My guess is that whoever measured the size of the EU box was under the impression that it only would have to hold the seven studio albums.
I posted this earlier, but below is a shot of my US box with all 8 in it. I removed nothing from any album and each album is in a protective sleeve. The sleeves do make sliding them in easy and they also give me a pulling point to grab when I remove them.
I have mine in 3mil sleeves and it's not a tight fit. It's difficult to get them out just because it's difficult to get a grip, but I do not have to cram them in the box. edit - Sorry, I was talking about the US box and he was talking about the UK box. Disregard.
As I´ve already said the EU box is a joke. I have both gatefolds out to make the other ones an easy fit. This is a major issue and I think the record company should replace them.
Ha, no way this is ever going to happen. I mean...the logistic would be an absolute nightmare. They could give us a free copy of "LAD". Since it doesn't fit in they could at least pay for it What most likely WILL happen is this: Nothing. MAYBE an apology.
That´s probably exactly what will happen, Neonbeam. Nothing . Although I remember one CD in the Rush Sector boxes had some issues and everyone got a replacement of just that one disc.
My EU box now houses all seven studioalbums including polylinered inners. They fit in perfectly and there is no space left. Happy about these pressings, very surprised by "SSOASS"...I've never heard it before and it is really fantastic. I also liked "SIT" a lot. A terrific run of albums...
So someone please help me here cause i started to go back pages an pages and I'm all lost now. I want to get The Number of the Beast. Is the consensus that both the US and UK pressings of that one suck in this 2014 remaster series?
No, that is not the consensus. But some people feel that way. Samples were posted earlier, and from those it is obvious that the EU pressing sounds much better than the US pressing. I think the 2014 EU pressing of TNOTB sounds decent, just not quite as good as an original, early UK pressing.
But does it sound "not quite as good" because it simply isn't as good or rather because it is a different mastering to what people have been enjoying for three decades now?! And they need time to adjust their ears. And if it isn't quite as good: Why? Are the tapes too old? Has Mr. Magee simply done a bad job? Anyway I can't wait to find an 1982 original to hear this for myself... While we are at it: What about the "TNOTB" from the EMI100 Centenary series? These - "Iron Maiden" is the other title - go for quite a lot of money....
Well, the soundstage is bigger on the original, for one thing. The channel balance is also slightly shifted to the right for the new release. There is also some EQ difference, mainly on the higher frequencies. The new one seems to be rolled of in the high end compared to the UK original. Whether this is the result of the tapes being older, the alignment of the tape machine, or due to a mastering move for the early pressing (boosted treble) or the new release (rolled-off treble), it is hard to tell if we don't know what the original tapes sound like. I suppose "good" or "better" with regards to sound quality is quite subjective. EQ wise, I actually quite like the 2014 EU Version, since I think the original recording is a bit bright sounding anyhow. I wish the 2014 EU had the same soundstage as the original UK pressing, then it might be my preferred pressing.
That's why I asked, I've got three different masterings of selected albums and I like them all for different reasons. I consider them to be different "interpretations" of an album. But there definitely are masterings that simply and obviously sound bad and thin like the Japanese "Red" (King Crimson) I had. Well...of course somebody might like that too but I think most people wouldn't. I'd like to think of the new "TNOBTB" as a different "interpretation" But you are right.... we needed to know how the original master sounds in order to decide which pressing is truer to the source. But I trust Sean Magee. He did "The Beatles In Mono" after all... Thanks for your answer btw
Truly ridiculous issue regarding the EU box!!! Really I am usually not that fussy when it comes to production quality and tolerate minor flaws because even an industrial process/supply chain implies some room for imperfection but this is gross... Who could I contact to ask for a replacement? Clearly this couldn't be handled at the retailer level. I'm a bit lost regarding who is producing the box set (EMI directly or licensee...). But I will definitely write/call to plead for a new box or some sort of compensation, even if it is a token one.
Hi Steve, unfortunately I´ll not have the time to find out who to contact. But if you find out let me know and I´ll be the next to get in touch with them.
Just received my EU copy of Seventh Son of a Seventh Son from Amazon UK (to the US) and it had absolutely no packaging at all. Just a shipping label slapped onto the shrinkwrap of the album. I was shocked. Packaging I've gotten from Amazon UK has been from mediocre to excellent, but I've never seen anything like this from any outfit anywhere. The record itself looks nice and does not appear to be damaged, but this may just be the most dog-eared album cover I've ever seen, used or new. Luckily the US copy I got on the cheap from hasting online has a nice cover and sounds great.
Jeesh!! Actually..I am fairly certain someone posted the same experience with Amazon UK over at the thread about the distortion on "The Ocean" on Zep's Houses Of The Holy 2014 reissue. Lucky the vinyl survived!
I finally received the albums and I just finished listening to both TNOTB albums. At this point I'd have to give the nod to the EU pressing. It sounded a little brighter and open. Honestly, I didn't have to finish playing the US disk before calling a winner. The Killers set is up next. US on the left, EU on the right:
Ok, I'm done listening to the EU and US versions of Killers. On both side 1 is muffled when compared to side 2, which sounds great on both, but the EU version is less so on both sides. At this point the EU versions of TNOTB and Killers go in the red box. I guess I can say I'm now a pretty happy man with this box set. It took a little work and help from people here, but I'm happy! Rock on! The US on the left and the EU on the right: Just a little proof I love the Maiden, there's much more!
So, the US Killers is missing the track list on the back cover. I have read this before somewhere. Looks weird when you see it. Thanks for these comparisons between US and EU versions, much appreciated. I hope other albums will follow...
