Paul Weller Vinyl Reissues of S/T and Wild Wood-November 2016

If Discogs is any indication then substantially more people are owning the version without the extra track. Even though I'm finding it bizarre that a UK pressing from 1993 is already called a "reissue". Is there an earlier UK (minus "Hung Up") pressing at all?

 

Yes, the release was available without Hung Up from its release in September until the release of Hung Up as a single in 1994. That is when the copy with the extra track was released.

 

Then the Discogs Entry is not 100% correct. Not the first one

 

Chap on Amazon U.K. gave the vinyl reissue 2 stars - what's the verdict from the good folks of this forum on Wild Wood?
Gary

 

Well, my S/T showed up today. Actually I got two of them. I forgot I had one on order from Amazon.fr as well as Amazon.uk. Pressing quality seems pretty good, side 1 had a few loud pops, side 2 was perfect. Sound quality was ok...a little bottom heavy, but of course, it makes you wonder how it would have come out had they not cut corners.
It also seems a bit weird to have the record player effect, and the sound of the record flipping over all at the end if side 1. Is that how it was on the original?
The record cover.....I do appreciate that they tried to replicate the original. But the print quality is soooo bad, I can't even imagine what they used as a source.

Overall, I'm very glad to finally have a vinyl copy of this in my collection. This reissue only gets a 7 from me though, and I can't for the life if me figure why they are charging so much for it. I'm glad I was able to get it for £15.

 

Thanks for the info - for the prices they're charging, these seem like a real half-assed effort.

 

I got my Wild Wood yesterday, and apart from not having the red OBI that's on my original copy, it looks more or less identical. Clean, flat pressing, very quiet overall, and sounds great. Exactly what I've come to expect from Optimal. I haven't sat down and compared the two – that's not really my thing, and in all fairness, it's been some time since I've listened to Wild Wood at all – but at first blush, I'm very happy with this.

 

Wild Wood sounds great but my side 2 has a few marks & significant pops throughout (that did not disappear after cleaning). SQ great, QC poor.

S/T also sounds very nice with no pressing issues.

 

If anyone's interested, I started an Ocean Colour Scene thread:
Hello, fans of Ocean Colour Scene...

I don't have all their studio albums (almost, but...), and I don't listen to them as much as I think I ought to, but I always seem to enjoy them when I do. Perhaps those of you interested in OCS can offer some thoughts over there.

 

I almost pulled my original out last night. And the night before. Maybe next week.

Haven't heard it in ages. The second batch looks even more expensive, JPC is asking 41€ for "Heavy Soul". Excuse me? I guess I'll be waiting for an original because there is a chance that these reissues areally bringing the prices down.

 

I had enough waiting for Wild Wood to arrive from amazon.ca, so I went out and picked it up at my local record shop for $29 CDN.

Hopefully Amazon doesn't screw up Stanley Road and Heavy Soul as well.

 

Just finished listening and I have to say it sounds great. I don't have the original to compare but the package is nicely done, cover has deep colour (no faded picture / photocopy like the first album), vinyl is heavy, flat, poster is of good quality, lyrics are legible on inner sleeve, no audible noise during playback, no shards of paper from the sleeve as others have described. Again, volume has to be cranked higher than usual but sounds great.

Sound:10/10
Packaging: 10/10

 

So can someone point me to where I can buy a new copy of the self-titled vinyl for under $50, shipped?
(I don't think that's too much to ask)

 

It's not out in the USA yet.

Paul Weller (Pre-Order)

Paul Weller-Paul Weller-180 Gram Vinyl Record|Acoustic Sounds

Paul Weller - Paul Weller (180g Vinyl LP)

 

Or you can get it from Amazon.fr right now for about the same

Paul Weller: Paul Weller, Steve White: Amazon.fr: Musique

 

Does it have the OBI?

 

No.

 

Cool, thanks. Didn't see it on amazon is why I was thrown off.

 

it appears to have missed the release date, while there have been some copies shipped in Europe and Canada,
but it doesn't look like it's fully reached all distributors yet. hang on, it's coming. the good news
is that the quality on-line sellers haven't jacked up the price.

 

As stated above, no, it does not have the OBI strip...for what it's worth, it does have a "Includes Free Poster" sticker. (There's also a download code card and the 5 GBP is present on the inside of the sleeve for those keeping track)

 

This reminds me...someone mentioned earlier in this thread that the re-issue of Paul Weller S/T has the "carriage return, record flip" sound at the end of Side A. I know this is present on the CD (obviously), but was it present on the original pressing on the vinyl?

 

No it wasn't.

Which means they used the CD master for the vinyl.

Not as bad as some AAA fundamentalists would think - I really doubt there was a full analogue master on this, Solid Bond had a digital desk at the time, although much of the album was mixed at Whitfield Street - but does show a little lack of attention to details.

 

Yeah, I don't think a digital master is "the absolute evil", but it should be a well done master. This includes to pay attention to details like "carriage return, record flip" sound.

 

Kinda lame they didn't remove that though for the vinyl.

 

Cheers folks, if I can find a copy in the UK for a reasonable price think I'll go for it, I always liked Wild Wood, great album.
Gary