Jethro Tull Aqualung Shootout

I kind of had a similar experience as TP. Got a new Steve-mastered "Blue" vinyl factory-sealed and quite cheap from a "Rasputin" store in Berekeley, CA. I cleaned it on my VPI and when I played it a nasty pressing flaws on side 1 track 2 greated me with a loud crackling noise in few places. So, later I returned it to the store and exchanged it for a "LOVE" cd/dvd.

However, when I was playing the album, what struck me, forget the technical flaw described above, was the sound and music seemed totally bland and boring, extremely unexciting to me. As a result: not even "Alright, I will listen to it later." kind of thing. Just could not make myself even to listen to it once again in those several days before returning it. I am still miffed as to what happened. Why I could not connect at all, especially, as majority of my vinyl collection is from the 60's and 70's and mostly first pressings?

And this happened to me once before with the highly praised Classic's "Who's Next" LP. It was sounding very detailed and fine, but again, no cigar. Of course, it had those famous "built-in crackle" pressing flaws, but the original sixties' pressings have sometimes even more noise, but they all sound incredibly exciting despite the noise nonetheless. What goes on here is what I want to know.

As it stands no Beatles' "LOVE" on vinyl for me. I still have not decided about the Classic's "Aqualung," though, being quite spoiled by the Island pink rim palm tree label UK first pressing.

Sorry for a slight side-track. Thought somebody also have had a different experience with this highly hyped "Blue" LP on this forum and might want to chime in.

Thanks.
LP

 

So I hooked up a more powerful amp and compared the Reprise to the Classic more closely. The Classic sees to go about an octave lower in the bass, a very good thing. It gives the record a lot more punch and the bass is still very tight. The midrange however sounds a little muddy compared to the Reprise which is very clear and effortless. Things like voice, piano and guitar sound more natural. The electric guitar cuts through better on the Reprise for instance.

Either one is a keeper. Now if I could get a 1A/1A Reprise and a DCC....

I can't comment on Blue because I've only heard the Rhino and only once. I think it was meant to be a flat "warts and all" transfer and not sound like the previous polished issues of that record.

 

If you listen carefully I think you'll hear the slight compression applied to the US's are what makes them what they are. Not that thats a bad thing of course.... The problem lies with the recording - not a very well crafted one considering the era. All these have something to offer. I've kept an early US tan label, two UK's and German (German pink rim is my favorite) and the Classic...all have something to offer. Never heard the DCC vinyl. (The CD is in a class of its own!) Once again the system one has may make one more enjoyable than the others.

 

As we know every pressing (even the same label) can sound different and the UK and later German pressing I had were more compressed (as could be seen on the waveforms from the transfers at the time) than the Reprise copy I have. It was also evident that the DCC has less compression and lower bass than the Reprise copy. Like I said earlier, the DCC has similar tonality to the Reprise but less compression and better highs and lows, so far it's the best copy I have heard. If the Classic can compare it sounds like it would be a good deal.

 

I've got the DCC LP and CD, and the Classic came in the other day. I haven't compared the DCC LP to the Classic back to back yet, but here are a few impressions.....

I'll start by saying that they're both damn good. The Classic seems to have more bass and more top end.... You can hear it in the hi hat / cymbols... The eq brings out a bit more tape hiss, but it doesn't really bother me.... The DCC to me seems a bit more lifelike overall. The hihat is more delicate and convincing. The vocals are a bit more fleshed out and in the room. The acoustic guitar's transients don't stick out as much on the DCC making it have a more natural, more harmonically rich timbre.

These are subtle differences.... In the end it's all a matter of taste isn't it?

I'd be just as happy listening to the Classic as I would the DCC...
So, if you don't have the DCC, and you like this record, then by all means get the classic....

Steve Hoffman and Chris Bellman cut a mean Aqualung....

 

-1U/-3U

Yesterday, I found an orig. UK green label Chrysalis w/ textured gatefold jacket and -1U/-3U stamper. Sleeve M-, disk (uncleaned) VG++, lucky draw at $4!!. Blackie, I'm going to bring over this UK orig. + the DCC again for the sake of thoroughness. Let's resurrect this one.

 

Nice score, wow! Oh yes, let's resurrect, I've got an original Reprise in better shape than my copy in the first go round (with the same matrix numbers) to bring to the table.

 

I picked up a nice DCC vinyl a while back and it’s the best one I have now. The Classic is good but just a little hotter on top. The DCC is more natural on top and seems a little more open.

 

A friend of my dad's was in the Army, stationed in Germany in the early-70's. Recently, this friend retired, sold the house, and moved to one of those nice little planned communties where they're starting to stick the all the Baby Boomers.

At any rate, dad says the guy has a box of old records that he's getting rid of, and do I want them? I put "Germany" "early-70's" and "records" together and drove out to have a look.

While the contents weren't horribly different from your average 20-something rock fan at the time (a lot of Grand Funk and Zeppelin that he must have picked up while still stateside), the upside was that the vinyl is all in top-notch condition, most look virtually unplayed. However, he managed to only buy just three records in Germany: Rare Earth-One World, The Doors-LA Woman...and a pink rimmed, palm tree Island label Aqualung...which was certainly worth the $10 in gas to merely take that and the rest of the albums off his hands.

 

My UK green label is a -1U/-4U and side 2 is "A Porky Prime Cut."

 

Does your Side 2 sound noticeably different and/or better than Side 1?

If so, please explain differences (such as more-pronounced bass, etc.)
.

 

Mine's 1U/3U and no signature (though it could well be Peckham's)

No significant side differences.

He didn't start with the Prime Cut stuff until 1977 or so. The first I recall is Costello's My Aim Is True. Porky started etching around 1970.

 

After several such Aqualung tests, I like all of these - for different reasons:

US brown label Reprise with -1A stampers each side. The US tape sounds like it was slightly compressed, which gives it a heftier, more rocking sound that the others don't have.

UK Original with -1U/-3U matrices. Slightly more open, delicate sound to it. Very smooth natural sonics.

German - Original island pink rim. (forgot the matrices right now but think they were A+2/B+2) A slight touch of EQ to the low end brings out the bass a bit better - again nice smooth sonics but it has a 'creamier' sound to it, perhaps because of being from a copy tape.

Classic - A nice combination of the above - with aspects of the above three pressings.

Personally, I think one would do very good by having any or all of these. Aqualung was not a real great recording and these pressings all bring its better aspects out.

I haven't heard the DCC vinyl ( I have the CD though which is the king of the digital Aqualung) And I could barely take the old 1/2 speed mastered audiophile release from the 70's with its bloated bass.

 

I recently had a brown label Reprise to test out and had the same results. It sounded terrible and very distorted on several tracks and also one of the worst LPs I've listened to in recent memory. All of the other brown label Reprise Jethro Tull albums I own sound pretty. I was fortunate then obtain a green label Chrysalis with the matrix (s1) 31193-7 / (s2) 31194-7c which sounds wonderful. I also own the 2011 Steve Wilson remix and it is pressed on very quiet vinyl and overall is very dynamic and rich sounding, although I recall preferring some of the vocals on the old green label better.

 

I agree. I've got that pressing too and it's awesome. DCC sounds better but I prefer the sound I grew up with.

 

Great article on this album, with shootout results.
http://thevinylpress.com/jethro-tull-aqualung-vinyl-shoot-out/

 

I am doing my own shootout of my 3 copies of this album. I am torn on which I prefer, but it's not the most obvious since I imagine the cutters where polishing a sonic turd or beautiful music.

My three copies
1) Second UK cut, George Peckham. Green Chrysalis label with the text circling it.
2) Brown original US Reprise, Allen Zentz.
3) white and blue Chrysalis US from the 80s, no identifier of who cut.

So the US Reprise is the one I generally see mentioned as the goto for widely available pressings. And it seems the loudest cut by a hair, and has more top end.
The US 80s cut seems about the same but for some reason seems a bit more tame and almost more even than the original US Zentz. Maybe thinner on some levels, but I think I prefer it over the Zentz, but the Zentz is better overall. It's not night and day, and for how easy it is to find in great shape it's hard to justify the extra work for a clean US Reprise. The top end boost is right at the tape hiss freq though lol, as this has the most prominent hiss, but it's not terrible.
The UK PORKY cut seems to have least top end, but has the most air in the sound stage by a bit- once you get past the trick on the brain that top end gives at first from the other two. Basically after a track or so I would prefer the PORKY cut, but at first needle drop I would probably choose the US original or even the reissue.

Just my thoughts. But for all the money I dumped finding clean copies, I would probably have stopped at my first clean copy. I think I paid a couple bucks for the 80s reissue and it was dead mint.

That's thru a DV20x2L, Rega P324, Avid Pulsus, Manley Shrimp, Rogue ST100, and out Gallo Strata 3.1 speakers.

 

Resurrecting an old thread to determine what I have.

I have 2 Reprise pressings, and I am trying to determine which is the earlier pressing.

Brown label, Stereo at bottom of label
Hand etched
MS 2035A 31193-1A V (with underline) large easy to read font
MS 2035 31194-1 B with a vertical line through it smaller font, more difficult to read

Brown Label Stereo NOT at bottom of label
Hand Etched
Both small font, difficult to read
MS 2035 31193 B with a vertical line through it
MS 2035 31194-1 B with a vertical line through it

I have gone through this tread, and others with inconclusive results other than both are early pressings.

Thank you.

 

The first one with STEREO on the bottom is the earlier one.

 

THANK YOU !

 

Comparing the title track.

Just listening to this OG Jethro Tull - Aqualung on the TT and the 1990 Steve Wilson mix on Qobuz. It appears that Steve found the drums that were buried in the US brown label. Bass is also more alive with Cross-Eyed Mary.

Winner to SW mix between these two.

 

To me there is no winner between original mix and remix , but the best mastering and listening experience of the original mix - to me - is clearly the DCC.

 

I must ask…do you hear a hum during Wondring Aloud on the MFSL?