Yes - Close to the Edge - original George Piros U.S. vinyl master...

I have one. Sounds great indeed. I also have a UK -1/-1. Can't decide which one sounds better. I can upload samples of each if you're interested. Let me know.

Robert

 

I have the 1841 Broadway originals of The Yes Album and Close to the Edge and I think they smoke. It all depends on your speakers and system. On my system they sound awesome, unlike a lot of releases from about that time that suck.

To each his own.

 

A bit off-topic for a second, but do we know for a fact that RL used the absolute original master for LZII? I've seen lots of talk about the RL pressings, but I've never read anything other than speculation that it must be the master because it sounded so good. After discussions on here about the Ice Magazine rumor of the LZII master being lost or destroyed, I posted on the FBO Zeppelin list, which has some contributors who know a lot about LZ and even some with connections to the band. The answer I got there was that Jimmy Page has the original master and does not let that out of his sight. As someone pointed out in another thread, the LZII master tapes pictured on the Classic Records web site, looked to be in mid-80's vintage Ampex tape boxes.

Anyway, back to CTTE, it was an album I never really listened to until I picked up a Japanese pressing at a Montreal record show a couple of years ago. I'd read that it wasn't that well recorded so I assumed the version I had was good, but then I found a cheap 70's Canadian pressing in a used record store and decided to try it. While it's still no audiophile marvel, it sounds a lot better than the Japanese pressing, which seems to suffer from a "glassy" boost in the midrange. I'm not home right now so I can't check the matrix numbers.

 

Paul, a cartridge loading tweak I did last winter made a huge improvement in my playback enjoyment. For more info, check out:

An excellent resource page for calculating optimal loading

Cartridge Loading Explained thread at the vinyl engine

A simple loading control circuit from a forum member here

 

I'd love to hear samples from both.

 

I uploaded 96/24 .aiff excerpts of both. Roughly 100MB each.

The UK excerpt is here.

The US excerpt is there.

Enjoy.

Robert

 

100 MB is really large...I am on a really fast connection here at work...and I mean fast...and it will take approx 20 minutes to download...perhaps a shorter excerpt and also maybe it can just be 16Bit 44.1 KHz please...

 

There are three different versions from Japan and all suffer the same problems. Not to say they are all of the same quality but it does seem that the folks in Japan were sent a defective tape and that tape has been used on all three LPs. Take a quick listen to the opening of And you and I. The acoustic guitar is out of phase. How'd that happen? I have found these sort of wierd messed up artifacts all over all the Japanese CTTE LPs. In my book that automatically disqualifies them. They're fundamentally messed up.

 

I 2nd that motion. 16/44.1 is fine for these comparisons.

 

OK, here are smaller files.

UK is here.

US is there.

 

Yes, I believe the Japan CTTE Lp's came from bad tapes.

 

i hear good things about Piros pressings. they aren't good?
i have a half speed and, although it is bass heavy, the bass rocks

 

OK, let's do this again !

Here are 1 minute .wav clips of the UK -1/-1 and the US Piros cutting.

The US Piros is here.

The UK -1/-1 is there.

Robert

 

Thanks. I kind of prefer the UK's flatter sound on these clips, but it's almost too flat.

 

Mine is the P-6526A pressing and it definitely has issues, including the phase problem at the beginning of And You and I. Since CTTE was an album I never listened to until I bought the Japanese version a couple of years ago, I didn't know the phase problem wasn't intentional until I picked up my Canadian version, which is from the late '70's Atlantic 19000 reissues (in this case KSD-19133).

 

I have many US Atlantic LPs that have AT GP on the deadwax and others what seems to be @T GP. Is that the same guy,George Piros?
No complaints from any of them,love the sound.

 

I forgot about this thread. Just thought I'd mention that I found a Canadian pressing of CTTE that also has AT GP in the deadwax and it sounds tremendous. I also recently found a GP copy of The Yes Album with a similar sound - very forward midrange that enhances the guitar and vocals and boosts the ambience to the point where you'd almost think compression or reverb was added.

 

Hi stavx79,

That's George.

Best regards,
Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

Hey,thanks a lot Barry!
BTW and FYI the Atlantics that I am referring to, are:
Roxy Music - Stranded
Roxy Music - For your Pleasure
King Crimson - Starless and Bible Black
King Crimson -Red

 

I just got a later German issue of CttE with "PF" in the deadwax. It is arguably the best cut I've ever heard. The distortion duging the church organ bit is probably less than any copy I've owned. It's nice and midrangey without being top end boosted. I'd like to get a UK 1st for comparison but for now this thing just shines. Right there with Barry's CD, IMO.

I wonder if the "PF" means it was cut at Pathe Freres in France?

My guess is that this is a late 70s or early 80s cut.

 

I have quite a few German LPs on the Brain label,such as Klaus Schulze,Neu!,Guru Guru,etc. and they all have 'PF' on the deadwax,if that's any help.
Maybe the same person??
But,the above bands are all german and it's a German label,so my guess would be that it couldn't be a French mastering...

 

I just digged another one out by George Piros: Art Ensemble of Chicago-Fanfare for the Warriors.

 

I have Brain LPs as well. I'll have to check to see if it's the same initials. If so, that's good by me, as I think Brain LPs were typically fantastic cuts.

 

I just picked up the GP mastered The Yes Album. It blows the Rhino reissue out of the water. The Rhino sounded like a bad digital transfer and I'd say the GP cut proves it. Listen to the drum on the opening of the second side; on the Rhino it sounds like a one note bass; not so on the original.

The best GP, non-Mercury, mastering job that I've heard is Roshamon on Carlton Records. One of the best sounding records ever made.

 

Oh,yes!