First time posting here and showing off the latest addition to my collection: the double 45rpm disc from Analogue Productions' Atlantic 75 series of Yes' CTTE, mastered by Kevin Gray.
Have to say I've heard a lot of versions of this album on vinyl and otherwise. I've listened to the UK original, the West German edition cut by Pfanz, the Chris Bellman remaster, the Steven Wilson version, the Barry Diament master on CD and a ripped SACD from Audio Fidelity mastered by Steve Hoffman. Aside from the SH SACD, no version quite cut it to what I wanted from this album. Until today.
To me, this is the best way to hear this quintessential album. Detailed, balanced, with lots of headroom (I mean, usually everything is just all over the place in this grand symphony of rock) and just the right amount of punch to it when needed. If I have but one "flaw" to point out is that - at least on my gear -, the vocals don't stand out as much as all the other instruments, but I wouldn't go so far as to call them buried or flat, just equally nestled in with all the others.
I'd say it's this one, then the SACD, then the Chris Bellman remaster, but I can see people prefering the latter, as it comes closer to the original UK's sound, but a bit better mastered, imo.
When Biden was President, MAGAts were scrutinizing everything Federal in their country looking for a Deep State conspiracy like someone dumbsplained the X-Files to them, meanwhile the shallow cunts they put in office are just disappearing people and culling the regime's undesirables, megacorporations are flaunting their influence out in the open, dissenting voices are being silenced publicly, and their Supreme Cheeto is blatantly working for Russian interests, when he's not moonlighting in an international web of paedophilia. But would you look at that?
No backlash from the MAGA base, no indignant outcries, no conspiracy theories, the only kool aid being drunk is the one lactating from King Orangutang's teat and his merry entourage of gaslighting sycophants.
Their Deep State has finally surfaced, but all their stockpiles of guns are apparently pulling a Chuck Schumer and waiting for the right time, which somehow isn't quite here, yet. So maybe this was never about freedom, transparency, accountability, it was about being finally enabled by the status quo to exercise their bigotry freely, transparently and without being made accountable for it.