Michael Jackson Thriller vinyl- sibilance?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by jcmusic, May 2, 2018.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Gethan Wall

    Gethan Wall Agent Provocateur

    Location:
    Parts Unknown
    Pitman Pressing
    • Matrix / Runout (A-side etched, variation 7): PAL 38112-2A P
    • Matrix / Runout (B-side etched, variation 7): PBL 38112-2B P

     
  2. Chris Schoen

    Chris Schoen Rock 'n Roll !!!

    Location:
    Maryland, U.S.A.
    Ya, I have had a few AT440's and now a few Denon DL-100's. I may go back to an AT. The DL-110 is very musical, and has a big sound-stage, but I miss that crispness of the AT. More of a "Rock and Roll" cart (imo)...
     
    Rad Dudeski and Gethan Wall like this.
  3. jcmusic

    jcmusic Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Terrytown, La.
    Ok what about the Japanese pressing???
     
  4. Would be nice to know which pressings and if any are new or likely groove damaged. I'd like to relate a story I read in a 1999 Beatleology magazine article. I think it was Quincy Jones who said the first time MJ heard the completed album in the studio it was not the sound they worked on and some of the fidelity was lost. Also Q told him it would be too long for Lp and would sound congested. Michael cried. They went back and remastered the entire album at the 11th hour but compromises were still made. Someone please correct me if my memory is failing but it's a long album (anything over about 18 min present compromises)and many 80's players probably damaged many of the now vintage records tracking it.
     
    Last edited: May 3, 2018
    McLover likes this.
  5. Gethan Wall

    Gethan Wall Agent Provocateur

    Location:
    Parts Unknown
    Careful with the attitude.

    Japanese
    • Matrix / Runout (Runout Side A, variant 1 ): 25-3P-399A1
    • Matrix / Runout (Runout Side B, variant 1): 25-3P-399B1


     
  6. Gethan Wall

    Gethan Wall Agent Provocateur

    Location:
    Parts Unknown
    It's only 42 mins. There should be no issue with sound quality.
     
  7. Gethan Wall

    Gethan Wall Agent Provocateur

    Location:
    Parts Unknown
    Yeah I looked at the Denon 110, after a awful time with the Nagaoka MP 110, but went with the AT440 instead and haven't changed since.
     
  8. jcmusic

    jcmusic Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Terrytown, La.
    Sorry brother no attitude just seeking info once again sorry...
     
    Gethan Wall likes this.
  9. Gethan Wall

    Gethan Wall Agent Provocateur

    Location:
    Parts Unknown
    No issue dude, hard to gauge on here. I appologise if I jumped the gun
     
  10. TLMusic

    TLMusic Musician & record collector

    Those low -2A -2B cutting numbers indicate a very early pressing. I am going to guess that there is no Michael Jackson production credit on the back of the jacket of your copy.

    My experience has been that the earliest US pressings of Thriller are the best one can hope for, and they sound much better than the millions of later copies. Nonetheless, the mastering on the US copies (done by Bernie Grundman) has a bright forward approach, that could lead to excess sibilance during playback.

    Another version for the OP to consider is the Holland vinyl pressing, also mastered by Grundman. It has a darker, smoother sound, and is pressed on vinyl with less surface noise than a typical US copy.
     
    Cassius likes this.
  11. Gethan Wall

    Gethan Wall Agent Provocateur

    Location:
    Parts Unknown
    You are correct sir.
     
    TLMusic likes this.
  12. jcmusic

    jcmusic Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Terrytown, La.
    It's ok don't worry about it, your helping me...
     
  13. jcmusic

    jcmusic Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Terrytown, La.
    I read somewhere else that the Dutch copy is good, so this is good info also. Now to search for the Dutch and Japanese pressings...
     
    Floyd Crazy likes this.
  14. McLover

    McLover Senior Member

    Those matrices are what I have.
     
    TLMusic likes this.
  15. Chris Schoen

    Chris Schoen Rock 'n Roll !!!

    Location:
    Maryland, U.S.A.
    The Denon DL-110 is a nice change from the AT, they are different but both very good values.
     
    Gethan Wall likes this.
  16. TLMusic

    TLMusic Musician & record collector

    :thumbsup: I would say you are fortunate to possess that early production copy. The differences in audio quality between the early and later US pressings of Thriller can be drastic.
     
    Gethan Wall likes this.
  17. jcmusic

    jcmusic Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Terrytown, La.
    A quick check shows that the 2A-2B numbers are variation#7, why do you think the variations before #7 have numbers like 2C-2D and so on??? I am trying to understand if variation 1 was the early pressing? If so why use 2A-2B for variation 7???
     
  18. skimminstones

    skimminstones Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kent, UK
    just had a listen through mine. There is a small amount on the girl is mine when mccartney is singing but ive had to really concentrate to make it out. Im not convinced its sibiliance either to be honest, could well just be the way they sing.

    EDIT: i suppose there is a little on Bille Jean actually. Cant say id noticed it before until just now specifically when listening for it. Still not convinced its not just the way it should be though.
     
  19. I know it's been discussed often on this site, but I think the magic number is max 17-18 minutes per side and some claim even less.
     
  20. TLMusic

    TLMusic Musician & record collector

    I have no idea how Discogs assigns the order to their variations.

    My guess is that all of those -2 cuts with a single letter after them were done close to the same time. They appear on records from different pressing plants across the country. All I've seen did not have the Michael Jackson production credit on the jacket.

    There are also -1A and -1B pressings, though scarce. I have a -1B copy that's really nice.
     
    Gethan Wall likes this.
  21. jcmusic

    jcmusic Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Terrytown, La.
    So is you copy 1B on both sides or something else?
     
  22. TLMusic

    TLMusic Musician & record collector

  23. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    I seriously doubt that story.

    For instance,...

    "I did 91 mixes of 'Billie Jean', and finally Quincy said 'Let's go back and listen to mix number two.' And we did, and it blew us all away! I had overmixed that song right into the pooper, so the mix that went onto the record was mix number two.”
    - Bruce Swedien

    Bruce Swedien: Recording Michael Jackson |

    Also, as mentioned before, it's not a long LP by any stretch. One side is about 20 min and the other 22.5 min.
     
  24. jcmusic

    jcmusic Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Terrytown, La.
    So what exactly are you saying here? Other than quoting Bruce?
     
    DangerousKitchen likes this.
  25. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    I thought it was obvious by that quote that there was no 11th-hour frantic mixing as at least one track's final mix was the 2nd one made out of 91.

    What I do remember is they mixed that album to death until they were satisfied. I've never heard or read about the story mentioned above.

    Just checked Wikipedia and this is what is written, as I remember it.

    "When the album was completed, both Jones and Jackson were unhappy with the result and remixed every song, spending a week on each."

    This is the source where that was taken from ;

    Monster budgets, visits from Jackie Onassis, and a very angry Vincent Price: how Michael Jackson made Thriller

    They spent a ton of time mixing it but there was no last-minute craziness in mixing it.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine