Beach Boys 2014 Vinyl Reissues

What's so bad about "Pet Sounds" from Capitol Vaults on 180G? I have it, the pressing is definitely superb and the sound is OK. Nothing extraordinary but nothing really bad either. And it's in mono.
I think I haven't listened to any better-sounding variants of the album.

 

Thanks, grabbed the Live in London. Don't have their hits on a record. Figured this was a good way to do it.

 

Rock'n'Roll Music is on 15 Big Ones. not Love You.

 

Ok sorry boys. I was thinking of the wrong record. Never mind.

15 Big Ones is the record the indislike.

Sorry. Move along.

 

I love THE BEACH BOYS LOVE YOU.

 

Can anyone report what it says in the dead wax? Any initials/pressing plant info?

 

There are the words "Cease To Exist" etched in the 20/20 dead wax.

 

Cut from the 40th Anniversary digital remaster. Those remixed intros...

Whoever said the '81 green label reissue is "pricey", keep looking, or look harder. I just saw a sealed copy for $20 last week.

 

Their version of Rock and Roll Music is awful but there are plenty of other good songs on that album.

 

I don't think that digital is always bad. Digital has great potential: check the recent digital remaster of "Nightclubbing" by Grace Jones. It sounds incredible on an LP. What really matters is how well this digital remaster has been performed.
But remixing is awful. I guess if I have listened to the remixed version only, I haven't listened to the proper album at all. I definitely need to get a good copy of it.

 

Anyone know what sources were used?

 

I was working at a record store at that time as well, and yeah what the heck is this? I find it a bit more "interesting" after all this time has gone by. I can't say it's in the pipeline of go to BB albums when I'm in the mood to listen to them.

 

I made a mistake , I was thinking 15 Big Ones. Hated that one

 

I saw some test pressings for two titles ("Friends" and "20/20".) In the deadwax, the initials were RM for Ron McMaster and (I could not believe my eyes) there was a little U in a circle -- the dreaded United pressing. Maybe they got a different plant to press the batch that went to retail -- the test pressings I saw were rough looking (even for United!) The covers were white so they may have been for another project, but I suspect they were related to these new issues.

I had figured these would be cut by RM and pressed at Rainbo. Picking between Rainbo and United would be hard for me. I've had different kinds of bad experiences from both plants as well as some shockingly good experiences. Both plants are just random luck for me it seems.

I look forward to hearing from someone who has actually purchased the retail copies...

 

They're United, but the copies I have are very well-pressed. Overall, very happen with both Friends and 20/20.

 

McMaster? Odds are very good that these were cut from the existing digital remasters. Combine that with a URP pressing, and you've got a typical UMe cash grab. Quality? What's that?

 

Sounds like the people that actually have the records like them.

 

15 Big Ones sucks serious

 

The newly reissued double vinyl album version of THE BEACH BOYS IN CONCERT from 1973 is another winner. The sound is good - not great - but no worse than the original Brother/Reprise set. The LPs are thick, heavy, flat and clean. Very little surface noise, if any. And ... what a great live album.

 

Ron McMaster does vinyl mastering too, correct? I have seen his name on LPs before. His Blue Note CDs are all pretty good by my standard. Has anyone A-B'd these to the 2fer cd that came out years ago, or the Pastmasters?

 

I have original pressing and green-label 1980s reissues of Friends, both of which are superb and which I can't imagine these improving on; ditto the green-label reissue of 20/20. Don't much care about live albums. So the question for me is - is it worth my while buying Love You (and to carry on from the earlier theme: it would never be worth buying 15 Big Ones)? Does it do anything for me that the original issue doesn't?

 

Any more reviews? I am surprised there isn't more talk about these here at the forum. I wish we could get some info on how these were pressed.

 

Ive been listening to 20/20 and while it sounds ok I wish I could crank more the volume....

Highest points as always Cabinessence, Be With Me and Time To Get Alone

Here is a nice note about that particular song

http://www.popmatters.com/post/181800-the-beach-boys-time-to-get-alone/

 

20/20 sounds really good, except for I Can hear music, which sounds a little muffled and narrower compared to a Star Line pressing I have. There are some nice touches and Ron McMaster has put some effort into ensuring subtle elements (eg snoring in I Went To Sleep break, harpsichord stabs in Time to Get Alone) get their due, and he's done a good job on Cotton Fields, revealing the good things about an otherwise neglected (production wise) track. All I Want To Do is worth the listen, with great balance twixt all elements from the fat bass through the insistent fuzz guitar lead and nice decays on the slightly understated (in the recording) cymbal splashes. Be With Me (noted in above post) is also fantastic, as are the Smile walk-ins.

The artwork is lovingly reproduced bar a minor gaff on the back cover (quotes year of original release as 1964, must have mixed up the digital slick with the Concert artwork). The vinyl is thick, really thick. A great clean copy for new collectors or BB veterans wanting to rest their originals.

Love You - again, sounds great, but is marginally out-farted by the Surf City original pressing from the 70s, which are not that hard to come by - the original pressing just has a tad more depth on the bass synth decay - maybe there were tubes involved the first time, I dunno - or maybe indicative of tape wear.

The art is not as impressive (dull in color and in softer focus) and perhaps from digital scans (maybe the original artwork is lost or not released by Warner); again a thick as a plate pressing, unlike the original which you can almost roll up and pop in your back pocket.

Friends is wonderful showcasing elements and approach similar to the way 20/20 was handled - I sadly do not own an original US pressing to A/B against. I have the Oz world record club pressing which does a great job of presenting AM radio broadcast quality from that time period. Art is well done.

All IMO of course, and depending on your rig/chain and myriad other variables, but you'd do well buying any of these.

 

I'm anxiously waiting for my copy of Friends to arrive. I would be thrilled to read more comments about its sound quality. How's the bass? For example on Anna Lee. This is a pretty short album, does this pressing have a wide deadwax? I kind of like that.