French vinyl is a bit of a crapshoot in my experience, but for €40 it's relatively cheap for prices these days. €20 per album is worth a shot I'd say, unless anyone has it and writes that it's bad.
I happened to find a copy and was wondering if it was worth it to try it. Didn't know if the U.K. sent tapes or plates to France. Seems that each country cuts their own Bowie records
Actually I'd love a copy of Man as well. I know Beatles and yes, French pressings for the most part are inferior to British counterparts. I have a Canadian RCA reissue of Space Oddity that is not bad but always looking for something better
I can't vouch for all French Bowie LP's but the French Pin-ups is pretty good - the French Diamond Dogs has a speed issue in that it's too slow.
I saw the first ever Spiders From Mars show (see my avatar) and bought a first pressing Hunky Dory two days later. I purchased all the subsequent UK LPs up until Tonight on day of release, and still have them in mostly pristine condition. They are all absolutely great masters and pressings, but the ones that stand out as astounding sounding are Hunky Dory, Aladdin Sane, Pinups, Diamond Dogs and Scary Monsters. Ziggy is a great sounding record too but never sounded to me as great a performance as it would have been if recorded a few months later. I compared the 2014 reissue with the original and it is quite a close call but the original clearly wins. I have to say that if you haven't heard the piano tone on a first press Hunky Dory or the ferocious guitar power of Diamond Dogs you might well like to hear an original. Station To Station, Low and Heroes are very good sounding but they lack the sonic heft of the best five that I list above. I haven't played Let's Dance for some years so won't comment on that here. Lodger is no slouch either. After I heard the 24-96 Visconti remix (which I love) I pulled out the LP and it ain't half bad you know. This is one album that grows and grows in my estimation. By way of context I should point out that I also bought all the above albums on CD in most UK pressings and none of them really compare well to the original UK vinyl issues.
I recently got an original Station to Station US pressing (tan label with AZ initials in the deadwax- 1st pressing?) in good condition- it sounds great. I only have the most recent reissue to compare it to- the original US pressing is clearly better soundwise to these ears. A lot of people in here seem to have the opinion that the original US pressing is the best sounding but I'm still curious- what about the original UK, German, Dutch, French or Canadian pressings?
Arriving a little late for answering your question- better late than never. I must say I think my original RCA UK first pressing of "Pin Ups" might be the best sounding of all of the early Bowie albums. When it comes to the music there are of course better albums than this but soundwise "Pin Ups" is probably the best to these ears.
I'm listening to some David Bowie albums today. I just finished listening to one of my most recent Bowie finds- an orange RCA UK 1972 pressing of Hunky Dory with the matrix 5E/3E in the deadwax. It sounded great, very airy and transparent- a new favourite but not as good sounding as the EMI100 pressing though. Now I'm playing the Ziggy 6E/4E pressing- this pressing really kicks a** soundwise. It's so vibrant and sounds so full- it's easily my go to pressing of this album.
Hello, adding to this thread as I just spontaneously had a Bowie day! Years ago when I started collecting I bought a lot of first or early Uk presses and as the years have gone by and my home setup has improved I now find myself thinking that several of my early orange labels sound very bass heavy and not all that easy/pleasant to listen to. The few black RCAs that I have sound better to my ears. Funny how it goes!
The original orange U.K. pressing certainly have a rich, thick tone which can sometimes work superbly, depending on your system, or sometimes not. Aladdin Sane and Low are two that I prefer with more clarity and a slightly less ‘rich’ presentation (green RCA internationals in this case).
Funny... those are the two out of all I own that sound the most balanced (and are first/early UK copies)
Still too much for what it was. I traded it for the modern reissue as I have most of the Bowie stuff. Consistently excellent.
I hear the reissues are good indeed. Considering how many are probably purists for originals Id say its gotta be good if so many like them. Funny, I went to the store today, found a CLEAN Ziggy Stardust 6E/4E for 35$, when it happens the same day you post on a Bowie thread, you gotta take it!
Yeah Ive been looking for a while too. Passed up maybe 3 or so, but this one had 0 spindle lines and very few light marks on the vinyl and it didnt sound worn at all on quick test play so I hope its great. Only the cover is sub par but its mostly sticker damage. On that topic, do you know about the covers? Later ones have Gem and Mainman logo like mine, but can 6E/4Es have a cover without the Mainman logo?
