A bunch of stuff from the last three weeks....
First off, the rest of that order from Juno that was split into a couple packages. Harvey Sutherland "Boy" (2022, Japanese pressing), Depeche Mode "Sounds Of The Universe", ELO "Time" and Michael Kiwanuka "Love & Hate". Every pressing on here is excellent. Especially happy about the Harvey Sutherland. Love this record but couldn't find a good pressing. I returned the standard pressings I've had because of scribble scratches. But then Juno had a copy of the Japanese and it's fabulous. Excellent electronic funk record if you're not familiar, with a collab with Dam-Funk and a sound that reminds me of Todd Terje at times. I'm continuing my dive into DM, now with deeper cuts. The ELO 2016 reissue is excellent and I'm pleased with the Kiwanuka - considering the bad pressing reviews on this one, mine is quite good, probably because this is a more recent re-press.
Now for a couple original Canadian pressings. Bought this for the Living Colour but the real gem is the cheap throw-in. That Billy Idol is just about audiophile quality. But, the Living Colour pressing is very disappointing. Flat and lifeless sound. Not to mention the massive mis-grading by the seller (a MN- record filled with scuffs and plays back with tons of pops throughout, yeah right).
I also got these used Sabbaths, from the Rhino Chris Bellman 2011 pressing run, which are supposed to be all-analogue . They're both really nice with tip-on jackets like the originals. Interestingly, I also have an original Canadian pressing of Vol 4 to compare to. The 2011 CB is really similar - maybe a bit more open on the high end but this is a YMMV situation, I think I prefer the softness of the original Canadian for this record. Plus, these 2011's are pressed at Rainbo, so there's that. This Vol. 4 is noisier than the original pressing and, as weird as it may sound for a Sabbath record, you want quiet for Vol. 4 because there are lots of dynamics and quiet parts. The SBS 2011 is flawless and for sure my final copy of this record.
Next up are the Morphine reissues. I haven't played these yet, but the needle drops seem very promissing.
And lastly, a bunch of recent stuff obtained individually. The Mountain Goats is based on
@Hemotep playing it in the vinyl challenge thread. The Gabriels is the 2xLP 33rpm limited version, which I posted in the "really nice sounding pressings thread". There's also the latest Nation of Language (just received this morning, not played) and the latest Alan Palomo (Neon Indian), which is tons of fun and a very good pressing.
Still chasing down With The Beatles, Hard Day's Night, and Yellow Submarine. Going after the standalones with the proper covers though. Budget is the primary limitation right now. I've been a psycho the past 2 months.
