Munch and the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s dynamic and lively performance, here with a KILLER Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) side one mated to a solid Double Plus (A++) side two of this vintage Living Stereo reissue pressing
It took us about a decade to finally realize that the Shaded Dog pressings, no matter what stampers they had, would simply never sound the way we wanted them to, and that the only way forward was to track down the right reissues, which I am happy to report we have now succeeded in doing
These sides are doing practically everything right – they’re rich, clear, undistorted, open, spacious, and have depth and transparency to rival the best recordings you may have heard
An abundance of energy, loads of rich detail and texture, and excellent clarity – the very definition of Demo Disc sound
There are some bad marks (as is sometimes the nature of the beast with these vintage LPs) on the third movement of Symphony No. 4 (“Italian”), but once you hear just how incredible sounding this copy is, you might be inclined, as we were, to stop counting ticks and just be swept away by the music
Here is a vintage Warner Bros. pressing with a KILLER Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) side two mated to a solid Double Plus (A++) side one
Most copies are washed-out, recessed, and lack weight, but this one will show you just how right this music can sound
We guarantee there is dramatically more richness, fullness, vocal presence, and performance energy on this copy than others you’ve heard, and that’s especially true if you made the mistake of buying whatever Heavy Vinyl pressing is currently on the market.
“Without question, “Family Man” and “Caroline” are among the best songs ever written by Buckingham, who consistently brings out the best in his colleagues on this superb album.”
Boasting INCREDIBLE Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sound or close to it on both sides, this vintage UK pressing is guaranteed to blow the doors off any other Babylon and On you’ve heard – very quiet vinyl too!
We shot out a number of other copies and the midrange presence, bass, and dynamics on this outstanding copy placed it head and shoulders above most other pressings we played
I put Squeeze right up there with Elvis Costello and Peter Gabriel in the pantheon of British Pop Music of the era
I’m a huge fan of their earlier work, as well as two from their later days, this title and the amazing-to-this-day Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti (1985) – all of them get played regularly and enjoyed immensely
Clapton’s 1986 release makes its debut on the site, with STUNNING Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sound throughout this vintage Duck pressing – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
We guarantee there is dramatically more richness, fullness, vocal presence, and performance energy on this copy than others you’ve heard, and that’s especially true if you made the mistake of buying whatever Heavy Vinyl pressing is currently on the market.
“Phil Collins and Eric Clapton joined together for a second collaborative effort with the November 1986 release August. They shared producing chores as Collins pop sensibilities combined with Clapton’s blues/rock foundation to provide a solid and satisfying listening experience… It remains a good effort by one of rock music’s guitar gods.”
Amazing sound throughout this original Shaded Dog pressing, with both sides earning INSANELY GOOD Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) grades
It’s also fairly quiet at Mint Minus Minus, a grade that even our most well-cared-for vintage classical titles have trouble playing at
These sides are wonderfully full-bodied, rich and present, using state-of-the-art All Tube Living Stereo recording technology that was so advanced in 1961 it thought it could transport a living, breathing Julian Bream directly from his studio into your listening room
It turns out that with today’s playback systems and cleaning technologies, the dream of being in the “living presence” of the performers has become a reality
Bream’s guitar sounds sweetly natural, not overly detailed and the orchestra is exceptionally well recorded, as we would expect from a good RCA of this period
Bedtime Story debuts on the site with INSANELY GOOD Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sound throughout this original Epic pressing
Here are just a few of the things we had to say about this amazing copy in our notes: “sweet and open”…”vox so present and breathy and dynamic”…”huge, deep and rich bass”…”huge, punchy, and tubey”
Both of these sides are full-bodied and lively, with exceptionally solid, present and breathy vocals, and plenty of vintage Tubey Magic
Marks in the vinyl are sometimes the nature of the beast with these vintage LPs – there simply is no way around them if the superior sound of vintage analog is important to you
“In many ways, Tammy Wynette deserves the title of ‘the First Lady of Country Music.’ During the late 60s and early 70s, she dominated the country charts, scoring 17 number one hits. Along with Loretta Lynn, she defined the role of female country vocalists in the 70s.” – AMG Biography
Setting Sons appears on the site for only the second time ever, here with STUNNING Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) grades or close to them throughout this vintage Polydor pressing – fairly quiet vinyl too
Both of these sides have energy and presence that positively jumps out of the speakers, two of the qualities that we prize most highly in our Hot Stampers, and two of the things (among many) that Heavy Vinyl does so poorly
It’s the rare copy that’s this lively, solid and rich… drop the needle on any track and you’ll see what we mean
5 stars: “Setting Sons often reaches brilliance and stands among the Jam’s best albums….”
Hello, I’m Johnny Cash debuts on the site with solid Double Plus (A++) grades on both sides of this original Stereo 360 pressing
The vocal presence and freedom from coloration will put a very real sounding Johnny Cash front and center right in your very own listening room
Rich, smooth, sweet, full of ambience, dead on correct tonality, and wonderfully breathy vocals – everything that we listen for in a great record is here
4 stars: “The energy that Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Three captured on the legendary Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison live record can probably never be duplicated. That being said, Hello, I’m Johnny Cash comes very close, blending slow talking-blues songs with steam-engine-paced country rockers. This forgotten album may be one of the five best in the Cash discography.”
The band’s sophomore LP debuts on the site with seriously good Double Plus (A++) grades or BETTER on both sides of this vintage Reprise pressing – fairly quiet vinyl too
The sound here is rich and full-bodied with much less grain and much more Tubey Magic than most of the other copies we played
We guarantee there is dramatically more space, richness, presence, and performance energy on this copy than others you’ve heard or you get your money back – it’s as simple as that
Starker and Sebok’s virtuoso performances debut on the site with the rich, dynamic, and tubey sound we were hoping for, earning INSANELY GOOD Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) grades throughout this original Plum Label Mercury pressing
Both of these sides are big, full-bodied, clean and clear, with a wonderfully present and solid piano, and plenty of 3D space around it
The cello is present and immediate, with sound that is remarkably textured, full and harmonically natural
Not only is this the best sounding copy we have to offer from our recent shootout, but we are happy to report that the vinyl is reasonably quiet for a vintage Plum Label Mercury stereo pressing, with no marks that play or problems with the inner grooves
