Hot Stamper Pressings of the Music of Queen Available Now
We described our 2025 White Hot Shootout Winner this way:
Here are just a few of the things we had to say about this incredible copy in our notes: “tubey and silky vox”…”very transparent and present”…”3D and sweet and tubey”…”big bass!” (side two)…”very full bodied and 3D.”
We shot out a number of other imports and the midrange presence, bass, and dynamics on this outstanding copy placed it well above almost all the other pressings we played.
As you can see from the notes, side one was killer in every respect, and the way we know that with a high degree of certainty is that we played a bunch of copies and nothing could touch it.
Side two was every bit as good in virtually every area, but in the final analysis we determined it fell a bit short in one. We discovered that fact when we came across a side two that was slightly better in one aspect of its sound than the side two you see described in the notes below.
When we played the two best copies back to back, something we do for each side as a final test in every shootout, side one of this copy came out on top, earning a grade of 3+. However, the side two of another pressing showed us there was even more space to be heard surrounding the music than we’d noticed the first time around.
With another copy earning a better grade for having even more space and ambience, we felt the right grade for this side two was 2.5+, Nearly White Hot.
Will the owner of this copy be able to tell?
That seems unlikely. It would be the rare listener indeed who would be able to detect anything missing on this amazingly good side two.
As we say all over this blog, you really need a pile of pressings to hear these things, and why would anyone have a pile of clean, UK-pressed early copies of A Day at the Races other than those of us who work deep in the bowels of Better Records?
We’re always in search of the copy with the ultimate in sound. We know from experience that the only way to find it is with a large data set, one larger than any individual record collector would ever own who had not yet been committed to an insane asylum.
This is exactly why we do shootouts. And, if you really want to be able to recognize subtle (and not so subtle!) differences between pressings, you must learn to do them too.
And make sure to take notes about what you are hearing, good and bad. Affix them to the jackets of the records you’ve played and refer to them from time to time.
As you acquire new copies of the album, compare them to the ones you already own. Also, another factor that comes into play is that, as your stereo improves, your old notes may no longer reflect the sound you are now hearing.
Then it becomes time to make new ones. We learn new things about records — even those we’ve been playing for decades — by doing regular shootouts in the course of our business. When we do we make new notes and overwrite the old ones to reflect our current understanding.
Want to find your own killer copy?
Consider taking our moderately helpful advice concerning the pressings that tend to win our shootouts.
As of 2025, shootouts for this album should be carried out:
How else can you expect to hear this record at its best?
Based on our experience, A Day at the Races sounds its best:
Further Reading