i've actually had some success with steaming vinyl over a teapot! but that is a last resort, and i would never suggest anyone do it!
I apologize if this was discussed earlier in the thread, but does anybody have any strong opinions on which recent reissue is better between the 2016 Bernie Grundman and the 2011 Doug Sax one? I bought the US reissue around 2016 only recently to find out that it's actually just a repressing of the 2011 Doug Sax remaster. Is the UK true Bernie Grundman better, different, inferior? Probably my favorite Floyd album, so hoping to get a great newer pressing without spending an arm and a leg. Keeping an eye out for good condition OPs, just curious as to the sonic differences between these two reissues. Cheers,
Dr. Metal, I have the day off Friday, and am going to finally be doing an A/B/C'ing of my UK A1/B3, 2011 Sax, and 2016 UK Grundman in order to decide if I need to pursue a CBS Half-Speed, a German pressing, a French pressing, and/or a US "Barry" (we are a sick lot). I'll try to get my personal results (on my humble system) posted later in the day.
I understand this is a year and a half late, but just in case any have missed out on this, GreenMonster is correct. The first UK pressing (with Dr Phang pic top right) of A Nice Pair uses early, stereo UK stampers of both Piper and Saucerful, and sounds great! You can still get a really nice copy for $50, where as even second or third pressings of each individual title could run you hundreds of dollars. One of the best finds this site has turned me on to over the years. Pink Floyd "A NICE PAIR" 2-LP on UK Harvest
Just got a VG+ (supposedly) pressing of Dark Side 30th Anniversary with the posters for $65 prior to shipping. Good price or no?
It was a buy it now eBay listing. eBay auctions for this pressing frequently go $120+. Been looking for A3/B3 but those are well over the $65 I spent on this, too. It's not my favorite Floyd album, just looking for a better pressing than my 2016 reissue. I was under the impression that the 30th anniversary is as close to the original UKs as they've come with reissues so far?
Wow, I bought mine while still in print and did not realize it had risen that much. I own an A3/B3 and it's nothing like that! The 30th sounds somewhat lifeless to me. And it is possible to get a later UK Harry Moss (HTM) UK cut in that price range. I have not heard one, but many say they are nice. But...YVMV.
Picked up a WYWH “Barry” cut on Discogs earlier in the week, should see it early next week. Will be fun to shoot out with my German A3/B3. I have a Barry cut of Electric Ladyland that sounds stunning.
Appreciate your insights. Yeah, we will see. If it doesn't sound significantly better than the 2016 reissue I have, I am just going to re-sell it in an auction with a better presentation of it than the original seller. No way I'd lose money on it. If an A3/B3 ever pops up for a decent price in great condition, I may spring on it if I am not 100% satisfied with the album. I keep looking up what the best pressings are of albums I already own that I was already happy with how they sound. I need to stop.... easy way to spend lots of $$$$$$$$
The CBS Halfspeed master is the way to go with WYWH. Make sure you go with this matrix - side 1 HAL 43453 AD - 3H / side 2 HBL 43453-3AD These a second press that is compressed. It sounds better than any other press I have heard including the first UK cut that I own. Also the CBS/Sony Japan press is great but hard to find and expensive. The first few UK cuts are great but they now go for a fortune and many of them have surface noise that is impossible to get rid of and greatly interferes with soft cuts like Shine On You crazy Diamond and Wish You Were Here.
I have a sealed copy of that I bought from a friend about a year ago. It has the 4XXXX catalog number on a sticker over the original one. Indications are that it is the good copy but I'm afraid to open it. I'll make a day out of it one of these days...
Honestly, nothing major in particular. The clocks at the start of time are a bit harsh and it doesn't have that warm, analog feel. The biggest thing driving me to get something different was the reviews I read/watched which praised the 30th anniversary, OP A2/B2 UK, and the A3/B3 UK pressing.
Will definitely let you know. My only comparison will be the 2016 reissue and a really beat up US original pressing.
Well, my day changed drastically, but I had time to listen to side one and the title track of the 2016 Grundman, the 2011 Sax, and an A1/B3 UK pressing of Wish You Were. The Grundman was on nice quiet vinyl, but sadly devoid of any feeling or magic even though I had nothing to compare it with yet (that day). I immediately new that regardless of my findings with the other two pressings, I would be selling the Grundman. I have multiple CD pressings and the SACD I would happily listen to over the Grundman in the future. Mr Grundman's work speaks for itself, so I can only speculate he did the best he could with what he was given, or simply did as he was asked? While I had hoped, I didn't expect the Sax to sound markedly better than the Grundman, but was happily proved wrong. I would not say the 2011 Sax WYWH deserves the praises that the 30th Anniversary DSOTM receives, but on a quick listen found it to fill a similar role as roughly a midpoint between a Grundman pressing and an original (or very early) UK pressing. Unlike the Grundman, it filled the room. There was more breath and sustain all around. Not surprisingly, a nice, two channel, vinyl pressing very similar to the SACD (it comes with a poster of the SACD cover art). Unlike my A3/B3 DSOTM (which has constant surface noise throughout), the A1/B3 UK WYWH I have played VG+ or better, and lived up to its reputation. I'm going to have to listen again, as I'm pretty sure Rick's keyboards were a living, breathing organism at one point. Pure magic. Bottom line is, if you only have the 2016 Grundman pressing of WYWH (and don't have the SACD) I recommend the 2011 Sax pressing, if only til you can find a VG+ or better A1/B3 UK. If I didn't have the resources or patience, and only had a 30th of DSOTM, and a 2011 Sax of WYWH, I would be completely ok with that. All of this I say not having heard a CBS Half Speed, nor German, French, or "Barry" pressing. Not yet, anyways.
I’ve bought a few UK pressings of WYWH over the years. Problem with most of them is they look fine but have lots of intermittent crackle especially on Side 1 ruining Shine On You Crazy Diamond. I’ve heard over the years and owned CBS Halfspeed don’t know what the matrix numbers were but I sold it. Sounded digital to me didn’t like it. Bought the 2016 even that had crackle on Side 1. I’ve heard the HiFi News version as a friend of mine has it and let me borrow it. Wonderful very quiet Pressing also. I recently found a UK A1 B7 second issue and bingo it’s a beauty hardly any crackle/surface noise and sounds really good. I’m done searching anymore on this title now.
I’ve been going through a Wish You Were Here period over the last couple of months. I started out really favouring the German pressings for their drama, and both the second issue 064-96918 A3/B3 and the later 064-7460351 (1985 DMM?) have a lot to recommend them. They both have a lot of ‘weight’ and the later issue (that not many seem to talk about) has unbelievable clarity and detail. Recently, though, I’ve realised that it’s the 1st UK (I have A1/B3 and A1/B7) that sounds ‘right’ to me. It’s not as Wagnerian and ‘throat-grabbing‘ as the Germans, but calmer and more natural. I also compared the 1st issue with a 2nd (A4/B13) and the 1sts have a freshness and a transparency that puts them ahead. The tapes sound newer. I’m curious to hear a US 1981 ‘Barry’ now.
Just got my 30th anniversary pressing of DSOTM. This usually goes for $120+ for excellent and sealed copies, but I got it for half of that, luckily. It really does sound amazing. I need to listen to the whole thing but I listened through Money and it blows the 40th anniversary I have away. I also have an original US pressing that sounds good but is not in very good condition. My 30th is heavy 180 gram black vinyl and has excellent warmth, soundstage, and definition. I am very, very happy with it. I have NOT heard an original UK pressing to compare it to, however. The 30th is a lot cheaper than excellent good UK pressings. Anyway, very highly recommend. For casual Floyd fans, the 2016 pressing sounds decent and should be satisfactory.
