The Doors - Soft Parade vinyl with "RL" matrix *

I've got a UK butterfly label L.A. Woman (with window sleeve and the "K" cat. no. prefix) that also sounds excellent. I actually prefer it to my original Artisan cut US copy.

 

I have a German SOFT PARADE:

GERMAN ELEKTRA PRESS # 42079 (EKS 75005)
LABEL: White with a red “e” and black “E”

STAMPERS:
A: (machine stamped) R/S Alsdorf 52356 A2XX (handwritten) WEA (on lower level, handwritten) 42079 A2 XX PF
B: (machine stamped) R/S Alsdorf 755 960674-1-B4WEA

When I A/B'ed it with my remastered CD, I thought the LP beat the CD on about half the cuts, and that the CD bettered the LP on about half the cuts.

 

I have a UK STRANGE DAYS -- haven't listened to it in a while, but this thread (and Peter's post) inspires me to do so!

Peter, do these stampers match yours?

U.K. ELEKTRA PRESS # K 42016
LABEL: Butterfly.

STAMPERS:
A: (handwritten) W7 K 42016 A2 V EG 1
B: (handwritten) K 42016 B2 W2 V 1 EG

 

I will check tonight.

These UK butterfly labels are very very good.

 

Not surprising to me, though LA Woman is one I do not have on orig. UK. Tough LP to find on UK w/ the goodies.

 

I came across a German pressing of 'The Soft Parade' this afternoon, and while I didn't buy it, I do remember it had the "Butterfly" label, and "Strawberry" in the dead wax.

I'm going back to the store tomorrow, so I'll check out the matrix info in the dead wax a little closer.

 

Personally, I have got rid of any LPs that has 'STRAWBERRY' in the deadwax, because to me they sound awful!

I have a UK (Strawberry) and a US (TML) pressing of Don Henley's debut LP and the difference is staggering. If you listen to Dirty Laundry the UK pressing is dull, muddy and indistinct compared to Doug Sax's mastering.

Another example is Jackson Browne's The Pretender which is so dynamic (again TML in the deadwax) compared to the lame UK pressing.

The only pressing I have kept with 'Strawberry' in the deadwax (because it is handwrittten and I don't think it is the same as the stamped 'STRAWBERRY' is Roxy Music's Manifesto and it sounds really great compared to the US pressing I have which has AT/GP (George Piros) in the deadwax!

Any Doors LPs I have are UK pressings (without the dreaded 'STRAWBERRY' in the deadwax). A lot of the later German reissues seems to have it in the deadwax.

JG

 

James, I remember your comments about Strawberry. Interestingly, I have a UK first Talking Heads album ('77) one with Str. in the dead wax and one without. I kept both, primarily because I don't sell LP's I bought as a lad anymore (the Str. one) and the other one has the lyric inner sleeve, which the Str. one did not. I will add that I bought the UK Str. '77 when More Songs came out in 1978, so the Str. is not an orig.

 

Hi Peter,

Yes, I have commented before about Strawberry.

I actually have kept the UK (Strawberry)/US (TML) copies of Don Henley's debut LP, so as to do a comparison to anyone who 'slags me off' for being so 'fussy' (in other words MAD) about differences in pressings. It is a 'night and day' difference!

I have a MASTERDISK JG (Joe Gastwirt) copy of Talking Heads '77 sounds superb.

JG

 

Yeah, I had a NEMS pressing of Black Sabbath's Paranoid with STRAWBERRY stamped in the deadwax and it was a muddy mess .

 

That describes the sound exactly (to me anyway!).

JG

 

You can add the Doors first album to the Robert Ludwig list as well. I just picked up a big E, red label copy with RL ss in the deadwax of both sides.

I'm on a road trip at the moment, so I'm not sure how it sounds relative to any other copies of this that I have.

 

I picked up a USA SOFT PARADE LP earlier today. Red label with the large "E". Wow, it sounds really nice and I prefer it over the CD versions I have (including the HDCD). The matrix info is:

EKS-75005-A-2
EKS-75005-B-2

Both sides have the letters WAD etched in them as well... anyone know what/who they stand for?

 

Bumping this thread in hopes to see some photos of the RL cut Soft Parade and the S/T red label.

 

The WAD refers to "H.V. Waddell Co.", Burbank, Calif.
I have that pressing too and I consider it the definitive pressing of the three S.P. that I have. Really incredible sounding.

-Mike

 

Hope this helps.

I got my RL Soft Parade for $3. Not in the greatest condition but it will do until I find better.

Dead wax:

side 1: 75005-A CRC RL SS
side 2: 75005-B CRC RL SS

Here is a label shot and a close up of one of the RL's. The RL does appear on both sides.

 

I have the same label as above, but with EKS-75005 - A7 CTH on side A, EKS-75005 - B2 CTH on side B. I found it in my dad's old vinyl.

 

See, 'cause this was one of those "I won't believe it until I see it" situations. And now...I'm a believer! Thanks for the proof BlackCircle.

How's it sound by the way?

-Mike

 

Oh yeah guys CRC=Columbia Record Club, you see it on spines of jackets in the 70s.

CTH = Columbia Terre Haute (sp?)

So this has something to do with a Columbia/NYC and then our boy Robert over at Sterling Sound at the time.

I got something that stumped W.B that's mindblowing to me

I have a 69 Love comp that RL cut its awesome, which brings us back to this Doors LP: how the hell does it sound?

RL in 69 was about as money as Tiger was yesterday.

C

 

I wanna RL Soft Parade...

Ye Olde Mystical Rambillinks art getting nearer to my realms of imp comp pretend ability. Be wares Cass....

 

sorry Bill:
Tiger Woods with an 8 Iron in 2009=Robert Ludwig with Cutting Lathe in 1969
eh?

C

 

RL mastered Paul Butterfield's Keep on Moving for Elektra in 1969, also did a red label 'loss leader' comp with two Doors songs around the same time (Touch Me + one other). It is not surprising to see this. Thanks for the pics, Michael.

 

Yeah, I figured it out, slowly... my speedo... just yanking your yellow unbrella...