QRP releasing The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Think I will order the QRP. Glad to hear it's possibly quieter than the Optimal -- sounds like I can't go wrong!

 

Crazy, if you look on Amazon this new 1 LP is the only version of Pepper on vinyl you can get. Both the 2012 remaster and 2017 2 Disc are no longer being sold by Amazon. Looks like they are going out of print and this new QRP pressing is the "official" version now.

 

And FYI, the QRP pressing is only $19.99 and Pepper picture disc is only $20 on Amazon right now. I was on the fence about the picture disc with it being over $30, but for $20 bucks, I had to order.

 

I was skipping the pic disc too but I ordered it for $20

 

Great news! I'm ordering now -- thanks Matthew.

PS - I didn't see it notated in any descriptions, so I'm assuming it's not, but the picture disc isn't by QRP right?

 

Did an A/B Quality Record Pressing/USA/B0027772-01 VS. Optimal/Germany/BH71657-01 last night and was quite surprised by the difference........


1. They both are quiet pressings although QRP is dead silent in-between songs.
2. Optimal on the high end is similar, but lacks the low end present on the QRP that fills the sound stage top to bottom.


Harp sections in She's Leaving Home are jarringly different when played back to back. The Optimal dances around nicely, but there is nothing anchoring it to the bottom leaving the backup vocals middle/center instead of floating above the lead. Every track has an air about it that makes for a hair-raising experience when spinning the QRP. I was happy with the Optimal months ago, but didn't know any better since this is a whole new mix. The real question here is how can there be a difference since QRP pressed this from plates cut at Abbey Road? It would make more sense if Analogue Productions cut the plates, but they did not. I called Acoustic Sounds today to make sure this was the case and indeed they only PRESSED the record. The gentleman I spoke to attributed it to the "presses being acoustically isolated individually which helps in the low end."

What the QRP does NOT have is the 2nd Studio Sessions disc which is worth the cost of entry even if you never touch the album LP. Listening in to the studio chatter and hearing the early ideas of what ultimately became Sgt Pepper makes me feel like some sort of studio peeping-tom pervert. It's a blessing that this was released to the public and is worth every penny. Too bad QRP was not contracted to do the Deluxe edition........

Every fan of Sgt Pepper owes it to themselves to pickup the QRP press to decide if mono is truly the best version. I used to be firmly in the mono camp for this album (2014 Mono Box), but have to concede that this new stereo mix makes for a more engaging experience. Hats off to Gary Salstrom @ QRP for this flawless pressing.

 

Agreed with what you said. This pressing and my 2014 mono are my two favorites I think. Definitely will be my most played.