Only the pressing plants used were different, same KG cuts for the box and individual releases. Going from memory, United did the first four individual LPs and GZ did the box pressings.
While patiently waiting for the VGPS 50th Anniversary box, I went ahead and bought the mono vinyl box from AcousticSounds over the weekend. It was just delivered. I'll be unboxing it after work. I can't wait! Next on the agenda: get the EP reissues...
I kicked things off with Face To Face. The clarity, the presence, the definition, the separation, THE DETAIL!!! Suddenly, everything that sounded icy and sterile on the Deluxes (I assume that I can talk about those seeing as no one told me differently) came to life on my turntable. For the first time in the nearly 7 years of being a Kinks fan, I could finally TURN UP THE VOLUME (on the Pye stuff, never had a problem turning up the later stuff)!!! As soon as Dave's twangy intro to "Party Line" kicked in, I could hear a big WHEEZE from the recording, finally coming to life. A similar thing happened when I put on "Miss Judy's Farm" from the Faces' vinyl box I got at the end of March. I'm only one record in, and already I'm mightily impressed. I'll probably get the stereo 2014 vinyl of Arthur at some point because I've never liked the mono mix of that album. Does that one sound any good/decent/terrible? And I agree with everyone that Kevin Gray should cut an AAA version of Lola (and stereo Arthur, too. Why not?) sooner rather than later. @Tommyboy my grandma offered to make me dinner tomorrow night so I can blast Something Else and VGPS. Tomorrow can't come fast enough!
So I listened to Something Else and VGPS last night. Something Else had a big skip in "Death Of A Clown", but nothing that couldn't be cleaned (thank God). The album was amazing, and in "Waterloo Sunset", you can hear the acoustic better (can any of you get the joke?). Like F2F, a lot of presence and detail that I never heard before. Next up was VGPS. This was nice, flat and quiet (for the most part). Holy moly, the album ROCKS on vinyl and in mono. I was blown away. I cranked it up nice and loud. Again, a lot of presence and detail that is lost on the Deluxe CD (or the 2011 remaster). Nothing to say, except VGPS is a Low Budget (wrong album) production, but this vinyl master shows that a simple production isn't such a bad thing. Thank God this came out. Really happy I got in on this when I did. It was now or never. Really impressed with the set all around. Now to get the 2014 Arthur and all the EPs with the tracks I don't have!
I just ordered the 2014 stereo Arthur, since I've never been a fan of the mono mix (proving that mono isn't always better). Before I crack it open, what are people's thoughts on that pressing? Yes I know it comes from 96/24 transfers, the same of which that were presumably mastered for hi-res this past March, but what are people's thoughts regarding it? Does it sound good? Adequate? Horrific? I'm planning to get the EPs eventually, too. I've been checking Discogs, and Mr Pleasant seems that it will cost me the most. I'd gladly pay the price, though, since it is KG cut, and I don't know if I can get another one for cheaper.
I agree about the mono "Arthur" not being the greatest listen, and generally prefer the stereo mix (although the distortion that plagues the recording is basically present in both iterations). The only stereo version of the album I have on vinyl is the Spanish PRT pressing, which is a pretty good pressing, but kind of bass-light.
I have the Arthur reissue that included both the stereo and mono mixes (same as the 2014 stereo). They sound good for digital pressings. Not as good as an original but they're both silent pressings, something that would be expensive to obtain with an original.
Just bought a PRT of Lola Versus Powerman off of Discogs. Trying to get in on the EPs, too, but one thing at a time, I suppose. There are plenty of EPs there, there was only one PRT of Lola.
Sorry for the triple(!) post, but earlier this morning, I managed to get all the EPs with songs I didn't already have. A PRT Lola and the EPs...gotta love Discogs!
So is the Mono Collection box AAA or not? Some here say no, others (in other threads) say yes. Talk about confusing. I've been told the individual releases are digitally sourced whilst the box contains the only AAA cuts done by Kevin Gray. Is this correct?
@andrewsandoval confirmed around the time of release that it is, in fact, AAA (except the Black Album). He did not confirm the 2014 individual releases, but the consensus is that they are digital. I have the 2014 Arthur and no matter if it’s analog or digital, it still beats the Deluxe by a long shot.
All analog except for the "Black Album" compilation, which was assembled digitally. Ten LP Kinks Mono Box Cut by Kevin Gray From Original Analog Masters
Great thanks! Does this apply to ALL versions of the Mono Collection box irrespective of where you buy it from / country you live in?
I know of no other version of the vinyl mono box - AFAIK, they were all cut by Kevin Gray, and pressed and assembled by GZ.
Thank you. Ordered now from Amazon.it before they go out of stock and I regret it later on! Thanks also to everyone else who answered my questions!
I agree. I was nervous about the quality, but my sets of the Kinks Mono box AND the Stones Mono box were both very well pressed indeed. The Kinks box was packaged with paper sleeves, but in fine shape overall.
BTW, the reason I questioned this is because Discogs lists two versions: a USA version and a "Europe" version.
The USA versions of the first four albums from 2015 the EP reissues and the proper albums in the 2016 box were all AAA by Kevin Gray (in addition to the digitally sourced Black Album). I have the box and all the EPs and I love them. It’s about as good as the Pye era is going to sound. The Europe versions from 2014 didn’t list the source but (as I said before) the consensus is that they are cut from digital. The only one from this batch I have is Arthur because I’ve never liked the mono mix. It’s leaps and bounds better than the Deluxe Edition. I also had a near-mint PRT of Lola but I had to return it. Side 1 was perfect, but Side 2 was pressed off center, which kinda ruined it for me, unfortunately. I ended up getting the hi-res. That one is only marginally better than the Deluxe (the EQ is smoother, but the compression is still an issue, but not as bad as the Deluxe). I hope Andrew knows that Lola needs a vinyl reissue...desperately. I really don’t care how it’s sourced at this point, as long as Kevin Gray is involved.
I'm not 100% certain about that - it may be a Discogs editorial error. I believe the entire set was both pressed and assembled in Europe. The Discogs entries may be confusing the earlier mono AAA reissues cut by Kevin Gray and pressed at United.
