Hmm, replacements arrived and they don't look good at all... I see more non-fill on Sin and all kinds of small dimples and scuffs. Will see how it sounds though but not optimistic. Killing Machine just as bad looking but can't see any obvious non-fill so could be okay. However, it has different scribbles in the deadwax... looks like the Sin scribble which looks like a 2, although here it is easier to see and could also be fancy L or E. None of the 20 or what looks like 40 like on my other copy. Very strange indeed. Any clues?
I was looking at these etching yesterday evening and they look really odd. Kind of like Egyptian hieroglyphs. lol
MPO is a very hit or miss plant IME. I'm probably going to pass on these as I don't have the patience to deal with exchanging bad pressings...
Definitely very hit and miss with MPO (then again so are some other plants). Ever since the David Bowie Blackstar re-presses were messed up by them I'm wary of them. Managed to piece together a good set for AOR (Side B now centered on the replacement). Replacement Killing Machine is good but Sin After Sin is proving a problem. Non-fill on both copies on the same track - 'Let us Prey' and this one is also dished! Still curious about all the different deadwax info, doesn't make sense to me unless there are already multiple stampers made.
I am comparing this new remastered/reissued LP (with accompanying MP3) from 2017 against the only other copy I have of this album, which is the CD that came in a 5 JP albums bundle and purchased around 2-3 years ago (I do not know for sure when that remaster was done, though. Early 2000s? IDK). The vinyl itself is well pressed, but not perfect. Very minor off center is noticed. Also, low but audible non-fill effect heard in the first 6-10 seconds of the second side. After that, pretty much no crackles/pops heard in the rest of the LP (both sides). It is not a gatefold. Inner sleeve is a reproduction of the cover, plus lyrics in the other side. Kind of disappointing, but maybe that is exactly how the original LP was issued. IDK. Soundwise, I found it bland. The voice is more upfront that in the aforementioned CD, kind of drowning the band's instruments, and the bass is less audible than in the CD. The CD has a more powerful bass, giving it more body. (It is also way louder than the MP3 copy accompanying this LP, but I cannot hear any clipping on the CD.) As a digital copy, I prefer that older CD (which, again, I suspect it is NOT the original CD, but a later remaster.) The pros for the LP are having the larger cover, the lyrics, and I would suspect that on a system that tends to be boomy/bassy this may sound quite nice, but that is not the case for my turntable/sound system. I would recommend purchasing this LP at around $15-16, and not more, because the analog format of the vinyl really does not bring that much to it (which makes sense, because it seems this album was DDD from the start). Now.......musically-wise I can only say this album is my favorite JP album, bar none. I really powerful, thrash-metal overture, from start to finish.
@FelixR, I'm pretty sure that 5 album pack you're talking about consists of the Jon Astley remasters. Those are definitely not the best representations of any JP album. Try to get a copy of the old, original mastering of the Painkiller CD, better, more dynamic sound. See here: Album details - Dynamic Range Database Album details - Dynamic Range Database
Got the new 2017 British Steel LP today. I have the original US vinyl, the original Holland vinyl, and the original UK vinyl as well as the 1986 Columbia CK 36443 and Japan 258p CDs and the 2001 remaster CD (just for the bonus tracks). So how does this new one stack up? Well, it's much easier on the ears than the awful 2001 CD, but comes in a definite second to the original US, Holland, UK LPs and the original US and Japan CDs. As FelixR says, the vocals are quite forward in the mix and the bass is pretty far back. That said, everything is very clean. Each instrument is well articulated and tight. The soundstage is narrower than I'd like it with flat EQ, but after playing mastering engineer and boosting both low and high frequencies and cutting the gain a little, the record opened up quite a bit. I know that's kind of a sin for purists, but I was curious to see if I could sweeten things at all. Not only did the stage open up, but the mild ear fatigue (still nothing close to the 2001 remasters) largely went away. If Mandy Parnell did do the mastering on this, kudos to her for a fine job. Hard to know what the source material was for this release, but I'd be surprised if it was the original analog tapes. The original 1980 pressings I have are pretty clean and quiet, but there is still that faint tape hiss flavor and analog warmth on the old vinyl that is largely absent on this 2017 version. All that said, I'm going to keep this copy and likely listen to it from time to time just to hear Parnell's take on things. Overall, I like it. Definitely different, not quite as good as the original LP and CD pressings, but still a good listen. Oh, a quick note on the packaging and quality of vinyl: the record is dead flat with zero extra noise artifacts. Very impressive pressing in that regard. So many of the newer vinyl releases I have are a bit warped and noisy right out of the can. This one is pristine in every sense. The cover art is only 90% of the original, but I liked the inner sleeve. If you're having a hard time tracking down an affordable 1980 pressing, this one is a worthy second place alternative. I got mine for $15 and wouldn't pay much more than that for it. I have SAS KM, SFV and POE coming in the next few days. I'll try to post my take on each of them compared to original pressings as soon as I can. BTW, after lurking here for a couple years and learning a ton from so many of you, this is my first post. I feel like I owe this community a lot. Hope I added something that is helpful!
Thanks for the insightful Review Alpinist 1.Will be interesting to hear your thoughts on the other reissues. Welcome to the Forum!
I really like what I'm hearing about these being unremastered. At the minimum I think I will pick up Painkiller and Unleashed in the East. If I like those I may grab more, the price is certainly right. I have great (mostly Japan) originals of nearly everything except for AoR but I can't resist my all time favorite band. It would be sort of humorous if these low-key reissues best the two mofi equivalents. I'm watching the Rising in the East concert and it just kicks so much a**!! To those that will comment "I just don't get it, I mean aren't originals cheap and plentiful?! Ermkay!!" let me say this. No, they aren't, certainly not in clean shape that won't shred your stylus. It's 2018, the bins have been picked clean. The current price on discogs for a clean copy of the original US Columbia of SFV is $23 and up. If you live in some village in an obscure corner of the world where these dollar bin unicorns flourish, send us your address and we will come for them. Oddly enough I wish they would produce cd's or full-res downloads of these versions. My original Point of Entry cd sounds a little wet in the top end while the original vinyl has a nice dry and crisp sound. I never noticed how much Angel of Retribution sounds like Jane's Addiction's Mountain Song.
You speak the truth. At least this has been my experience. I still need decent originals of SFV and POE. Both look clean enough to see your own reflection, but play like crackling rice crispies. It's frustrating. And yeah - "Mountain Song" and Tesla's "Hang Tough" had a baby!
That made me laugh... - rumour has it Wawa Ontario is next on the hit list, lots of good vinyl there , and yes I agree the used bins aren't what they were even 5 years ago let alone 10 or 15.
I have an 80s US lp of Unleashed in the East. For those have heard it, would you say the new reissue is worth getting if I already have a copy?
I will second your question but I am wondering if the new Unleashed LP is worth getting if I already have the Japanese Priest in the East CD.
I hear you. If any of your carts have microline styli you might be able to get some new mileage out of them. Some of my early Rolling Stones vinyl from Japan look great but are totally worn in the upper grooves and the vocals are simply ragged. In this case microline is a life saver. If you can manage the coin, I highly recommend the original Japan vinyl for POE. For SFV it's US Columbia original all the way.
Today was supposed to be the release date for the Ram It Down vinyl, but Amazon US says "temporarily unavailable" and despite my order still saying, "arriving today" it has yet to ship. Looks like it may be delayed? That's ok by me, I have so much new stuff stacked up and yet to get a listen - I could use the break
I compared the 2017 remastered vinyl British Steel to an early original US pressing and a reissue from 2008 that has “J. Lambert Tucker Sound” in the deadwax: Judas Priest - British Steel . The original Rocks just like I remember it from high school, despite some surface noise. It has a crunch and a serious pulsating groove that is lacking in the others. It does have that bright early 80s production. Close call, but I wound up deciding I prefer the 2008 over the 2017. It has a heavier sound and more serious bass. Overall I think it better matches the clarity, detail and composition of the original. Both reissues lack the excitement of the original, and some crisp detail is missing. I found the 2017 brighter and thought the guitars and voice got lost in spots where they were more clearly defined in the other two pressings. These observations only came with close comparison. I still thoroughly enjoyed listening to the 2017 from start to finish.
I picked up British Steel and SFV which I played last night. I don't have any originals so can only compare to the original Columbia/CBS CD's from the 80's. British Steel up first and I thought it sounded excellent. The original CD always sounded fanastic to me, even though it is a tad on the bright side but it just sounds great, well mixed and clear. The 2017 LP for me added detail to the sound, especially in the vocals. First thing that stood out for me was how clear Rob's voice sounded. Not a massive improvement, but then I didn't expect it with the CD being so good already. The sound is similar for both, I would just say that the 2017 LP has a slight edge in clarity, especially in the vocals. Dynamics are superb, the bass drum has nice punch and the guitar leads just jump out of the speakers. It's a relief also to have a record from this reissue series which has no issues. Flat, centered and extremely quiet. SFV for me is definitely an upgrade in sound, straight off from the opening bars of The Hellion, the punch in the bass and drums comes through much more than the CD. Detail is fantastic here and dynamics perfect, this one cranks up well. Again, nice and flat and quiet. I'm just annoyed that for some reason the sleeve has a deep folding crease going down the entire opening side so I've had to ask for a replacement to get one which doesn't look used.
