The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan PC 8786 pressing anomaly

I made the mistake of buying a 2001-ish Columbia PC pressing of The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, thinking it was one of the earlier pressings. I just played it tonight, and it sounded remarkably similar to the SACD version I borrowed from a friend, leading me to believe they used the same digital master to press the SACD that they used to press this particular record. It didn't sound bad for the most part, and it played smoothly. One odd thing I noticed were the strange "ticks" per se I heard on the SACD version. I played that SACD so many times I memorized every single aspect of that recording, and I heard the exact same ticks in the same places on the record as I did in the SACD. Very strange.

The real kicker arose when I flipped the record over to side two. The first few notes of Don't Think Twice, It's All Right began, but it was muffled! Everything was gone except the bass. I thought I hit a wrong button on my amp, but it became self-evident that the muffled sound was pressed into the record. I didn't even bother listening to side 2 in that kind of condition so I shut the record off and put it away. What a shame.
Has anyone else had a similar experience with recent vinyl pressings? Especially PC ones? The only other PC record I have is Highway 61 Revisited from 1979 or so, and I don't plan on getting any more PCs, even though it sounds lovely.

 

I had a copy of Freewheelin' just like that back in the late 80s. Side one was fine, but side two sounded like they threaded up the wrong side of the tape!

 

I bought several of those PC pressings in the 80's. The vinyl is often quieter than old pressings but some of them do sound like they were mastered from old worn out tapes.

 

Hey, me too...So I wasn't the only one. I bought it in the late '80s to replace my original worn-out copy, and side two sounds muffled as can be. Is there a lifetime warranty on those things? <s>

 

I must have the same pressing as you, side 2 on mine is muffled as well. good to know!

 

I have one as well.

 

Me too!

 

I bought mine while I was traveling and couldn't listen to it until I got home, so there was no way to return it. It cost only about ten bucks in those days, but I sure was steamed.

EDIT: I take that back -- I'll bet it was only about six bucks, on sale.

 

Not Dylan, but my 1980's pressing on The Velvet Underground's 1st LP is the same: side one sounds quite nice (pretty much the same as the 2012 vinyl reissue), while side two is mud, mud, mud. No treble at all. Nutty

 

Same with me. I bought it in 1988. Gave it away to one of my friends after buying the CD.

 

I know that this is an old thread, but I had the exact same experience with a Freewheelin' LP I bought back in '85. I took it back to the store and they indicated that "they're all like that." So, that was that.

 

Probably best to hunt out an original "CS-8786" Columbia pressing, given the problems with the reissues.