4 Men With Beards pressing quality

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by draden1, Jun 12, 2018.

  1. draden1

    draden1 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Des Moines, IA
    I've come across this label a couple of times in the last few months but haven't pulled the trigger on any albums as I know nothing about how their records sound.

    What's the general consensus about this label, do their pressings lean towards "meh-ok" or "good" or "I'll buy without having to hear?"

    I'm looking at The Exciting Wilson Pickett specifically but am interested in any feedback you may be able to provide. Thanks!
     
  2. Tommyboy

    Tommyboy Senior Member

    Location:
    New York
    Move on. Consensus is not good.
     
    mr.dave, Dennis Metz, Sean and 18 others like this.
  3. Plan9

    Plan9 Mastering Engineer

    Location:
    Toulouse, France
    They use retail CDs as sources, and the pressing quality is generally abysmal. Avoid at all costs.
     
  4. Sear

    Sear Dad rocker

    Location:
    Tarragona (Spain)
    I have two LPs by them.
    Television Marquee Moon, which sounds ok but not as good as my original 1977 spanish pressing.

    And Im stranded by The Saints, that sounds flat but I think it's the quality of the original recording.

    Anyway I don't think I'll buy another LP by them because I feel it's a hit and miss label. More miss than hit. I had a Radio Birdman pressing which was bad, very low volume.

    Some people say that Big star's Third is good..
     
  5. kwadguy

    kwadguy Senior Member

    Location:
    Cambridge, MA

    It's mostly a miss-and-miss label. Bad sources, bad pressings. It's a shame because they issue a lot of desirable titles. But, frankly, they suck bigtime.

    Don't waste your money. Look for an original pressing of anything interesting to you...even if it's used and noisier, it will sound better.
     
    mickster, rxcory, tmtomh and 5 others like this.
  6. CBS 65780

    CBS 65780 "Could I do one more immediately?"

    Location:
    Dublin, Ireland
    I'd say like @Sear did, hit and miss label.
    My Big Star Third is fine.
    (But you might get away with shortcomings on that.)
    My Dusty Springfield Dusty In Memphis is horrible.
    (And you won't with it.)
     
  7. Tommyboy

    Tommyboy Senior Member

    Location:
    New York
    They make Friday Music look good
     
  8. Coricama

    Coricama Classic Rocker

    Location:
    Marietta, GA
    I concur. I made that mistake with Faces - First Step. I won't buy another from that label .
     
    Last edited: Jun 12, 2018
  9. Exit Flagger

    Exit Flagger Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York
    I would only buy their pressings as a last resort. Their refusal to answer questions about sources is not very reassuring. The best I can say about their reissue of Iggy Pop's The Idiot is that it is not bad which is hardly an endorsement. I wish labels like Superior Viaduct had the same access to titles that the Beards do because they would do a better job.
     
    Greenalishi and Robotlove like this.
  10. Sear

    Sear Dad rocker

    Location:
    Tarragona (Spain)
    The label's name is kinda stupid
     
  11. Arkay_East

    Arkay_East Forum Resident

    Location:
    ATX
    They get too many good titles. I wish the earth would swallow up 4MWB and Plain along with anything they have left in storage.
     
  12. Stone Turntable

    Stone Turntable Independent Head

    Location:
    New Mexico USA
    FMWB was unavoidable earlier in the century before the vinyl revival picked up momentum, as one of the few non-audiophile reissue labels. A few of their titles have been praised but generally speaking their reputation is poor. These days there's no reason to buy their stuff, ever, IMO.
     
  13. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    Yeah they should of went with something cool like-
    :D
    [​IMG]
     
    izgoblin likes this.
  14. JP Christian

    JP Christian Forum Resident

    their nickname is '4 men without ears'

    that should tell you all you need to know! :biglaugh:
     
  15. Leviethan

    Leviethan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Portland, OR
    Plain is the same company and should also be avoided at all costs. They literally cut CDs to vinyl.
     
  16. John Rhett Thomas

    John Rhett Thomas Forum Resident

    Location:
    Macon, GA, USA
    "We would like to sell you expensive vinyl records, but first things first: There are four of us, we are all men, and we all have beards."
     
    Sear likes this.
  17. Sear

    Sear Dad rocker

    Location:
    Tarragona (Spain)
    Excuse the offtopic: what about the Akarma label?
     
  18. Sear

    Sear Dad rocker

    Location:
    Tarragona (Spain)
    LOL
     
  19. Lemon Curry

    Lemon Curry (A) Face In The Crowd

    Location:
    Mahwah, NJ
    I can't go along with comments on pressing quality. The two I have are very quiet, 180gram pressings. The packaging is very nice as well.

    Then they ruin it all by mastering from CDs.
     
    The Gomper likes this.
  20. conjotter

    conjotter Forum Resident

    Among the worst quality vinyl reissues I have ever owned.

    I wouldn’t play one of their LPs if they gave it to me for free.
     
    Steve G and Defrance like this.
  21. Arkay_East

    Arkay_East Forum Resident

    Location:
    ATX
    The one I have is John Fahey’s America. The audio is nothing special and the pressing is noisy. Which is problematic for solo guitar. But I did keep it for the packaging. Which is very nice.
     
    BlueTrane likes this.
  22. tnic73

    tnic73 Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Schaumburg, IL
    I own one FMWB release; I played the first song on side A and never touched it again.
     
  23. Tommyboy

    Tommyboy Senior Member

    Location:
    New York
    Has it been officially confirmed that 4MWB cuts directly from CDs?
     
    GentleSenator likes this.
  24. uzn007

    uzn007 Pack Rat

    Location:
    Raleigh, N.C.
    No, even worse, it's actually a pun, i.e. "For Men With Beards", presumably because naming the label "For Hipsters Only" would have been a little too on-the-nose.
     
  25. John Rhett Thomas

    John Rhett Thomas Forum Resident

    Location:
    Macon, GA, USA
    Oh gawd...
     

Share This Page

molar-endocrine