Best vinyl pressing of The Band MUSIC FROM BIG PINK

I wanted to comment on a shoot-out that I had this evening between two different original, Capitol Rainbow pressings and the Japanese pressing. I had two distinctly different Capitol pressings with Rainbow labels. One has a black trim around the outside of the photo with "mastered by Capitol" stamped in the dead-wax. The other has a white border around the cover photo with the catalog number followed by A-3 - both etched and not stamped. The white bordered etched A-3 version was outstanding while the black border was horrible. I would say that the A-3 was very close to the second MFSL effort and without question beat the Japanese. Are the members here listening to the white bordered version when they disregard the Capitol. It was really outstanding.

 

Are you sure the copy with Mastered by Capitol in the deadwax is an original from 1968? I've never noticed the Mastered By Capitol stamp used until the mid 70s Red/Orange labels. Does that copy have any text at the top of the rainbow circle? If so.. its not from 1968.

 

I believe The Weight and I Shall Be Released are dedicated mono mixes with some slight differences in comparison to the stereo mixes but everything else is a foldie.

 

1968 Capitol, Jacksonville pressing

- Matrix / Runout (Runout Side A): SKAO-1-2955-A-3
- Matrix / Runout (Runout Side B): SKAO-2 -2955-A 3:

I found the above on Discogs. I cannot believe how many original Rainbow Capitol releases there were. According to Discogs, in 1969 Capitol went to the lime-green label. This pressings sounds nothing like I have ever heard from an original and the white border sets it apart from many others.

 

It was pressed in at least four different cities in 1968 according to Discogs.

 

Found it ...............

1983 reissue with revived black Capitol colorband/rainbow label with print in colorband.
Deadwax also includes "Mastered by Capitol." No barcode for some reason. Front and back covers have black borders.

The lack of barcode kept me from considering this.

And yes, it sounds like poop.

 

Back to the shoot-out with the Jacksonville pressing and the second edition MFSL lp. And as I stated above, the Japanese pressing is not very good either.

 

You guys are freakin' brilliant.

 

I've got a two-fer of Big Pink and S/T that sounds great. Believe the S/T is an RL mastering, but BP sounds damn nice as well.

 

Dont bother looking around for a decent original or early pressing. Get a nice clean new MFSL pressing, its all you will need!

 

This one?

https://www.discogs.com/The-Band-Milestones/release/8280771

There are three versions of this compilation. The green target label, the later red label and the final purple label. There is no difference in mastering.

 

Avoid the Capitol 2008 one at all costs. Relistened today, it's awful. I may have said it was ok earlier in the thread but it doesn't sound good after a reappraisal. Will try hunt down an MFSL one to replace it.

 

This is my favourite pressing, highly recommended!

 

I avoid pretty much anything with those Capitol Vaults stickers now...

 

Any lacquers with stamped 'MASTERED BY CAPITOL's' were cut after late 1973. If any rainbows have it, they were pressed between 1983 and 1988.

 

If all you care about is the sound of Levon's bass drum. The UK 1st Press Stereo may be the finest overall. It's certainly my go to. I haven't heard the EMI 100 but it's certainly enticing considering that the tape used for first UK Rainbow press MAY be the source for the Magee version.

 

In regards to the newer MFSL that everyone is raving about, is it cut by Kreig Wunderlich?

 

Just checked and I do see Krieg's name listed on the back of my copy.

 

That's the version I have, I think it sounds fantastic...IMO it sounds even better than the early 2000's remastered CD. I had heard not-so-great things about older copies (I'd wanted an original Capitol from '68) so when I saw that one in the store I figured what the hell...

Cool- I was wondering what exactly the deal was with the mono version.

 

That's good to know cause he's cut a few MFSLs recently that I've been really impressed with. Thanks for checking.

 

I'm playing my original rainbow Capitol with handwritten info in the dead wax.

Boy, it's huge, expansive, and rich, with a deep soundstage. If your's doesn't sound like this, you don't have a good copy. If anything, my copy is a hair bright on top.

And that's not to say it couldn't be bettered, with the 1/2 speed mastering, but my original is really good; and shows that there's some good sonic material here to begin with.

 

Very pleased with the more recent mofi. Sounds great to me

 

Actually just read about this:
Why CDs May Actually Sound Better Than Vinyl

In 1968, a 23-year-old audio engineer named Bob Ludwig at New York's A&R Recording was asked to create a test pressing of The Band's debut, Music From Big Pink, so that the producers could hear what it would sound like on LP. During the process, he especially tried to preserve as much as possible of the deep low end of the band's sound, which he believed was critical to its music.

But when he heard the final LP that was released, he was stunned. "All the low, extreme low bass that I knew was there, was chopped right off."

Years later, when Ludwig was hired to provide the final edit (known as mastering) for a greatest-hits package for The Band, he got the album's master tapes back from Capitol Records. On the box was a note from the cutting engineer who'd made the original vinyl master, saying the album's extreme low end had to be cut out.

 

Pretty bassy, eh? Guess Ill stick with my old silver mfsl cd.

 

Man,what a confusing thread with opinions all over the place. I guess all the different pressings makes it confusing. I will now have to go dig out my multiple old copies and see how they sound. I think I have an original rainbow or three and a few lime green targets. I do know that I tried the Capitol Vault series for Big Pink and Brownie and luckily the store owner was a friend and let me return them. Did not like them at all! I was trying to avoid buying MFSL or Mofi but now ya'll got me curious. Tanks,tanks a lot! ;-)