Amazing. Eleven out of ten, again.
First, the packaging.
It's pretty obvious that the idea is to recreate the original LP packaging as closely as possible. It's perfect, as far as I can tell.
That's my daughter's compass, left on the table for something. I kinda like how it provides a sense of scale, so I left it. We could otherwise be looking at pictures of the original vinyl LP packaging on a big table, and it would look the same.
The picture booklet that came with the original LP is reproduced here. Very, very nice.
This came out blurrier than I'd hoped, but whatever. You get the idea. The real thing is very crisp. It looks exactly like the LP jacket, only smaller.
The print on the disc itself appears to be new artwork. I seem to remember reading somewhere that some of the artwork on these editions are new, and some is other stuff from the same era as the original album.
That reminds me. As the Blu-ray loads, we get a series of what appear to be Roger Dean's original sketches as he came up with the amazing and unique Fragile Yes logo. It goes through several drafts, and ends with the familiar version we've all seen. Very cool.
I could give track by track ratings, but they'd all be the same: perfect. Instead, some highlights and observations.
Roundabout starts with that glorious acoustic guitar, and it sounds crisp and clear and fills the room. Instrumentally, the first verse is sparse by Yes standards, and the soundstage reflects that, staying mostly in the fronts. But as the song progresses and more instruments come in, we eventually fill the room and it's fully immersive from that point forward.
Can and Brahms, which many -- not including myself -- dismiss as "filler" (I know, quotes, but in this case they're appropriate because there are no filler tracks on Yes albums) gets the multidimensional treatment. The original suffered from a cluttered mix; I've always thought it sounded like it was recorded on a four-track or something, and a kinda crappy one at that. It's open and alive here. You can hear each keyboard clearly, and you get a better appreciation for the arrangement itself. There's a lot of stuff going on here.
We Have Heaven, like every song on this album, sounds the best it ever has. Layers and layers, all clear and even with plenty of space. I have no idea how Steven does this, but it's mind-blowing.
I couldn't sit still during South Side of the Sky. It was in my face, knocking me around the room.
I know I'm not alone in finding Five Per Cent for Nothing somewhat less than enthralling, but I have to admit that it really pops here. It benefits a lot from having room to breathe and have each part heard clearly, as with Cans and Brahms. I've always liked how the solo tracks on this album get as much care and respect as the full group tracks, and of course it's no different here. It just plain sounds amazing.
Long Distance Runaround is another one that just jumps out at you. So clear, every instrument, including a few you might not have heard before. In the early days of CD, when I was slowly replacing a lot of my favorite vinyl, I still had time to put on a CD once in a while and play it over headphones, listening for things I'd never heard on the vinyl. Here it's the same thing. There are things buried in the two-channel mix simply because of the limitations at the time. Steven has spread everything around the room, so you can hear every part clearly. I know I keep saying that, but it's true, and is the biggest impression I get from this release. Crisp, clear, lossless.
The Fish is no exception. It seems like dozens of Chris Squires are all over the place, filling the room with all the different bass parts.
I saw some reviews that didn't really like how Mood for a Day is so in-your-face. I guess it's down to personal preference. Would you rather sit and listen to Steve Howe as he plays a guitar solo,
or would you prefer him standing with the guitar four inches from your face as he plays it and it's so close that your left and right ears actually get a different "mix" from the different ends of the guitar? Well? Give me Steve Howe in the face, every time. And you get it here.
Heart of the Sunrise. There are no words. No, seriously, there aren't.
Buy this CD/Blu-ray combo now. Just go get it, now. If you don't have Blu-ray, you've got DVD, right? Get the CD/DVD version. Fragile Yes in 5.1 Surround. There's just no excuse for anyone to not have this, period. My life has been altered.
Topic: The Official Yes Thread (Read 262598 times)
