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

the Rhino is a digital transfer. I needledropped mine awhile back and there's absolutely nothing above 22k when you check a spectrum analysis. Worse, it sounds lifeless.

 

Just found a made in Holland ctte, that also has less distortion on the Church organ than any other issue I own. Lacks a little in bottom end, but sounds excellent overall. The interesting thing is it has the Artisan stamp in the side 2 dead wax.

Jeff, I likes your Avatar

 

I also wanted to ask if anyone has seen or has a domestic ctte mastered at Artisan? All the US ones I have seen have been Atlantic mastered

 

Found a clean US George Piros today. It's now my favorite.

 

I'm glad I found this post. I have a vinyl rip of the first German pressing and not only can hear distortion/clipping in the left channel during the church organ parts (particularly at 13:00 minute mark, after "I get up, I get down") but now after 'tuning' into it, I can hear it on many other parts throughout the album, on both sides. (Not just the organ). It's too bad because it's just phenomenal sounding, otherwise.

Interestingly, I just bought the Japan 32XD CD (Barry) and it sounds remarkably similar to this German vinyl. (Sans clipping). It even matches the nice fat sound stage. I don't think I've ever heard a CD that sounds so similar to a vinyl before. I've read Barry mentioning that he did not get the best tapes, but damn, I've heard every other digital version, and IMO, they all suck in comparison to his CD and the German vinyl...Even factoring the distortion.

So this is 'normal' for this pressing, I take it? How do the other vinyl versions compare? I wasn't impressed with the MFSL at all. I also heard a first pressing Piros and I think it's terrible sounding. Very thin, bright and not balanced. (The left channel is louder). The only version that sounds worse than the first pressing Piros (IMO) is the HDTracks...Which interestingly is also not perfectly centered.

 

Picked up yet another copy this weekend- my fifth US - based off of a slight difference on the copyright stamp on the label and I gotta tell ya...it kicks the hell out of any other vinyl copy I've got. $5 at Everybody's Records in Cincinnati.

It's essentially a typical PR plant specimen - SD7244/1841 AT/GP, but the font for the copyright stamp (P 1972 Atlantic) on the label is larger than any other copyright stamp I've seen on any other. It's merely a RPH* smaller than the Fragile Porky copyright.

So, where the larger font on the copyright came from on the 7244-1841-AT/GP, I have no idea. But, it's definitely got a hell of an output and no distortion anywhere. I should take a picture of it and follow up. Hopefully I'll remember to do so.


The remaining CTTE copies I have are as follows, all contain the small font copyright stamp and they all sound virtually the same as one another:

SD 19133/75 Rock - AT/GP, PR
SD 7244/1841 Broadway - AT/GP, PR
SD 7244/75 Rock - MO (nothing else other than the usual Atlantic ST-A garble)
SD 7244/WEA Canada - AT/GP, RI (record slightly thicker, stored inside gatefold, lyrics on white separate sheet)

RPH* stands for...yeah, that.

 

A great story of the greatest mastering engineer in the history. Barry, thanks for sharing.

"Every record I've heard that George mastered was the best version of that record I've ever heard."

My feeling exactly.

 

Whoops...I was wrong. The CTTE AT/GP copy I found with the larger copyright font is an SP (Specialty Records Plant, Pennsylvania).






Curious why this one is obviously brighter with excellent clarity. Maybe I'm making a mountain out of a molehill, but whatever.

If anybody knows, that would be great. Yeah....

 

Never heard a version on vinyl that sounded great - it always seemed to have a huge midrange peak with not much at the bottom end. The AF version is better than any vinyl I heard (including MoFi and early UK vinyl) and I'm loving the Steve Wilson remix too.

 

Based on the copies I've heard (a couple of different AT/GPs and a UK pressing), I agree with you. But GP cut this album many times (and I imagine other engineers have taken a crack or two as well), so I remain hopeful I'll find a copy that rubs me right. I'm hoping to find a Dennis King cut since he cut my favorite copy of Relayer. In the meantime I've been enjoying the AF hybrid SACD.

 

This is funny. For some reason I have been going through my AT/GP pressings of the original vinyl of my early Yes albums, and I must agree. These sound much better than I would have thought.

 

Has anyone done a serious comparison with the EU Rhino reissue mastered by Chris Bellman to either the US AT/GP or UK versions? I like mine but I never had a good copy to compare it to.

 

That is on my list of things to do once I am done setting up the new stereo room