To people asking if the new Relics beats the old Starline or Masters of Rock, I have both and the new Relics certainly didn't suck compared to either of those. I spun both last week in anticipation and listened to the new one once last night. With the beautiful new textured cover and upgraded mono tracks, it's going to be hard not to recommend the reissue to everyone, especially considering it's price. I'm not quite sure the value of my opinion right now as I only heard it once and I'm not great at comparing sound quality. But man it's a really cool LP and I like to share early opinions while there's still some hype. I have a feeling it will be up there with the mono Piper and More when we talk about the best of the reissue series. I like hearing a bit of the BG fairy dust sprinkled on these old singles.
I just listened to Biding My Time from both the Starline and then the new reissue. Neither one is a clear winner after one spin. I noticed that the original has really good bass but the new one thumps even harder. The drums sound a bit boxy on the original, more natural on reissue. What I'm hearing is typical when comparing UK original Pink Floyd records to the new reissues. The original has a polite organic mastering that still manages to do almost everything right and have some muscle. The new one is very strong and clear, modern sounding, maybe a bit much at the top of the highs and the bottom of the lows. Everything is in balance and some things seem to sound louder in the mix than the original. They both sound awesome. Just one opinion based on one comparison of one song. My Starline is quiet but the new one is silent.
I think the new one retains some of the original sonic signature. The 2 songs from More sound quite flat (almost monoraul) in comparison to Careful and Binding just as before. The new release as you mentioned has a more ‘opened’ modern sound signature.
And what did you think on that track? I have the same Mastersof Rock and I’ll be ordering Relics I think.
I did for $80 thru Amazon US. Looks beautiful anf I think it's a bit thinnner than the original release, IIRC. Planning on giving it a spin tomorrow.
Look forward to hearing your thoughts Ron! I've got a nice original, but I'm almost afraid to touch it
I listened to the first 2 LPs of Pulse last night and loved what I heard. This is VERY crankable, and the louder you play it, the better and more revealing it gets. As good as that was, I just finished the 3rd LP and it blows away what I heard on the first two. The Dark Side material sounds majestic! This entire Floyd vinyl reissue campaign has been worth every penny.
You're right, Eugene really stood out as I listened for the first time last night. I have the blue Starline version and the green label Capitol with the face cover to compare to. For me, this new one stands above them both.
All my opinion of course based on a couple back and forths on my OK gear but... Honestly, I'm really liking the new press "Paintbox" vs the Masters version. Even though it's cut from digital mastering, it sounds like the source is a lower gen than the track on Masters, and for lack of a better description, benefited from the Bernie-dust mastering. Nice definition and pleasant top, middle and bottom end. It's a really nice listen on this well pressed vinyl, and a highlight along with "Eugene" and "Biding My Time" for me. Won't be ditching my Masters Of Rock just yet though.
My favourite store didn't receive Relics yet, but my second favourite store has a zillion of them. I'll wait until next week; talk about a loyal dog
Yeah, I was planning to sit the new Relics out since I already have a clean early UK Starline, but all these positive reviews and talk of BG fairy dust is too much to resist! I'm gonna have to check this new one out.
