Van Morrison - Veedon Fleece (Emerald Green Vinyl) February 2019

Lyrics on printed inner sleeve. Packaged very nicely, on heavy matte stock. Inner sleeve is glossy finish.

Mine is definitely emerald green vinyl. Photographs kind of bluish on my phone, though.

 

Played mine yesterday. Very clear top frequencies that highlight the gentle cymbal playing throughout. That said, the overall effect on the vocals is bothersome when Van hits those trademark loud, extended notes--makes them sound harsh instead of warm. Pressing was a bit crackly on both sides, but nothing major. I plan to hang on to it because of the beautiful packaging, but I'll have to start looking for a nice UK/Dutch or German pressing as well for SQ.

 

That was my fear fwiw as mentioned earlier in this thread (some of Van's vocals) unless it was in another Veedon Fleece thread. My copy is on the way. I bought a sealed one at Discogs. Paid just a little bit more but will get it this week and don't have to worry about forgetting to cancel a subscription for it especailly with the end of the month already here.

 

Anyone compared a Dutch or German pressing of Veedon Fleece to the original US pressing?

 

As European WB records of that era tend to use US plates, they should sound similar.

 

Hard to explain my opinion on 1st listen. I like it lol. Put the record on as is. Noticeable track entry surface noise on all tracks on S1 of my copy that seems quickly mitigated when the music begins. There seems a consistency of tone and volume to the sound of each track. I like that cohesiveness. A few bits of string and piano parts I seem to be paying more attention to than previously.

Perhaps there seems a little more distinctiveness to individual parts than what I've heard or listened to before. Other than brief entry surface noise staticky issues, I could not hear much of any background noise when the music played, except T5 had a few tiny and brief crispies while playing. T3 background noise accompanied the music for a short time after entry.

I can't remember if tracks 2 and 3 segue and if T4 and 5 do as well on the original issue?
A minor or greater issue if so, as between those tracks on this issue the track division is there and audibly more apparent due to the surface noise between tracks. The dream is briefly interrupted.

The sound on S2 seems to continue on pretty seamlessly imo from S1. I hear very little harshness, sibilance or much of any piercing edginess in the vocal. The sound of the instruments and the tonality of the vocal seem to blend and balance harmoniously. Fwiw what I hear in the whole feels a little more refined and maybe defined (confined?) as opposed to the dreamier and more ethereal listening experiences of yore . Country Fair what a lovely and mysterious way to close. The exit post-song surface noise static on my copy is actually quite fitting there

 

Listened again to the new vinyl release straight-through and twas another enjoyable, satisfying listen for me.

Visually an appealing presentation as well.

If VF was relegated to the back-burner as a reissue for a sometime maybe never release, I wonder what does that say about the fate of the expanded Hard Nose The Highway that was announced as part of the VM reissue campaign, already a few years ago now it seems...

 

I guess there was a reason the remaster on vinyl has been sitting in a vault

Not a lot to read here?

Too bad it's priced at an audiophile rate. Maybe it would have had more buyers at $12-$18...

Have enjoyed listening to this edition of it 3x through now.

A real soul-healer, psyche-cleanser.

 

Saw more pressing plant options for this title than I otherwise thought, in the US mid-70's, but around 1980 it seems both tonstudio pfanz and strawberry took to a mastering and repressing of it...might be worth checking out?...
Most copies not had for cheap.

With 2 different masters and pressings of this title now, I should be good for some time now hopefully.

 

I have wanted a copy of this for some time and immediately took the plunge when I saw VMP were doing it - even though it meant signing up and the price was a bit over the odds, especially to Europe. No regrets - I have been very satisfied with the release - I'm not going to be picky. I've been dipping in to it, on and off since it arrived, and took a listen to side A last night. I really enjoy the music on this - top drawer Van for me - and this edition looks great too. Veedon Fleece really deserves a more widely available pressing.

 

Although it wasn’t easy to find in the wild, I love my US 1st pressing. I’ll stick with the original.

 

This morning I received a gift of a VMP subscription. That has me excited about March's title (De La Soul!), but it also gave me the opportunity to add-on this Veedon Fleece reissue for $29. I also snagged the VMP-exclusive Return of the Giant Slits for a mere $10 ... !

 

I received a copy of this today, a surprise gift from a good friend as I had decided to pass on it due to overall costs that would be incurred with overseas shipping!

Cleaned and just had a play. I do own an original but unfortunately that copy has been played to death and is way too noisy to truly enjoy. I may well sit with both at some point just for the hell of it, but I have to say I have no qualms about digital in the linage of any album as long as it is made clear.

So, listening to this after all these years [the worn copy has had two maybe three plays in maybe a decade and a half, all in the last few years] and I'm blown away all over again by what is, for me at least, Van's finest hour as a songsmith, poet, performer.

Do I care if it sounds a little different to the other copy, if indeed it does as I have not checked, not at all. What an album and its all set for a second play later.

BTW, did I read a comment about sibilance and harsh vocal somewhere in the thread? Can't say I heard sibilance at all on the record and I didn't find any harshness with the vocal either.

I'm glad I was "in", even if that was by default

 

I sat with mine for the first time since I received it and gave it a clean. I feel that the original US and original Canadian that I have both sound better, more organic, better bass and better tone to all the instruments and Van's voice. This copy does give a nice, clean representation of the sound of the record, with some details that I have never heard before, perhaps taking up a more prominent place in the soundstage on this digital remaster. But the bass is thin, as is the representation of the instruments, not much 'meat on the bones' so to speak. I will keep it, as it is a nice collector's product, and plays silently. It will be something I will turn to now and again.

I also traded in on VMP this past month for the Feist 'Let It Die' reissue, remastered by Chris Bellman. That was a more satisfying listen sonically for those who are into her stuff.

 

I finally received my copy yesterday as I had to get it sent here to New Zealand via a freight forward company (VMP do not ship direct to NZ despite my repeated request for them to do so). It arrived in surprisingly good shape, considering it had been passed around between handlers a fair bit over the last 3 weeks - Just a seam split on the inner sleeve, which I can live with. My side A seems to have a light scratch or two and a little surface noise elsewhere on that side, which when listening on my headphones last night was a little distracting. I'll try cleaning it again on my Spin Clean and listen with the main system speakers (which tend to be a little more forgiving than the headphones). For now I give it an 8.5/10 - 1 point off for the scratches and surface noise and 0.5 point off from the seam split. In all, it's a fantastic album , given a wonderful re-issue treatment by VMP. I have no point of reference except Tidal streaming to compare mastering and SQ but I'm happy with how it sounds - perhaps not as "warm" as I had hoped for but great detail and well balanced.
This month's VMP of Loretta Lynn Coal Miners Daughter looks amazing... I'll keep hounding VMP to ship here to NZ, the freight forwarding makes these an expensive purchase!

 

FYI

'Veedon Fleece' is now marked as "sold out" on the 'Vinyl Me, Please' website.

I looked at it a few weeks ago and it was still in stock. Went back today and it's sold out. Luckily, I found a sealed copy on Discogs for a comparable, reasonable price.

 

Found one used (like new) yesterday. As others have said a lovely presentation. Like the print and the cover artwork is immersive.

My copy sounds really great. No surface noise, perfect amount of bass (Harbeths are not speakers that accent the bass) and like the slight tweaks to the top end.

 

i just got one of these and am very happy with it. flat, green, no issues, gorgeously packaged and no regrets...sounds delicious on my system as well.

 

Just picked up the Vinyl Me Please issue of Veedon Fleece on Discogs and have been comparing it to my beloved first UK pressing. Gosh, it’s close! The UK has slightly more of the analogue amber glow, which suits the album so well, and a bit more bounce in the bass; the new issue has a clarity that makes you hear things that were buried before with very little of the autumnal warmth sacrificed. If forced to choose, I’d probably go for the 1st UK, but the VMP is a first class reissue and no mistake.