I have a German pressing with matrix ## 2409 203 S 1=4 320/ 2409 203 = 3 S 2 / 2409 204 53=5 320/ 2409 24X 0 4 S 4 = 4 3 20 It's probably a reissue, but IMO it sounds great. I never had a UK pressing, but pretty much satisfied with this one. I also use to have a US pressing with brownish Track labels - it wasn't even close, sound was muddy and much less dynamic. And the worst part is, that it was made for changers ( as all US Quadrophenias, I think), meaning first record - side 1/ side 4 and second record - side 2/ side 3, so to listen to this album I had to change records TWICE! I really hated this.
My copy of Quadrophenia by Classic Records on 140 gram finally arrived and all i can say is Wow!!!! This is truly the best Quadrophenia i've ever heard. Is vibrant, exciting and dynamic. You really can hear all the layers, all the instruments with great separation. So many things happening in this recording. The drums, the bass, the guitars and all those sounds made by the synths. Is like having The Who in your own house. The vocals by Daltrey are really there in front of you. Bell Boy is awesome in this pressing. The vinyl is in perfect shape, no pressing problems. There's still some copies in Acoustic Sounds so if you don't have this one i truly recommend you to buy it. By the way i also bought the 200 gram Who By Numbers and the results were the same, incredible sound. Is like someone removed the dust from the tape. Amazing! Thanks to all
This is the one I picked up today for $1. Where does it fall in the hierarchy? The Who - Quadrophenia
I concur. I bought a U.K. Track pressing in the late '70s expecting an upgrade, but ended up preferring my old US copy. Still have it (the US copy).
Clean it up and give it a spin. I think you'll be pleased! The black MCA rainbow labels came after the original brown US Track labels, but that should still be a nice earlyish cut and probably uses the same stampers. If the deadwax reads some variation between W-6 and W-8 (hand etched) and all 4 sides have a machine stamped TML, it should sound quite nice. I've always been a fan of these early US Quadrophenia vinyl pressings. They sound open, natural and punchy, and as you've proved, won't break the bank. They compare favorably to the UK Track original, the German Track, and even the Classic Records pressing, and IMHO will slay any new reissues. Of course it's system and ear dependent and YMMV.
Could that have been many systems ago? While it may just be personal preference, I found the UK TML's to be better sourced that the US TML (different engineer) cuts, much more mojo and detail!
Good point. Come to think of it, the turntable and main speaker system (excluding one rebuild) are still the same, though many carts and amps have come and gone over the year. The gist I'm getting from this discussion so far is, you can't go too wrong with an original TML cut.
Listening to this : The Who - Quadrophenia , and I had to have bought it, here in the Classifieds, just can't find a record of it. Man, is this thing powerful !!! Now I think I understand all the crying about the Blu ray. It's the same feeling I had after hearing the Classic Records' cuts of the Big Star albums, then hearing the SACD....where's the bass ??? This all started earlier today, when it was brought to my attention how I had the Blu ray, and the Super Deluxe box, and this German reissue. I wondered why I hadn't sold a simple album yet ? Now the answer is, Thank God I didn't !
What's wrong with the Stereo layer of the Quadrophenia blu-Ray? The complaints are in reference to the 5.1 layer IIRC - and IMO are largely mitigated if you turn it up loud as it is supposed to be.
Where in my post did I state stereo ? I didn't. You did. I didn't say stereo, I didn't say mono, I didn't say quadrophonic. Go argue with somebody else. .
I'm in agreement with Slick Willie. The stock US Track is often summarily dismissed, perhaps due to the fact that it's a US pressing of a UK record. I've compared it to the Classic, original UK and original German pressings and it's actually pretty stunning. Make sure it's got machine stamped TML all 4 sides, W-5 to W-8 etchings, has the dark brown US Track label and you're good. Usually sets you back about $15.
I did have a look on here and it does seem to be a split. However, the forum members I usually trust with decent gear like the classic best so I've gone with that...
And you may prefer it as well. I just found the highs to be a tad harsh, that was the main thing that stood out at me. Perhaps the rest was due to the tapes being a tad tired? Still a nice spin, quality control wasn't RTI's strong suite on these 200's either.
Fremer gave it a pretty good review...he also says the TML pretty much sucks...I guess it depends on your setup? The Best Quadrophenia Ever From Classic Records
