Did I screw up? (Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers LP)

Here is my personal holy grail test for any copy of Sticky Fingers: Does "Wild Horses" play all the way through without any pops, ticks, or crackles that make you want to kill yourself? If so, that is a keeper.

 

What about Sister Morphine or Moonlight Mile?

 

Well yeah, those too if you get that far, but "WH" is the most-played quiet song, so if it's noise-free, the rest usually are. Several times I was so despondent by one minute into "WH" that there was really no point in continuing.

 

Huh. Oddly enough I'm getting more SN on Can't You Hear Me Knocking than Wild Horses lol

 

Who's more talented when?
1969 or now?

 

Think I paid $33 for mine and I need a record clamp on it due to slight taco warp but it sounds delicious.

 

So maybe you over paid a bit, but you didn't screw up. Sometimes you score a deal and sometimes you don't. As penance, say ten Diddley Daddy's and five Proud Mary's, skip two frivolous purchases this year and you are absolved my child. Go now in peace to love and rock 'n roll.

 

hopefully the deluxe edition in april will be 2xLP and 2xCD with a booklet and hopefully not $100. looking forward to that. i haven't been able to find this album on vinyl in decent condition for less than $60.

i wouldn't say you screwed up though. how does it sound to you? i have a lot of lp's that are not the best pressing around but i think they sound good.

 

Unless of course you are a TV evangelist.....

 

Good move. Even if it was mint, $50 is steep for the reissue.

I had the later Monarch pressing, which is actually very nice, but the 'Dist by Atco' Monarch original pressings really do have the magic. Despite being noisier, that's my keeper.

 

The smoother/richer/fuller sound is what makes the early Monarchs so nice, I'm here late but I was going to say get rid of it. for 50 you can do better.
My own experience with these is limited, but I have heard RI pressings that sound pretty close to MOs, for SF, Exile and GHS anyway. I've gone through a bunch of Monarchs for GHS and only one sounded sweet (none had a B'way address, I've only seen one with that and it's a CMS) as in really nice sound, but it was beat.
I have a SF second press, Monarch Rockefeller copy (59100, no WB logo) of SF that does sound real nice with VG++/NM- play, and a first press RI that sounds fine, and it's a NM play.
The SF MO second press probably hints at how nice an early 1st press would sound -but I'll take it if you know what I mean, -maybe it's in the same league, I don't know as I don't really feel like doing the expensive hunt to find out.

I think the 39___ series has more misses than hits with these records, as all the 39___ GHS copies I've heard (MO, RI, PR) were blah and in new like condition (MO, RI, PR).
FWIW I find that on various Atlantic titles RI pressings can sound fantastic, one of those GHS I had was an RI that was easily as good or better than the nice MO, but also beat up. I did own a phenomenal copy of Physical Graffiti that had no plant code on the label, the deadwax was RI code and it had 3 AT/GP etchings, that was the best copy of that I have ever heard, even compared to a NM, early MO, ..Bonham's drums sounded like they were in the room..

Under the radar pressings that might rock the Casbah would be SO, CSM and maybe CTH.
Related news: people say the EMI Centenary release although digital sourced, sounds real nice and the later '70s/early '80s Columbia (FC series, I think) can sound very nice, so they say.

 

You might have paid a bit much for the record, but not that much. That record is starting to go for "big bucks" here in my area. If the record is in good condition and is a "Monarch" copy (even if it is a reissue), I would hang on to it. I have the very same record, and I think it sounds great. There may be better sound copies out there somewhere, but that's they way it always is with records. Some do just sound better than others.

 

my copy is a presswell 59100 USA press... sounds awesome....some slight crackle though Vg++/ex-

 

So which is your favorite? Michael Fremer gave a big numbs up to the 1970s Japanese, is that one worth the bucks?

 

Sticky Fingers. One of my all time favorites. I have 2 MFSL ( one with bloated bass and sucked out midrange, the other punchy and detailed), a Presswell pressing and a 70s reissue. Recently, I found a early issue MO. I have to say my go to copy is the Presswell. The differences between the Monarch and the Presswell are not as big as you might think they are.

 

Well said...!

 

Is it the original "Zipper Cover" aspect, that is inflating the prices on this classic Stones LP? This has to be one of their best selling albums, with tons sold during the 70's-80's. Yes....it's getting tougher to find nice clean playing copies and grail pressings. But $50+ for an average copy of SF is ridiculous IMO. That's more than some 3D cover "Satanic Majesties" I've seen in decent condition.

 

UMG needs to start pressing these albums on vinyl. I don't see that they have done any on vinyl except for Exile which I own and thought sounded nice.

 

Your post made my day ... I have an ATCO SO press of Sticky Fingers with lots of Vg+ And better moments. My PR original is a little cleaner but I still gravitate toward the SO. I have an early UK edition also, and I love having to compare, but, for me, I think the SO wins of my three.

 

An original US Sticky Fingers copy should be in the 10-15 dollar range.

 

No. I paid $50 for my Japanese copy. "Sister Morphine" sounds great, but it lacks that "mojo" that is found on early UK and us Monarch pressings.

 

I did have an Atco PR that had some mojo, but condition was not cutting it especially with the Wild Horses and Moonlight Mile tests. The Sonic press definitely does the trick, I also have a Rockefeller MO that sounds sweet and an Atco RI that is pretty sweet. I have been meaning to shootout those latter two and get rid of the lesser one.
The SO is clearly tops of these three, FWIW I read somewhere on SHF that SO Sonic was a sister plant of MO Monarch -owned by the same people. I have also heard nice condition Atco PRs that are lame sounding.
I also think I heard that it's the early MO with the TML stamp that is the top banana and that some of the early UKs have a TML stamp as well.

Anyone care to comment on what it is really with the seeming superiority of the early Monarchs as far as what gives them the edge over other pressings?
Would or could it just be that their strict high quality standards meant they did not over use metal parts, or would it be their access to the better lacquer cuts or better access to the first parts made from that cut?
Someone on another thread explained to me what the -M, -S or -X meant that usually follows a TML stamp (maybe not always, I don't know), M=master, S=slave and X=second slave. 3 cutters in the same room at the same facility.
So do these setups all cut the same source at the same time in a chain coming from one feed, or do they all have their own feed and possibly perform different cuts at the same time? I was thinking that if they are in a chain and all cutting the same cut at the same time, that just maybe they knew which one would get a better sound/cut as it is closest in the chain to the source. Then they would knowingly give that cut to MO for maybe the reason being that they would rather the local socal crowd got product that was a bit superior. Maybe that is a flawed concept and the redundancy is just so they have backups or are able to discern one cutting's superiority over the other -if all three are golden then the more the merrier and off to plating. Did MO do any plating? Or did they just do pressing with parts sent to them?
Or?

 

A lot of records SHOULD be in the $10-$15 range but Sticky Fingers is iconic, the music, the cover, the inner, top-to-bottom, and people will buy this album in any condition, at any price. Welcome to the vinyl revolution 2.0

 

Well, they would be overpaying, because I see them for sale in that range.

 

You think? The Japanese copy I have sounds excellent with a great soundstage, particularly Can't You Hear Me Knocking. I was pretty blown away by it on my system. Wild Horses is amazingly noise-free as well. Very hard to find an early US pressing that isn't so noisy that I'd want to listen to it over this Japanese one. But, honestly, I've yet to find a keeper US copy. Perhaps if I could actually find one in the same condition I could make a better comparison.