I have some excellent sounding clubs also, so they shouldn't automatically be written off. Brian I found a 1981 Barry last year at a thrift for a couple bucks, so they are out there. Good luck on your search! A Beautiful Green I share Sparkler's assessment of it.
How do I identify which version I have? I picked up a copy 2nd hand at a thrift shop a while back but I always wondered which one it is. Dead wax says - "SHVL 814 B 14" and "HTM". There is a written message on the back of the cover, was a gift to someone and its dated 1983.
Could be a first run, but it seems a comment was added to the submission as a second. Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
Great thank you! I'll have to check side A again for the writing credit. Would there be much difference in sound quality between 1st and 2nd pressings? Mine has plenty of crackle in the background, but when the music gets going it sounds nice.
Seems the A6/B14 stamper was used on the 2nd issue if no barcode on cover. It was also used on the 3rd issue which had a barcode.
Just picked up the German second issue (064-96918) at a cool little record store in Paris for 15 euros. Glad to come here and find out I got a prefered pressing and it sounds great on my li'l portable turntable for my stay here.
That would indeed be the second or third press I believe. HTM was not credited until then, also, I believe that Shine on you crazy diamond part 5 on side A of the label only says (Waters) on later pressings while the first press has (Waters-Gilmour-Wright)
I just made a great deal on a good looking first press it seems, everything looks to line up with the Label and Matrix A-1 B-3, wish me luck fellas! The only thing that perplexed me was the inner sleeve, normally the opening is at the top, but on this one its on the left side with lyrics facing you. Anyone know more about this?
a pic would help but i think there is a known misprint of this inner where the lyrics are turned around.
Yes indeed, looking at it closer now, the lyrics are turned to the right. Thanks for the quick info, is there any more to talk about that misprint or is it just a fun little thing? I cant find it on Discogs for info either. regarding that, I looked on the Discogs page and read this: Issue with matrix variant A-1 B-3 comes with inner sleeve with three corners cut and a bottom left corner uncut. Issue with matrix variant A-1 B-5 comes with inner sleeve with three corners cut and a bottom right corner uncut. Issue with matrix variant A-1 B-7 comes with inner sleeve with four corners cut. Is this information accurate and from which side to they count? Because if its from the picture side of the inner then that would correspond with mine, given that its A-1 and B-3 matrix. One last thing, Ive wondered for a long time and tried to look up the meaning of the last matrix symbols but I just never quite understand it. Below are the ones on mine but what does the GGG 3 and AG mean? ( seller might have missed some extra number or letter). SHLV 814 A-1 GGG 3 SHVL 814 B-3 AG
My source does not specify which stamper with sleeve info, could be as simple as whatever was in the stack of sleeves???
The CBS Australasian copy sounds really nice. Clean as a whistle and nice full sound. Although I have nothing to compare it with, it sounds good (and I'm not that big a fan of the album!)
Did you ever buy it? This is something Ive been curious about since a lot of people like this release I assume they have the "supposed" good second issue of it. Im not sure how its corrected though since Half Speed mastering in and of itself entails doubling all the frequencies, 25hz made to 50hz. Is it liked because some just prefer their records brighter like the people who tend to enjoy Japanese releases or is there something extra special about the sound?
I used to have the CBS 1/2 speed Mastersound many moons ago........like 20 years ago, and I can't remember if it sounded good or not. My system at that time was pretty suspect (I had duct tape holding parts of my turntable together). I wish I still had that pressing so I could compare it with my US Colombia and my 2011 Doug Sax. I like both, but my Colombia has some nice bottom end that puts it over the top.
Regarding half speed mastering, this is what I remember of comments at the time about CBS' first attempt. The theory goes that transients are far more accurately cut at half speed, but in practice, the low end of the frequency range is now rolled off (as 20 Hz is now 10 Hz fed to the cutter) when played back at normal speed. There had to be different equalisation cards used in the cutters which wasn't foreseen by CBS initially - thus the recut with the correct equalisation. MoFi must have laughed all the way to the bank before CBS got it right.
Owner of the Japan Mastersound 1/2 speed with Columbia NY stamped in the wax. I consider it a nice companion disc to the UK. Less congested (airier feeling), with better detail(?) yet a less defined bottom end and highs that seem capped, don't extend like the normal speed issues. A fun spin that I enjoy at times. But would not want it to be my 'only'.
i think the discogs info is very speculative, imho any early issue can come with a variety of cuts, three cuts, four cuts, cut right cut left, all i believe were available at the same time, the main thing is that these are angled cut inners as around 1978 this changed to rounded cut inners. And yes its a bit of fun imho, an interesting curio, as yet i have seen no evidence of this curio affecting value but you never know, i'd rather have an oddity than a standard so long as the condition was the same. The other letters are the samper codes, EMI used coded letters to denote the stampers, to be honest there is not a lot to be gleaned on the stampers unless there is a single letter stamper ( G, R, A, M etc ) if you find a 1G you will have found a disc which was stamped from the very first stamper made for that matrix, so single letter stampers are always nice and came sometimes boost value because on 70's pressings of a high seller a single letter stamper is like finding a needle in a big haystack.
technically it will always be at the top, the rotation of the text pictures will make it look like a side opener, its the position of the text/picture that has really shifted not the opening ....
Wait, I know I was asking but I was under the impression that those last letters were of the Mother or Father numbers/Letters. I thought the A-1 and B-3 typically were stamper numbers. Or is that wrong?
You know, I once listened to the DSOTM Japanese EMI PRO USE and what I wrote about that experience was sort of similar to yours. A bit of an airier sound that worked really well for tracks like Gig In The Sky, but not as much for rockier tunes like Time. It was very bright also, I listened to an early UK press just before then on the same gear at around 2.5 volume with no problem, but on the Pro Use I was switching around 2.0 volume because those loud frequencies were hurting my ears (headphones). Japan tends to like their records brighter but I wouldnt say its necessaroly more detailed, hard to say. I was using pretty sub par listening gear however so dont quote me on this as finale. Im looking at another Pro Use for a very cheap price right now and might want to get it just to listen again on my own setup.
The below is taken from www.pinkfloydarchives.com Matrix Information: Matrix information is the letters and numbers etched into the vinyl near the label in the runoff groove at the end of each side of a record. Matrix information may include: 1. Catalog number. 2. Side number. 3. Lacquer master number. 4. Stamper letter. (usually found at the 3 o'clock position) 5. Mother number. (usually found at the 9 o'clock position) 6. Record pressing plant. 7. The engineer who cut the lacquer (for example HTM stands for Harry T. Moss). Example: The matrix information, YAX 3419-1 G 1, found on side one of the Columbia Records pressing of The Piper at the Gates of Dawn indicates: h. YAX 3419-1 is the lacquer master number (this includes the catalog number YAX 3419) i. G is the stamper letter j. 1 is the mother number Stampers are made from the Mothers. Mothers are made from the fathers. Fathers are made from the lacquers. And the lacquers are cut from the master tapes. It is interesting to note that side one of the mono pressings of Piper at the Gates of Dawn are all made from a second lacquer. What happened to lacquer number 1? Stamper Codes: The stamper codes used by Columbia/EMI Records is based on "Gramophone Ltd." and are as follows: G=1 R=2 A=3 M=4 O=5 P=6 H=7 L=8 T=9 D=0 Example: A record with a "G" stamper letter indicates that the record was made from the first stamper. Later pressings may have stamper numbers in combination, such as "AL" which means 38.
