New Ryan Adams, "Prisoner" due out February 17, 2017!

True. +1

 

Only indie stores got the Red vinyl, which is limited to 4,000 copies, in an effort to get people to shop at their local indie store. (It's going to be the same with the upcoming Spoon album, too.) . All other retailers got standard Black.

 

Are you trying to say AMAZON isn't an indie store?!?

 

I got one of the red limited edition pressings, it's a great album but my copy doesn't sound so good IMHO. It sounds veiled and almost compressed on some of the songs. Anyone else who have had the same experience with the limited red or the usual black vinyl pressing?

 

Been listening to this... I like the songs, but I don't really dig the sound of the album, as in the subjective aesthetic quality of the it - it's a bit too "80s" sounding for my tastes. Which I guess is just a continuation of the sound he started with his S/T album. I prefer his earlier "sound" - it felt more his own, rather than the pastiche that he's doing now.

 

I think his music has always been pastiche, of one genre or another. Not saying he isn't a great songwriter, but original he is not.

 

That doesn't really make much sense to me.

Would you consider any singer/band who was not the very first artist to make music in the genre they operate, essentially pastiche? That would be every single artist making music today then?

 

If you listen to any Ryan track you instantly know it's him. I'd say that's a sign of originality.

 

One listen in. Dig it. Nothing grabs me right away, but this might be a good thing - I think it'll reveal more upon repeated listens. I'm just fine with the album vibe. yes, there may be some 80s tropes, but it's undeniably Ryan. New Ryan is good Ryan. I'm not sure how I'd rank him. It's like trying to rank Neil Young or something - on some days, your mood makes you reach for Gold, other days any of the Cardinals albums, other days 29, etc.

 

I'd agree, but you can also certainly hear his influences. Not that that is a bad thing, at all, though.

Thing about Ryan is that he appeals to a lot of people for a lot of different reasons, as he makes albums in a variety of styles. Some people like the more moody, laid back stuff, some people appreciate his acoustic stylings, or country stylings, or 80's influenced stylings, or hard core punk stylings...etc . What I have learned from his followers is that there are always going to be a group of them who love his new album releases, while others hate them. For example - many folks thought Ashes & Fire was just terrific, while I found it a rather unmemorable snooze fest. These same folks may have hated the self-titled album from three years ago, but I absolutely loved it. Neither of our opinions are wrong, though. Just differing depending on what we get out of it personally. His output has been so diverse that there is a relatively small group who like everything, yet at the same time, there's still something for everyone to get something out of. Ultimately, though, he's not making records for us. He's making them for himself, depending on what his current frame of mind and particular influence at that time is. If we happen to agree with one, great. If we don't, he's not losing any sleep over it. He's so prolific that there's always something new coming down the road which you may feel differently about.

 

I get what Squealy means. Part of it is just being a smart fan in the post-it's-all-been-done era. Different people will have different reactions, but while certainly there are tons of songwriting greats of the rock era who are clearly not reinventing the wheel, few of them sound as clearly to me as "I'm trying to recapture the specific vibe of another writer, band, or era" as he always does. But as I said earlier, I just never have been sold on him as a great. A great FAN to be sure, smart, tasteful, means well, but not a great writer/performer. (And I've seen him from clubs to festivals, listened from Whiskeytown to PRISONER. Not all the time, but I've given him a chance.)

 

I got the black vinyl today, perfect pressing. Great sound, dead quiet.
No problems getting the download, WAV file.

 

No, but Ryan is working in territory that has been well-trodden for decades. His music references older music pretty much continuously.

But I don't mean to dismiss him. My point really was, his current music is no more or less a pastiche than his earlier music, he's just drawing on different influences.

 

I finally was able to listen and first time through I like it very much. First of all, any album that in these pages has been compared to Tunnel of Love, The Smiths, and Crowded House, may just have a lot going on. What I find intriguing is that the first two tracks provide a curious sequencing. They have a heavier and more dominant, albeit really interesting production, that is not present on a lot of the rest of the album (that great organ sound and over-reverbed guitar). When I heard the first two tunes, I thought well this is okay. But after that the album sounds much more intimate, personal, and stripped down. It made me think it's going to bring you in with bigger sounds before it established intimacy (actually like the sequence of Tunnel of Love, if not the sound). So far so really good.

 

I have almost all his albums, but haven't listened to them all equally.

It would make a good thread to ask people to identify songs off each album that should be on a notional 2-3 CD "Best Of".

Philo

 

Well I got this from Amazon today and it's yet another LP that's going to have to go back. They're probably going to ban me eventually for excessive returns but I'm not tolerating subpar product. Side A sounds perfect but Side B is a mess of endless pops throughout. It's strange because the LP has no visual imperfections. I tried cleaning it to no avail.

 

My red copy sounds great. Crystal clear and no noise issues.

 

CD sounds great. So far only one play. More to come.

 

My copy from Barnes and Noble sounds great!

 

By far my favorite release of his from the past several years is the "1984" punk 7" from a few years ago. 10 songs, each roughly 1 minute 15 in length. "When the Summer Ends" from it could be my favorite Adams track ever, and that's coming from a big fan.

 

I mentioned in an earlier post that my red vinyl also sounds veiled or compressed as you have described.

 

I worry that amazon's policies will eventually change. Financially, I don't see how they continue to make sense.

I too have returned a fair number of LP's to Amazon. But it's also true I'm far more likely to return to Amazon than to a local independent shop. It makes me wonder... are my expectations for vinyl unreasonably high when it comes from Amazon because of their return policy?

I've been consciously trying to change and not return except in the most egregious cases. And if I return once and strike out on round two-- I have always just sucked it up. Vinyl is vinyl. If I choose to dable in this medium... I've got to expect imperfection.

Maybe I'm just throwing in the towel. LOL

 

I really enjoyed that one, too.

 

When I get a defective pressing from one of my indie stores, I usually contact the record label, and I find they have been good at supplying a better copy. In the case of Amazon, it's just easier to return it to them. Given Amazon's clout in the market, they really should be after these labels to provide better pressings.

I try not to be too fussy, but my last returns to Amazon have involved the following:
- Excessive surface noise (this album)
- Huge bend in cover + large audible scratch
- Multiple deep scratches
- Some weird gunk stuck in the grooves

 

They probably have a deal with the distributor that is very loose on returns for defective items. I doubt that Amz is eating the costs here, makes more sense to me that they big brother them right on down to the lowly distributor.