After comparing a few different CD pressings (not all of them by any stretch) I liked the old 80s Japan-for-US the best.
Thanks. There's a decent lookng copy for $8 at my local store that I think is a WLY pressing. I'll have to go back another time at some point and take pics and post back here. But I am pretty sure it is it.
This sold a gagillion copies. There are probably a number of early cuts by Wally Traugot with Wly in the dead wax. I think they are all 1A, 1B and so on. I think the next round of cuts were by Allen Zentz - usually indicated by AZ in the dead wax.
There are also one sided Wly with the other unknown. I have a 1G/1G Wly, same as noted on the previous page of the thread. Sounds pretty good to me!
So I went back to my local store and the Boston WAS in fact a double WLY pressing!! Grabbed it for the $8 they had it marked at. Super clean copy and it’s drying after it’s SpinClean bath. I hope my wife does not mind the volume I am going to give this thing!
Regarding CD of the 1st Album: 1) Japan for US (Denon manufactured) 2) 32 8P In my direct compare of the 32 8p and the Denon Japan For US, I found the Denon to be more relaxed with tad less top end which was welcome to my ears. I feel less on the top gave it a bit warmer sound. My preference is the Denon over the 32 8p. Please note: I've not heard the US stock disc as surprising as that as that may be. The Denon Japan for US is a unique mastering as I recall. The Epic Japan 32 8P is an identical match for the Epic Japan 25 8p Fiscal Disclosure: I paid $50USD for the 32 8p in 2007 and $2.99USD for the Denon Japan for US in 2018. Regardless of what some factions on this forum seemingly need you to believe, an expensive CD is NOT synonymous with a preferred CD when compares are done in a manner removing Confirmation Bias on fully warm equipment.
The Hoffman approved EK 34188 DIDP 20006 cd is one of the best sounding CDs in my collection. When that guitar kicks in at :38, it leaps of the page in what I consider a vinyl-like way and never stops. You get a lot of guts for a few bucks.
Weird, for some reason my local had a Haarlem (Holland) cut, Was too cheap to pass up. I'd fail a blind listening test between the two. I have a theory those that have an asterisk (*) on the LP face label are using US plates.
A resurrected Boston thread from 2004! Kudos for that being possible. In general the Third Stage MCA US vinyl I have found (cut-outs in Europe) are really sub par even though they look great, they have inner groove distortion & sibilance. These copies just cannot have been worn out by playing since I guess, even though this being my favorite Boston album, the mass public that bought it upon release didn't quite "get it" and probably didn't wear out their copies by playing them even on black plastic crap LP players of the late 80's & early 90's-
No issues on my old US Electrosound manufacture (translucent) with regards to sib or igd. (Third Stage)
Just ran across a Gloversville pressing that looks VG & plays NM- no sib/IGD with an VM95ML. Definitely a funky mix on this album- about the best thing that could happen to it would be for Tom to let someone top-notch retrack the drums. That’s part of the issue IMO- they just sound absolutely dead.
That's my preference as well. But I would not say that the Denon has less top end than the 328P/DADC discs, exactly. The Denon is weaker up at the very top (above 16 kHz, where most adults don't hear very well) but stronger in the 3-12 kHz range. On the other hand, the 32 8P/DADC is stronger below 200 Hz. Overall I find the Denon to be better balanced and more spacious. The 32 8P/DADC is heavier and has less sparkle (particularly noticeable in the acoustic guitars in "More than a Feeling"). Yes, as far as I know the Denon Japan for US is unique. But the 32 8P is the same as the early US-made DADC discs (DIDP 20006), so you don't need one of those if you've already got a 32 8P. I forget whether the later US-made discs (prior to the 21st century remasters) are different, but it wouldn't be surprising. I'm still looking for a double Wally orange-label LP to compare to these CDs. I came across a single-Wally recently, which I might have settled for had the Wally been on Side 1, but unfortunately it was on Side 2, so I didn't buy it. I don't remember what the markings were on Side 1.
I have every version of this album that was released in the US. Original CD SACD Gold CD Remix CD 13 copies of the original vinyl of various masterings. 8 of them are WLY Half Speed Master LP Sony Reissue LP Friday Music LP Picture Disk LP MOFI LP 8-Track tape Mofi and the Friday are the best reissues, but I get the most enjoyment out of the double WLY LP
Yeah- programmed drums are fine if you're after a basic beat a la Gaucho or The Nightfly, or if you're going to use them as a tool (David Bowie's Earthling), but if you're essentially creating an extension of your 1978 album that was basically an extension of your 1976 album that was classic late 70's rock, get a damn drummer! Stepping down off the soapbox now...
