The pressing copy of my copy was flat and dead quiet. I've had no pressing issues with any Macca or Lennon albums via UMG. I only have maybe three or four of these Abbey Road Half Speed Master LPs and found them ok. Average. This was the best I've heard so far
I've *rarely* had problems with sealed re-issues and I've always sympathized with the many posters here who have expressed experiences with lousy pressings. This partuicular time for me is quite an exception. Two copies with the second worse than the first (the primary culprit being non-fill). I returned it earlier and had no problem getting a refund. I subsequently ordered a copy from E bay(just a few bucks more, including shipping) and waiting and hoping. My extremely cautious "logic' is that just ***maybe*** the record store got hit with a bad batch and ordering a copy from a totally different unrelated source may give me acceptable results.
Think I got my minty UK first press of RAM for 20 GDP earlier this year.... along with similar quality copies of Abbey Road and Let It Be.... so yes, your assessment is accurate. The original Capitol RAM doesn't sound half bad tho. WAY better than a Capitol Abbey Road, anyway.
It depends how much one is into the aesthetic end of vinyl albums; for me, it's a big part of the "magic" of seeing a record spin on the turntable. On top of that, the Apple label is my all time favorite....very classy. The whole idea of a full Apple on one side and a sliced on the other...beautiful. Yea, I'm also glad they used the original label design for this as well as the 50th of his first solo album. And just to note, should they continue the 50th's with the original label designs, Ram is the last we'll be seeing of "The Apple".
Does the ending Back Seat Of My Car always sound a little distorted? I need to go back and compare that to my other copies
I wonder what the USA count is? The new RAM vinyl will be very limited (reportedly just 2000 copies for the UK) and it will only be available via independent stores and the usual McCartney/Universal channels. RAM Gets 50th Anniversary Half Speed Master
It depends where you were. I can tell you for a fact that in Australia, all vinyl records during that period came with polyvinyl inserts. I used to buy a lot of records back then and not once did anything come in merely a paper sleeve... we would have been hocked and shorrified if it had....
========== hi mazzy luv your channel! im a huge fan. before i go through the extensive effort to buy this new ram, what do you say about sound quality? i’ll have to find a local record store to find one in stock and it may take several calls and extensive driving. and ill probably have to get lucky. ive got several a.road 1/2 speeds and they are all mediocre at best. id hate to be a sucker for another one. i’ll make the effort if this is the exception and is a winner if not the best yet. you’ve heard it all so your opinion is valued. though you deny being an audiophile, you have heard enough beatles and audiophile lps in general to have an opinion if this is special. same question on last years mccartney I? maccartney I and ram are my two favs and im disappointed in all my current copies of both - even the og uk pressings but especially the capital og’s. let us know my friend!
I did write about it earlier. As I said I Amy a fan of the few Half Speed Masters I've heard from Abbey Road. I don't hate them but don't love them either. Ram is the best I've heard so far from these Half Speeds and I did hear some detail I've never noticed before. I do have original US and UK versions which I enjoy but I did not do a shoot out comparison. Bottom line: I think this is a god release. I wouldn't drive around but Google indie record stores around the country and find a copy.
Ok, so I've been doing more comparing to the new half-speed and the 2012/2017. For some reason, the Back Seat of My Car distorts at the end for me on the new pressing, which is odd because I never get distortion on my system. I compared it to all of my other various pressings and it's not there on any of the others at all. So I assumed maybe I got a bad copy so I went and exchanged it for another and same thing. It's very odd so I'm not sure what the issue is? I don't want to blame it on my system because I never get IGD at all, but its super prevalent here. Does anyone else find this new pressing to be a little on the "hotter" side compared to others? Or with boosted treble? It's a shame because the rest of the record on this new pressing sounds fantastic.
Yes, I’m getting distortion as well on the Back Seat of my Car. I was told in another thread that that track has always suffered distortion on vinyl but very curious now that you say it’s not there on any of your other pressings (this is the only copy of Ram I own so can’t do a comparison myself)
The song has never sounded amazing on any pressing, but this one suffers the distortion the worst IMO. My original UK and US copies aren't as bad as this new one in that sense. I tested: 1971 UK Apple 1971 US Apple Mid 70s Black Capitol Label 2012 2-LP Edition 2021 Half-Speed. The Half-Speed and the UK have the widest stereo image and clearest instrument separation and probably the best overall sound. I'd rank them the best of the bunch BUT the 2012 (same as the 2017) has a little more mid range and low end, which I actually really enjoy (though it's probably artificially boosted) and helps the Back Seat of My Car (which comes across the best compared to all of the other pressings). Having said all of that, the 2012 Mono is still my absolute favorite pressing of this record.
