Mastering/Pressing

olan · Post by **olan** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 9:11 pm

I posted yesterday about how prominent the vocals on the new LP were. I had listened to the album once, at lowish volume. Also, I had not cleaned the records (I know it's totally anal, but I run all new LPs through a record cleaning machine usually). Here are my impressions after cleaning and several listens at more typical volume.
1.I cannot believe how much gunk came off the Albums, this was a new LP. I suspect this was mould release agent.
2. It sounds better after cleaning, but several tracks still sound shocking. Hey Little Girl is really poorly mastered, similarly the opening to Get What You Deserve sounds like it has been totally overloaded.
3. There is a surprising amount of surface noise for a New LP
4. There is almost no bass and piano notes are really badly distorted (intro to Heading' for the Top being a good example)

I have a decent system and a very good turntable, but I was worried it was my system so played the record on my neighbour's setup. Things were even worse there. In short, I've bought Joy Division bootlegs that have been better mastered/pressed.

Has anybody else noticed issues like these? I actually think that the songs are great, but the quality of the vinyl is very poor making this a difficult listen. I might buy the CD to compare....

Edit: Just noticed that you can download the WAVs. I'll do this and give them a listen. Can't believe how shite the C side of this LP is in terms of the sound quality. What a pity.....

James T · Post by **James T** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 9:14 pm

Yes. It is fucking shocking. Will probably never listen to it again.

burningwheel · Post by **burningwheel** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 9:16 pm

messed up. did someone say the cd sounds bad as well?

PopeJez · Post by **PopeJez** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 9:20 pm

I've only listened to disc 1. It sounds like the full range of the songs hasn't made it to the vinyl pressing. I thought the same about the Hey Jane 7" - that sounded like one of my kids had been fucking around with the treble button on my amp. There isn't one.

The MP3 sound fine.

redcloud · Post by **redcloud** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 9:36 pm

Do you think this is a pressing problem more than a mastering issue? Cheap vinyl?

It will be interesting to hear how the US LP sounds. But, because of Olan's concerns, which I totally respect based on previous posts regarding records/record care, I will save my $$ and pick up the cd instead. If the US LP's seems better I may pick it up at a later date.

olan · Post by **olan** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 9:48 pm

redcloud wrote:Do you think this is a pressing problem more than a mastering issue? Cheap vinyl?

It will be interesting to hear how the US LP sounds. But, because of Olan's concerns, which I totally respect based on previous posts regarding records/record care, I will save my $$ and pick up the cd instead. If the US LP's seems better I may pick it up at a later date.

It may just be my records, so I would hold fire on buying the CD until a wider range of views are in. I'm downloading the WAVs as I type this. Hopefully, I'll get round to listening to them before I fall asleep in the middle of Match of the Day.....

olan · Post by **olan** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 10:25 pm

OK, I have downloaded the WAVs from Domino. I will be contacting the label to ask them to replace my records. The WAVs have decent bass, are free from most of the distortion etc and most of all sound OK from a musical point of view. This is a big surprise to me because my turntable will usually trounce CD or PC audio. The WAVs sound nicely balanced played out of a Dell notebook via my DAC into the HiFi. The vinyl sounds horrible, distorted and harsh. I'll replay the WAVs tomorrow using a streamer and not a notebook. But at the moment my shitty Dell PC sounds much, much better than my LP12. This.should.not.happen.Ever.

Vindaloo · Post by **Vindaloo** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 10:41 pm

I found that the CD didnt exhibit the serious problems that the vinyl does, so i can only assume that the fuckup has been at the vinyl transfer stage rather than the original mastering

The mastering was done by Bob Ludwig and he is no mug.

On the CD i find that the sound quality of the songs does fairly a fair bit ranging from very average (Hey Jane) to very good (I Am What I Am) which I suspect is due to quality of the mixes provided to the mastering engineer. In turn this probably posed some challenges for the engineer in terms of acheiving a consistent sound without detracting too much from the stronger sounding tracks. Bob Ludwig mastered 'There's a Riot Goin On' - which has a number of songs which were recorded on to knackered tape.... but the tracks that were good, such as 'Poet', are sublime. Perhaps he is less inclined to iron out the differences. Its not a problem for me. Has anyone got the Sundazed vinyl?

But none of this bears any to relation to what is actually happening on the SWSL vinyl which is basically a very poor reproduction of the higher frequencies, turning it into a mushy uncomfortable mess. On the busier tracks the problem is exacerbated. Disc 1 seems worse affected in general.

BVCP206 · Post by **BVCP206** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 10:43 pm

Got to be honest the vinyl on my Project Mk 3 is holding up perfectly

olan · Post by **olan** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 11:09 pm

BVCP206 wrote:Got to be honest the vinyl on my Project Mk 3 is holding up perfectly

You probably need to have your cartridge looked at....(ohhh errr Missus etc etc)

James T · Post by **James T** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 11:53 pm

Yeah, I have the same record player and it's sounds shite. Asking for a replacement won't help if theyre all shit. What are we to do?

Sim · Post by **Sim** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 12:38 am

I've not had much chance to listen in detail but I wouldn't say my vinyl sounds atrocious.... however, the wavs are a definite improvement. I agree that Hey Little Girl (particularly the last couple of mins) seems to suffer the most.

I assume every one here is posting about the white vinyl - does anyone yet have a black vinyl version to compare with?

I was really disappointed with the sound on the Hey Jane 7", on the LP it sounds better.

niamhm · Post by **niamhm** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 12:45 am

James T wrote:Yeah, I have the same record player and it's sounds shite. Asking for a replacement won't help if theyre all shit. What are we to do?

was thinking that myself,although I haven`t played it yet (don`t own a turntable ,bought it as it looked cool and though this may lead into getting one ,cds I tend to convert to mp3s and stick them on the shelve rarely to be played again) so couldn`t say how it sounds ,is it really that bad? never really been an audiophile like some hear ,just know what I like,

synthiA · Post by **synthiA** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 1:04 am

Similar thing happened with LAGWAFIS. I bought the vinyl right when it was released and the grooves on side two were so shallow that by about half way it was a lost flat. What was there on the other sides was still pretty bad. It sounded awful and I bought a new one from a store in another part of the country two weeks later. It had the same problem. I gave up until the recent repress.. which still does not sound as good as the cd.

For all of the work that goes into these records, someone should be doing quality control. There is no excuse.. especially in a time where people paying for the music should have access to something of high quality. Unfortunately, I will be surprised if Domino takes any responsibility to fix the problem. They will probably offer the money back but that is it. I will be contacting them regardless.

Broc · Post by **Broc** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 1:37 am

Sim wrote:I was really disappointed with the sound on the Hey Jane 7", on the LP it sounds better.

Ditto. It doesn't sound great at all. Looks cool though, some consolation

.

Haven't received the (white) double LP yet though so hoping for the best. No excuse for fucking this up though especially with the prices new LPs cost. It really pisses me off, hopefullly it'll be OK....

James T · Post by **James T** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 1:09 pm

Does anyone else have any white vinyl pressings of an album? I'm wondering if White vinyl itself is a bit shit, because I only have 1 other (retribution gospel choir 1) and that too is a bit crappy on some tracks.

PopeJez · Post by **PopeJez** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 1:11 pm

My copy is white. Disc 1 sounds poor.

sm-iom · Post by **sm-iom** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 1:59 pm

Have got a few white vinyls. I'm not sure any of them really sound great. The exception, working purely from memory, is a Sonic Youth 10" single (Sugar Kane?).

PopeJez · Post by **PopeJez** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 2:16 pm

I've got the Cure's Entreat in white marbled vinyl and that sounds superb.

James T · Post by **James T** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 2:57 pm

That's one theory out of the window then. I think we're all owed a new copy that's been mastered to vinyl properly.

Post by **runcible** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 3:09 pm

I just compared the vinyl with the downloaded version. To my surprise the vinyl sounded less bright, so I think the sound quality is very similar on download, CD and vinyl.

TheWarmth · Post by **TheWarmth** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 3:33 pm

I doubt the issue with these records is the mastering. I also doubt the fact that they are pressed to colored vinyl is the problem, as I mentioned in another thread. Something must have gone awry at the pressing plant. I'm curious how Domino will respond. This kind of thing seems like it would be absolutely unacceptable to Jason.

Post by **runcible** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 4:36 pm

Would the fact that the download is of similar quality hint at something other than pressing issues?

redcloud · Post by **redcloud** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 4:58 pm

runcible wrote:Would the fact that the download is of similar quality hint at something other than pressing issues?

Sounds like it to me.

I did voice a similar concern about colored vinyl when I first read it was to be released on white vinyl. I know it all looks pretty but aesthetics aside, I have heard from many collectors over the years that colored vinyl is inferior. That said, I believe vinyl in its purest form is clear so I'm not sure why black might sound better than other colors as it too is an additive. In theory, a clear record would sound better than black vinyl. Right?

More to the point though....as runcible states above, if the download also sounds flat then it seems to hint at a mastering issue.

TheWarmth · Post by **TheWarmth** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 4:58 pm

I was under the impression that everyone was pretty happy with the WAV and MP3 files. You're not, Mark? I can't make a judgment since all I have heard is the NPR stream.

olan · Post by **olan** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 5:55 pm

To my (cloth) ears the vinyl sounds incredibly harsh. There is no bass whatsoever compared to the WAV. The WAV is fairly bright too, but much easier to listen to. The amount of surface noise on the vinyl does not help making it any more listenable. It is a real shame as this appears to be a very decent album in terms of the songwriting. I might bung it onto the iPod and try listening to it that way.....

James T · Post by **James T** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 6:27 pm

To me, the download sounds better. A few of the songs on LP are actually unlistenable. Little Girl is ridiculous.

PopeJez · Post by **PopeJez** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 7:02 pm

The download sounds great. The white vinyl disc 1 sounds terrible. Disc 2 is fine.

James T · Post by **James T** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 8:23 pm

Disc 2 a lot better, but the end of pretty thing still goes a bit crappy which is a real kick in the balls.

Post by **spzretent** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 8:26 pm

I have just alerted Jason's manager about this.
I'm sure he will have something to say tomorrow as he is out of town right now.

PopeJez · Post by **PopeJez** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 8:41 pm

Thanks spzretent.

Shinesalight · Post by **Shinesalight** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 8:48 pm

Managed to pick this up from my local record store today who kindly let me have it a day before it goes on general release. Just playing it now hoping that those on here who have been unhappy with the double white vinyl version had just been unlucky. Got to say that disc one really doesn't sound great which is such a shame as the songs themselves don't deserve this. My girlfriend said that it just sounds that Jason's vocals sound like his singing in a different place. To me, and I know this has has already been brought up in reviews and on this forum, the vocals are too much in the front of the mix... thought that is not to say they're all that clear. The second disc is a certainly an improvement...currently got Mary on in the background and that sounds brilliant.

Don't really know what to add. Its certainly a great album but its been really let down on the sound quality front. I've not exactly got a high end system (Rega RP1 turntable, Cambridge Audio amp and 30 year old Mission speakers) but I really wasn't expecting such a poor sounding album from the Spaceman... after all, he is a perfectionist when it comes to these things.

Will be interesting to see if Spzretent hears anything from Jason's management. Still need to download the MP3/Wav files and can then judge the record against those.

Post by **spzretent** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 8:57 pm

I wont hear anything. My hope is he will post something in this thread. All I have heard is the stream.
He asked what the issue is/was and I just said read this thread when you get a chance. It explains more than I ever could.
But, they need to know this. It sounds pretty clear that there is a serious issue here.

sm-iom · Post by **sm-iom** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 9:32 pm

Not quite the same thing, but when I bought FUI by mail order, the record arrived cracked. Rang them (all pre-Internet), and another was dispatched, arriving only a few days later. The cracked version is still in a box somewhere in the attic.

Ok, definitely not the same thing, this could be harder and costlier to resolve...

redcloud · Post by **redcloud** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 12:09 am

Slightly off topic but....

Shinesalight wrote:I've not exactly got a high end system (Rega RP1 turntable, Cambridge Audio amp and 30 year old Mission speakers) .

Rega + Cam Audio is not bad. Even their entry level turntable is better than a lot of record players priced much higher. I have a Cam Audio Azur 640 amp and I love it.

You do realize that they have an upgrade kit for the RP1. You can get a Rega cartridge (which I have at the moment and really like) + thicker mat and better belt. It will make your RP1 essentially a RP3, I think.

synthiA · Post by **synthiA** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 12:39 am

Roksan Radius 4.2 into a Roksan Kandy2 amp thru proAc 140mk2 speakers. I really don't think my system is to blame.

Post by **runcible** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 10:56 am

TheWarmth wrote:I was under the impression that everyone was pretty happy with the WAV and MP3 files. You're not, Mark? I can't make a judgment since all I have heard is the NPR stream.

It sounds compressed to my ears - like the top and bottom have been flattened. I played the download again last night and thought the same. Not a criticism of the music, just the overall sound.

olan · Post by **olan** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 11:42 am

runcible wrote:
TheWarmth wrote:I was under the impression that everyone was pretty happy with the WAV and MP3 files. You're not, Mark? I can't make a judgment since all I have heard is the NPR stream.
It sounds compressed to my ears - like the top and bottom have been flattened. I played the download again last night and thought the same. Not a criticism of the music, just the overall sound.

Very good description. The absence of bass and high frequencies makes for quite an unsettling listen. The WAVs are much better than the vinyl.

angelsighs · Post by **angelsighs** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 11:51 am

this all rather worrying.

I wonder how my CD copy is going to sound. I thought the stream sounded ok (as much as I could glean from laptop speakers anyway), and no reviews have mentioned any mastering quibbles

James T · Post by **James T** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 1:52 pm

The downloads sound as good as you could expect a download to sound. To way the vocals and everything are mixed is just a matter of opinion. I prefer the way they're front centre on this than on Drums & Guns (low album) where all the vocals are on one side.

I can't get past how bad the record sounds though. I would have listened to this album so much by now if it had a good quality pressing. People complained about the way Plain reissued some of the albums, I hope they reissue this one because even they would do a better job!

Supervim · Post by **Supervim** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 3:54 pm

Using Project RPM 5 turntable, Monitor Audio BX6 speakers,blah blah,

The album sound is rotten, half the range isn't there. Like listening to bi wired speakers with only two wires plugged in. I actually thought this was the problem the first time I put on the 7"

Vinyl is not cheap to manufacture and production mistakes like this are absolutely unforgiveable. I'm sure Jason will be just as frustrated - but I'm not hearing anything about a recall,

Everyone knows this isn't the first time this has happened, surely there must be some kind of quality control at the pressing plant. Why send out duff product??

Such a shame, I didn't get to hear the new material live because of a shit set list in Manchester and now I still can't hear it as it was intended unless I pay for another format.

TheWarmth · Post by **TheWarmth** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 4:18 pm

No record gets duplicated before test pressings (usually two or more based on my experiences) have been given a written approval by the artist of someone representing the artist. Man, I really hope the US pressing is ok.

spunder · Post by **spunder** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 5:10 pm

well i'm listening to my shiny new cd, cant compare to the vinyl as i havent purchased but the mix is a bit odd on first listen. sounds like a well worn northern soul elpee being played on an old dansette. bass is defo not as strong as i would like. and vocals are well upfront. this mix is ok on the ballads/ softer numbers but doesnt quite work on the heavier tracks :-/

did get a free poster though.

spazed99 · Post by **spazed99** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 6:21 pm

The issues raised on this topic have been put in front of Domino who are looking into it. When I get a considered response it will be reported back. Thanks Spzrent for alerting us to the problem.

PopeJez · Post by **PopeJez** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 6:28 pm

Thank you.

CatMole · Post by **CatMole** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 7:28 pm

I've been listening to the WAV and think it's a strange mix, but assume this is deliberate, seems to be the prefered guitar sound for quite a bit of the record. The top end is 'in your face and deliberately distorted. I also found this at the RAH it was getting pretty harsh. It doesn't make for an easy going sound on your ears. It sounds like playing an LP on a dodgy Hanari HIFI I had when a teen, which I ruined plenty of good records with.
Perhaps when vinyl is played on a high end system the desired sound is reproduced so well it seems even worse/better if you see what I mean. I think many just don't like the production very much, I'm not really a fan. Although I've not listened to the Vinyl so shouldn't really pass judgement.

PopeJez · Post by **PopeJez** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 7:44 pm

The vinyl (disc 1) is a poor pressing. It's nothing to do with the way it's mixed. I've now heard the cd and the download and it sounds great and, no doubt, exactly as intended.

The issue is purely the vinyl pressing which sounds nothing like the cd / download. As someone else said, a great description is it really does sound like like you've plugged in the speaker wire the wrong way round.

Spzretent has let management know so let's wait and see.

I think, in the main, we are all old buggers who like vinyl and like their vinyl to sound good. Especially their Spiritualized vinyl.

angelsighs · Post by **angelsighs** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 7:50 pm

listening to the CD now.. yeah, the mastering is... weird.

sm-iom · Post by **sm-iom** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 7:53 pm

PopeJez wrote:
Spzretent has let management know so let's wait and see.

I think that's spazed99, who commented a few posts back - awaiting Domino's considerations.

Post by **spzretent** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 8:43 pm

Spazed99 is Jason's manager.
He would be the final/definitive word here.

CatMole · Post by **CatMole** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 8:45 pm

OK. It seems the mastering is weird and the pressing is just plain old bad

spunder · Post by **spunder** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 10:23 pm

as a comparison ive ripped the CD into my itunes to listen on the old ipod.....it isnt a good result! get what you deserve sounds harsh as fuck through headphones....cant believe this mix is by design.

BVCP206 · Post by **BVCP206** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 11:25 pm

spazed99 wrote:The issues raised on this topic have been put in front of Domino who are looking into it. When I get a considered response it will be reported back. Thanks Spzrent for alerting us to the problem.

That is much appreciated. Thank you.

TheWarmth · Post by **TheWarmth** » Tue Apr 17, 2012 5:03 am

spunder wrote:as a comparison ive ripped the CD into my itunes to listen on the old ipod.....it isnt a good result! get what you deserve sounds harsh as fuck through headphones....cant believe this mix is by design.

I just got my Fat Possum download and am listening to "Get What You Deserve" on the cans (Macbook Pro > iTunes > Sennheiser HD280 Pro cans) and it sounds great. Definitely not harsh. The mp3s are 256kbps bitrate. The vocals are mixed perfectly on this particular track (the first one I've listened to from the download so far). It's really interesting that the bass doesn't kick in until almost the 4 minute mark! Crazy! Anyway, I had an uneasy feeling all day long reading the negative remarks about the UK vinyl pressing and I'm now feeling a lot better based on these mp3s. I'm on to "Heading For The Top" and it sounds awesome, too. So, I'm happy! Fingers crossed that the US pressing is quality.

spunder · Post by **spunder** » Tue Apr 17, 2012 8:12 am

TheWarmth wrote:
spunder wrote:as a comparison ive ripped the CD into my itunes to listen on the old ipod.....it isnt a good result! get what you deserve sounds harsh as fuck through headphones....cant believe this mix is by design.
I just got my Fat Possum download and am listening to "Get What You Deserve" on the cans (Macbook Pro > iTunes > Sennheiser HD280 Pro cans) and it sounds great. Definitely not harsh. The mp3s are 256kbps bitrate. The vocals are mixed perfectly on this particular track (the first one I've listened to from the download so far). It's really interesting that the bass doesn't kick in until almost the 4 minute mark! Crazy! Anyway, I had an uneasy feeling all day long reading the negative remarks about the UK vinyl pressing and I'm now feeling a lot better based on these mp3s. I'm on to "Heading For The Top" and it sounds awesome, too. So, I'm happy! Fingers crossed that the US pressing is quality.

aaaarghh!! sorry to waffle on but walking to work this AM listening to it was so frustrating....for me this is his best album since LICD but the mix is just bad, no depth or warmth....the bass and drums are paper thin and sometimes the sound is so harsh that instrumentation becomes indescernable and i'm nearly switching off. someone said 'I am what i am' had Albert Ayler style horns squaking all over it but all i can hear is what sounds like a couple of wasps caught in the studio.

would gladly pay again for a better produced album. > rant over <

James T · Post by **James T** » Tue Apr 17, 2012 8:40 am

I like the mix, just the LP pressing is a problem. Has anyone picked up the black vinyl version? Saw one in Fopp yesterday for Â£30!! Maybe it's Â£30 because it works?

angelsighs · Post by **angelsighs** » Tue Apr 17, 2012 8:54 am

same concerns here as spunder. I know a bigger issue is the pressing of the vinyl, but my CD copy also sounds strange and flat. it's SO frustrating as I love a lot of these songs. the vocals are very prominent, which is fine, that's a decision he's made ('pop' after all is largely built around the vocals), but a lot of the other instruments are squashed together and sound weak

some of the songs sound mastered 'differently' to each other too if you know what I mean. as I understand part of the function of mastering is to get songs that have different sounds or even came from different sessions, to work together. it's weird, here some songs sound okay, some don't. some have prominent bass, some don't.

spunder · Post by **spunder** » Tue Apr 17, 2012 9:01 am

angelsighs wrote:same concerns here as spunder. I know a bigger issue is the pressing of the vinyl, but my CD copy also sounds strange and flat. it's SO frustrating as I love a lot of these songs. the vocals are very prominent, which is fine, that's a decision he's made ('pop' after all is largely built around the vocals), but a lot of the other instruments are squashed together and sound weak

some of the songs sound mastered 'differently' to each other too if you know what I mean. as I understand part of the function of mastering is to get songs that have different sounds or even came from different sessions, to work together. it's weird, here some songs sound okay, some don't. some have prominent bass, some don't.

thank god its not just me then! yep, dont mind the prominent vocals but almost all these tunes sound like tinny demos to me.
*sigh*

Post by **BzaInSpace** » Tue Apr 17, 2012 10:00 am

James T wrote:I like the mix, just the LP pressing is a problem. Has anyone picked up the black vinyl version? Saw one in Fopp yesterday for Â£30!! Maybe it's Â£30 because it works?

It'll be Â£30 because it's Fopp. Their LP prices are insane, unless they're selling off old HMV stock.

I'm feeling sorta baffled reading this thread so far, The Warmth's post above chimes in with what I thought, was expecting the worst, I listened to the white vinyl all the way through and was pretty much blown away.... let's just say blown way actually. It was an awesome experience.

Firstly, I have nothing like the high-end equipment most of you guys have so if anything a really poor press would have been more noticable to me. 'Get What You Deserve' and 'Headin' For The Top' rule my world and sounded just amazing - rich, full of depth and colour and all kinds of subtle noise/harmonics going on. And Paul, the later appearance of the bass on the former was just one delicious moment of many

Also going purely on my ears, 'Hey Jane' from the album sounded way better than the amazon 256kbps (VBR) mp3. I listened to that so many times over the last month. And that sounded great anyway. The 'edges' seem rounded off, the instruments felt like they had greater seperation, it was definitely a much warmer sound, and when the beat and backing vocals come in at the beginning it just sounded great and loud and full of life.

I was listening to this very loud but still. Interested to hear the offical line...

Hope the East End enjoyed it as much as I did

James T · Post by **James T** » Tue Apr 17, 2012 10:49 am

Had some real bargains at Fopp recently. Forth by The Verve for Â£3, Bright then corners by pavement for Â£10, being there by wilco for Â£11, some durutti column album for Â£3. All vinyl.

musicheals2 · Post by **musicheals2** » Tue Apr 17, 2012 11:10 am

The itunes version I bought sounds fantastic through my pc to my amp and surround sound. I only just got my cd this morning so I've not checked it yet but I love the mix for this record! It's different and yet not...kinda...arrrgghhh it's hard to put into words but I know it's not horrible sounding to my ears. I don't get it at all, all these complaints. It's bizarre. Even through my skull candy's on the way to work last night it sounded perfect. How strange is all this??
Oh and also...what's with the picture of Jason's corpse in the booklet? That's quite disturbing to say the least lol

spunder · Post by **spunder** » Tue Apr 17, 2012 11:41 am

just ordered a copy from Japan to see if there is a difference!!

Post by **BzaInSpace** » Tue Apr 17, 2012 12:01 pm

musicheals2 wrote:The itunes version I bought sounds fantastic through my pc to my amp and surround sound. I only just got my cd this morning so I've not checked it yet but I love the mix for this record! It's different and yet not...kinda...arrrgghhh it's hard to put into words but I know it's not horrible sounding to my ears. I don't get it at all, all these complaints. It's bizarre. Even through my skull candy's on the way to work last night it sounded perfect. How strange is all this??
Oh and also...what's with the picture of Jason's corpse in the booklet? That's quite disturbing to say the least lol

I agree with you - how strange is all this? Fucking bizarre actually. Remember ages ago when some interviewer asked what the next album would be like, Jason said something like it'll be more about the voice, focused on the voice.

Well it is. That faint, reverse echo laden whisper from the old days has gone. The voice sounds 10 feet high on some tunes, totally dry, like the main instrument on others. Hard to put into words but it sounds fantastic.

THERE IS NOTHING "WRONG" or FAULTY WITH THE MIX!

(Glad as always to see absolutely no common consensus about the music here and elsewhere - I think it's a great sign when records can cause some of the insane, OTT negative reviews as well as the positive ones - I'll expand on this later and will try and merge all the review links in one post - but suffice to say blanket adulation is boring as fuck. And the recipients of such acclaim are inevitable forgotten about next year...)

James T wrote:Had some real bargains at Fopp recently. Forth by The Verve for Â£3, Bright then corners by pavement for Â£10, being there by wilco for Â£11, some durutti column album for Â£3. All vinyl.

BzaInSpace wrote:It'll be Â£30 because it's Fopp. Their LP prices are insane, unless they're selling off old HMV stock

Their prices for new vinyl is stupid. Â£40 for a single Dylan mono resissue? Get tae fuck.
And... I dunno if I would call Forth a bargain at any price...

TheWarmth · Post by **TheWarmth** » Tue Apr 17, 2012 2:30 pm

Yeah, I like the mix. Definitely sounds great to my ears, having listened to the Fat Possum mp3s a few times now. If anything, I could see maybe a bit more bass overall, but that's nit-picking. Obviously, I cannot comment on the quality of the UK vinyl pressing.

jadams501 · Post by **jadams501** » Tue Apr 17, 2012 3:35 pm

BzaInSpace wrote:And... I dunno if I would call Forth a bargain at any price...

Ouch. I own 3 copies of Forth -- a promo a friend in radio gave me, the deluxe CD with DVD, and the vinyl box. I paid for the latter two and think I've gotten my money's worth over the years.

Even if you don't like Forth (which I've argued many times is much better than some give it credit for), the vinyl contains the bonus tracks Ma Ma Soul and Muhammad Ali, which many of the anti-Forth contingent have felt are better than what made the album. And, it comes with a scrapbook that would be of interest to any fan of their 90s stuff, I would think.

BzaInSpace wrote:That faint, reverse echo laden whisper from the old days has gone. The voice sounds 10 feet high on some tunes, totally dry, like the main instrument on others. Hard to put into words but it sounds fantastic.

I agree that his voice sounds great. Much more natural than on A&E. For me the low point of Spaceman's vocals was all the unnecessary reverb on the Recurring material, particularly in those versions of Feel So Sad.

sunray · Post by **sunray** » Tue Apr 17, 2012 3:50 pm

BzaInSpace wrote: but suffice to say blanket adulation is boring as fuck.

Now that's funny.