A couple weeks ago I picked up a copy of the White Album at my local record store, and started searching the forums to find if this pressing was decent or not. SO MANY threads!! And I didn't really find any answers, so here goes... The cover has "THE BEATLES" in grey. It is not embossed or raised, and there is no serial number. On the bottom right of the spine, it has "Stereo SWBO 101." The label itself has a Capitol Records logo and a rainbow band on the outside. It came with the original poster and pictures. I don't really have the money to seek out a UK white vinyl or an original mono, is this pressing okay? I'm not quite an audiophile yet but I plan on upgrading my system slowly. Any info would be great!
It's very lackluster, made with fourth generation tape copies, indifferently cut, average vinyl noise. Not fun to listen to but will do in a pinch, I guess. The 1987 compact disk set is what you should have. The best of a bad lot of WHITES. If you must have vinyl, get a friend to needle drop you the white vinyl late 1970's UK EMI pressing. Save your money for something Beatles that really SINGS on vinyl like a mono Parlophone "Revolver" or stereo tube cut "Beatles For Sale" or German "Please Please Me" or "MMT". THE WHITE will never do that, just not recorded that well. Great music though.
I recommend the original UK White Album or one from another country using original UK metal work. The dead wax info to look for is: side one YEX 709-1, side two YEX 710-1, side three YEX 711-1 and side four YEX 712-1. These were made when EMI still had tube equipment in the cutting chain.
It's fun playing records, I realize that. THE WHITE ALBUM is not so fun if you have a US version over German, UK, Dutch, etc. The EQ dub cutting tapes that Capitol have used over the years to cut their vinyl versions have been so scrubbed they are practically tuneless. Really, a joyless effort. They could have easily remedied that at any time over the decades by unearthing what EMI sent them back in 1968 but that would be asking too much..
The '87 CD is stereo. I prefer that one over the remaster.... for CD. However I prefer the mono CD now over the 87 stereo.
It probably isn't worth the price that you paid for it. You see, original US pressings had the Apple Records label. The rainbow label that you described (as used on the White Album) signifies an early-to-mid-1980s reissue pressing (as the standard Capitol label was the rainbow label from about 1983 to 1987). And although the mastering at Capitol was usually better than during the 1960s, that pressing still suffers from being mastered off of an nth-generation dupe tape to begin with.
Listening to a near-mint 1985 UK copy from the Blue Box and am extremely grateful that I'm not an uber-audiophile, because it sounds fantastic.
I also have one with the grey text on the front, but mine isn't Apple or the rainbow logo, it's a purple label with a picture of the capitol building on it. It doesn't sound to great, I just assumed it was cause of how long ago this was recorded and pressed. Is this a bad copy? Edit, the catalog number is SWBO-101
They vary. Any of the UK copies with sides ending -1 to -2 are pretty good; They're all made from the stereo master, as was the lauded white vinyl UK issue. I actually like the German white vinyl one a lot too. (not any of the black ones, unless they have UK stampers)
I pulled out my Capitol purple-label White album the other day. It's better than my original US Apple but still not too good. The 1987 CD is better. In fact, I appreciate the 1987 now more than ever. I was blown away by the 2009 stereo remaster upon first listen, but now I'm not too fond of it. "I Will" shouldn't be louder than "Why Don't We Do It In The Road"
Speaking of the White Album, I suppose here is as good a place as any to mention this... Did you know that Paul is singing his bass part on "I Will" (doo dummm doo doo dum...) Maybe everybody already knew that but I've been listening to this album on a fairly regular basis for 32 years and just noticed this last week. Carry on...
How does teh German white vinyl (1978 DMM cut) compare to the UK white vinyl edition sonically? I've read that both are regarded well in this forum, but I wonder if anyone has compared both pressings.
I've compared both and the UK is much better. I don't like the German DMM (there, I said it.) The soundstage has been narrowed, and the eq choices make it sound kinda' phony. Lotta' bass though.
Ben my friend you are so right. That'll teach me to proofread stuff before I hit the submit reply icon. For some reason I glanced at the listing and thought it was a regular black vinyl edition. Geez. Not enough coffee yet this morning. Carry on.
