2019 RSD pressing quality reviews

My BOTT test pressing has a tiny bit of non fill on Tangled Up in Blue but apart from that Side 1 is OK.
On Side 2 I have distortion all the way through Meet Me in the Morning, horrible staticky type noise, after that fine again. Tried cleaning and didn’t improve it.
My Elvis at International, also an MPO pressing is perfect, all 4 sides silent.... go figure!

 

After some comparison, I noticed that 2005 (Lobotronics) CD has the same audible distortion. The vinyl version may have used the same master/transfer. That might also explain the comparative lack of dynamics on the RSD LP (as the 2005 CD is compressed as well).

Sigh.....there just had to be one clunker in the bunch......

 

Well if you're cleaning 200 a day...

 

I found a sealed Classic last year on eBay and went for it. I agree that sound-wise it's as good as it ever gets. But I wanted north American tracklist with no "Clack" like UK version has. At least the Classic sends "Clack" to Davey Jones' Locker where it belongs, puts "Conquistador" back on side 2 where it belongs (though later in the side), and even if it doesn't restore WSOP to lead off side 1, it does instead lead with "Homburg", a damn sight better than "Clack" anyway, and you do get WSOP on a separate disc. Okay, so you have to get up a bunch of times, but AAA audiophile pressing in mono, I'll take it.

Last year I also found an Aussie pressing from 2017, also sealed, on eBay. Full north American tracklist. Doesn't say stereo (fake or otherwise) or mono on the cover, but it says Stereo on the label. I think it is mono though, no matter what the label says (which may be on the template for all of their labels) for two reasons: (1) licensed from Fly, which never issued a fake stereo version of the album, and (2) why on earth would anyone go to the extra effort or expense just to hunt down the US fake stereo masters when the mono and true stereo for most tracks has already been issued on fly licensed CDs. So my guess is that the 2017 Aussie and this year's RSD versions will be from the very good Fly mono and true stereo masters, likely those used on the most recent Esoteric or previous Salvo CD sets.

 

Billy Joel:
Disc 1 has a slight warp that doesn’t impact playback. Disc 2 is flat. This sounds fantastic! I don’t know if this is the full setlist from that show, but it would have been nice if it included Movin’ Out, Only The Good Die Young and Piano Man. This was my main RSD focus, so really happy.

Soccer Mommy:
No issues with warp or pops and cracks. Sounds really nice, but wish vocals were more “up front”. Just the way it was recorded I guess.

BOTT Test Pressing:
I haven’t had a chance to listen to it yet, so after reading this thread I will just hope for the best. All my records go through my spin clean first, but that won’t matter with non fill.

 

Love the Billy Joel discs and best of luck on BOTT. My side 1 was awful with non fill thru the entire side. Fortunately side 2 is much better.

 

Here is a setlist from the CH shows, whats on the album seems to be what was on the setist, or very close to it

Billy Joel Setlist at Carnegie Hall, New York

 

Kenny Wayne Shepherd-Ledbetter Heights. I feel like this release flew under the radar a bit. Apparently limited to 1,000 with regional focus (still not sure what that means or why they do it). I was a little hesitant on the label, Wargod, but apparently it’s part of Rhino. The mastering on this was done by Robert Ludwig who we all know only works in the digital realm these days. So, there’s that.

The records actually look very nice and this is a great sounding album with fantastic content. The vinyl plays with about zero surface noise. There is only one hiccup which is dish warping. The only other review I’ve seen mentioned the same thing. I’m confident my Vinyl Flat will remedy this. Those who use ring clamps will also benefit. My records play fine even before flattening.

It’s hard to believe you’re listening to an 18 y/o kid here. He had great success but probably should have been bigger. In any case, this release is well worth finding if you can deal with dish warping.

 

I was considering the BJ, but I listened to it on YouTube. Good performance, but I have the fantastic MoFi Songs In The Attic.

I don't know if I need another BJ live album unless he really approaches the songs in a significantly different way.

 

I'm working on it still, had to bark up more trees since my first email fell on deaf ears

 

The Ramones Live At The Palladium is a great pressing flat and quiet without tics and pops.They did a nice job with the sound too.This vinyl sounds much better than the old bootleg.

 

Listening now to -
Rolling Stones - Through The Past Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2)

Listened to all of side one and half way through side two and the orange vinyl is flat, no surface noise with an occasional tic here or there.

A nice sounding release overall and pleasant listen. This will be my go to copy.

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Rolling Stones - She’s A Rainbow (Live)
Yellow vinyl was flat and quiet, bass was a little boomy, but overall a fun listen with clean separation of the instruments for a live recording.

 

Yes - Self Titled
Orange vinyl is flat and quiet and the mastering is superb!! So far my favorite sounding release

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Culture Club - Runaway Train
Picture disc has a slight warp that has a swooshing effect on playback on side one (sounds fine after music starts, picks back up at trail off) / side two played dead quiet - a good sounding disc

 

2019 Record Store Day Yields Historic Week for Vinyl Album Sales

Interesting list of top selling releases. I think the top 2 had the most available 9-10k, so I guess it's not surprising they're the best selling.

I wonder if Sony will re-release BOTT given it was such a hot seller. Would make sense given the demand (and potential to make more money), and the pressing issues that plagued the RSD release.

 

Cool, were you able to compare it to the Expanded 2LP Holland pressing from 2015?

 

BOTT was a RSD exclusive. Pressing issues or not, I don’t how there could be re-release of the vinyl without creating a different set of issues.

A limited replacement repress...maybe. Digital...maybe. Vinyl release in a different form/packaging...maybe. But I wouldn’t count on it.

 

No, I am unable to do a comparison of that version. I can say that the digital version I’ve heard of the expanded edition doesn’t even come close to this release.

 

The worst thing about that site is the ability for anyone to edit - there is someone else there who uploads the same set for every night of a given tour without any thought to songs that were switched out (and there is evidence that there were). I would bet that what we got with this release was half of the set, judging by setlists from that time that are available in full, also available in audio, there are quite a few FM simulcasts. My guess is someone slapped that setlist up there when the original box set containing this disc came out. I think that this set nearly two weeks before is closer to what would have been a full show:

CW Post 5/21/77

Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)
Somewhere Along the Line
Summer, Highland Falls
Piano Man
Scenes From an Italian Restaurant
James
Prelude/Angry Young Man
New York State of Mind
Travelin' Prayer
Just the Way You Are
The Entertainer
You're My Home
Root Beer Rag
She's Got a Way
The Ballad of Billy the Kid
I've Loved These Days
Captain Jack
Worse Comes to Worst
Ain't No Crime
Say Goodbye to Hollywood
Weekend Song
Souvenir

 

Most interesting to me was Greta Van Fleet coming in at #4. I guess the tongue lashing they take around here doesn’t reflect the opinion of the general public. I bought one for my son who’s a big fan so I’m partly to blame.

 

Thank you - I was going to say that earlier and you saved me the trouble!

I guess it’s possible that the Carnegie Hall shows were “special shows” which were shorter than normal sets, but I’ve always assumed that they were not.

 

Finally got around to Frank Black-Teenager Of the Year.

Decent sound, but my copy had a pressing flaw at the beginning of side 3 which caused an audible thump for several revolutions. Otherwise a good pressing.

 

And have some other plant press it other than MPO

 

John Lennon 'Imagine' Raw Studio Mixes:

I really like this one. Nothing fancy. No coloured vinyl. No gatefold.

Sterling & RKS in the deadwax - mastered & cut by Ryan Smith. Looks like it was pressed at Optimal. The mastering is very nice. The pressing is also very nice - quite & no problems, unlike the non-fill that has plagued the Dylan release.

Nice photos on the cover/rear jacket. LP comes in its own poly-lined sleeve, plus an additional card sleeve with liner notes & nice session pics. And a large poster!

I also compared the sound to the 24/96 flacs that are floating around (apparently not from vinyl or the BD), and the LP compares favourably.

 

Understood. But, if there’s money to be made I would think the exclusive part of that goes bye bye pretty quickly.

 

Made my way through the Colemine Soul Slabs Vol 2. 10/10 for the music. One groovy, funk infield song after another. Such a great compilation. Sound quality is a little hit or miss. Some of the tracks sound great while some others sound ok. Nothing that are unlistenable, but comes with the territory with complications. Vinyl was dead quiet and were in Mofi sleeves, which I thought was a nice touch. Overall was a very nice listen.

One more thing, I don’t know if anyone has ever experienced this but on the second record my stylus was picking up quite a bit of debris from the grooves. I have to brush it off about 5 or 6 times due to the build up on the stylus. It went through an ultrasonic cycle but this stuff must have been deep in there. It isn’t the first time it happened to me but was curious if anyone experienced so,etching like that before.