Vinyl Me Please's 1996 fixation ... 1997 coming soon?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Ben Adams, Oct 18, 2016.

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  1. senseabove

    senseabove Forum Resident

    I'd be very curious to hear anyone's reaction to the VMP-excusive Simone record, especially if anyone can compare it to an original...
     
    Vinyl_Blues likes this.
  2. Telemark

    Telemark Forum Resident

    Location:
    Calgary
    If anyone has a copy of The Lemon of Pink that they feel "stuck with," PM me - I'd definitely be in the market!
     
    Vinyl_Blues likes this.
  3. Mixtape Master

    Mixtape Master Well-Known Member

    I'm loving this release. I can't compare to the original but this sounds fantastic!
     
    Jackstraw78 and Vinyl_Blues like this.
  4. Vinyl_Blues

    Vinyl_Blues Slave to the Groove

    Location:
    Chicago, IL USA
    I have restarted my membership with VMP and I'm still in line to get the Nina Simone record when it arrives. I'll give me thoughts once it gets here.
     
  5. Synthfreek

    Synthfreek I’m a ray of sunshine & bastion of positivity

    My co-workers bought me a year subscription plus a separate giftcard. I'm using the card for the Four Tet album and can't wait for Nina.
     
    GentleSenator likes this.
  6. ashlee5

    ashlee5 Senior Member

    At the intermission playing Nina Simone Sings the Blues, and Ryan Smith did an excellent mastering job with this classic. This sounds so good I feel like celebrating.:cheers:

    :wave:
     
  7. senseabove

    senseabove Forum Resident

    Dangit.... Now I'm regretting my swap (even though the Broonzy record is excellent). Didn't realize Ryan Smith was mastering this.... I guess I'll have to swing for it, since he knocked Little Girl Blue (and Ella Sings Porter, for that matter) outta the park.
     
  8. Ben Adams

    Ben Adams Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Phoenix, AZ, USA
    It'll be available from the VMP store, so you can still get it.
     
    Vinyl_Blues likes this.
  9. senseabove

    senseabove Forum Resident

    Yep, just put in an order.
     
    Ben Adams likes this.
  10. Merrick

    Merrick The return of the Thin White Duke

    Location:
    Portland
    Finally getting a chance to sit down with the Nina Simone record.

    The music is obviously amazing. One of Simone's best albums, brimming with energy and classic tunes.

    The record is flat, and the colored vinyl is gorgeous. I'm not normally a fan of colored vinyl but this record looks exceptional. The first side was a bit crackly for me but the second side is pretty quiet. I know that dead quiet vinyl isn't really a hallmark of VMP's releases to date.

    The front cover looks soft, I'm assuming it's a scan. Back cover and the included booklet are great.

    The mastering has some great moments, but other times sounds like it's too hot. I'd also be curious to hear more comparisons between this mastering and an original, maybe it's meant to run hot.

    Overall I'm pleased with it, a better record at $25 than some releases I've got for much more.
     
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  11. DigMyGroove

    DigMyGroove Forum Resident

    I found an open copy at my local record store for $16. I thought is sounded very good, but have no comparison, the gatefold and vinyl color worked well together.
     
  12. senseabove

    senseabove Forum Resident

    Got my VMP copy of this in this afternoon and spent a part of the evening comparing a few tracks to my NM original and, as I expected, I'm duly impressed with Smith's mastering. And props to GZ— :eek: —for a dead quiet, flat, centered pressing, too.

    The difference isn't stark—Sings the Blues isn't the greatest recording ever, and the original sounds pretty good for what it is, but it does sound of its vintage, whereas Smith's mastering sounds like a modern one. Despite the fact that we're not going from mono to stereo here, it's a little like the difference between Sam Cooke's Night Beat in mono vs stereo: in the mono Night Beat and the original Sings the Blues, the vocals are the focus, with the rest of the music being a little more tightly integrated, and consequently having less separation and detail. Nina's piano, for example, virtually fades away when played softly. On Smith's mastering, there's much more equal billing. Nina's the star, of course, but I can make out the room space more and I notice more individual instrumental attack, for example.

    The only weird thing: my original sounds nicely centered, whereas the new cut sounds ever-so-slightly left-tilted. Not sure what's going on there... I do have relatively new speakers that could use some adjustment and an asymmetrical room that's always had a bit of an off-balance problem, but it's striking in this particular instance, since it's the same recording! I guess the new one's additional spatial detail may just make it more apparent, whereas the more congealed sound of the original hides my room's problem better.

    TL;DR: If you're a Simone fanatic or don't already have a (satisfactory) copy of this fantastic album, this one's definitely worth hunting down. But given a spare hour and a non-audiophile friend who wonders why you have multiple copies of a record, I probably wouldn't use this to demo the differences between pressings. They'd probably hear a difference, but they'd still think you're crazy.


    (Good lord do I hate colored vinyl, though. Impossible to see if it's clean or scratched, to read matrices, to cue it properly... I really wish this fad would end now.)
     
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  13. seaisletim

    seaisletim Forum Resident

    Location:
    Philadelphia PA
    Dudley Morris and Jackstraw78 like this.
  14. senseabove

    senseabove Forum Resident

    Have VMP given any indication that this is exclusive, or is this likely to be like Odelay and we'll get a general release in the near future?
     
  15. Jackstraw78

    Jackstraw78 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chagrin Falls, OH
    They stated in a forum post that there's nothing to stop Gorillaz from pressing the album in the future, but that Gorillaz currently has no plans to do so as they're focused on their new album.
     
  16. seaisletim

    seaisletim Forum Resident

    Location:
    Philadelphia PA
  17. Jackstraw78

    Jackstraw78 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chagrin Falls, OH
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  18. seaisletim

    seaisletim Forum Resident

    Location:
    Philadelphia PA
    Correct. Seems like a limited run, for now
     
  19. vinylfilmaholic

    vinylfilmaholic Forum Resident

    Location:
    Orange County, CA
    Finally signed up after being on the fence to join for months. "Demon Days" is one of those essential albums (plus holds a lot of nostalgia for me, played it almost nonstop in the summer of '05 which was the summer I graduated high school). Not a fan of the color choice (or color, in general) but I'll accept it for this as long as it sounds good! Interested to see what albums May and June will hold. If they're both good I'll consider doing another 3 months.
     
    seaisletim likes this.
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