On recommendation from this forum I bought the 1976 Japan release of Abbey Road and am blown away by the quality of the recording and the quietness of the vinyl. My question is, do all the Beatle recordings pressed in Japan this good? Or is it just this specific Abbey Road pressing?
I really like all the japanese Beatles albums I have (from the 60s and 70s). Some people in this forum prefer the AP series over the EAS. I agree that the japanese pressings are brighter than UKs, but I like them. And the obis and inserts are great.
oh, and the Toshina Pro Use Abbey Road is legendary. I have never heard it. I have only listened the EAS and AP (Abbey Road), I really like both. But, again, I prefer the first UK press.
The VINYL itself is the best and quietest in the world. What's mastered ONTO that vinyl varies greatly, however.
Perfectly put. I have a number of Japanese pressings and the most inconsistent of them are the EAS from the 70's. And I highly suggest staying away from the DMM pressings on Odeon...terribly high ended.
On one hand, I have a 1973 reissue of Let It Be that sounds amazing. Even a tad bit better than a UK pressing I have. Then I have the "country flag" 1976 reissue of Please Please Me that leaves a lot to be desired. So I think it's hit or miss as far as the quality of the mastering.
I have many of their CD pressings and they are most excellent as well! all of the American albums on Japanese vinyl were great!...
I had the 10 LP Hank Williams Japanese box...it was amazing never heard Hank that good ever again...perfect vinyl. I agree...
I have discovered japanese vinyl a few years ago. I felt in love with the quality of these Beatles pressings. The original odeons from the 60s all sound amazing. Also the APs sound incredible. Latest purchase was a Stereo Please Please Me AP 8675 in the Apple label, with the alternate cover and different tracking order. This Lp runs a little faster than the original. But not so fast like the japanese Meet the Beatles ( which is unlistenable because of that). This japanese Please Please Me sounds amazing, even with that minor speed mistake. The EAS are a little bright, yes, but i do love them too anyway. And for the collectors, the quality of this pressings and artwork are unbeatable. The quality of the original japanese solo Beatles pressings are great too. I have just get a Mccartney Tug of War and it is the best pressing i have ever heard. Beats the original uk and the remaster. Incredible. Now im trying to get all the solo Beatles japanese albums ( i have all the uk and us versions). Japan Beatles vinyl rules.
What is the catalogue number of that edition? And I'm assuming you're referring to an Lp and not an EP.
I've got a 1968 Magical Mystery Tour. It uses the Capitol duophonic mixes, but the pressing is quite good.
I was impressed too with the EAS Abbey Road. And yes, the Red Monos (1982 or 1986) are terrific! At least the White Album (I have a minty UK 1st press, the 2014 reissue and the Japanese red and I love all three).
I have owned AP Abbey Road (solid but unexciting) and AP Let It Be (abysmal). Quality of vinyl high, quality of mastering VERY inconsistent.
It’s an lp Stereeo AP-8940 The odds and sodds up to that point (pre red/blue) Hey Jude, Revolution,Paperback Writer I should have known better, Lady Madonna, Can’t buy me love, don’t let me down, ballad J&Y, Rain, Old Brown shoe Mostly covered in blue compilation or past masters I can’t even sell this It sounds so bad Just looked To my surprise I also have an EAS Revolution EAS 80670 Interesting to compare Shrill sounding Help AP 8151 Nice sounding Red 62-66 EAP-90238
Pressing quality is the best in the world. Covers and inserts are great quality too. However, sound quality is very variable. AP generally better than EAS series. Early 80's monos very good. Original 60's worth getting if money is no object. For solo Beatles, often original Japanese pressings are my go to versions.
My Japanese pressing(s) of the World Records "From Liverpool" box set is/are quite good. Of course, not all of the songs sound great, because it's a compilation compiled from many different source tapes (the worst offenders are the tracks taken from the North American Rarities: the needledropped "Love Me Do", the crappy dub of "And I Love Her" with the extended coda, and the bizarre and poorly executed composite mix of "I Am the Walrus". "Penny Lane" doesn't sound too bad, though), but most of it sounds great. "Paperback Writer" is the best I've ever heard that stereo mix sound (the channels are flipped, which means it was most likely sourced from the U.K. version of Hey Jude. Makes sense, as "Rain" is also presented in stereo), very warm and with full bodied bass. The Please Please Me tracks are much warmer in the high end than my 1982 two-box pressing, and all the A Hard Day's Night tracks (save for "And I Love Her") sound wonderful. And even the infamous 1966 stereo mix of "I Want to Hold Your Hand" sounds good on it. But that's all I have for Japanese Beatles (for now...)
Japanese pressings were my “go to” in the late 70s early 80s. Very clean minimal surface noise. Then I found first pressing UK artists more dynamic. Rebought many catalogs Fortunately many 70s underground artists were only on imports so I had them already
