I am very proud to announce that starting next Friday, September 14, luxuriamusic.com will be hosting a new all-Kinks radio show called Village Underground. Running ev-er-y Friday night, 6PM - 8PM Eastern time. I'll post the promo as soon as luxuria puts it up but I wanted you to be the first to know!
Just spotted that we are vinyl have the mono box for £89.99 (presumably yoully need to add on postage). I've never used them before but worth a shot if you don't have it. THE KINKS - THE MONO COLLECTION - BOXSET | Boxsets | We Are Vinyl UK
Thanks mate, I've just ordered it from We Are Vinyl. I think they're something to do with Sony. Now the nervous wait. I was seriously thinking of buying this for £150 after reading the reviews. With the packaging it came to over £100 and was considering paying on a credit card for the protection, but apparently postage isn't included, so I bought with paypal. I hate buying box sets and playing them to make sure they're all ok. Thanks again.
Yes We Are Vinyl appears to be Sony as they have done some recent Dylan vinyl reissues. They should be fine in terms of mail order. I was tempted to get a second box but the £11 for postage was a bit off putting. Maybe more boxes including the Kinks mono will be cheaper in the new year.
I think you’ll like it. They all sound great except for Arthur, which has a few songs with crazy distorted vocals.
You're probably right, but I still have to bring it up every few months. I can't think of a more classic album by anyone that has remained so out of print on vinyl.
Are We Are Vinyl reputable? I've ordered it the 29th and the postage was £12 so I expect next day delivery. On the email confirmation of sale it has Sandbag Ltd. I looked them up and their customer feedback isn't too good.
Box set arrived today, it looks good and is weighs a bit. Took a while to come from We Are Vinyl, but they may have been waiting for their sale to end before posting. Not had time to open it as I've chewing my finger nails for the last couple of hours watching the match. Are the albums going to be issued individually?
Bumping this thread to offer some thoughts/comments/concerns/feelings/what have you... After getting the VGPS 50th Anniversary box (and ONLY going to comment on the vinyl), the 2016 mono box AAA pressing of the mono mix wins. It's ever so slight, though (you just can't beat that analog warmth). If you can't get the mono box, then the 50th Anniversary mono vinyl will do the job just fine for you (nothing to lose sleep over). The 12-track stereo LP is a fun and different listen, but nothing I'll return to anytime soon. I don't like the stereo mix of the regular 15-track album, but if you prefer the stereo mix, then you'll love it. The "Days" 7" was one of the main vinyl attractions for me, and it didn't disappoint. I'm a little puzzled that a repro "Wonderboy" 7" wasn't included, but I'm sure @andrewsandoval had his reasons. Kevin Gray knows how to master The Kinks, as the mono box, all the EPs and now the vinyl from the VGPS 50th box have demonstrated. His vinyl remastering is the best the Pye material is going to sound. Now for a non-VGPS idea... I may be in a minority but I'd like to see Andrew try and do a version of Dave Davies' Hidden Treasures on vinyl. It may be jarring to mix stereo and mono on vinyl (the Stones did it for the ABKCO 2002 vinyl reissues), but apart from two tracks, it'd be stereo. I like that compilation, and this modified tracklisting I did in a digital playlist makes it flow nicely: Side 1: 1. This Man He Weeps Tonight (mono mix, stereo mix sounds unfinished) 2. Mindless Child Of Motherhood 3. Hold My Hand 4. Do You Wish To Be A Man 5. Are You Ready, Girl? 6. Creeping Jean 7. Crying Side 2: 1. Lincoln County 2. Mr Shoemaker's Daughter 3. Mr Reporter 4. Groovy Movies 5. There's No Life Without Love 6. Good Luck Charm (Studio Version, only mono exists for period mix)
I just got the mono LP box (I already had the more recent Village Green box). So far listened to the first 2 albums, and the SQ is great! Eventually I will compare to my original US monos (and 1 or 2 UKs).
What are the best stereo pressings of the late 60s era albums (Face to Face, Something Else, Village Green, Arthur)? Any modern stereo reissues good? I have the 2018 Stereo version of Village Green and really love it
You don't want Face To Face in stereo. A lot of tracks in mono and some atrocious stereo mixes like Rainy Day in June and Little Miss Queen Of Darkness. The US Reprise Something Else sounds pretty good. You're probably not going to get much better than the pressing of Village Green you have. Original Stereo pressings of Arthur are pretty pricey. The latest stereo reissue has received good reviews but I haven't heard it. My Canadian Pye pressing sounds good except for the noisy vinyl.
If you are looking for a reasonable stereo copy of Something Else, the 1980s Spanish Pye reissue (the Anos Dorados series ) sounds pretty good. The original stereo Reprise Face To Face isn't that bad (but as the poster above says it is pretty much mostly super narrow-might-as-well-be-mono sound) but it's way too rare and way too expensive to be worth hunting for.
What is the current pressing of Something Else that I see in print on Amazon and in stores? Is that a mono pressing? I guess I'm safe to assume the mono versions of Face to Face, Something Else and Village Green are the way to go for those records
The stereo Reprise Face doesn’t seem that rare to me. I’ve seen it around fairly often over the years.
I'm not sure which one you mean but the one I've seen most readily available is mono. The mono mix is probably superior but the stereo has its charms. I think I actually prefer the stereo Village Green album but it's close between the two mixes. Edit: Avoid the stereo Face To Face.
You're probably not seeing original "tri-color" Reprise pressings. They go for around $40 in VG+ condition..
I like the stereo Something Else and the stereo VGPS but maybe that's just me. I don't see many copies of the Reprise steamboat Face to Face around in the wild (stereo or mono). The only one I ever saw I bought.
I was referring to this pressing: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...4df-15aac5223b10&pf_rd_r=ANPGVTKTSBBR2MP0ZCA8
