Best recent AAA releases/reissues...

So I've gone on a little Dylan Mofi spree this morning...

I've ordered Blonde on Blonde, Desire (it has my favourite Dylan track on it) and Freewheelin (mono).

Can't wait for these to arrive next week and test them out.
This will also result in a seminal moment for my record collection; my first duplicate copies! I've already got copies of BoB and Desire. Not sure how I feel about this!
 
Something that I totally forgot about — and only remembered when I revisited my Discogs wishlist:

The current Parlophone reissue for The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, which includes a gold variant, is a repress of the 2012 remaster that was cut AAA. Seeing how widely-available this reissue is, and how much of a classic it is, it should go up a few notches in other wishlists too.

Other modern AAA titles:

A handful of titles by Gearbox Records, notably their Binker and Moses releases.
The Intervention Records reissue of Gene Clark's White Light.

TBCs:

Converge's Jane Doe was recorded and mixed entirely in analog, but there's no information online if vinyl copies were cut AAA. Plus, it was issued by Equal Vision (now OOP) and then Deathwish (widely available), so even if EV pressed it in AAA, there's no guarantee the Deathwish one is.

The Alice in Chains MTV Unplugged reissue by MOV was pressed with the original US stampers — no indication if it was cut AAA but reviews all around are heaping praise upon it. Even if it isn't AAA, at least it's as good as buying an original pressing.
 
Something that I totally forgot about — and only remembered when I revisited my Discogs wishlist:

The current Parlophone reissue for The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, which includes a gold variant, is a repress of the 2012 remaster that was cut AAA. Seeing how widely-available this reissue is, and how much of a classic it is, it should go up a few notches in other wishlists too.

Other modern AAA titles:

A handful of titles by Gearbox Records, notably their Binker and Moses releases.
The Intervention Records reissue of Gene Clark's White Light.

TBCs:

Converge's Jane Doe was recorded and mixed entirely in analog, but there's no information online if vinyl copies were cut AAA. Plus, it was issued by Equal Vision (now OOP) and then Deathwish (widely available), so even if EV pressed it in AAA, there's no guarantee the Deathwish one is.

The Alice in Chains MTV Unplugged reissue by MOV was pressed with the original US stampers — no indication if it was cut AAA but reviews all around are heaping praise upon it. Even if it isn't AAA, at least it's as good as buying an original pressing.
Agree Bowie is amazing. Frustrating that they haven't done this with any of the other reissues.

The only Binker and Moses I have is Alive in the East, which is incredible, but since it doesn't state anything, I'm assuming it is the exception of being AAA.

Also highly recommend Flying Burrito Bros. - Gilded Palace of Sin on Intervention.
 
Thelonious Monk - Monk's Dream (2017 - Impex)

I forgot who I had for secret Santa this year but I’m pretty sure this was the pressing I got them. I had no idea it was AAA. I honestly didn’t know about AAA until the Anthology thread. I know about analog vs digital, etc. but never heard something labeled “AAA” before that. But that’s pretty cool 😎
 
I've purchased this The Famous Sound Of Three Blind Mice Vol. 1 compilation from Discogs almost a month ago and I am still waiting for it (DHL are really doing a great job with my parcel...). Anyway, it's a 2xLP limited edition (3000 copies worldwide), first time available on audiophile 180 gram Vinyl, 2xLP, pressed at RTI, cut by Chris Bellman, remastered at Bernie Grundman Mastering, released by Impex Records.

Side A
1. Aqua Marine - Isao Suzuki Quartet (from Blow Up, 1973)
2. Midnight Sugar - Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio (from Midnight Sugar, 1974)

Side B
1. Midnight Sunrise - Tatsuya Takahashi & Tokyo Union (from Scandinavian Suite, 1977)
2. The Lady Is A Tramp - Ayako Hosokawa (from Mr. Wonderful, 1977)
3. La Fiesta - Toshiyuki Miyama & The New Herd (from New Herd, 1974)

Side C
1. The Way We Were - Yama & Jiro's Wave (from Girl Talk, 1976)
2. When A Man Loves A Woman - Takashi Mizuhashi Quartet (from Live In 5 Days In Jazz, 1974)
3. Alone Together - Masaru Imada & George Mraz (from Alone Together, 1977)

Side D
1. Willow Weep For Me - Shoji Yokouchi Trio + 1 (from Greensleeves, 1979)
2. Misty - Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio (from Misty, 1974)

View attachment 231
This is a real nice lookin one. I snagged Misty and Girl Talk on eBay probably around a year ago for about $15-$20 each They were mislabeled on eBay and also ended in the middle of the night so I bid at the starting price and somehow nobody else bid on em. I've been eyeing those box sets for awhile now but just haven't pulled the trigger especially after grabbing those other two.
 
Agree Bowie is amazing. Frustrating that they haven't done this with any of the other reissues.

The only Binker and Moses I have is Alive in the East, which is incredible, but since it doesn't state anything, I'm assuming it is the exception of being AAA.

Also highly recommend Flying Burrito Bros. - Gilded Palace of Sin on Intervention.

Oh yeah, I have Alive in the East as well, wonderful album. There's no indication that it was recorded directly to Gearbox's tape machine, so yeah, don't think it's AAA unless they publicly state otherwise.

From the Bandcamp page of Journey to the Mountain of Forever,

"The sessions took place on 21-22 July 2016, and were recorded completely live from Mark Ronson’s Zelig studio direct to a 1960’s Studer C37 1/4” tape machine at Gearbox’s studio - no edits, drop-ins or mixing down."

An article about Gearbox's vintage equipment:

"The studio is equipped with, among other gear, a 1/4" tube-based Studer C37, a 1969 Studer H37 1/2" deck with 3 and 4 track headbocks, and a vintage Haeco Scully cutting lathe (circa 1967) fitted with a Westrex head and cutting amplifiers and everything else vintage needed to create a high quality mastering chain including an ex-DECCA all tube mastering board, a Maselec master control and a vintage Lang Pultec EQ. Monitoring is all Audionote, including a Tomei power amp, M6 tube amp, unspecified Audionote speakers and cab"
 
Oh yeah, I have Alive in the East as well, wonderful album. There's no indication that it was recorded directly to Gearbox's tape machine, so yeah, don't think it's AAA unless they publicly state otherwise.

From the Bandcamp page of Journey to the Mountain of Forever,

"The sessions took place on 21-22 July 2016, and were recorded completely live from Mark Ronson’s Zelig studio direct to a 1960’s Studer C37 1/4” tape machine at Gearbox’s studio - no edits, drop-ins or mixing down."

An article about Gearbox's vintage equipment:

"The studio is equipped with, among other gear, a 1/4" tube-based Studer C37, a 1969 Studer H37 1/2" deck with 3 and 4 track headbocks, and a vintage Haeco Scully cutting lathe (circa 1967) fitted with a Westrex head and cutting amplifiers and everything else vintage needed to create a high quality mastering chain including an ex-DECCA all tube mastering board, a Maselec master control and a vintage Lang Pultec EQ. Monitoring is all Audionote, including a Tomei power amp, M6 tube amp, unspecified Audionote speakers and cab"
Cool, I need to check out their studio stuff.
 
Tharpe is a positive. With Phoenix I’m shocked that an album recorded in 2009 was originally recorded to tape!
Same.

I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a mixdown from digital to tape, but then I’d have expected it to be a digital mix/master.

To me “original tapes” doesn’t necessarily mean “AAA”.
 
Same.

I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a mixdown from digital to tape, but then I’d have expected it to be a digital mix/master.

To me “original tapes” doesn’t necessarily mean “AAA”.

"We also had the record remastered from the original tapes by Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound. He’s done a bunch of our direct tape remasters. Around this time, people were just starting to record to tape again; it’s sometimes hard to find albums from the late-’90s and early ’00s where the album was actually recorded to tape first. So we were super excited that the band had the original master tapes on this. So this is an all analog pressing."


 
But AAA is spars

So first tapes
Second mix
Third mastering

I know record labels muddy the waters but I refuse to acknowledge it as an AAA unless all three of those are A lol
I agree with you! Unless the criteria of the SPARS codes are confirmed we don’t know it’s AAA, and in this market confirmation of AAA is good marketing so if it doesn’t say AAA it likely isn’t.
 
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