to try a later UK pressing.

PR = Presswell Records Mfg. Co., Ancora, NJ

 

Too bad it's so beat up. It is likely the best version ever made (my humble opinion) The record club versions (not pressed by Atlantic) IME are the best you can get.

 

I never noticed this before but you are absolutely right. The bass is very weak.

Still the US LP sounds better than the current CD.

 

Yes, the voices sound clear and without brightness. That's what I like about the UK version.

 

Only in comparison to the UK version. I've had the US LP since the 70s and didn't think the bass was weak. Still, having only two copies, I'm reluctant to recommend anything as THE one to get.

 

Good point.

The CD box set Yesyears has more bass on the track "Close to the Edge" than the US LP or Rhino remastered CD. That's how I first heard the song and that's how I'm used to hearing it.

 

I have the first Atlantic remaster on CD somewhere.

 

Well, shiver my timbers.

I gave my old CTOE vinyl a good cleaning and put it on the TT. There's obvious groove damage at the big organ swell, and quite a few clicks and pops throughout, but my V15VxMR must be getting to some pristine grooves somewhere because the sound is g-r-e-a-t. Brighter than I'd like, yes, which makes the vocals a little "recorded" sounding (yes, I know they're recorded , but on the UK they sound more natural), but the dynamics and soundstaging are terrific. With music this complex and percussive, the extra dynamic range and the wider, deeper stereo image make a huge difference. It's a lot more exciting to listen to than the UK LP without sounding hyped or unnatural. It's a clear winner for me over the UK pressing I just got.

I'm amazed the cleaning made that much difference.

 

I'd never heard a bass growl quite like it on an LP before I heard the MFSL

 

Just listened to side 2. My ears are clearly getting used to the mild presence boost. The depth and clarity are lovely to listen to--that soundstaging puts the harpsichord right in front of me in 'Siberian Khatru." I sure wish my copy were in better shape, but I have to admit that it's worth listening through the surface noise and groove damage to what's intact.

The bass on this US copy is a bit restrained, true. I think the real problem is that the sub-80hz bass is pretty steeply rolled off. I hear Squire's work just fine, but I don't feel it quite as much as I'd like. Maybe it's just that the whole frequency response is slightly uptilted. That said, the virtues of my US pressing quite outweigh this deficit, to my ears.

Thanks for this thread: it's been awhile since I've listened to this album, and I'd forgotten how good it is and how much I like it.

 

Sounds like you are hearing exatly what I am. To compensate for the brightness I adjust VTA and change the loading on the cartridge. I know not everyone will be able to do his but if you can it works.