Classic Records - Frank Zappa - Hot Rats on vinyl! *

I like the CD mixes of "Little Umbrellas" and "The Gumbo Varations", but I treat the whole CD as the remix album that it is.

The only track that I hate the sound of on CD is "Son of Mr. Green Genes".

 

...I love the "new" recorder solo set against Max Bennet's elephantine string bass figures.

...I hate the loudly remixed, incongruously aggresive guitar lick a little before the drum solo in the last piece... and I miss dearly parts of the voicings that I was raised on (some piano left hand parts... some clarinets...).

 

Many sources I see list the length of Peaches En Regalia on the original LP as 3:58. Yet, every version I've heard (original mix and remix) both run closer to 3:38. Is there actually a 3:58 version?

 

Not that I know of. 3:58 looks like a misprint.

 

I have the 150g Classic here (while the 200g is $6 more expensive in the US it's $40 vs $55 here) with absolutely no problems. It's a great album and I much prefer the vinyl mix over the CD one. Fantastic job by Grundman!

 

That's what I thought, thanks!

 

I just received my own 140g copy of the Classic Records Hot Rats.

I decided to compare this to the LP in Old Masters Box 2, which is the only other vinyl copy of Hot Rats that I own.

The Classic Records LP is drier and crisper than the Old Masters LP.

While the OM LP is very good, it does have a bit of reverb that Frank was fond of using at the time. Unless your sensitive to reverb, it is not particularly noticable, particularly if compared to the CD.

Doing an A/B comparison with the Classic Records LP, however, the reverb is considerably more noticable and the OM LP sounds a bit compressed, as well.

The Classic Records LP has better dynamics and instruments are considerably clearer. I heard a flute in "Son Of Mr. Green Genes". I never heard that before.

The only are where the Old Masters LP bests the Classic Records LP is in the area of surface noise. The Old Masters LP has almost no surface noise. The surface noise on the Classic Records LP is fairly typical. I don't know if the 200g version is better in this regard or not.

For the LP mix of Hot Rats, the Classic Records LP is the best that I have heard. Don't get me wrong, the Old Masters LP is still very good, just not as good.

 

My 200g version has pretty much no surface noise at all.

Frank R.

 

Well, there you go. In this case, you get what you pay for.

 

Same here. Perhaps the most flawless lp in my collection. It's "perfect".

 

Same here... I'd say the best Classic Records I have... considering (maybe I'm not lucky enough) that most of the others I've got have surface noise problems here and there...
Classic Records are not usually that silent, so it's noticeable that this one stands for me as an exception

 

Just got the 150g yesterday, I Originally had the 200g but that had a lot of noise on side 1 (Not the first time this has happened to me with their 200g either.....)

Unlike that copy this one is perfect, a brilliant mastering of an absolute classic.

 

I just got the 150g from the music. Sounds amazing, one side is pressed slightly off center which makes the tone arm move side to side. Other than it looking annoying, it doesn't affect the sound. Sold as is, no refunds. I'll live.

 

My 140g was slightly warped. Didn't matter. It is the best sounding Hot Rats that I have.

 

Continually annoyed that Classic didn't do this as something non-LP-like.