Yes – Going For The One

I thought i would offer my evaluation of my copy having read some very critical reviews here.
I am firstly very lucky my copy isnt warped plays dead centered, is non fill/stitching free and plays with negligible surface noise of any sort throughout.... for a Rainbo records pressing, this is a nigh on miracle alone!!! I suspect many hate their copies as they play badly in varying degrees.

The mastering is actually ok. Acceptable. Brilliant? No. Rubbish? No.

I would surmise that tapes were indeed used for this, but if they were the original ones and not a copy id be amazed. This album has previously sounded terrible on red book CD, compressed to high hell. It didnt exactly sound good originally either though. I dont think it will ever be considered one of Yes best sounding records. This FM edition stops short of compression, doesnt fall apart in the presence and uppers and has a fullish sound with reasonable dynamics. Compared to an OG UK its rolled off at the top and very bottom so has a overly smooth sound and slight dullness... its not terrible and renders the listening worthless but between this and the narrow imaging its different and therefore imperfect. I still also feel my AF SACD is quite superior but its partly due to the noise floor allowing the recording to shine a little more... it too has a slightly rolled off overall sound perhaps to make the OG sound less thin/wispy. For now the AF SACD is my definitive listening for GFTO but a NM OG is the best vinyl version.

For now, i would at least still recommend this copy at a low price as its far from the garbage binner some seem to be suggesting it is. At least my copy is!! I would be certain the likes of Bernie G or KPG could do better with a clean OG tape than Joe Reagoso who should stick to marketing his label and working with better pressing plants and mastering engineers. His label would be taken seriously then! A Steven Wilson remix would also likely be a worthwhile endeavour. For now, i have a copy of GFTO that i can at least mostly enjoy listening too even if i know its not perfect.

Get the original vinyl. Still nothing comes close to it. This and Relayer are too of the poorest Friday Music issues - the mastering is dreadful.

My pressing is fine no pops or crackles. Sounds amazing. Crisp & clear, a joy to listen to.

Agree with the comment below, very disappointing pressing, not so much on the pops & crackles but on my copy at the quiet Piano intro on Awaken you get noise from the next groove so you can here what is coming! Also sounds very mid and messy. I guess I'll have to wait till Steven Wilson turns his attention to this album.

Anybody recommend a good up to date pressing of this album?

Awesome album, pressing is garbage. Pops and cracks galore. I have records 30 years old that sound better than this.