I found mine on the front porch this morning. #1072 I will listen to the records this evening. Packaging and jackets all look pristine.
The labels were slightly off center on all 4 sides as well. Not a huge deal for me but I'm sure some collectors would not be happy. I was surprised by how dirty this was for the money but that's an easy fix. You guys are right, I should have cleaned first but I got home late and didn't want to get everything out. Overall pretty happy given the caveats mentioned. Chalking most of the sibilence up to my system, I need to get that sorted out. I will ask MD for replacement sleeves. Hopefully some marks on the vinyl come out with a cleaning. In spite of all that, I will say this is likely the best sounding album I own. Sounded much better the more I played it. As mentioned, very open airy and 3D. Glad I bought it. Can't wait for Texas Flood, I don't have any of the AP pressings and really like that album. I can imagine "Lenny" really sounding incredible.
°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°`°°°°°°°°°°°°`` While it's very enjoyable, it's not the best recorded album of all time. Not close. With all of the dubbing/overdubbing, the soundstage can get a bit congested. As I mentioned before, the bass is not all that authoritative. It can get a wee bit buried in the mix. If you want to get a better, more detailed and layered recording, get the Shaft 45rpm EP that AP put out a while back. I believe it's still available. The title cut is a very impressive recording.
MORE BASS Considering further the construction of this album, I took another look at the wiki entry and developed a hypothesis, parts of which I previous shared, specific to the bass guitar. My hypothesis would have tied it all together in a neat ball. To wit: James Jamerson recorded with mics on his speakers; while Bob Babbitt recorded DI (direct input). Again, a DI arrangement means your home speakers are the first speakers the signal sees -- the signal wasn't mic'd, per se. I was getting excited to note that the album appears to have been basically recorded in the chronological order in which it is presented. I don't know that for a fact. And without my book, Mercy, Mercy Me: The Loves, Art and Demons of Marvin Gaye, cannot investigate further. A) The first five tracks feature James Jamerson on electric bass. "What's Going On", "What's Happening Brother", "Flyin' High", "Save the Children", "God Is Love" B) The last four tracks feature Bob Babbitt. "Mercy, Mercy Me", "Right On", "Wholy Holy" and "Inner City Blues" There are some funny stories about the making of this album. Wiki has this to say, "The laid-back sessions of the single ["What's Going On"] were credited to lots of "marijuana smoke and rounds of Scotch." Moreover, "Jamerson was pulled into the recording studio by Gaye after he located Jamerson playing with a local band at a blues bar" [at about 2:30 in the morning, if I recall from the book.] "Jamerson, who couldn't sit properly on his seat after arriving to the session drunk, performed his bass riffs, written for him by the album's arranger David Van De Pitte, on the floor." I do recall reading more about this in the book. Jamerson was lying on his back, his eyes to the ceiling, and just jamming this stuff stoned and intoxicated. What a hoot! Now let's consider Bob Babbitt's electric bass contribution, which comprises the last four tunes. The album was done in several studios, initially at Hitsville (I erroneously referred to this in a previous sermon as the Hit Factory), beginning with the title tune, "What's Going On" on June 1, 1970. Then back to Hitsville between March 1 - 10, 1971 to finish the album. So far it looks like the whole album was done at Hitsville, aka Studio A. However, concurrent to this timeline, wiki informs us, " ... the strings, horns, lead and background vocals were recorded at Golden World, or Studio B." Wiki then throws us a wildcard with, "The album's original mix, recorded in Detroit at both Hitsville and Golden World as well as United Sound Studios, was finalized on April 5, 1971." That's the first reference I see to United Sound Studios. And a fourth studio, albeit dedicated solely to mixing (not recording) is referenced, per: "Gaye and his engineers did a new sound mix of the album at The Sound Factory in West Hollywood in early May, integrating the orchestra somewhat closer with the rhythm tracks." My hypothesis had been that they started the project at Hitsville with Jamerson. Then took it to Golden World and/or United Sound Studios, where, perhaps at the engineers suggestion, Babbitt played DI. But there are two flaws. First, it looks like all the rhythm tracks were done at Hitsville. And second, that DI sound, to my ear, first appears on "Save the Children," recorded by Jamerson. So my current and updated hypothesis is that Jamerson recorded the first four tunes with his speakers mic'd and by the fifth tune, "Save the Children," the engineers went DI with Jamerson and continued solely DI on the last four tunes that Babbitt did. That's not as neat a package as I would have liked to have wrapped this into. But that's my working hypothesis as it regards the electric bass sounds, which have so flummoxed so many of us on this album. And another thing: I also cannot rule out that wiki is wrong about who did the "Save the Children" track. My original hypothesis might remain intact. If you're bringing in sets of musicians, think Steely Dan's Aja album, you might have everyone play everything and pick, parse and parcel until you end up with what you want as a finished product. Maybe that is Babbitt on "Save the Children."
My copy #615 arrived this morning. I just finished playing it on a Technics 1200G turntable with an Ortofon 2M Black cartridge. It sounded great overall. This new vinyl formulation is amazingly quiet and this is with the 2M Black that is a cartridge that tends to exaggerate noise and groove imperfections. I don’t even think that I noticed a single click or pop in all four sides. But I noticed that there is some sibilance in the first track (What's Going On). This is kind of strange because there is no sibilance in any of the other tracks. I did not have time to compare with my Tamla pressing but just going from memory here, I don’t remember sibilance in the original. Anyway, like I said, the album sounds great, maybe the best I 've ever heard it sound without again doing any direct comparisons with other releases. The clarity in the vocals and the depth of the soundstage is impressive for a early 70s soul recording. If any of you that love this great album have any reservations, don't. This is definitely worthy of the extra cost and a precious release for all Marvin Gaye fans to own.
So i got an email from music direct this afternoon saying there was an issue with running my card and to give them a call. I got a new card back in november and called them then with the new info but apparently some numbers got mixed up as it didn't go through. I tried calling and they were already closed. Should i worry about losing my copy? I plan on callung Monday but I dont know if i should call 1st thing when they open.
I have had to call them twice over the last two years to give them either a different or updated Visa information. Both times I expressed concern over the amount of time a preorder sits uncharged, and that an order could be canceled over outdated cards. Both times they emphatically told me that preorders are held until the cardholder is contacted and given time to respond with updated and correct card information. While I have never had to test their promised patience, I am more confident than not that they will honor their hold long enough for you to respond. I would call when they open Monday, but I wouldn't fret. Please post your results so others will be able to share your confidence.
A great copy of Fragile may lie in wait at your local record store, but the definitive release lies in preordering the MFSL One-Step from Music Direct. Or so it has been proven over and over again with every One-Step title released.
For what it's worth, I was one of the few who at one point wrote that I preferred my RL Nightfly to the One-Step. I've changed my mind pretty decisively since then, though.
Marvin Gaye is yet another missed opportunity The One Steps have went out of their way to bring out details at the expense of musicality. the balance is off. shame such a missed opportunity
Don't mistake reviews that compared those two to the first two one step releases. Some felt that Nightfly and BOTW didn't shockingly impress as the first two did. When compared to other Nightfly and BOTW vinyl pressings, most believe the one steps to be the best sonic copies to date.
I understand that I cannot speak for everyone - I am expecting the Fragile One-Step to be definitive. I have owned many different Fragile pressings and to date I have only kept my WLP and Acoustech pressings. I sold my definitive Santana, BOTW and Marvin Gaye pressings a few months before each's respective One-Step was released. That is the confidence I have had in MFSL's One-Step mastering; however, I will not be selling my Fragile WLP in the month's before it's One-Step release. Taking on Fragile is a bold move by MFSL, and one that I do not believe they would have taken on without confidence. IMO, it has the potential to rival the accomplishments heard in One-Step Abraxas.
Interesting...........some have already deemed the One Step of Fragile as definitive without even hearing it??? I have a George Peckham cut, the at/gp WLP, and the AP Hoffman/Gray. I own all 3 because all 3 have their merits and sound fantastic. Perhaps some are slightly disappointed with the sonics of these MFSL One Step releases because of over blown expectations.
I think a lot of people confuse dust for "dirt." A highly static charged record (from sliding back and forth during shipping) will attract dust right out of the jacket and even more on playback. A decent cleaning or 2 helps with this IMO.
I'm not the world's biggest vinyl expert but my buddy (who probably is) tells me that even under the best manufacturing practices, new records have tons of little pieces of vinyl and other grit in the grooves that needs to be scrubbed out. He literally scrubbs the crap out of his records, even brand new out of the shrink-wrap and then vacuums them with a VPI record cleaner set he bought off me. And it works. I could never get records in my house to sound anywhere near as noise-free as in his system. I am way too big a slob to be a vinyl fanatic.
You don't know this until someone does it better. I listened to the album last night. I was drawn into the music immediately. I really enjoyed this record. Sonically everything sounded right and was a real pleasure to listen to. I don't have any other release to compare this to. The new Supervinyl played beautifully. RTI is on to something there, except the high premium they are asking for pressing with this Supervinyl.
I feel this is true as well. I would guessing the vinyl debris might be from when the edges are cut and spindle hole is made. You would think on high end releases like One-Step, the records would go through a cleaning solution as part of the manufacturing process.