Pink Floyd's first four albums: best CD versions

It's as if Dave would be prefering a US over a Japanese pressing

Did you actually compare the remasters with the originals? What makes the remasters so much better?

 

I can only comment on the first two albums, as I don't like Ummagumma and More and don't have those.

I have the Japanese CP32 versions, the Doug Sax remasters on U.S. Capitol and the 2011 remasters of The Piper at the Gates of Dawn and A Saucerful of Secrets and after extensive listening I prefer the Sax remasters for both. The Japanese discs sound too harsh/bright/trebly to my ears and the 2011 remasters sound more aggressive, "in your face" to me than the Sax discs.

 

The originals sound thin and digital to me.

I haven't heard the Doug Sax 1994 remaster for the first album, so maybe I would like that one better than the 2011 remaster, like Hans does, who knows.

 

Forgot to include the originals in my earlier post. The Japanese CP32 versions sound remarkably similar to those, at least to my ears. Didn't like 'em at all.

 

I got the 2011 remaster of Ummagumma today as a gift. There's some clipping on it. IT still sounds pretty good, but I mean, what the hell? No-one else has mentioned this about the 2011 Floyd discs. It's not a big deal, but still...

At least I know now to get the Sax discs for the remaining Floyd albums I don't have. I have Doug's The Wall and it's sweet.

 

What Vernon Fitch said about the other albums?, from Atom Heart Mother to The Wall?, what are the best sounding versions for him?

 

All of them.
They all sound wonderful to me!

 

If the loudness of the 2011-issues isn't your thing and want to follow Vernon's opinion on the masterings you can get any early version of Ummagumma. They're all the same.

 

I quote:

1) Piper at the Gates of Dawn 2-CD [Japan issue – 2007]
EMI Music Japan Inc. 40th anniversary edition, TOCP 70300/01
Matrix:
Disc 1: Bottom: TOCP-70300 1 IFPI L153 IFPI 28S3
Disc 2: Bottom: TOCP-70301 1 IFPI L154 IFPI 28S3
Track Peak Levels:
Disc 1: 100 / 100 / 100 / 100 / 100 / 100 / 100 / 100 / 89.8 / 100 / 100
Disc 2: 100 / 100 / 100 / 100 / 100 / 100 / 100 / 100 / 100 / 99.6 / 100
Comments: Although this is a recent release, this issue deserves to be included here. This is the true Japanese pressing of the 2007 remastered issue of Piper at the Gates of Dawn on CD. It includes both the mono and stereo mixes of the album. It sounds terrific! With obi.

2) A Saucerful of Secrets CD [Japanese issue - 1987]
Toshiba-EMI Records, CP32-5272
Matrix: CP32-5272-U 1A1 TO
Track Peak Levels: 70.8 / 41.5 / 62.3 / 77.5 / 65.1 / 66.6 / 37.9
Comments: This is the early Japanese mastering of the album (not the Japanese issue with the EMI / Nimbus U.K. mastering), and the one considered to sound the best by audiophiles. This mastering is unique to Japan, and it is getting very hard to find. A real collectible.

3) More CD [1st West German issue – 1986]
EMI Records, CDP 7 46386 2
Matrix: SONOPRESS B-7148 / CDP 7463862 D
Track Peak Levels: 72.3 / 95.1 / 40.0 / 100 / 62.4 / 75.4 / 71.3 / 100 / 83.8 / 87.0 / 60.4 / 96.1 / 87.9
Comments: One of the earliest Pink Floyd CDs pressed in Europe. This CD was pressed at one of the first West German pressing plants by BMG Sonopress.

4) Ummagumma 2-CD [1st Japanese issue – 1987]
Toshiba-EMI Records, CP28-5270 / 71
Matrix:
Disc 1: Top: CP28-5270 1A1 TO (CP32-5270 1A1 TO)
Disc 2: Top: CP28-5271 1A1 TO (CP32-5271 1A1 TO)
Track Peak Levels:
Disc 1: 90.5 / 100 / 86.1 / 83.9
Disc 2: 98.8 / 76.4 / 74.7 / 97.9 / 100 / 79.0 / 75.9 / 99.5 / 89.7 / 71.5 / 99.8 / 43.2
Comments: This is the very first Japanese issue, and the very first Japanese pressing. Hard to find and it sounds really good.

5) Atom Heart Mother CD [1st Japanese issue – 1987]
Toshiba-EMI Records, CP32-5274
Matrix: CP32-5274-U 1A1 TO
Track Peak Levels: 85.2 / 59.2 / 90.1 / 66.1 / 78.2
Comments: This is the very first Japanese issue, and the very first Japanese pressing. Pressed at the Toshiba-EMI pressing plant in Japan. It sounds really great.

6) Meddle CD [1st Japanese. issue – 1985]
Toshiba-EMI Records, CP32-5032
Track Peak Levels: 54.3 / 38.2 / 68.8 / 62.5 / 28.2 / 53.3
Matrix: CP32-5032 11A1 +++++
Comments: This is the very first Japanese issue, and the very first Japanese pressing. Sound quality is outstanding.

7) Obscured by Clouds CD [1st Japanese issue – 1987]
Toshiba-EMI Records, CP32-5275
Matrix: CP32-5275 1A1 TO
Track Peak Levels: 59.6 / 95.5 / 66.6 / 98.8 / 90.6 / 100 / 100 / 94.5 / 73.3 / 94.9
Comments: This is the very first Japanese issue, and the very first Japanese pressing. Sounds great.

8) Dark Side of the Moon CD [1st Japanese issue - 1983]
Toshiba-EMI Records, CP35-3017
Matrix: CP35-3017-7 1A1
Track Peak Levels: 39.9 / 43.3 / 70.1 / 55.2 / 72.3 / 44.5 / 53.9 / 54.6 / 61.2
Comments: Dark Side of the Moon was the second Pink Floyd album to be put onto CD. This is one of the very first pressings of Dark Side of the Moon on compact disc. It is the legendary “non-TO non-CDP” 1A1 pressing, and it is considered by many to be the best sounding copy of Dark Side of the Moon.

9) Wish You Were Here CD [1st Japanese issue - 1982]
CBS / Sony Records, 35DP 4
Matrix: 35DP-4 71A6 [CSR COMPACT DISC CSR COMPACT DISC CSR COMPACT DISC]
Track Peak Levels: 69.5 / 83.6
Comments: This is one of the very first Pink Floyd CDs ever made, and its sound is legendary. It is considered by audiophiles to be the best sounding Pink Floyd CD ever made.

10) Animals CD [1st Japanese issue – 1987]
CBS / Sony Records, 32DP 360
Matrix: 32DP-360 11 +++++
Track Peak Levels: 60.2 / 80.4 / 71.4 / 74.6 / 41.9
Comments: This is the very first Japanese issue, and the very first Japanese pressing. It sounds great! You won’t find one that sounds any better.

11) The Wall 2-CD [West German pressing - 1985]
Harvest Records, CDP 7 46036 8
Matrix:
Disc 1: SONOPRESS C-6909 / CDP 7460362 A
Disc 2: SONOPRESS C-6910 / CDP7460372 B
Track Peak Levels:
Disc 1: 97.7 / 76.4 / 97.7 / 97.7 / 91.9 / 97.7 / 46.6 / 96.6 / 54.2 / 97.7 / 97.7 / 97.7 / 23.5
Disc 2: 61.3 / 52.7 / 33.6 / 29.4 / 96.0 / 64.5 / 49.8 / 64.1 / 77.7 / 61.4 / 67.6 / 50.3 / 9.9
Comments: This is the rare early blackface German pressing that sounds so good. It is getting very hard to find. A really great sounding CD of The Wall album.

12) The Final Cut CD [1st Japanese issue - 1983]
CBS / Sony Records, 35DP 53
Matrix: 35DP-53 41A4 [CSR COMPACT DISC CSR COMPACT DISC CSR COMPACT DISC]
Track Peak Levels: 62.8 / 67.5 / 20.9 / 80.6 / 77.5 / 42.5 / 52.4 / 58.4 / 16.9 / 60.1 / 75.3 / 49.5
Comments: The third Pink Floyd album issued on CD was this Japanese issue of The Final Cut. This is a very early pressing of the very first issue of The Final Cut, and it truly sounds fantastic.

13) A Momentary Lapse of Reason CD [U.S. - 3rd issue ]
Columbia Records, CK 40599
Matrix: 1A CK40599 24 C1 [P 104]
Track Peak Levels: 36.9 / 57.5 / 53.5 / 51.3 / 48.9 / 57.5 / 23.5 / 57.4 / 22.8 / 53.5
Comments: The third issue of this CD in the U.S. with a new mastering. One of the best sounding copies of this particular album.

14) The Division Bell CD [1st Japanese issue 1994]
Sony Records / SRCS 7324
Matrix: DP-6682-1 1 + ++ ++++++++ IFPI L277 [IFPI 45K8]
Track Peak Levels: 76.6 / 93.5 / 99.0 / 83.9 / 83.9 / 81.8 / 100 / 100 / 100 / 100 / 100
Comments: This is the very first Japanese issue, and the very first Japanese pressing. The instruments and sound effects really come out on this one. With obi.

*side note by me: Do your research on his Pink Floyd Archives site, because many UK, US, German, Canadian or even Australian discs share the same masterings and are often cheaper and easier to get.
The best way to find out is to compare peak levels.

 

Pink Floyd's CD discography is so confusing...I've pretty much narrowed down which versions are the best are CD, and most are the early Japanese pressing, but one left me curious. 'More': The early Japan pressings share the West German Sonopress mastering, however the first US pressing shares a different mastering with different levels, made in Japan. Has anybody heard this US Capitol version? Could it sound better than the First Japan/First German pressing?

Also, what do people think of the 3rd Japanese pressing of WYWH (the one that has five tracks and not two)?

 

regarding The Division Bell CD, I have Sony Records / SRCS 7324, Matrix: DP-6682-1 1 + ++ ++++++++ L278 IFPI 4553. Is this considered to be the first Japanese pressing too? Perhaps, someone can explain the difrence between the 2 matrixcodes :

- DP-6682-1 1 + ++ ++++++++ IFPI L277 [IFPI 45K8]
- DP-6682-1 1 + ++ ++++++++ L278 IFPI 4553

Thanks

 

Bump.

 

Is there a 1 cd version of Ummagumma thst skips the Wright and Mason tracks?

 

I picked up "Saucerful" several years ago and it was an import from someplace like Portugal or something (Syd Barrett's surname is misspelled "Barret" on his "Jugband Blues" writer credit). Sounds like a cassette played back with the Dolby switch on. I think the back cover says it's the Doug Sax remaster, but it's not.

"Remember A Day" sounds much better (less muffled) on my copy of the "Relics" CD (a U.S. Sax version).

I later got the "Shine On" box set. That should have the Sax master of "Saucerful," right?

 

What exactly is different between the 2007 2CD Japanese Piper and the 3CD U.S./U.K. release? (Sound-wise, not content)

 

I disagree!

 

I had the first pressings back when they came out and like some have said they sound hissy compared to the Sax versions which are my favorite.(other than WYWH which I agree is best on the 2 track Japan CD)

 

Apparently the 2016’s are very good.

 

Copy and Paste (hope this is a correct thread)

Does anyone have or know of an early 1980’s pre-remaster cd edition of More which does not suffer the L/R channel issue affecting The Nile Song?
As far as I know Vinyl releases do not have the issue, the Lp audio being clear and balanced across channels,
whether some Vinyl pressing are also afflicted I wouldn’t know, though it would be quite obvious to the listener.

Sonopress B has the issue
Emi Swindon has the issue

I know this had been rectified from the 90’s re-masters and up, just the early cd’s seem to be affected.

There seems to be only one remaining alternative that has not been accounted for which is listed as Capitol Records First Issue for the U.S
Pink Floyd Archives-U.S. CD Discography

The above levels differ from the first listing for Japan' domestic market and 2nd U.S which match the Sonopress
First Japan, U.S 2 and Sonopress possibly being level shifts of/for the UK also.

 

Please dismiss the above post as an incorrect assessment across various sources – Sorry.