Definitive Audiophile pressings

Turbo said:
This one was not all that reasonable since my main goal is to get a clean copy. Let's say it was one-step priced. But I have no regrets considering how great it is.
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Yep. I think I'll have to do the same at some point. None of the modern versions do it justice & it is a great album
 
Turbo said:
To add a little. I also have the 2015 reissue, which frankly is pretty mediocre. I was A/B'ing them last night just for fun. I had to get my wife and daughter in the room it was so drastic - I was playing Sister Morphine and I had to go back and forth 3-4 times before they believed me it was the same song. You can actually visually see the difference in dynamics by looking at the grooves. The quieter parts are clearly visible on the Japanese 1979 while the 2015 is just flat all the way across. Anyway, not much new here since I don't think people liked the 2015 much to begin with, but I find it interesting nonetheless.

EDIT: Some pictures. Japanese sides A/B first, 2015 sides A/B second. It's uncanny how much is lost in these reissues.

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I have the 2020 half speed and it's pretty awful. I quite like the MoFi of this actually...but I know people don't seem to love it and think maybe it sounds too clean. But I remember really enjoying the soundstage on it. I'll have to give it a spin again today!
 
MikeH said:
I have the 2020 half speed and it's pretty awful. I quite like the MoFi of this actually...but I know people don't seem to love it and think maybe it sounds too clean. But I remember really enjoying the soundstage on it. I'll have to give it a spin again today!
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Yeah too clean would annoy me with this one for sure. I also just have the 2015 and it isn’t great, damnit @Turbo
 
Joe Mac said:
Yeah too clean would annoy me with this one for sure. I also just have the 2015 and it isn’t great, damnit @Turbo
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I think the Ziggy MoFi suffers from the same "issue" that a lot of people claim it has with it sounding too clean. I personally love both of those MoFis but am not as intimately familiar with OG mixes of the original albums so it doesn't bother me.
 
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So these are interesting in the same way those JP Revolvers were. "Low" sounds pretty much fantastic front to back. But I have no other versions to compare to. But it's clear and crisp with good mids and lows. Good separation and pretty punchy. You're still dealing with a Bowie recording and his albums on the whole were, not all that well recorded in my opinion. So there's inconsistencies between songs, but it's very very good on the whole and I'd be curious to hear one that sounds much better. Space Oddity is equal parts absurdly good and then overly' bright and sibilant in parts. But it's not across the board. I'd say 3/4s of the songs sound better than I've ever heard them (again no other vinyl copy to go on here, this is just from years of hearing them), like that softened vocal veil that I find tends to be over a lot of his stuff is totally gone here. Much like the early JP Revolver he's now right in the room with you. And on most of the tracks that's mind blowing. But then there's a few parts where you get major vocal sibilance (mainly on Letter To Hermione) where because they haven't yanked down the treble to account for the quality of the recording, he may be in the room but his mouth is pretty much touching the mic, and it very much sounds like that. And when things get loud at the end of Free Festival you get some brightness with the cymbals and chorus. But I'll take it because since the treble hasn't been softened, the majority of Free Festival where it's just Bowie and the organ or accordian is mind melting. He's right there in front of you. So that's kinda the trade off with this one, you get the clearest most concise sound I can imagine, but with that you have to take the downside that a couple of songs probably needed that treble yanked down. For me though it's a winner. And the big big thing is they are clearly an early analog transfer and that natural smoothness just comes through.
 
MikeH said:
I think the Ziggy MoFi suffers from the same "issue" that a lot of people claim it has with it sounding too clean. I personally love both of those MoFis but am not as intimately familiar with OG mixes of the original albums so it doesn't bother me.
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Yeah I’d equally have an issue with that one cleaned up. From listening to pieces on it too recently with the 50th lots of it was recorded with very few full band takes and Bowie picking his favourite and running with it with very few overdubs. That gives it an immediacy and energy that I wouldn’t want to lose by scrubbing it too clean.
 
Colonel4Bin said:
I wound up buying the 2009 press my local got in for $30 from someone who probably played it once. They always do a great job with presses but the packaging was superb - pleasantly surprised by how thick the jacket was.
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That's awesome. Yeah, all the Nonesuch-issued/reissued Wilco records are fantastic pressings and packages. I'd prefer the '09, too, as I don't really have the shelf space for a 4-LP box and generally like outtakes/live stuff on CD instead, but it's hard to find right now. Might offer a friend who has it and prefers A.M./Uncle Tupelo my VMP A.M. and then pick up the deluxe of that, we'll see.
 
D Jilla said:
I also have a Japanese Sticky Fingers and agree that it's the best I've heard the album sound - not sure how it compares to an OG UK, but for the money for a good copy, the JP is probably the better move. I have this one:

www.discogs.com

The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers

View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 1972 Vinyl release of "Sticky Fingers" on Discogs.
www.discogs.com www.discogs.com
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I think at least for Sticky Fingers and Exile, when I researched it early US pressings were preferred to UK, which is great as they were possible to get around $20 not too long ago if you were lucky. Personally haven't heard a UK, so take it with a grain of salt of course, I was happy to stop with the US cuts.
 
mofi.com

Grateful Dead - Workingman's Dead

The first Grateful Dead album to eschew cosmic jams and complex signatures, Workingman's Dead stakes its existence to great songs, homespun warmth, and bare essentials. Its wistful, relaxed state – immediately apparent via the innocent album-opening invitation "Will you come with me?" on "Uncle...
mofi.com

@Mather didn't you want this one?
 
MikeH said:
mofi.com

Grateful Dead - Workingman's Dead

The first Grateful Dead album to eschew cosmic jams and complex signatures, Workingman's Dead stakes its existence to great songs, homespun warmth, and bare essentials. Its wistful, relaxed state – immediately apparent via the innocent album-opening invitation "Will you come with me?" on "Uncle...
mofi.com

@Mather didn't you want this one?
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I did yes thanks, but I'll have to wait till it appears up here. I don't want to pay the insane brokerage duty garbage... I think that one will likely make it's way up here
 
dhodo said:
I think at least for Sticky Fingers and Exile, when I researched it early US pressings were preferred to UK, which is great as they were possible to get around $20 not too long ago if you were lucky. Personally haven't heard a UK, so take it with a grain of salt of course, I was happy to stop with the US cuts.
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Yeah, I've got a Canadian Kinney Exile, which uses the same famous Artisan stampers as the US - it sounds amazing and probably even better than the JP Sticky Fingers. I'm sure you're right about the US pressings for these - I actually haven't looked into these specifically, I just know in most cases the UKs are the desired ones for the classic UK bands. I never see UK pressings locally and don't want to pay Discogs prices, so I pretty much assume I'm always needing to hunt for the next best option.
 
Mather said:
Well, I just cleaned JP The Wall like 3 more times and almost all the pops are gone now.. Pretty much proper NM now. Sooooo... yay. And also sometimes you have to RCM things like 5 times. Mental note
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D Jilla said:
I also have a Japanese Sticky Fingers and agree that it's the best I've heard the album sound - not sure how it compares to an OG UK, but for the money for a good copy, the JP is probably the better move. I have this one:

www.discogs.com

The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers

View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 1972 Vinyl release of "Sticky Fingers" on Discogs.
www.discogs.com www.discogs.com
Click to expand...
I have a US Monarch that sounds good but is super noisy. I’d love to find one of these Japanese versions. I’ve got a Japanese let it bleed that is stellar.
 
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