Yes / High Vibration 16 SACD box set from Warner Music Japan

Okay, brace yourselves… Warner Music Japan are about to release one of the most expensive music box sets ever featured on SuperDeluxeEdition.

High Vibration is a limited edition 16 SACD (Super Audio CD) box set, featuring the 13 albums released by English prog rock supergroup Yes, between 1968 and 1987, including live album Yessongs. A unique 12-track bonus SACD features rare selections such Owner of a Lonely Heart (Move Yourself Mix) from 1991 and 1972’s Total Mass Retain (single version) is also included.

Everything has been newly remastered in Japan by Isao Kikuchi, and these SACDs are packaged as mini-LP CDs (a.k.a. paper sleeves / vinyl replica). If you own The Beatles in Mono box set, you will know how good these are.

The SACDs are all hybrid discs [compatible with all CD players] with the SACD layer offering hi-res 96khz/24bit and the CD layer delivering the usual 44.1kHz/16bit.

The good news is this also comes with a 200-page book. The bad news is that it’s in Japanese.

At the time of writing High Vibration is available on various non-Japanese amazon sites as an expensive import – it’s over $500 in the USA and Canada and £488 in the UK. In Germany the current price is around £450. Those high prices are likely to drop at some point, given that at just under 40,000 Yen locally, the equivalent pound sterling figure is around £260. That probably equates to nearer £350 when you factor in shipping, UK import duties and ‘handling fees’, so at the moment it’s just over a £100 premium for the convenience of shopping via Amazon in your local territory.

Whether it is ‘worth’ paying the much money for this set, is up to the individual. The presentation will undoubtedly be excellent, and being a Japanese release offers appeal and exclusivity. The Robert Palmer Island Years paper sleeve box from 2007 has some similarities – unique mastering, only available in Japan – and that is now worth a small fortune.

High Vibration is released on 4 September 2013.

• • UK Pre-order: High Vibration
• • USA Pre-order: High Vibration
• • CANADA Pre-order: High Vibration
• • GERMANY Pre-order: High Vibration

High Vibration full track listing:

BONUS SACD

• 1. Something’s Coming (single version) (1969) from YES (Expanded & Remastered 2003)
• 2. Dear Father (1970) from TIME AND A WORD (Expanded & Remastered 2003)
• 3. Roundabout (single version) (1972) from the single ‘Roundabout’
• 4. America (1972) from FRAGILE (Expanded & Remastered 2003)
• 5. Total Mass Retain (single version) (1972) from CLOSE TO THE EDGE (Expanded & Remastered 2003)
• 6. Soon (single version) (1975) from RELAYER (Expanded & Remastered 2003)
• 7. Abilene (1978) from TORMATO (Expanded & Remastered 2004)
• 8. Run Through the Light (Single Version) (1980) from DRAMA (Expanded & Remastered 2004)
• 9. Run with the Fox (1981) from YESYEARS
• 10. Owner of a Lonely Heart (Move Yourself Mix) (1991) from 12″ single ‘Owner of a Lonely Heart’
• 11. Leave It (remix) (1983) from 90125 (Expanded & Remastered 2004)
• 12. Big Generator (remix) (1987) from ‘Ultimate YES:The 35th Anniversary’

YES

• 1. Beyond And Before
• 2. I See You
• 3. Yesterday And Today
• 4. Looking Around
• 5. Harold Land
• 6. Every Little Thing
• 7. Sweetness
• 8. Survival

TIME AND A WORD

• 1. No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed
• 2. Then
• 3. Everydays
• 4. Sweet Dreams
• 5. The Prophet
• 6. Clear Days
• 7. Astral Traveller
• 8. Time And A Word

THE YES ALBUM

• 1. Yours Is No Disgrace
• 2. Clap
• 3. Starship Trooper
• 4. I’ve Seen All Good People
• 5. A Venture
• 6. Perpetual Change

FRAGILE

• 1. Roundabout
• 2. Cans And Brahms
• 3. We Have Heaven
• 4. South Side Of The Sky
• 5. Five Per Cent For Nothing
• 6. Long Distance Runaround
• 7. The Fish(Schindleria Praematurus)
• 8. Mood For A Day
• 9. Heart Of The Sunrise

CLOSE TO THE EDGE

• 1. Close To The Edge
• i. The Solid Time Of Change
• ii. Total Mass Retain
• iii. I Get Up I Get Down
• iv. Seasons Of Man
• 2. And You And I
• i. Cord Of Life
• ii. Eclipse
• iii. The Preacher The Teacher
• iv. Apocalypse
• 3. Siberian Khatru

YESSONGS DISC 1

• 1. Opening (Except From “Firebird Suite”)
• 2. Siberian Khatru
• 3. Heart Of The Sunrise
• 4. Perpetual Change
• 5. And You And I
• 6. Mood For A Day
• 7. Excepts From “The Six Wives Of Henry VIII”
• 8. Roundabout

YESSONGS DISC 2

• 1. I’ve Seen All Good People
• 2. Long Distance Runaround / The Fish (Schindleria Praemeturus)
• 3. Close To The Edge
• 4. Yours I No Disgrace
• 5. Starship Trooper

TALES FROM TOPOGRAPHIC OCEANS DISC 1

• 1. The Revealing Science Of God / Dance Of The Dawn
• 2. The Remembering / High The Memory

TALES FROM TOPOGRAPHIC OCEANS DISC 2

• 1. The Ancient / Giants Under The Sun
• 2. Ritual / Nous Sommes Du Soleil

RELAYER

• 1. The Gates Of Delirium
• 2. Sound Chaser
• 3. To Be Over

GOING FOR THE ONE

• 1. Going For The One
• 2. Turn Of The Century
• 3. Parallels
• 4. Wonderous Stories
• 5. Awaken

TORMATO

• 1. Future Times
• 2. Don’t Kill The Whale
• 3. Madrigal
• 4. Release, Release
• 5. Arriving Ufo
• 6. Circus Of Heaven
• 7. Onward
• 8. On The Silent Wings Of Freedom

DRAMA

• 1. Machine Messiah
• 2. White Car
• 3. Does It Really Happen?
• 4. Into The Lens
• 5. Run Through The Light
• 6. Tempus Fugit

90125

• 1. Owner Of A Lonely Heart
• 2. Hold On
• 3. It Can Happen
• 4. Changes
• 5. Cinema
• 6. Leave It
• 7. Our Song
• 8. City Of Love
• 9. Hearts

BIG GENERATOR

1. 1. Rhythm Of Love
2. 2. Big Generator
3. 3. Shoot High Aim Low
4. 4. Almost Like Love
5. 5. Love Will Find A Way
6. 6. Final Eyes
7. 7. I’m Running
8. 8. Holy Lamb