In 2013, in addition to his many recording and remixing projects,
Steven Wilson remixed a sizable chunk of the
Yes catalog. Interestingly, he didn't proceed chronologically, but by using an inner aesthetic that has become his trademark through previous projects with
King Crimson and
Jethro Tull. In 2013, he completed 1972's
Close to the Edge; in 2014, he did a stellar job on 1974's
Relayer (arguably never properly heard until this mix) and 1971's
The Yes Album. The following year it was 1972's
Fragile, and in 2016, 1973's double-length
Tales from Topographic Oceans. These high-resolution remixes were previously available only on Blu-ray and DVD (while the conventional CDs contained 16/44.1 resolution mixes).
In commemoration of
Yes' 50th anniversary, Rhino has boxed and re-released all of these titles on vinyl. According to
Wilson, they have used the 24/96 hi-res, DVD-A/Blu-ray mixes for each LP. The outer housing of the package features artwork created specifically for this set by original album artist Roger Dean -- whose work has been synonymous with the band's identity for more than 40 years. Additionally, two of these albums –
Close to the Edge and
Tales from Topographic Oceans -- feature brand-new cover art, while the remaining three covers were reworked by Dean. ~ Thom Jurek