Which Let it Bleed to buy: Decca or Clear Vinyl DSD reissue?

You can download the DSD from a few different sites. It sounds really good, if you can stream DSD I would opt that route all things being equal.

 

Thanks, good to know. I'll keep my eyes open for those as well. Studied up a bit on the different matrix numbers, labels and packaging so I can get an approximate idea of the vintage. This site is a great resource: stonesondecca.com. It appears some label variations were used from the early to late 70's, which make it a little harder to pin down. And that's assuming no unscrupulous seller has packaged a later record in an earlier sleeve, etc. to try to jack up the price.

 

Right now I don't have a DAC that can stream a DSD file, but the hybrid SACDs from 2002 sound great to me and I've seen those around for reasonable prices. That's one reason I was inclined to buy a Decca. The SACD and DSD vinyl ought to sound nearly the same, whereas the Decca will give me a different sound and presentation.

 

This is great, practical advice for somebody just getting into collecting like me. Much appreciated. I'd love to find one locally, but barring that I'll try to keep my searches to the US. Most on eBay and Discogs seem to be in the UK, not surprisingly.

 

buying used vinyl is dicey. anything marked less than mint or near mint will most likely at the very least have to be cleaned.i just got a copy of long player/faces on eBay so noisy as to be unlistenable. (didn't pay much so not really upset,spotify can fill the void) i don't have a record cleaner outside of a brush.....will just stick in my collection.......go for the new copy of LIB.....it will sound great i am sure......

 

As pointed out finding a mint Decca is expensive these days and they do sound excellent if in NM condition but the DSD reissues are affordable and sound great IMO. I own quite a few original Stones releases but I bought the 64-69 box set when it came out and have no regrets.

 

When you have a favorite band or album, multiple copies are never an issue. Get the clear vinyl for roughly the price of a pizza and enjoy it until the Decca comes along.

 

Look, the later "boxed" Decca logo is the best sounding pressing of this record, period.
After that it's the "unboxed" big lettering Decca 1st pressing.
Last comes the DSD.
After that you're in CD territory, which for LIB sucks.

A few weeks ago I had a few people over for dinner, among my guests, one professional opera singer, one professional jazz drummer. People who really sing and play for their living.
For fun I played 'cant always get what you want' off the boxed first, then the unboxed, the the DSD. For everyone it was easy and audible, the boxed was in front, followed closely by the unboxed first pressing which sounds muddy in comparison, then lagging quite a way behind, the DSD.
The difference, is not subtle.

 

Probably my favorite album. I like this best on CD - but I bought the clear LP and I think it sounds great. Have not heard the Decca.

 

I heavily disagree. I think this album sounds awesome on CD, especially the most recent remaster.

 

What constitutes a "later" boxed logo? By most accounts there were boxed and non-boxed of Let it Bleed out at the same time in '69. Some even had a boxed logo on one side and non-boxed on the other.

What's in the dead wax on the one that sounds best to you? I've seen boxed label versions for sale with matrices ending anywhere from 1W to 6W on either side.

 

That boxed copy is side 1 XZAL 9363 P 6W
side 2 XZAL 9364 P 3W

interestingly, the unboxed first press is
XZAL 9363 P 3W
XZAL 9364 P 3W

go figure...

I have others, both boxed and unboxed, but the boxed are all better.
The MoFi from the 1984 boxed set is really good too, coming a close second to the boxed Decca. The dead quiet vinyl and inner detail make it a great play.

In general, the later boxed decca logo Stones all sounds better than the unboxed. Why? Because it took the Decca engineers a while and a number of attempts to work out how to get the Stones sounding their best on vinyl. Guys, Decca was a classical music label.

 

Try to go for an early to mid 70's pressing.

 

That is interesting. One would think the side 2 with "3W" would sound about the same on both, but there are so many other variables. Like the number of mothers made from each master lacquer, the number of stampers made from each mother, how long the stamper was pressing records before your copy was pressed....Not to mention the condition of the record itself.

 

Ooops, sorry, side 2 is actually
XZAL 9364 P 4W...

Gremlins, Gremlins...

The "Boxed" copy is, I would say, a 1971 or 1972 pressing.
the Unboxed is definitely one of the first from 1969. Coming complete with the Sticker, the poster and the blue inner sleeve with the "London Bach Choir" not blacked out....
I occasionally wonder how much this stuff is worth now.... Since I picked them up years ago....

With the matrix numbers, I used to know all this, vaguely remembering that the numbering did not actually correspond to when the thing was mastered rather to who was doing it or something. Whatever. The Boxed Deccas all sound better. Through the entire range of '60s Stones.
The only case where somebody did one better is the MoFi "Get your Ya Yas out". The original Decca, the bass is rolled. It's anemic. On the MoFi it's all there.

 

All the same applies by the way for Beggars Banquet.
Speeding your turntable up 2% has the original Decca at the correct pitch and stomping on the DSD remaster...

And while we're on the speed thing, gotta slow Dylans "Blood on the Tracks" down 2% to get it on pitch....

 

Is this Let It Bleed vinyl release the only one released on clear vinyl?

I missed this some how. This was a RSD release?
Any other vinyl releases for RSD worth picking up. I know about the two 7" eps.

 

Congrats on getting back into vinyl. Here's a link to my review of the vinyl box, which compares the DSD vinyl to the original Decca. Hope it helps:
http://myvinylreview.blogspot.com/2011/02/rolling-stones-1964-1969-vinyl-box-set.html?m=0

 

Decca changed the label logo (to the 'boxed' Decca) in mid-1969, re-designed the poly-lined inner sleeves by adding a blue border for stereo or a red border for mono, and eliminated the dual production of mono only / stereo only LP covers by making a single cover marked for both & adding a mono/stereo 'peep hole' on back -- so the inner sleeve color would show through.

Let It Bleed is one of those records released so shortly before the label change that you might find a boxed or unboxed label new in the store with a few months after its release. I would pay less attention to the lacquer codes i.e. whether they are 3W 4W etc. and focus on getting a clean copy. The boxed logos will probably be cheaper and sound the same. Remember you can get ten different pressings of the same matrix number and hear 'tiny' differences based on how fresh the stampers were, how often the record was played before, and so on.

 

The ONLY bad vinyl copies of Let it Bleed I've ever heard were the crappy US pressings (till the 80's when ABKCO released the virgin vinyl pressings).

With that, I do prefer the recent DSD vinyl, or the copy in the UK box set from about 7 years ago(both sublime).

Most people disliked the 80's ABCKO cds but Let it Bleed sounds great. It may be offspeed but it's fine with me.

Never heard a bad sounding cd of Let it Bleed, very well recorded album.

 

Thanks for the reply.
Are these special RSD releases or are they still available? I checked Amazon and LIB is the only one I was sure about.

 

Great advice in this thread. I have the original black vinyl DSD LP of LiB and it sure sounds swell. Great even. That being said, my original UK DECCA LP pressing of LiB has a smoothness and richness in the midrange and a pleasing top end decay that is noticeably better than the DSD LP. Is it worth 5 times as much? No. I'd say 3.8 times as much.

 

Search for "Clearly Classic", unfortunately not so easy on Amazon. Here's "Beggar's Banquet" : amazon.com/Beggars-Banquet-Vinyl-Rolling-Stones/dp/B0000DJYOX/ref=sr_1_4_twi_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1422570526&sr=1-4&keywords=rolling+stones+vinyl
They should all still be available.

 

I do. It's great.