InverYes
01-22-2002, 03:00 PM
Here's a transcript of the recent magazine article by David Watkinson on Yes collectibles.....
" A guide to collectables with Yes expert David Watkinson
Yes completists have a daunting task, with three decades' worth of material to track down. Although Yes collectables rarely appear in London auction houses, with increasing interest in Yes - eBay posts an average of 20 Yes pages a day - prices are on the rise. OriginalRoger Dean paintings command the serious money, and are pegged at anywhere from £15,000 to £250,000, while one Yessaholic has a whole vintage stage-set in his back garden. But there are many artefacts that are easier and cheaper to find
Handbills dating back to Yes' first gigs in 1968 are in demand and sell for £75. Tour programmes pre-dating 1971 cost upwards of £60 and the Aussie '73 booklet is worth £150, while early record company or venue contracts change hands for £60-£120.
But it was the band's 70s heyday that saw an explosion of merchandise and ephemera with, among other things, press packs, songbooks, posters, flyers and badges.
The Close To The Edge press pack, with its biography, photos and stickers, fetches £80, Roger Dean-designed UK record company and gig posters are in the £50-£100 range, and those used to advertise concerts in Japan and Oz. in '73 cost hundreds more. Many of the most desirable goodies from 1970-74 sport dean's glorious artwork, increasing their desirability, with 1973-76-era merchandise particularly sought after for its superlative design and manufacturing standards. Posters for the Yessongs film of '76 from the US, UK and Germany make £100 each, for example, while original Dean prints retail at £100-£1000 (and Jon Anderson's period paintings rate £300-£1500 )
Between '77 and '79, Yes enlisted the design expertise of Hipgnosis and Storm Thorgerson, and pieces of stage-sets, costumes and kit from this time start at £300. So do presentation awards discs, while mounted music or ticket sales awards start at £100. Even contemporary books command top dollar, Shilow Kuloda's Yes of 1979 being pegged at £50, and Dan Hedges' Yes: Authorised Biography of 1981 at £35.
During the 80s, Yes adopted a more modern look, centred on computer-generated images, with clinical, crisp packaging and a highly stylised new logo. This helped sales of Yes' music, but the new imagery lacked the warmth, depth and familiar feel of vintage Dean, and merchandise from this era is less pricey.
Dean returned in 1989 for Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, Howe, which saw the old graphic style reinvented.
But the end of the Union saw a reversion to modernism, before another Dean renaissance from 1996 for the Keys albums. His artwork continues to adorn Yes' output, cheering fans and adding value in the long term to more recent merchandise. And if money really is no object, you can commission a Roger Dean-designed house. How's that for indulgence?
Yes Songs: Most Wanted
Unreleased Yes music on bootlegs offer relatively cheap access to out-takes and other works-in-progress (as well as live material). Aborted Yes album sessions such as those in Paris in 1979, or the XYZ (ex-Yes/Zeppelin) and Cinema projects, as well as ABWH's aborted second album, are quite easy to find.
As for promotional items, copies of the UK 'Looking Around' / 'Everydays' 45 (Atlantic 584 298) rate £150+, while the UK triple-12" set of 'Going For The One' (Atlantic DSK 50379), will set you back half that. The British 'I've Seen All Good People' (Atlantic 2814 003) is £70, while £50 nets either 'Going For The One' / 'Parallels' (Atlantic K 10985/T) or the white label of 'And You And 1'/ 'Siberian Khatru' (Atlantic 6-Ail-Bl).
As for standard issues, the UK'Time And A Word'/'The Prophet' 7" (Atlantic 584323) fetches £100, as do the Japanese 'And You And 1 (Part 1 & 11)' (Atlantic P1184A) and 'America' (Atlantic P1161A) in picture sleeves. The UK 'Interview Disc', on flexidisc or vinyl, with its accompanying songbook (Lyntone LYN 2536), sells for £50, while the Australian 4-track EP, No Opportunity Necessary, (Atlantic EPA 225) costs £65. And if you know anyone in Portugal, get them to search out rumoured picture sleeve 45s from the 70s Salazar era that would be worth three figures.
As for promo albums, the Japanese The Story Of Yes CD, from 1987 (PS CD 5), sells for £100+, while the US Yes Solos Album (Atlantic PR 260), from 1976, rates £40, 1991's Yes Years 8-track CD (Atco PRCD 4009-2) is £35, and the US 'Gold' limited edition box set of Fragile (Atlantic 82542 2) costs £40.
Good hunting! "
" A guide to collectables with Yes expert David Watkinson
Yes completists have a daunting task, with three decades' worth of material to track down. Although Yes collectables rarely appear in London auction houses, with increasing interest in Yes - eBay posts an average of 20 Yes pages a day - prices are on the rise. OriginalRoger Dean paintings command the serious money, and are pegged at anywhere from £15,000 to £250,000, while one Yessaholic has a whole vintage stage-set in his back garden. But there are many artefacts that are easier and cheaper to find
Handbills dating back to Yes' first gigs in 1968 are in demand and sell for £75. Tour programmes pre-dating 1971 cost upwards of £60 and the Aussie '73 booklet is worth £150, while early record company or venue contracts change hands for £60-£120.
But it was the band's 70s heyday that saw an explosion of merchandise and ephemera with, among other things, press packs, songbooks, posters, flyers and badges.
The Close To The Edge press pack, with its biography, photos and stickers, fetches £80, Roger Dean-designed UK record company and gig posters are in the £50-£100 range, and those used to advertise concerts in Japan and Oz. in '73 cost hundreds more. Many of the most desirable goodies from 1970-74 sport dean's glorious artwork, increasing their desirability, with 1973-76-era merchandise particularly sought after for its superlative design and manufacturing standards. Posters for the Yessongs film of '76 from the US, UK and Germany make £100 each, for example, while original Dean prints retail at £100-£1000 (and Jon Anderson's period paintings rate £300-£1500 )
Between '77 and '79, Yes enlisted the design expertise of Hipgnosis and Storm Thorgerson, and pieces of stage-sets, costumes and kit from this time start at £300. So do presentation awards discs, while mounted music or ticket sales awards start at £100. Even contemporary books command top dollar, Shilow Kuloda's Yes of 1979 being pegged at £50, and Dan Hedges' Yes: Authorised Biography of 1981 at £35.
During the 80s, Yes adopted a more modern look, centred on computer-generated images, with clinical, crisp packaging and a highly stylised new logo. This helped sales of Yes' music, but the new imagery lacked the warmth, depth and familiar feel of vintage Dean, and merchandise from this era is less pricey.
Dean returned in 1989 for Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, Howe, which saw the old graphic style reinvented.
But the end of the Union saw a reversion to modernism, before another Dean renaissance from 1996 for the Keys albums. His artwork continues to adorn Yes' output, cheering fans and adding value in the long term to more recent merchandise. And if money really is no object, you can commission a Roger Dean-designed house. How's that for indulgence?
Yes Songs: Most Wanted
Unreleased Yes music on bootlegs offer relatively cheap access to out-takes and other works-in-progress (as well as live material). Aborted Yes album sessions such as those in Paris in 1979, or the XYZ (ex-Yes/Zeppelin) and Cinema projects, as well as ABWH's aborted second album, are quite easy to find.
As for promotional items, copies of the UK 'Looking Around' / 'Everydays' 45 (Atlantic 584 298) rate £150+, while the UK triple-12" set of 'Going For The One' (Atlantic DSK 50379), will set you back half that. The British 'I've Seen All Good People' (Atlantic 2814 003) is £70, while £50 nets either 'Going For The One' / 'Parallels' (Atlantic K 10985/T) or the white label of 'And You And 1'/ 'Siberian Khatru' (Atlantic 6-Ail-Bl).
As for standard issues, the UK'Time And A Word'/'The Prophet' 7" (Atlantic 584323) fetches £100, as do the Japanese 'And You And 1 (Part 1 & 11)' (Atlantic P1184A) and 'America' (Atlantic P1161A) in picture sleeves. The UK 'Interview Disc', on flexidisc or vinyl, with its accompanying songbook (Lyntone LYN 2536), sells for £50, while the Australian 4-track EP, No Opportunity Necessary, (Atlantic EPA 225) costs £65. And if you know anyone in Portugal, get them to search out rumoured picture sleeve 45s from the 70s Salazar era that would be worth three figures.
As for promo albums, the Japanese The Story Of Yes CD, from 1987 (PS CD 5), sells for £100+, while the US Yes Solos Album (Atlantic PR 260), from 1976, rates £40, 1991's Yes Years 8-track CD (Atco PRCD 4009-2) is £35, and the US 'Gold' limited edition box set of Fragile (Atlantic 82542 2) costs £40.
Good hunting! "