Standard tracing paper weight. Mine sounds good - but dense. I wonder how the new 2016 release sounds.
Love this album! A nice fit with my adorable Scandinavian melancholy. Pretty good sq as well (Canadian).
The US original sounds good, lots of thumping bass, though I suspect the opening "One Hundred Years" will sound murky wherever pressed.
I was a fan and bought it on release. It did seem very intense at the time but then again that was really the mood of the time, so it didn't sound 'unusual' in that sense. It seemed like a great logical progression. Full disclosure - I think it's a brilliant album, a work of genius. When they came back with those throwaway pop singles soon after I thought 'oh god, what has happened' and thought they were finished. In retrospect I can understand what happened. If the album blew your mind then what was even better was seeing them on the tour playing the songs live. It's a very dense album so I did wonder how they would pull it of live (I had seen then as a four piece the year before). It's one of my favourite gigs ever (along with the Clash, Nirvana and a few others). The sound opened up in the concert hall and filled it, it was stunning. Smiths guitar parts are mixed quite low on some tracks but live it was like seeing Hendrix. It's hard to describe and you wouldn't appreciate it listening to bootlegs, one of those times you had to be there. Three guys (and I guess the odd tape) making this immense wall of sound.
I was too young in 1982 to see (or listen to) The Cure but in retrospect 1982 seems like a rather glamorous year. ABC, Roxy Music's "Avalon", even Siouxsie and Gang Of Four released "friendly" albums. And - of course - "6, 6, 6, the number of the beast!!!!" I certainly would have loved to attend one of those The Cure shows. The setlists look terrific.
I just had a look at the setlist for the gig, it is pretty amazing: Mainset: the figurehead m in your house cold the drowning man a short term effect the hanging garden three imaginary boys siamese twins other voices primary one hundred years play for today a forest pornography Encore 1: 10.15 saturday night killing an arab all mine
I was 17! I loved it! Remember that episode of the Simpsons: Lisa: It may be bleak, but this music is really getting to the crowd. Bart: Ah, making teenagers depressed is like shooting fish in a barrel.
I just ripped a sample of my original Fiction UK vinyl. I have this version: https://www.discogs.com/The-Cure-Pornography/release/222374 I ripped the same part of Hanging Garden as c-eling posted of his Japan rip above in post #10. Note that I don't have hi-rez A/D so this is just 16/44.1. This is straight from the tape out of my Marantz PM 6005 into the RCA inputs of my crappy Behringer UFO202 > USB out. This is raw file untouched. Here: hanging garden uk.wav » (when you load page download arrow is in top right corner)
It took me a while but I did listen to my copy of the original U.S. pressing released by A&M/Fiction in 1982. It sounds pretty good. As @Marc Perman says above, nothing can quite redeem the harsh jangly mix of the opening track, “One Hundred Years” (or the noisy formless throwaway closing title track), but what you’re left with is a really strong six-song EP-length sequel to Faith. I wouldn’t be surprised if the UK/German/Dutch Fiction pressings have more punch and bottom, but I’m happy to have the U.S. pressing and the album is much better than I remember. If you find a copy out there, definitely grab it. I also re-watched the live performance of Pornography in its entirety on the Trilogy DVD set and that’s pretty cool too, though not as sublime as the Trilogy version of Disintegration.
Sorry for the late reply, they sound very similar, I'm thinking the Japan VAP may have used UK Stampers, not sure
Just discovered this thread. I have the late 80s US Elektra LP and it actually sounds really good. I have previously owned a Fiction UK original and an A&M pressing, but I sold those because they weren't in very good condition, but the Elektra is near mint. But when I still owned all three, I recall the Elektra totally holding its own against the other two, which was why I didn't have a problem getting rid of those. (Of course, if I ever come across a near mint UK pressing, I would still grab it.)
Just bought the 2016 'mastered by Bob' of Pornography and rushed home to play it. First listen and I like it a lot. Can't compare it to my UK original but only because I can't find it at the moment!
Im not sure. The Vinyl Japan VAP and the Fiction 1982 also have good reviews. Found also the Rhino 2016. Which one should i buy ?
I can't give you a definitive answer (in part because I haven't heard the Japanese pressing or the 2016 LP), but I will say that of all the circa 2005 remasters (and these 2016 LPs apparently utilize those masters), a lot of people seemed to like Pornography (myself included). I have the 2005 CD, and it's been a long time since I've a/b'd it against older versions, but I do recall it being more subtle than some of the other remasters from that time (no heavy-handed EQ changes like The Top, for example). I'm willing to bet the 2016 LP sounds good, because if anything it's going to be quieter and less compressed. And reports of the 2016 Pornography LP on this board have been positive so far. In my experience with earlier vinyl pressings, the three that I heard and compared (original Fiction, US Elektra, A&M) were all very similar. There was no clear winner. Some people may disagree, though! I think it's one of those titles where differences from one pressing to the next are subtle if anything. (But then again, I haven't heard the Japanese pressing, and I have a few amazing Japanese pressings of albums by other bands, so I'm curious to hear a Japanese pressing of Pornography.) I guess I would say that, ultimately, you really can't go wrong with a nice, clean, original UK Fiction LP (that goes for any of the early Cure albums). But if you happen to stumble on a reasonably priced US Elektra, don't discount it.
I have ordered the Japanese Pressing. I am very exited. When the Vinyl arrived I compare this was my 2005 CD Deluxe Edition.
Wish i had seen them on that tour but i was too young. I got into them around the time of The Top and on the cusp of being a little teenage 15yr old goth; Pornography was like manna from heaven in the mid 80's. Didn't get to see them until the Disintegration tour in Glasgow quite some time later. They played in Edinburgh on The Head On The Door tour at the Playhouse ( i have a tape of that gig; which is great complete with... ahem Glitter cover encore) in '85 but i couldn't go. They only played Wembley Arena in the UK on the kiss tour so i had to wait a good while.
To answer the OP, i have an original pressing i got 2nd hand in 1985 which still sounds great. Have only that to reference except for the Deluxe Edition 2cd set i have which i think sounds ok on CD although i know lots on here don't like those at all.
You do make cheesy covered cheese products and Fruit that tastes of ....... air, much better than we do
Isn't everything US made inferior to UK made? I thought that was the 4th law of thermodynamics? Dude, you are killing me...
Sooooo, did you ever compare the 2016 remaster with your 1st UK...??? I'm assuming that you mean the 2016 Rhino remaster, right...? I'm still a BIT confused here as to what is truly THE definitive version or at least some specific comparisons. What I'm getting from all this is that a safe bet is if I can find a clean 1st UK. It WOULD be kind of nice, though, to hear a specific comparison of the new remaster with the 1st UK just to be a bit more sure. I DO have the new Disintegration coming because there were SO many who praised it more highly than most of the original versions (with the exception of the DMM, which I have - it will be interesting to compare the 2) BUT... I'm still a bit unsure as to the new Pornography. And, since it is honestly one of my VERY favourites of theirs, I really would like to get the best version on vinyl that I can... Any further input would be super nice, thanks!
