Anthem of the Sun 1968 Japanese Red Vinyl Pressing Overall mix is a little light on the bass but the vocals have excellent presence. Guitars are a little buried but it adds an extra dose of weirdness to this profoundly psychedelic blend of studio-processed live tracks. My go-to, but really just because I'm a sucker for vintage colored vinyl and this is a very eye-catching pressing. Probably not as good as an original US green label Warner Bros but definitely more fun. 2011 Rhino Reissue Thick, heavy, flat vinyl with a nice beefed-up bottom end. Really enjoy this one but don't spin it, because I like looking at the red vinyl more ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Grateful Dead 1967 Mono Gold Label WB Pressing A: 9233 1A W-1689-A B: 9234 1A W-1689-B Simply amazing. There's a palpable presence to Jerry's voice on Morning Dew and Bob's youthful swagger on Minglewood really shines through. I don't have any stereo pressings to compare, but the mono has a satisfying density that helps ground the vibratory psychedelia of Cream Puff and Viola Lee. Speaking of which, I forgot how thrilling Garcia's leads are on this album - it's definitely my favorite of the pre-Workingman's albums. 2011 Mono Rhino Reissue Pretty good! The bass is cranked way up and the vocals are pushed back, so it lacks the lively immediacy of the original, but's also a fun listen and a cheap alternative to an early pressing.
I confess I very much enjoy the AAA Rhino re-issues and Workingman and American Beauty, and their other Rocktober releases. For the amount I listen to 'albums' as opposed to 'live shows' -- they are more than good enough for me. And the price can't be beat. Yes, I could go down the road of getting audiophile 45 releases of key albums, but I truly believe the law of diminishing returns will keep me happy right where I am.
Old & In The Way 1975 Original Round Records Pressing This is a pretty disappointing pressing. It has a muddy, veiled quality that throws a wooly blanket over what should be sparkling acoustic music. It was my only pressing for years, and my other Round Record originals were generally pretty good, so I thought this was as good as I could get on vinyl until ... 1985 Sugar Hill Records Remastered Reissue I stumbled across this one in a tiny shop run by a very grumpy sole proprietor. The label is so janky I assumed it was a bootleg, but for $5 or so I couldn't pass it up. Remastered at TruTone and pressed by Electrosound Group Midwest, it sounds significantly better than the original Round Records pressing. Clear sparkly mandolin, rich woody guitar and bass, delightfully twangy banjo, and most importantly, gorgeously lifelike vocal harmonies. I strongly recommend this pressing, and remain baffled that this hasn't received the Rhino reissue treatment it deserves.
Ace 1972 White Label Promo Pressing A: BS-2627-A 40190-1A [artisan logo] B: BS-2627-B 40191-1A [artisan logo] 1972 Original Warner Bros Green Label Pressing A: BS-2627 40190-1 [artisan logo] B: BS-2627 40191-1 [artisan logo] These are both fabulous pressings. There might be some fine distinctions between them but no material ones, and you probably can't go wrong with any 1972 WB greenie. The fact that this one hasn't had an audiophile reissue is a real head-scratcher. It's basically a Grateful Dead album, and the studio versions of Cassidy, Looks Like Rain, Greatest Story, and Black Throated Wind are genuinely excellent. Plus, I actually like the Weir deep cut trifle Walk In The Sunshine! It's a fun little number.
It is surprising that it never gets the MFSL or AP treatment. I have the above two as well as WB Palm tree and a Gold Label pressing that was discussed here a while back and thought I'd add a link. Bob Weir - Ace 1986 Reissue?
I wonder if your Rounder pressing is a victim of worn stampers or the like. I have an OG (this pressing) and it sounds phenomenal. I preferred it to the Sugar Hill pressing. This would be a great candidate for an audiophile reissue. I would LOVE to see it as a Mobile Fidelity One Step.
Totally agree. I was looking through Discogs and saw the 1985 remaster version of this and had to get it. Sounds way better
Interested in thoughts / reviews of Reflections. What an album. I have an original playing right now. Haven’t listened to this in a while. What a brilliant recording. Maybe Jerry’s finest studio work, in fact. The whole thing sounds very organic, something I often feel missing from Garcia’s studio work. Jerry had a strange way of singing in the studio in the early 70s, like he was trying to sound like more of a polished singer than he was (I think When the Hunter Gets Captured by the Game on Compliments exemplifies this, though this voice also resurfaced in places on the later Cats and Roses albums). But he sounds so smooth and relaxed on Reflections, sounds just like himself, and confident. The band is killer on each track, a perfect balance of the Dead and the JGB, with some nice piano work by Nicky Hopkins on a few tracks. Great collection of tunes. With beautifully dynamic performances. A warm recording.
Reflections 1976 Round Records Original Pressing A: RXLA 565 1-1C (set 3) CA B: RXLA 565 2-1A (set 1) CA My copy plays with a little light crackle but it's a nice listen with excellent stereo image, clear instrumentation, and a nice shimmery high end. I really like the feel of this one. It's not as spectacular as the early '70s Dead albums on Warner Bros but the production is well-done and it has a warm, cozy vibe. 2016 Round Records Purple Swirl RSD Pressing Fred Kevorkian remaster with lacquer cut by Ron McMaster. Wow, this is a very refined reissue featuring clear instrument separation and, as is typical for most reissues, a lot more bass. The dramatic pause in Mission in the Rain is utterly silent, with a dead black back background. Jerry's vocals sound a tiny bit too clean and not as natural as on the original pressing but it's a minor quibble. Unfortunately my pressing plays with some annoyingly loud pops, which I've encountered with other multi-color vinyl. I'm just speculating, but I bet the plain black reissue plays cleaner.
I have the 2016 purple pressing and it sounds great, fortunately with no loud pops. You may have been unlucky with your copy.
Agree completely. Reflections is my favorite Jerry album and right up there with upper-echelon Studio Dead, IMO. Stampers on mine (original or fairly early [I assume] press, even though I bought it in 2004): A: (machine stamped) RXLA 565 1-1D (in script) 1 T B: (machine stamped) RXLA 565 2-1D (in script) 1 T
Just have to say that the Rhino Rocktober David Glasser remaster of Wake of the Flood is really excellent. The only other vinyl version that I can compare it to is the recent VMP version, which I owned briefly. It's out of my possession now, but as memory serves this is every bit as enjoyable (or more so even, as this one doesn't have any surface noise!). And for $21 no less! On Discogs the US version doesn't mention who cut the lacquer, but the European version indicates David Glasser remastered and Bernie Grundman cut it. I have to imagine that it's just a simple omission.
Can anyone do a direct comparison of the 2011 Bellman Rhino of American Beauty with the new 2020 Bellman 50th anniversary? I saw the American Beauty breakdown on page 2 which was great but didn't say anything about the 2011 Rhino.
I I got the new one based on the review here and got rid of my 2011 after comparing directly. I felt that the 2011 was brittle esp in the vocals and 2 dimensional. The new one is totally 3D and warm esp in the vocals...
Wow sounds promising. I was hunting for a 2011 because it seems like they did a better premium sleeve but after hearing this I'll jump on the new one.
Any thoughts on the acoustic release from the Warfield shows? Is this necessary, or good enough to have if you have a nice copy of Reckoning?
The record store had a PILE of Wake of the Floods this weekend. I was startled to find a copy with the Artisan stamp on both sides. I thought this album was mastered by TLC only. I almost brought it home but it had some scratches I didn't like. Here's the Discogs listing for it Grateful Dead – Wake Of The Flood (1973, Artisan Master, Vinyl) Anyone have any opinions on the difference between this and the regular TLC cuts? I'm also looking for a nice Artisan stamped Working Man's Dead they are out there too.
To me, the first time Wake of the Flood sounded good on LP was when MoFi reissued it in 2011. I found all the prior versions extremely poor sounding.
I caved and picked up the Story of the Grateful Dead box and spent the weekend comparing my existing pressings to these copies. I am probably echo everything that has been said here. Setup: Linn LP12 w Sumiko Blue Point Evo III > Puffin pre-amp > Marantz 1090 > Klipsch RF5's Reckoning (AP vs VMP). I sold off an original because I liked the AP better. It sounds amazing and feels like Jerry is sitting in your lap. The VMP comes close but doesn't quite match it. The VMP sounds like a solid "sitting in the 5th row, center" experience, and the instruments are a touch richer, but that AP is awesome. Winner: AP by a little. Terrapin (AP vs VMP). The AP is very good on this one too! However, the VMP is something special. It just oozes more full 3D funkiness, it has better soundstage and depth. The VMP is a solid upgrade on something that was already great. Winner: VMP by a decent amount. Wake of the Flood (MOFI vs the VMP). Disclaimer, I don't love this album and don't think it is particularly well recorded compared to other studio efforts by the Dead. The MOFI has as touch more bottom end, the VMP has a touch more top end. Winner: Draw American Beauty (VMP vs Original Green Label vs MOFI). Comparing the original pressing with the VMP, they are really close. The VMP gives a couple extra layers of bass, but both sound excellent, very large and detailed. BUT...both pale in comparison to the 2LP MOFI version. This is in a league of its own and makes the 33 versions feel like they forgot half of the detail and space. Real demo a system material. Winner: MOFI by a lot. Workingmans Dead (VMP vs 73 reissue vs MOFI). Comparing the 73 reissue with the VMP, the VMP is a bit stronger with better highs and lows. It is a great copy if you didn't have a version of this or needed one that wasn't beat up. BUT...it too has to bow down to the MOFI 2LP version. It has better soundstage and presence and makes both 33 versions sound a bit shrill by comparison. It's not quite the revelation that AmBeaut MOFI is, but it is easily the reference version. Winner: MOFI by a decent amount. Europe 72 (Rhino 2012 vs VMP). This was my first live dead album and actually haven't spun it in years since I have been playing more of the limited boxsets like Cornell, Fillmore 69, and Sunshine Day Dream. Revisiting the 2012 version, I was surprised to find that it doesn't actually sound that great in comparison. I mean, it sounds perfectly decent, like a really solid FM sourced bootleg, but not the "you are there" quality of these new RSD sets. The VMP sounds very close to it. Winner: Rhino 2012 by a nose. Live Dead (Original Green label vs VMP vs MOFI vs Fillmore Box). This confirms that I don't like the mix on the MOFI version. It's just not good for some odd reason and sounds muffled and distant, like you are listening to it in the back row. The only dud of an honor roll class of releases. Comparing then the VMP and the OG, the VMP is a definite improvement over the MOFI, but it still doesn't touch a good original pressing. The VMP is good, but the instruments aren't quite the sonic assault of the original. BUT THEN I remembered that I had some of these same songs on the recent Fillmore boxes! That was an interesting comparison. The OG has Jerry's vocals mixed over in the right channel, whereas the Fillmore box has them etherially floating in the middle. But in the Fillmore box his guitar sounds more recessed whereas the OG has all the instruments front and center (you can touch the maracas). Winner: Draw between Fillmore and OG. Put Jerrys vocals from the Fillmore box over the instruments of the OG and it'd be sonic perfection!
Thanks for this thread, which is illuminating. I have many original versions bought on release in the U.K. and it’s very interesting to read comparisons with recent issues. However, I would be grateful if someone could help me distinguish between the recent Rhino/WB issues. I have the 2010 box set of the WB Studio Albums, which I always understood was an AAA production and is mastered by Chris Bellman. I think someone mentioned a credit on this for Plangent, which would imply some digital element in the chain. However there are no production credits on the box set - just the CB in the deadwax. Presumably the 2011 issues are the individual versions from this box. In addition there are the 50th anniversary releases of WMD and AB from last year (on WB according to Discogs). These appear to be a different mastering from the 2010/2011 versions (and AAA?). People also are referring to Rhino Rocktober releases. Are these a different mastering pressing from the other Rhino issues? I don’t think they have been released in the U.K., but neither can I identify them on Discogs as a separate US release from the 2011 or 2020 issues. Which albums have been part of the Rocktober campaign?
Ok - I see now on Discogs European Rocktober versions of Wake of the Flood and Blues for Allah. I have an Audio Fidelity issue of Blues for Allah, mastered by Kevin Gray, with a gatefold sleeve with the lyrics on the inner spread. When I bought it I thought it was superior to my original U.K. issue.
