Queen Vinyl Reissues For 2015 (including boxed set and turntable)*

Nice, always loved the sound of a m97xe with the Jico stylus. How are you finding these reissues generally, in so far as sound quality?

 

Queen II arrived today, like Queen and Sheer Heart attack it sounds the same as the 2011 remaster. Wonderful cover though - much better than before. And, being as Queen II was the best of the 2011 remasters, and better than any release of Queen II previously, I'd say this is the best version of it you can get on vinyl. The pressings are all extremely quiet so far too.

Queen II in particular, is a thumbs up from me. I'm not disappointed.

 

A cover comparison (on top of my cats scratching post)...

My old knackered copy that's been sitting in the cupboard since the early 90s...



The 2015 remaster cover...

 

The new cover looks a million times better IMO.

 

I remember back in the 80s thinking how rough the Queen II cover looked - the worst of the lot. Now, it's one of the best covers from the entire collection.

 

I've only really listened to Q, QII and ANATO at this point. I've posted about the later two here:
http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threa...et-and-turntable.397418/page-41#post-13113073
Given the source is the 2011 remasters, which I'm not that fond of, I only really have hope for 3 or 4 at most. But as representations of those masters, the signs are that these LPs are well pressed and sound as good as you could hope.
I'll post more about the others when I've had a chance to get through them.

 

I may just get Queen II for the cover alone

 

Yup. The original always looked to me like Queen were cardboard cutouts.

 

I can think of no reason why they did that in the first place...unless they were trying to put them against a pure black background. They did a bad job of it. Of course no photoshop back then.

 

I am sure if they could have done better back in 1974 they would off, look at the quality of the other Queen covers in the 1970's, its nice though they have re-done it, it only makes it better, rare in this day and age of remasters etc

 

Argh! You're right! ...It does look much better, fantastic in fact. But the purist devil on my shoulder is not happy about it!!

Can I say I like them both? The older one does have that 'period charm' about it.

 

Sure you can like them both. Period charm...hmmmm. I was thinking the older version looks like a bootleg compared to the new one.

 

See my photos of the covers here (post 1044) > http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threa...luding-boxed-set-and-turntable.397418/page-42.
It always looked as though the album should include Bohemian Rhapsody (if someone didn't know better), it just looks a lot better than it once did now.

 

What happened with Live At Brixton Academy? I haven't listened to it in ages, but I wasn't aware it was extensively tinkered with?

 

It doesn't reveal too much detail when you see the cover for real, and the skin tones are slightly warmer on the new cover than the original. It looks better than in that picture you saw previously (see the link to the post I left for Benn Kempster a couple of comments above this one).

 

But we still have the old one, I just wish that 'Fame' logo was not on it !!

 

hmm...my UK doesn't have that Fame logo on it. Was that a reissue?

 

It's my understanding that the 'Fame' versions were reissues in the early 80s.
This is the only one I have (it sounds terrible from memory)
http://www.discogs.com/Queen-Queen/release/2553833

 

I bought Queen and Queen II in either '86 or '87, and both of those were the Fame versions.

 

probably a 1980's reissue it has the logo in the right corner, my CDP Cd is my to go copy

 

Still does

 

Check catalogue and matrix numbers to be sure. Discogs is your friend. More often than not there are pictures to help out as well.

 

Not entirely relevant, but maybe you good people can help:

I had my entire music collection stolen last summer, which was pretty grim. Among them was a copy of Queen that my uncle had given me. It was in terrible condition, admittedly, with the thing falling apart at the seams. But anyway, I found a copy of the same album at my local market, but didn't pick it up because it was a simple LP with a plain sleeve inside.

The weird thing is, it turns out all copies of Queen were like that?! Which doesn't explain why my copy had a gatefold cover that opened right-to-left and then again downwards, which revealed the collage with the lyrics printed over it. My uncle would have given this to me around... 1995? And it was one record from his extensive Queen collection, which I believe was all purchased around the times they were released.

Any ideas of the answer to this mystery? It's been bugging me for a while!

 

Fame are notorious for lousy sounding UK re-releases; they're the NM copies of bands like Queen and Maiden you can find in record stores and charity shops for a few pounds a time.

 

Apart from Kate Bush Lionheart - the Fame cut is actually an improvement on the original UK.