You’ll find lush, sweet and rich Double Plus (A++) sound or BETTER throughout this early London pressing of these famed compositions
Both sides of this pressing of CS-6379 are open, high-rez, and spacious, with depth like you will not believe and some of the least shrill string reproduction we have ever heard for this music
Clear and transparent and natural – your ability to suspend disbelief requires practically no effort at all
Here is an early Stereo 360 pressing of Monk’s sixth studio album (the first copy to ever hit the site) with STUNNING Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) grades or close to them from first note to last
If you want to hear just how good Monk’s big, rich piano can sound, this copy can show you like nothing by Monk you’ve ever heard
With Teo Macero producing and top Columbia engineering, the best pressings have audiophile quality sound that puts to shame anything from his earlier period
4 1/2 stars: “The mystery and haunting angular beauty of Thelonious Monk’s unadorned keyboard sides are the focus of Solo Monk. As if holding the history of jazz in his hands, Monk’s solo recordings and performances from every phase of his career remain pure. The components of what made Monk such an uncompromising composer, arranger, and especially bandmember are evident in every note he plays.”
This original UK pressing of Tull’s tenth studio album boasts INSANELY GOOD Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) grades from top to bottom – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
Both of these sides are amazingly big and full with wonderfully breathy vocals and deep punchy bass
No other copy in the shootout earned 3 pluses on any side other than this killer copy right here — this was a tough shootout!
Forget the domestic originals and reissues, they’re medicore at best and more than likely awful
Forget whatever dead-as-a-doornail Heavy Vinyl record they’re making these days too – if you want to hear Tubey Magic, huge size and powerful energy, a vintage UK pressing like this one is the only way to go
4 stars: “Far and away the prettiest record Jethro Tull released at least since Thick as a Brick and a special treat for anyone with a fondness for the group’s more folk-oriented material.”
Kissing To Be Clever debuts on the site with INCREDIBLE Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sound or close to it from start to finish – fairly quiet vinyl too
Both sides of this early British pressing are big, rich and punchy with wonderfully breathy vocals, excellent clarity and a plenty of bottom end weight
Forget the domestic pressings on Epic — again and again our notes read “dull, thin and gritty,” which is how I remember the album sounding when I bought my first copy back in 1982
The sound varies somewhat from track to track — I hope to put something on the blog detailing the differences we heard as we spot-checked every song on both sides
4 stars: “Incorporating pop, rock, dance, new wave, soul, and Caribbean rhythms (an amalgamation of “cultures”), the result was a soulful, progressive pop outing that scored several landmark international hits and made a star out of the band’s outrageous frontman, Boy George.”
Glory debuts on the site with STUNNING Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) grades or close to them from first note to last
This one is doing practically everything right – it’s bigger, bolder, richer and more clean, clear and open than nearly all others we played
As one might expect, the sound absolutely jumps out of the speakers on this recording
There are some bad marks (as is sometimes the nature of the beast with these vintage LPs) on “The Year Of Jubilee” and “Preparations For Battle,” 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
“The score met with critical acclaim, being assessed as…among Horner’s best works[;] it received a nomination for [the] Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score and won [the] Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television…” -Wikipedia
This vintage Prestige recording pressed on fairly quiet OJC vinyl boasts two solid Double Plus (A++) or BETTER sides
The vocal naturalness and immediacy of this copy will put Etta in the room with you – more than anything else, it lets her performance come to life
Remarkably spacious and three-dimensional, as well as relaxed and full-bodied (thanks, RVG!) – this pressing was a solid step up over most other copies we played
4 1/2 stars: “…Don’t Go to Strangers is a perfect gem of a recording.”
Frack’s Symphony in D Minor appears on the site for only the second time ever, here with lush, textured and powerful Double Plus (A++) sound throughout this Maroon Label Mercury Stereo pressing
The orchestra is big, rich and tubey, yet the dynamics and transparency are first rate
The first copy we got hold of was a good — our notes read: “Rich and full brass and strings”
I regret to say that unfortunately that puts this particular recording in the minority when it comes to Mercury’s 60s releases
This is the best sounding recording of the work that we know of, and the first recording of the Franck to hit the site in more than a decade
Some old record collectors (like me) say classical recording quality ain’t what it used to be – here’s all the proof anyone with two working ears and top quality audiophile equipment would need to make the case
The Sugar Man appears on the site for only the second time ever, here with a STUNNING Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) side two mated to a solid Double Plus (A++) side one
Rudy Van Gelder really knocked this one out of the park – the sound here is solid, punchy and present, just the way we like it
If you prefer a recessed, vague, washed-out presentation, may we recommend you find whatever Heavy Vinyl reissue pressing is currently available – it will surely be more to your taste than this one
Thanks to RVG and Creed Taylor, this is some very well recorded funky Jazz Fusion that we enjoyed the hell out of in our shootout
“…Turrentine’s playing is excellent, and the overall results certainly top most of the tenor’s upcoming Fantasy releases.”
The John Coltrane Quartet Plays appears on the site for only the second time ever, here with solid Double Plus (A++) grades or close to them on both sides of this vintage Impulse stereo pressing – remarkably quiet vinyl too
No other copy earned 2+ on both sides, meaning this is the best Super Hot Stamper we have to offer this time around
Full-bodied, energetic, and tonally correct from top to bottom, this pressing is guaranteed to bring Coltrane’s music to life (particularly on side one) – it’s possible that you would not own any Coltrane record that sounds as good as this one
The sound is everything that’s good about Rudy Van Gelder‘s recordings – it’s present, spacious, full-bodied, Tubey Magical, dynamic and, most importantly, alive in the way that modern pressings never are (also particularly on side one)
4 stars: “One of the turning points in the career of John Coltrane came in 1965. The great saxophonist, whose playing was always very explorative and searching, crossed the line into atonality during that year, playing very free improvisations (after stating quick throwaway themes) that were full of passion and fury.”
