List of Rolling Stones' London CDs?

According to the Rolling Stones FAQ, the Japanese and German More Hot Rocks 2 are identical.

 

I have a P25L 25040 Between the Buttons.

Peak levels are: 67.5/68.7/66.3/71.8/64.2/75.3/76.5/70.0/71.2/71.3/64.3/61.8
Matrix is: P33L-25009-A3C

 

Wow, great compilation, agree with you informations about the first pressing are easy to find... for the rest??
My question is, the dates for the second pressing and third pressings are speculations or are they accurate.

 

Hi, Aris.

That post was done some time ago. I got a bit more on that. There are definitively more than well known 6 pressings. I'll send you a link in PM with recent updates.

The dates for pressings are kind of estimation within usual PolyGram-PDO-PRS-PMDC time frame. The estimation is based on different secondary features that are common not only for The Rolling Stones CDs but also for other artists. I mean, shape of CDs (full silver, CD with transparent ring, CD with stacking ring) and certain details of booklets. Well, you should allow +- 6 months. You know, it is really hard to dig those details 25+ years the particular CD hit the market .

 

What about Hot Rocks 2? The non bannered one with blue lettering. Is it the same as red banner? I don't hear any fades.

 

Hot Rocks 2 has the same mastering for all WG pressings. It does not matter if you'll pick one with red banner or w/o it. Unless you can hear null samples and offsets - they are slightly different for different glass masters

The situation with the first S/T album 820 047-2 is described here
http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/rolling-stones-on-cd.353036/#post-10930057
Hot Rocks 1 820 141-2 - here
http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threa...cks-not-impressed.243997/page-9#post-10943492

 

Perfect. Thank You Ironbelly.

 

LOL. The material doesn't have anything above 16khz - which is typical for many 60's recordings, so how would you expect any releases of it to have any?

 

While it varies from song to song, the recordings definitely have information above 16kHz. A quick spectral analysis of other releases shows that (most have information above 20kHz). But some CDs are rolled off significantly lower than that. That's what Vivaldinization was referring to.

Lots to talk about with the London CDs, but at the moment, I want to just focus on the German releases. Here's a list of pressings I'm aware of, and if they are identical to other pressings or not. If anyone is aware of additional pressings, please let me know. And note I'm only referencing unique glass masters (i.e., unique matrix numbers). Sometimes discs were pressed over time at different iterations of the PolyGram plant (aluminum to center, small clear ring, large clear ring, etc), but those are not of concern in terms of mastering.

The Rolling Stones
820 047-2 01 #
- First CD release, with cold-ended Tell Me.
820 047-2 02 #
- Completely new (arguably inferior) transfer, with shorter/faded Tell Me.
820 047-2 03 #
- Identical to 820 047-2 02 # other than offset.

12 X 5
820 048-2 01 #
820 048-2 02 /
- I believe this is identical to 820 048-2 01 # other than offset, but need to verify.

Now!
820 133-2 01 #
820 133-2 02 +
- Identical to 820 133-2 01 # other than offset.

Out Of Our Heads
[820 049-2 01]
- Does this exist?
820 049-2 02 #
820 049-2 03 +
- Identical to 820 049-2 02 # other than offset.

December's Children
820 135-2 01 *
820 135-2 02 /
- Identical to 820 135-2 01 * other than offset.

Aftermath
820 050-2 01 *
820 050-2 02 #
- Identical to 820 050-2 01 * other than offset.

Got Live If You Want It
820 137-2 01 *
820 137-2 02 /
- Identical to 820 137-2 01 * other than offset.

Between The Buttons
820 138-2 01 *
820 138-2 02 #
- Identical to 820 138-2 01 * other than offset.

Flowers
820 139-2 01 #
820 139-2 02 #
- Identical to 820 139-2 01 # other than offset

Their Satanic Majesties Request
820 129-2 01
820 129-2 02 [I don't have a copy of this to compare]

Beggars Banquet
[800 084-2 01]
- Does this exist?
800 084-2 02 #
800 084-2 03 #
- Identical to 800 084-2 02 # other than offset.
800 084-2 04 +
- Identical to 800 084-2 02 # other than offset.

Let It Bleed
820 052-2 01 *
820 052-2 02 /
- Identical to 820 052-2 01 * other than offset.
820 052-2 03 ·/
- Same A/D transfer as 820 052-2 01 *, but beginning and end of album trimmed, and everything slightly level adjusted (about +0.24 dB for tracks 1-3, about -0.32 dB for tracks 4-9.

Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out!
820 131-2 01 *
820 131-2 02 +
- Identical to 820 131-2 01 * other than offset.

Hot Rocks 1
820 141-2 01 *
820 141-2 02 #
- Identical to 820 141-2 01 * other than offset.
820 141-2 03 *
- Sourced from same transfer as 820 141-2 01 *, but inverted and apparently with an analog step, as they don't stay in sync.
- Fade-ups: Play With Fire, Satisfaction, Under My Thumb
- Fade-outs: Satisfaction, Get Off Of My Cloud, 19th Nervous Breakdown, Paint It Black, Under My Thumb, Ruby Tuesday, Let's Spend The Night Together
820 141-2 04 #
- I don't have a copy, but assumed to be identical to 820 141-2 03 * other than offset.

Hot Rocks 2
820 142-2 01 *
820 142-2 02 *
- I don't have a copy, but assumed to be identical to 820 142-2 01 * other than offset.
820 142-2 03 #
- Identical to 820 142-2 01 * other than offset.
820 142-2 04 /
- Identical to 820 142-2 01 * other than offset.

More Hot Rocks 1
820 515-2 01 #
820 515-2 02 /
- Identical to 820 515-2 01 # other than offset

More Hot Rocks 2
820 516-2 01 *

If anyone is aware of additional pressings, please let me know.

In summary: all known German pressings are identical except:

The Rolling Stones - 01 is unique mastering with full Tell Me, 02 and 03 are new mastering with faded Tell Me.
Let It Bleed - 03 is a trimmed and level adjusted version of the original mastering.
Hot Rocks 1 - 03 (and likely 04) is a dub of the original mastering with added fades.

The French and Japanese pressings are issues for another day. Some are identical to the German issues, some are *almost* identical (analog dubs, etc), and some are entirely different.

 

Let me step in with French London pressings I am aware at the moment.

The Rolling Stones (Made in France by PDO, Made in France by PMDC)
820 047-2 03 #
- Pressed from W.German glass master and identical to late WG re-issues.

12 X 5
- No info. Does it exists?

Now!
- No info. Does it exists?

Out Of Our Heads
- No info. Does it exists?

December's Children (Made in France by PDO, Made in France by PMDC)
820 135-2 02 /
- Pressed from W.German glass master and identical to late WG re-issues.

Aftermath (Made in France by PDO, Made in France by PRS, Made in France by PMDC)
820 050-2 02 #
- Pressed from W.German glass master and identical to late WG re-issues.

Got Live If You Want It (Made in France by PMDC)
820 137-2 02 /
- Pressed from W.German glass master and identical to late WG re-issues.

Between The Buttons (Made in France by PMDC)
820 138-2 02 #
- Pressed from W.German glass master and identical to late WG re-issues.

Flowers
- No info. Does it exists?

Their Satanic Majesties Request (Made in France by PDO, Made in France by PMDC)
820 129-2 01*
- Pressed from W.German glass master and identical to WG re-issues.
820 129-2 00 L7
- Made in France by PMDC, pressed from French glass master. Do not have this CD in hands.

Beggars Banquet (Made in France by PDO, Made in France by PMDC)
800 084-2 04 +
- Pressed from W.German glass master and identical to late WG re-issues.

Let It Bleed (Made in France by PDO, Made in France by PRS, Made in France by PMDC)
820 052-2 03 ·/
- Pressed from W.German glass master and identical to late WG re-issues.

Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out! (Made in France by PDO)
820 131-2 02 +
- Pressed from W.German glass master and identical to late WG re-issues.
820 131-2 00 L7
- Made in France by PMDC, pressed from French glass master. Different mastering, probably, tweaked ABKCO.

Hot Rocks 1 (Made in France by PRS, Made in France by PMDC)
820 141-2 00 L7
- Pressed from French glass master. Contains tweaked ABKCO mastering, no wide stereo here.

Hot Rocks 2 (Made in France by PRS, Made in France by PMDC)
820 142-2 00 L7
- Pressed from French glass master. Contains tweaked ABKCO mastering

Apparently, all French pressings of Hot Rocks 1 and Hot Rocks 2 came with tweaked version of ABKCO mastering. There are no French pressings of these titles identical to West German.

More Hot Rocks 1
- No info. Does it exists?

More Hot Rocks 2
- No info. Does it exists?

Unique to France
Les Annees Stones (Promo sampler) (Made in France by PDO)
5071 00 L7 $
1. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
2. As Tears Go By
3. Paint It Black
4. Let's Spend The Night Together
5. Jumpin' Jack Flash
6. Sympathy For The Devil
7. Honky Tonk Women
8. Brown Sugar
Tracks 1-4 are sourced from WG disc Hot Rocks 1 (late mastering with fade outs, glass masters o3* or o4#)
Tracks 5-8 are sourced from WG disc Hot Rocks 2
Although, the peak levels for the individual tracks on this sampler do not correspond to their counterparts on the original CD's.

 

I'll check my CDs to see if I have the missing French CD pressings.

 

So is this the best version of the London Aftermath?


I found 820 050-2 at my local library (The Rolling Stones - Aftermath ), but it does not have the red "re-mastered" banner. Not sure if any of the versions of this title has fade issues.

 

There are two German pressings, and as I noted, they are identical.

 

So finding "red banner" versions of this title is not important?

Rolling Stones on CD

 

I would ignore that post.

 

Got it. Thanks

 

Red 'Digitally Remastered' banner is an important indicator only for 2 discs.
1. The Rolling Stones 820 047-2
2. Hot Rocks 1 820 141-2
Because these CD's have unique mastering. See post #84.

Otherwise, this banner is important only if you are looking for a CD that is marked in different reference books (or web sites) as '1st pressing' or similar. Collector's feature, you know .

Although, not all the CD's with that banner are 'true 1st pressing' because they were on market from 1984(5) till late 1986 (or early 1987). For example, Beggars Banquet 800 084-2 with black-and-red ffrr label was re-pressed at least 13 times:
- from glass master 02# without letters after matrix number ('true' 1st pressing)
- from glass master 02# with letters AZ, BB, BE, BL, BS, BU, BW, BY
- from glass master 03# with letters CD, DT, DX, EE
Maybe there were other re-presses I am not aware of at the moment. All these re-presses (no matter what glass master was used and what letters are printed after matrix number) are announced on ebay as 'very rare, long out of print, the very first pressing', $100500, please . Beggars Banquet with black-and-red ffrr label is not a rare creature at all. This is just an 'urban legend'.

Only 2 glass masters were used, that is true. But there are more pressings and re-issues. I was able to track down at least 7 different re-presses from glass master 01* (with different letters and matrix strings) and 5 from glass master 02#. Anyway, digitally they are the same.

 

Nope, all the "missing" ones I have are German pressings.

 

Either these French London CD's do not exist or they were pressed in vanishing quantities. I rather think they were not made in France. However, everything is possible with those London pressings. Nobody believe that London CD's with blue and red label were pressed in the USA. But they were