Old US Pressing of ‘Beggar's Banquet’ at Correct Speed

Thanks. No tape issue in the middle of the song (good!), but it does seem like the separation in the intro is closer to the London CD, although I won't be able to do a close comparison until tonight. I have to wonder if the lower frequencies were centered somewhat for the initial LP cut, and the copy tape was made during the mastering, locking that in. That is perhaps more plausible than the tape machine having some sort of terrible separation problem.

As for the matrix numbers, yeah, presumably lacquers were cut in various places and at various times, and it seems there wasn't much (any?) coordination to attempt to differentiate them all. Probably didn't matter much at the time, but it makes things harder for collectors today.

 

What about using a UK Decca LP needle drop of the section that would be needed to patch in? Cleaned, minty, and light ClickRepair, and then speed corrected of course.

Oh, then never mind. I just saw your earlier post. UK pressings not from original tapes after all? And they sound so nice imo.

 

At this point it *appears* the only releases taken directly from the masters are the SACD and this particular London pressing.

 

Checked mine this morning and SFTD runs at the correct speed with very similar matrix to the above, XZAL 8477-A on side 1 and XZAL-8477B on side 2, with absolutely no other markings (date, etc.). Label is slightly different, the title "Beggars Banquet" is underlined and the the labels are on "rough" paper.

 

What speed does No Expectations run at on the flip side if the Street Fighting Man single? The single came out ages before the album so you'd assume the speed would be correct.

 

Can you post a picture of each of your labels and matrix numbers?

 

I can't at the moment but can do it tomorrow.

 

That would be great. Thank you.

Clips would be wonderful as well if you are able.

 

I found a NM copy today that matches your deadwax exactly. Oddly, it has the Rev. Wilkins credit on the label, but the deadwax etching is exactly the same, the matrix numbers and handwriting match perfectly. It also has "8-19-68" etched (kinda faint) on side two.

Haven't listened yet, but will report back......

 

Here's some pics of the copy I picked up today. As far as I can see these exactly match the deadwax script on Eszzet's copy:




"Sympathy for the Devil" clocks in at 6:27 on this copy, shorter than the 6:30 on my other LP copy, but still notably longer the 6:19 on the SACD. I verified that my table was running exactly at 33.3 with a KAB Speed Strobe before recording. Strobe was rock steady, no drift at all.

Sorry if I'm muddying the waters here. I'll post all the times on the LP when I finish my needledrop.

 

How about your side 2 speed?

 

I have a German Decca DMM pressing and a Dutch White Vinyl pressing. How can I verify if these are at the correct speed? I don't have a UK or US to compare too, only the SACD. On the German DMM, SFTD is timed at 6:24 (verified). The Dutch is not timed.

 

It's hard to say for certain, but it *looks* to me like the markings for side 1 may be slightly different. On Eszzet's copy, the final A *appears* to be closed on top, while on your copy it appears to be slightly open. They do look very similar though.

 

Just play the LP and the SACD at the same time. If they stay in relative sync, the LP is at the correct speed. Otherwise, the LP will likely be noticeably slower than the SACD.

Dear Doctor may be a good track to check; I found the difference very noticeable.

 

Yeah, I noticed that and looked closely. The "A" on mine is actually closed, that's just the light, the inscription is a little less deep there. It's hard to get the camera at the exact same angle, etc.

 

The White Vinyl Dutch Sympathy For The Devil timed at 6:24 also.

 

On Dear Doctor both versions run noticably slower than the SACD.

 

Side two looks the same but the 8 on side one looks different to me.

 

I'm a fan of these Dutch colored vinyl LPs mostly. Mostly because some were great and others not so great. Let it Bleed, Ya-Ya's, and Buttons compared to original UK Decca favorably, while others in the series less so.

I am going to listen and compare Begger's white vinyl in the series which I never bothered with too much previously as it has more ticks and clicks then the others LPs in this Dutch series. But now with ClickRepair gaining respect from me by the day, I might just have to see a needle drop from this version after locking in speed to match the SACD master, do some click removal, and see what goes on and what sounds good.

 

The handwriting on side 1 is slightly different. The ‘Z’ on mine is more closed on the right, and the ‘L’ on mine is more closed on both sides. The matrix code on side 2 of your record looks to be the same as mine, however…oh boy.

 

When I hold it in my hand and look back and forth between the record and your pic I can see there are some subtle differences on side 1. The "8" looks a little different, so do the "A"s. It looks like it could easily have been done by the same person though.

Good luck to anyone trying to find an exact match!

Weird that while this one is still a bit slow, it's nevertheless faster than my other copy. Who knows how many subtle variations there are out there?

I'm about to listen to side two. I'll report back. I feel I am truly earning my record nerd bona-fides here.

 

Because I haven't muddied the waters enough already, here are the run times I've come up with. LP1 is the one I posted pictures of previously, LP2 is my latest one that seems to match Eszzet's LP runout groove on side two, and is close but no cigar on side one.

LP1 - LP2 - SACD
1. Sympathy for the Devil 6:30 - 6:27 - 6:19
2. No Expectations 4:04 - 4:02 - 3:57
3. Dear Doctor 3:30 - 3:28 - 3:22
4. Parachute Woman 2:25 - 2:24 - 2:21
5. Jig-Saw Puzzle 6:20 - 6:13 - 6:06

6. Street Fighting Man 3:19 - 3:23 - 3:16
7. Prodigal Son 2:56 - 2:55 - 2:52
8. Stray Cat Blues 4:41 - 4:43 - 4:38
9. Factory Girl 2:14 - 2:13 - 2:09
10. Salt of the Earth 4:46 - 4:51 - 4:47

It would take someone much more dedicated and/or smarter than me to make sense of all of this. It seems there are many different variations of this LP with matrix numbers that are incredibly similar to one another. Good luck if you are looking for a specific pressing!

 

Are you taking the space between the tracks into account for either of the LPs?

 

Time listed includes the silence at the end of tracks for both LPs. Split is always just before the music starts.

BTW, I re-do needledrops of LPs all the time and there is hardly ever any variation between track lengths between two of my needledrops. Maybe a second or so here or there. Doesn't mean I didn't screw something up to account for the differences here, but I don't think so.

 

That could throw it off a little. Have you tried syncing the SACD with LP2?