Well, my copy of Don’t Say No arrived today. First off, everyone’s right about the musical achievement here. This is a first rate LP by an artist who had his career cut a bit short due to the time he lived in. On the reissue. Wow. Intervention’s gatefold and cover art just blow me away again. The vinyl itself is flawlessly pressed. Pretty much CD silent. It doesn’t sound like a CD however. I disagree with the bass pushed forward and vocals back statement. This sounds well balanced on my system. I highly doubt there’s a better sounding version of this crazy good album in any format. I have an autographed original. Not autographed to me, (Randy, Ames rocks! Billy Squire). I will compare but to my memory it never sounded like this or was this quiet. I have every Intervention release to date and this one just encourages me more to keep that trend going. Great stuff. Near perfection.
Received mine yesterday. These Intervention releases have been flawless but this one is severely dish warped. Oddly enough, Amazon only gives me an option to return for refund, not "return or replace items." Pretty bummed. Oh well, hopefully the 2nd time is a charm, I am sure this is worth getting.
Man - 2nd time was not a charm. Received my replacement copy this morning and same thing, badly dish warped. Looks like I am passing on this one unfortunately. Amazon US incidentally.
Hmmm.... I've got this LP in my Amazon cart, waiting to pull the trigger, but thinking I don't want to deal with the hassles of receiving a warped LP. What to do ... ? Buy directly from IR? (Even though I am more into SACDs, now I'm thinking this is one title I want to "double-dip" on and get the vinyl LP as well.)
I am going this route once I get refunded for my 2 bum Amazon copies. I am really surprised at this, these Intervention releases have been fantastic from sound quality to pressing. These 2 copies are really severe - side A is so bad my stylus can't clear the surface of the vinyl. Anyway - enough complaining from me
Got mine from Amazon US last week and luckily my copy was flawless. Blows away my original Japanese pressing which I found to be on the bright side. Very punchy and dynamic to these ears. Another nice reissue from Intervention all the way around.
My copy came from Amazon and was flawless as well. I have a Vinyl Flat but didn’t need it in this case at all. I wish Amazon would sell returned warped copies for 50% off or so. My Impex Willie Nelson Red Headed Stranger was quite warped but is now flat as a pancake. My original copy sounds pretty good really, better than I had remembered but it is a bit on the thin/bright side compared to this reissue. The cover and packaging of the reissue also blow the original away. Intervention is pretty much the only reissue label I feel like I can trust without reservation. Warping is unfortunate but it’s not Intervention’s fault and, for those so motivated, the Vinyl Flat is an affordable and effective remedy.
I just ordered directly from Intervention Records. I hope for a good experience. Going direct might become my preferred action in the future... Craig.
I see the vinyl has already started coming out but anyone received their sacd copy as yet? Ordered from Amazon US at the start of February but says it hasn’t left yet.... just wondering what the holdup is??
Intervention Records website says release date will be April 2018 for the SACD. I imagine that unexpected events - such as manufacturing delays outside of the record company's control - could impact that forecasted release date, though. https://www.interventionrecords.com/titles/
Ppl interested might want to check out Sound Stage Direct. I've ordered from them and they package really well. Don't Say No
Just arrived. Vinyl was Clean and flat. gatefold is sturdy but glossy. I'm not a glossy fan. gimme matte. First impression- sounds "live" good separation, but maybe a bit thin. I have a 1/2 speed copy- IMO- that has more bottom and punch to it.
Just listened to my LP for the first time - then did an imperfect quick A/B with the CD. No contest! This mastering is excellent! For my ears, it’s exactly as this album should sound. Full bass & the high-end is not at all thin sounding. The opposite is true with the CD for sure. My only complaint is that my copy doesn’t seem to be as clean as I’d like. I got mine from Amazon, but might consider ordering one from Intervention in the near future. But not until I get a chance to hear the SACD and see if they did just as well with that version.
Just received my copy today. I have an original copy I bought when the album came out. Haven't had much time to compare but initial impression is the IR version is superior. Bottom end is heavier while overall soundstage is more open. The only negative I see right now is the mid bass is less on the reissue. I assume this is a trade off for bringing everything else forward. Going to do more comparisons between the two. Great job Shane. You really cleaned up the sound of this album.
Don't Say No made me a big fan of Billy's back in the day. Loved it from the moment I heard "The Stroke" in the summer of 1981, and I saw him three times in concert during his commercial peak - opening for Foreigner in 1981, Queen in 1982, and then headlining his own tour in 1984. I've owned DSN on CD since its 1987 release and have always been completely happy with that original disc, so am interested in reading comparisons between it and this new release.
I could not agree more, I have always loved this album & never thought that the original cd is terrible. I plan on ordering the new sacd shortly.
If someone sees the amazon.com link for the SACD before me, please post it here? If I see it first, I will do the same.
I had this saved, but now it's not showing as a pre-order (currently un-available) I'm not a fan of the old US DIDX. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077NCF4HD/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
