Spiritualized reissue LPs on Plain records

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by sublemon, Jun 3, 2014.

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  1. Neonbeam

    Neonbeam All Art Was Once Contemporary

    Location:
    Planet Earth
    Me too except for.... have a guess :whistle:

    But back in 1997 my then record dealer - an avid vinyl fan who normally knew what he was talking about - warned customers against buying the Dedicated pressing because of skipping problems. For packaging and sound he recommended the cd. Which he normally would never ever do.

    Like "Is This Desire" by PJ Harvey - another very expensive 90's album I don't have - the original "LAGWAFIS" seems to be not without problems. So I'm curious what you think of it once yours arrives.


    (On a sidenote: Wasn't Plains "Lazer Guided Melodies" pressed from original 1992 stampers?)
     
  2. slop101

    slop101 Guitar Geek

    Location:
    So. Cal.
    Okay, got the new colored ones in the mail today - and same exact thing!

    The audio is good, the records are flat, quiet, no scratches, etc. But, they are FILTHY!
    Just covered in a layer of soot and dirt. I've never seen my record brush pick up so much debris after just one pass - even after that, it's snap, crackle, pop City!
    Brand new records should not require a thorough washing.
    Seriously, how does this happen? Especially on a brand new pressing. Do they just leave them out exposed for weeks before packaging them? It's the only thing that makes sense.
    The blue and white vinyl look nice though...
     
  3. Gabe Walters

    Gabe Walters Forum Resident

    Thanks! Is there an encircled letter U in the dead wax?
     
  4. slop101

    slop101 Guitar Geek

    Location:
    So. Cal.
    Can't tell. Due to the colors of the vinyls (one is clear blue, the other white), the writing in the dead wax is nearly impossible to make out.
     
  5. Gabe Walters

    Gabe Walters Forum Resident

  6. My blue and white Ladies and Gentlemen was also pretty dirty. It also had threads of vinyl still around the edges. Also, the center holes weren't cut well. It took some force to get them though the spindle. However, after a good bath in the Spin Clean. They sound pretty good.

    Also, I just checked my dead wax and I do not see a circled U, though, as slop said, it is hard to make out.

    Yep, thats my version (the LP picture on that release is mine :))
     
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  7. Gabe Walters

    Gabe Walters Forum Resident

    Against my better judgment, I picked this up today. Definitely United pressed. A circled U in the dead wax, and it was mastered by Wes Garland at Nashville Record Pressing (WG/NRP), United's in-house mastering engineer and studio. The first disc has nasty noise in the right channel on both sides, and the second disc has a too-small center hole and was trimmed poorly. It's a shame, because the mastering does sound pretty good when not noisy.
     
  8. Neonbeam

    Neonbeam All Art Was Once Contemporary

    Location:
    Planet Earth
    That makes us two:angel:

    After thinking about the 1997 original for virtually decades I bought it today in Utrecht. From the private collection of a seller who bought it new when it came out. He had just put it up on his wall and the price wasn't outrageous. So I asked if I could see it, then we were chatting about the band and how he liked the promo cd pill box - where each song is its own tablet. I guess he sensed that I wouldn't resell it and suddenly knocked off a few quid. And... I bagged it. No choice. Yes! Finally!

    I wouldn't have minded the Plain so much if virtually all my Spiritualized records weren't originals. I can live with Plain Mazzy Stars. But that annoyed me. Well.. I guess those days are gone:goodie:
     
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  9. Neonbeam

    Neonbeam All Art Was Once Contemporary

    Location:
    Planet Earth
    I have just played the 1997 UK Dedicated. It sounds great! But it has to be said that all this talk about the original pressing being "faulty" is not entirely unjustified. All four sides of my copy are pristine. Yet there is a bit of surface noise, especially on the third side. Since the seller came across as extremely nice guy - who talked knowingly about Spacemen 3 and involved me in another conversation this morning - I don't think he lied when he said, he bought it new, played it 2 or 3 times and stuck with the cd ever since. I will give this a cleaning and see what happens. Any. Way. It does sound "deeper" than the Plain release. Definitely.

    The Plain record on the other hand: The cover is a superb replica, really good. It's also quieter than the original. And it doesn't sound bad per se. I guess a casual fan could do worse. But... yeah... it does sound flatter. The original is definitely nice to have. But I think it could be improved upon. Though not as bad as PJ Harveys "Is This Desire?", the pressing quality is definitely not top notch.
     
  10. Neonbeam

    Neonbeam All Art Was Once Contemporary

    Location:
    Planet Earth
    Have to correct myself because after a good cleaning most of the surface noise has vanished! So I guess it was down to pressing residue.

    I did compare this to the Plain reissue and... wow.... all this talk in the Mazzy Star thread... I always thought it was hyperbole. But: After playing the Plain and Dedicated pressings of this album side by side, the difference is noticeable. The 1997 may have the occasional surface sound but it also has an amazing soundstage and depth while the Plain sounds foking one-dimensional. To make 100% sure I pulled out the 1997 cd issue in pill box and.... even that has more presence than the Plain reissue.

    The bottom line? Don't waste your money. Or at least waste it sensible. And get either an original 1997 vinyl version or an original 1997 cd. Amen:angel:
     
    misterie likes this.
  11. lester christgau

    lester christgau Forum Resident

    Location:
    Rugby
    I have multiple copies of all sp3 and spiritualized originals so I can't say that I've ever heard a "plain" version. Back in my 20's I had no kids and plenty of scratch. Obscure 7" singles, 12 cd pillbox, you name it I bought it. I miss those days sometimes.

    Always funny to me how much folks pay for lagwafis vinyl, a bunch of the original pressings were messed up and pure phase is way better;). The true gem from lagwafis era would be the Elvis promo cds. FUI was definitely issued on cd too, I've got some.

    Saw voyager 1 mentioned here, I have a bunch of blue issues and one black copy. The copy is almost exact in terms of the cover, and the audio sounds identical to me. What a great record!

    Last but not least, don't buy all the sp3 reissues please. Gerald Palmer still puts them out but the band doesn't get paid. Sonic has written about this and Pete B too.
     
  12. ECTherapy

    ECTherapy New Member

    Location:
    Knoxville
    I bought the Plain reissue of Pure Phase, and thought only parts of it sounded better than the CD. The music still sounded as though it was too big for the disc to handle. I was curious as to how much better an original LP was compared to the Plain Reissues. I keep reading that the reissue don't hold a candle to the originals. So, I finally splurged and paid more than should be necessary for the original release, and... I'm sure even casual music listeners could compare the first track on each issue and notice the considerable difference! I'm still far from being an audiophile, and I can tell the the Plain reissue is just criminal! Pure Phase finally sounded how I always wanted it to sound! I honestly thought the low quality was due to how it the album recorded. I mean, Lazer Guided Melodies actually sounds really good on CD. I'm happy to know a good pressing of Pure Phase does exist. It's just a shame you have to pay too much just to experience quality that used to come at decent prices!

    Luckily, the original Lazer Guided Melodies and Let it Come Down seem to be cheaper than Pure Phase was. However, I shudder to think of purchasing Ladies & Gentlemen.

    PS: I know this technically doesn't fall under this Plain Reissues topic, but I do wish someone would finally come out and say whether Sanctuary's Amazing Grace and Songs in A&E reissues are any good. No one seems to talk about them, and boy do I love those albums, too!
     
  13. Neonbeam

    Neonbeam All Art Was Once Contemporary

    Location:
    Planet Earth
    Well... I never heard the Plain "Pure Phase" but my experience with "Ladies & Gentlemen" was similar. So.... since well made reissues don't seem to be likely in the forseeable future originals seem like the way to go. I've waited ages until I finally had the nerve to purchase "Ladies & Gentlemen". Because I've visited many shows and markets - usually early - but I never saw a copy of this album for 10, 15€.
     
  14. Classicrock

    Classicrock Senior Member

    Location:
    South West, UK.
    There was a good sounding (very limited) Sony reissue of 'Ladies and Gentlemen' about 4 years ago but without the printed inners and inserts. I took these from the Plain version and binned the records (It's that bad sounding).
     
  15. misterie

    misterie Forum Resident

    I finally grabbed the original Dedicated pressing of LAGWAFIS (already have the originals of LGM and PP both of which sound incredible)... and, I agree with Neonbeam. There is some surface noise and a few skips occasionally, but the latter goes away with cleaning. It really has a depth to it that all those Dedicated pressings of the great Spz records have. The price it goes for is usually crazy but it's definitely a good pressing and I can't imagine the Plain has this kind of depth. I do have the Plain reissue of RAH and it sounds quite good but there's still a slight flatness.. then again I could've gotten the original of that for cheap but didn't because I'd read it sounds not so good and possibly even weaker than the Plain.

    Also the original pressing of LICD is one of the most impressive they've done. And the multiple "EP"/box-set special edition of Amazing Grace sounds absolutely beautiful too. Spaceman just knew how to produce a ****ing record, and his stuff always seems made for vinyl.
     
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  16. Neonbeam

    Neonbeam All Art Was Once Contemporary

    Location:
    Planet Earth
    How much did it set you back?
     
  17. misterie

    misterie Forum Resident

    Err.. let's just say an amount less than 170 USD and more than 150. :)

    Coming from Japan via discogs, though, so shipping was God-knows-what. Actually it was a surprise present from my girl - she's definitely a keeper ;)
     
  18. Neonbeam

    Neonbeam All Art Was Once Contemporary

    Location:
    Planet Earth
    Well... after watching it forever I paid 110€ myself this spring. See above. The seller seemed like a nice person and I've never seen it for less. And view it like this: In the unlikely event of finding a copy for 20€ now we still could sell it and recoup some of the money.

    Nice girlfriend btw:edthumbs:
     
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  19. LePompDior

    LePompDior Forum Resident

    Location:
    Austin, TX
    I sold my dead mint UK oiginal L&G on eBay for $550 about 10 years ago. It was signed in silver by J Spaceman with "High Times" written in the blue section of the cover (had him sign it at an instore appearance). At the time I needed the money but wishing I had it back. I'd love a reissue wth the Elvis version of the title track.
     
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  20. Dolemite

    Dolemite Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago
    I finally got a copy of the original ladies and gentleman. Clean, mint but as noted above the skips! Good god. This album doesn’t want to track on the first disc. And every time I play it the skips are random only increased tracking force will help , but not always.

    Otherwise it sounds great. Is this common on this pressing?
     
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