Tom Waits Reissuing Anti Records Albums (2017), incl. Orphans (2018) Plus Elektra Back Catalogue *

So I have a copy of the blue vinyl Blue Valentine. The pressing is centered, flat, and Dead Quiet.

There is an odd lead in groove on both sides of my copy which kind of jerks a little bit but no skipping. This is a very very good pressing. Sounds decent too.

And it is a REALLY great album. I can see why this title is in many people's top 5 TW lists.

 

Yes, it's in my Top 5 as well.

 

Re: "Somewhere" (From West Side Story), from Blue Valentine.
I love his version of this song.

 

So are the dynamic ranges pretty good for these? I am seeing some DR8-10, which seems fine for his music. I mean on CD too. I was gonna buy a bunch of his back catalogue if the remasters are good.

At least with the old stuff I cannot believe those 80s cds sound better than what Tom would put out today in remastered form as long as the DRs are around 9 or so. I cannot seem to pull from DR website about the CDs.

 

I only have 3 of the remastered vinyl. Mule Variations (excellent) Blue Valentine (excellent to my ears but I don't have an original to compare) and Closing Time (pretty good. I also have the Bellman but haven't had a chance to sit down and compare. The Bellman sounds incredibly good though so I am sure it will win).

CT had pressing issues so you will want the replacement version from Anti.

 

Well I am ordering these on CD in remastered form, so I am hoping they all sound really good.

 

Just picked up the “opaque Grey” vinyl version of Foreign Affairs. Opened it up and it looks like a ruined black copy with a couple grey scuffs. Anyone else pick a copy of this up? Does yours look like mine too? Kind of disappointed by this one as I already have a good vinyl version of this but wanted to pick up the colored versions of these titles for the novelty of it!

 

Nobody picked this up over last weekend?

 

i didn't quite feel like shelling out the money for it just yet. i'm not really impressed with most of these overall, especially at the price.

 

Played mule variations remaster vinyl last night....pretty darn amazing. The orphans set also sounds good on my rig.

 

Good to hear you’re happy and were not swayed by the pasting MV got on vinylreviews.com.
I caved despite my views on FA and bought Blue Valentine. I don’t have an original of this but the reissue sounds fabulous, really dynamic. Perhaps it’s because of the live to 2 track recording but glad I bought it. Let’s hope Heart Attack and Vine is as good.

 

I got it last week but haven't played it yet. Mine is gray. Similar color to one of the Orphans albums if I recall.

 

Has anyone heard any news on Tom reissuing his 83-93 albums?

 

I typically don't write on these threads, just stalk to see what people think. But I recently received the reissue for Foreign Affair. I also own two original pressings. I threw on the new pressing and immediately felt like something's was off. So I threw on the old pressings and I am absolutely appalled. In this case, it is a disgrace. I haven' compared the others since I already own the Bellman pressings but this copy is going up for sale. I also bought Blue Valentine and I don't think I'm even willing to put it on. Too depressing. I would strongly encourage everyone to stay away from Foreign Affair and maybe the others too. Worth the extra dough for a first pressing.

Disclaimer: I'm not obsessed with first pressings as the only "true" version. The Bellman/Rhinos are just as good as the originals.

 

I’ve played this latest remaster several times since getting it and have not had the experience you have. I also have Blue Valentine and kept it over an original pressing I had. Like with Mule Variations, I also echo others who feel this matches the original pressing (which was great anyway).

 

I have found the new remasters (the 24/96) are mostly pretty muted compared to the old CDs. His voice is much less in your face, takes a bit of getting used to.

 

Okay thanks. I will have some reviews of the discs as I play them. I'm sure they are better than the originals for the most part. I don't think the originals were ever all that good, but hey maybe they went crazy. I doubt it though.

 

Finally spinning Foreign Affairs on gray vinyl. I don't have an original to compare.

Anyway I would not call this recording a sonic masterpiece, but this new copy sounds OK to me. Pressing is quiet. Sound is good not great.

 

My feelings as well. The pressing is dead quiet but the sound missing so much. The highs are gone and the sound stage is non-ecistnon. I compared it to the original and it's a very poor representation of the album. Too bad. Should have just stuck with Bellman.

 

I thought Blue Valentine sounded quite good on the other hand. Better than Foreign Affairs. But I don't have an original of BV either.

So far from what I have heard...

Closing Time - OK, probably not as good as the Bellman tonally. Waiting on replacement copy to rectify pressing issues.
Blue Valentine - Very Good
Foreign Affairs - OK
Mule Variations (Newbury colored vinyl) - Excellent, right up there with the Bellman

Will pick up Heart Attack when it comes out but I have originals of everything else. Now bring on the Island Years!

And for the love of all that is good please give us Bone Machine on vinyl!!!

 

I'll check out Blue Valentine and compare it. And I second your Bone Machine. It's easily one of my favorites.

 

i just grabbed it as well. sounds OK to me. the vinyl quality control on the other hand is about as expected: smaller than normal center hole, "color" vinyl that's essentially a joke, scuffed/scratched sides. thankfully this one was inexplicably cheaper than the other reissues.

 

I just received a black vinyl version of Blue Valentine. For anyone considering buying this reissue, please do so from a retailer with a good return policy.

First a bit of background: I have a nice original copy of this album, but the first track has two specks embedded in the vinyl that cause about six or seven ticks. They didn't budge after a wet cleaning on a VPI or with a spot cleaning, so I suspect they are bits of label from recycled vinyl. The rest of the album plays cleanly. I bought this reissue in an attempt to get a flawless copy, albeit with a different mastering. It didn't hurt that it was only $17 on Amazon.

Unfortunately, I can't recommend that anyone pick this up. The first track sounds okay. In a side by side comparison, it is a little less crisp sounding than the original, but nothing that can't be attributed to mastering differences. The problem starts with track two. The music is distorted. Using headphones, I can hear it breaking up primarily in the right channel. Passages where Tom's voice peaks sound simply awful. The vinyl looks clean, it isn't warped, and there are no visible pressing defects like non-fill. I'm guessing there was an issue with the stamper and I got a dud since if all copies of this album sounded this way, someone would have posted about it here.

Fortunately, I have what I want since the first track is listenable, so I won't bother with a return. In the future when I want to listen to this album, which is a favorite on mine, I'll play the first track of the reissue to avoid the ticks and then switch to the original.

(Adjusting anti skate doesn't help by the way. Plus, no other albums, including the original copy of Blue Valentine, exhibit this problem.)

 

I don’t have distortion on my copy.

 

I just got Heartattack and Vine today so looking to giving that a listen tonight.