Record Store Day 2017 Sound Quality And Music Reviews

I haven't seen a separate thread strictly with comments on sound quality and music reviews of the 2017 RSD releases. Perhaps this can be a start. If this is a duplicate, please merge.

 

Neil Young's Decade, mastered by Chris Bellman, is drop-dead beautiful. Vinyl is quiet and well-pressed.

 

If that's the case, the price ($34 or so) is a bargain. I'm actually surprised, given the price of the previous Neil Young reissues, that Decade is so relatively affordable.

I still want to mention the Greatest Hits set, still available on Reprise, sounds amazing, and uses the 1-step process used by MoFi for their recent Santana and Bill Evans reissues.

 

I just played the Sting Live At Bataclan. An EP more or less. It sounds very good, though a bit dry and perhaps limited dynamically. I would guess it was from digital. Music is good, but maybe not THE most inspired I have ever heard Sting.

Next up, Santana Live at Woodstock....

 

I bought Electric warrior by T.rex and it had 3 skips during Mambo sun.
So I called the store and asked if they had a replacement copy , which they had.
When I played the second copy it skipped 3 times during Mambo sun.
Now i'm howling like a loon, beneath the bebop moon.
Nice reversable sleeve though.

 

I think The Flaming Lips is really good. It sounds like it was recorded live in the studio and it's cool to hear different takes on the songs without the sheen. Definitely pick it up if you dig Oczy. CB in the deadwax.

 

Just saw this thread. Any comments on the Nilsson Schmilsson?

 

Listening to it now and it's a dead quiet pressing...sounds amazing!

 

Cool. I'm hoping to get that on Monday if supply hold out!

 

Spoon - Hot Thoughts 12" single.

Flat, centered and no real surface noise.

The b-side songs sound loud to me but maybe it's just the style of the music. Volume-wise, the A-side sounds just like the LP.

The remix is actually pretty good while my first impression of the cover song is that it's just OK.

 

Glad it looks great but how does it sound?

I always found the original to sound rather thin. Of course the recordings vary in engineering so much that its a bit hard to pin down an overall sound quality. Cant recall how my japanese pressing sounds. Probably not much better than the original or Id remember.

 

NICE! I didn't see this at Bull Moose. I might try tracking a copy down. I think it looks neat as well.

 

Sorry to hear, dude. Make sure to check the tracking weight and that it's at the top of the suggested range.

 

I listened to the first disc of the Sire 50 Year set. It sounds very good. Not 180 gram, which is a plus for me.

The highs on Hocus Pocus by Focus were great. Very nice compilation of music I have never owned, much I am unfamiliar with. I think the only thing I own on that set is Psycho Killer.

I also had a listen to SFF/PL. Fantastic. The bass in PL was awesome and I heard background sounds that until today had not been revealed to me. Must be the new mix.

 

I agree on both counts. Theres some noisy instrument going on in the left channel about 2/3 of the way through the song that I've never heard before today

 

The Bill Evans hasn't been released yet, has it?

Please tell me it hasn't as I have a pre-order at Music Direct since they were first taking orders.

But thanks for that info on NY Greatest Hits. I was not aware of this and I believe I have held that record in the store, but did not recall seeing that on a hype sticker. How did you find this out?

 

I grabbed a bunch but so far I've only spun the Marcy Playground. This is a record I love and have wanted a vinyl copy for a number of years.

My copy... it has a slight warp, though playable. Side one has a fair amount of surface noise, but its not terrible. Side 2 is very quiet. The mastering sounds great. Kevin Gray did a fantastic job. It sounds much more open. Compared to the original CD, it sounds less compressed, tinny or loud. I'm glad it got cut nicely.

 

I concur on Sting - it sounds very good overall.

 

That is lovely! Check it out @SweetTea that record looks like summer.

 

The Santana Live at Woodstock sounds very good. It's not THE greatest recording to begin with, mostly lacking some lower end presence. Still, it's a good listening. Gregg Rolie is in sort of rough voice and a bit pitchy, but the band really comes alive with "Soul Sacrifice", that's for sure. The other songs from the debut album are probably best heard that way, but this might be the definitive version of SS.

 

Anyone have opinions on the sound of the Robert Johnson set?

Thanks

 

I didn't get that but a friend of a friend did and his copy is warped. Don't know about the sound though

 

I've spun the first 3 tracks and so far the pressing is nice and clean and quiet, but obviously you can tell that the source of these is from 78s

Edit: It also comes with a download card for those curious

 

How did it sound?

 

Anyone pick up the Elton John 17-11 double vinyl