Is my vinyl version of DSOTM a "good" one?

I just received my tax refund in the mail today, so on Monday I'm ordering my turntable . So, in anticpation of being able to play back my record collection (after a 14 year hiatus), I was going through them all.

My DSOTM album was given to me used, so I really don't know how old it is.
Here's whatever info I can find on it:

1) It has what I think y'all call a "gatefold" jacket. All the lyrics are written inside with a rainbow waveform going across it. And it has this credit in it: "Stickers Art by George Hardie N.T.A." It originally came with stickers? And on the back of the jacket, it has both Capitol Records & EMI's logos printed.

2) The record itself. It has a "Harvest" corporate logo, looking sort of like a Picasso painting. To either side of this are written these numbers: on the left side, SMAS-11163; on the right side, (SMAS-1-11163). On Side One These same numbers are also hand-written in the inner groove (forgot the name of that place--the tonearm lift-off thingamabob??) but with these additional set of letters/numbers: -H74 #3 followed by a circle with an "X" in it. This is all followed by MASTERED BY CAPITOL, stamped by a uh, stamper I guess (i.e. not hand-written). And after this, the hand-written letters ML. That's it!

Side Two Inner Groove Info This number hand-written: SMAS-2-11163-G63. And what almost looks like a person's(?) first name written in cursive letters (very tiny letters) too. I think the first letter is a stylized "S": sine. That Capitol stamping is here too, and the circle/X symbol. Lastly, a very faint hand-drawn oval, about an 1/8" wide is there. That's it.

Any ideas? Thanks.

[T]

 

Based on Kevin's information I suggest you pre-order a copy of the new DSOTM LP. Many of us have already ordered a copy or two. I ordered mine from Red Trumpet (www.redtrumpet.com) but I know that Acoustic Sounds (www.acousticsounds.com) is taking orders as well.

 

Unless someone knows about that exact matrix, it's hard to say. The original Capitol pressings were not bad, except for some groove noise and a tendency to be off center that was epidemic to Capitol for some years. (I do seem to remember that one cutting gradually lost treble in one channel as the side progressed.) I think there were a number of fairly consistent masters cut for a while. However a more recent pressing (with that circled X, I think) had NO BASS! It just killed the opening thumps.

I'll be interested to hear the new Sax/Gray et. al. pressing!

 

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