Geoff Emerick, Engineer

The Beatles – Yellow Submarine

Hot Stamper Pressings of The Beatles Available Now

  • You’ll find stunning Nearly Triple Plus (A++ to A+++) grades on both sides of this vintage UK copy – just shy of our Shootout Winner
  • Without a doubt the hardest single side of any Beatles album to find with good sound is side two of Yellow Submarine, and here’s a copy that is practically as good as it gets
  • This pressing is clean, clear, solid and energetic – just the right sound for this classic Beatles music
  • The only place to find the all-time classic “Hey Bulldog,” as well as “All Together Now” and “It’s All Too Much”
  • “All You Need Is Love” debuted in a true stereo mix on LP for this album
  • Problems in the vinyl are sometimes the nature of the beast with these vintage LPs – those on “Pepperland” are especially bad – but if you can tough those out, this copy is going to blow your mind

This is a very difficult album to find good sound for; many pressings are almost unbearably gritty and harsh. Fortunately, these two sides have no such problems. The overall tonality is rich and full-bodied, and there’s plenty of presence and energy as well.  (more…)

FM Radio Sound on Blue Vinyl, Courtesy of a Mr. Gene Thompson

Hot Stamper Pressings of the Music of The Beatles Available Now

Here is how we described a recent Shootout Winning copy of 1967-1970:

This vintage import 2-LP compilation set boasts STUNNING Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sound or close to it on all FOUR sides. These pressings are rich, smooth and sweet, with plenty of Tubey Magic and little of the grain and grunge of most Brits (and don’t get us started on the domestics).

You get clean, clear, full-bodied, lively and musical ANALOG sound from first note to last. Like most compilations, some songs sound better than others, but “Don’t Let Me Down” and “Come Together” are two that really stand out here. For those of you out there who have never tried one of our Hot Stamper Beatles records, this may be the best sound you’ve ever heard from them. The CDs — even the new ones — sure don’t sound like this!

We are on record as finding the British pressings of 1967-1970 too bright; certainly most of them are anyway. The original domestic pressings, as anyone who has ever played one can attest, mastered at Sterling no less, are absolutely godawful.

Allow us to add one more to that group of pressings to avoid, the blue vinyl domestic pressings mastered by Gene Thompson. Based on how awful this pressings sounds, it would probably be wise to avoid his work in general.

The only artists who have earned the honor (ahem) of having their very own page on this blog are The Beatles. For those of you interested in learning more about their often amazing recordings, feel free to dig in to your heart’s delight.

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Paul McCartney – Pipes of Peace

More of the Music of Paul McCartney 

  • You’ll find excellent Double Plus (A++) grades throughout this vintage UK pressing – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
  • The sound here is rich and Tubey Magical, two qualities the CD made from these tapes surely lacks and two qualities which are crucial if this music is to sound the way Sir Paul intended
  • These sides are bigger, more natural, warmer and more solid than those of any other copy you’ve heard or your money back
  • The sound may be heavily processed, but that sound works surprisingly well on the best sounding pressings (played at good, loud levels on big dynamic speakers in a large, heavily-treated room, of course)
  • “‘Say Say Say’ [featuring Michael Jackson] hits hard, sounding as funky as anything on Thriller, and ‘Pipes of Peace’ achieves an earned grace. Perhaps Pipes of Peace doesn’t have the gravitas of Tug of War but it offers something equally valuable: a portrait of an impeccable craftsman at play.”

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The Beatles – Magical Mystery Tour

More of the Music of The Beatles

  • This vintage import copy was doing practically everything right, earning killer Nearly Triple Plus (A++ to A+++) grades from top to bottom, just shy of our Shootout Winner – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
  • A stunning True Stereo pressing with some of the best Beatles sound money can buy – superb work from Ken Scott here
  • Demo Disc quality sound for “I Am The Walrus,” “Strawberry Fields Forever,” “Baby You’re A Rich Man” and more
  • You won’t believe how powerful the sound is – it’s big, rich, open and lively beyond all expectation
  • A longtime Top 100 album and psych rock masterpiece that knocks us out every time we do the shootout
  • Any list of the best rock and pop albums of 1967 would have to have this record on it, along with its predecessor, Sgt. Pepper, released in May of the same year if you can believe it

The soft cardboard covers for these German pressings almost always show some seam wear. We will include the best cover we have at the time of your order. Of course, your satisfaction is always guaranteed.

Drop the needle on “Fool On The Hill” and you’ll see why we get so worked up over top copies that sound as good as this one does. This is a STUNNING recording, but you need a killer Hot Stamper pressing to appreciate just how well recorded the album is.

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Paul McCartney – Tug of War

More of the Music of Paul McCartney

  • Boasting KILLER Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) grades or close to them from top to bottom, we guarantee you’ve never heard Sir Paul’s 1982 release sound as good as it does on this original UK copy – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
  • We had a devil of a time finding sonics as good as these on Tug of War – most copies are just plain awful
  • A copy with transparency and clarity like this lets you appreciate George Martin‘s masterful production work – you will easily hear the results on “Ebony and Ivory”
  • Marks in the vinyl are sometimes the nature of the beast with these vintage LPs – those on “What’s That You’re Doing? (feat. Stevie Wonder)” are especially bad – but if you can tough those out, this copy is going to blow your mind
  • 4 1/2 stars: “[Its] crowd-pleasing genre-hopping finds its apotheosis on ‘Take It Away,’ a salute to eager performers and the crowds who love them, which means it summarizes not only the appeal of Tug of War in general – it is, by design, a record that gives the people old Beatle Paul – but McCartney in general.”

Drop the needle on the opener Tug Of War and listen to how wide and deep the sound field is. Take It Away follows with a bit of an ’80s reggae feel, and on the better copies you get meaty, tight bass that sets the foundation for the fun to follow. (more…)

America – Holiday

More of the Music of America

  • The band’s fourth studio album appears on the site for only the second time ever, here with INCREDIBLE Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) grades or close to them from top to bottom
  • Big, spacious and present, with boatloads of the Tubey Magical richness these recordings need in order to work
  • Produced by George Martin and engineered by Geoff Emerick, it’s the recording debut of America’s longtime drummer, Willie Leacox
  • “With ‘Tin Man”s wonderfully polished soft pop ease and the wispiness of ‘Lonely People,’ the band was able to recapture the same formula that put early hits like ‘A Horse with No Name,’ ‘I Need You,’ and ‘Ventura Highway’ in the Top Ten …this album as a whole ascertained that the group was definitely showing their true potential once more.”

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The Beatles – Revolver

Hot Stamper Pressings of Revolver Available Now

  • Both sides of this British stereo pressing were doing most everything right, earning outstanding Double Plus (A++) grades
  • Here is the space, energy, presence, clarity and massive bottom end you had no idea were even possible on Revolver – what a record!
  • 14 amazing tracks including “Taxman,” “Eleanor Rigby,” “Here, There and Everywhere,” “Yellow Submarine,” “Good Day Sunshine,” “Got To Get You Into My Life,” and “Tomorrow Never Knows”
  • 5 stars: “Even after Sgt. Pepper, Revolver stands as the ultimate modern pop album and it’s still as emulated as it was upon its original release.”

Want to be blown away by Beatles sound you never imagined you would ever be able to experience? Drop the needle on Taxman on this very side one — that’s your ticket to ride, baby! We were knocked out by it and we guarantee you will be too.

This Is How Good It Can Get

This superb pressing has all the qualities we look for on Revolver: vocal presence, Tubey Magic, huge weight to the bottom end, and, most importantly of all, energy. It’s also exceptionally smooth, sweet and above all analog-sounding — the upper-midrange grit and grain that compromise most pressings are nowhere to be found here.

It’s as BIG and SOLID as a rock record can sound. The best copies have practically zero coloration. They let us think we are sitting in the control room enjoying the playback with Geoff and George.

Unlike so many copies of the album, the band here is enthusiastic and rockin’ like crazy. This copy brings the music to LIFE in a way that few others can. That’s our definition of Hot Stamper sound in a nutshell.

Listen to how grungy and smooth the guitars are on And Your Bird Can Sing — they are close to perfection.

The trumpet on For No One has rarely sounded as good as it does here — you can really hear air and spit being pushed through the horn. That’s not phony detail, that’s what a real horn sounds like if you are close to it.

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Paul McCartney & Wings – Band on the Run

More of the Music of Paul McCartney

  • With incredible Nearly Triple Plus (A++ to A+++) grades on both sides, this British pressing is practically as good a copy as we have ever heard, right up there with our Shootout Winner
  • Another record that rarely can be found with audiophile playing surfaces – noisy vinyl is the rule, not the exception
  • The legendary Geoff Emerick engineered the album, a Top 100 title here at Better Records – it’s an impressive recording when it sounds as good as this copy does
  • The title track, “Jet,” “Bluebird,” “Mrs. Vandebilt,” “Let Me Roll It,” “Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five” – so many great songs
  • Marks in the vinyl are sometimes the nature of the beast with these vintage LPs – those on “Mamunia” are especially bad – but if you can tough those out, this copy is going to blow your mind
  • 4 1/2 stars: “…sophisticated, nuanced arrangements and irrepressibly catchy melodic hooks… McCartney’s infallible instinct for popcraft overflows on this excellent release.”

This is a TOUGH album to find with great sound and quiet vinyl but when you come across an excellent copy like this, the record is a MONSTER. The track list includes some of the best McCartney songs of the seventies: the title song, “Jet,” “Bluebird,” “Mrs. Vandebilt,” “Let Me Roll It,” “Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five” (my personal favorite on the album) — there’s really not a dog in the bunch.

This is clearly the last consistently good studio album the man recorded.

So many copies we play are either murky or a bit edgy, and it takes a very special copy to strike the ideal tonal balance that will allow all the songs to sound their best.

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The Beatles – The White Album

More of the Music of The Beatles

  • You’ll find solid Double Plus (A++) sound or BETTER on all FOUR sides of these vintage British pressings – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
  • This copy of the Beatles’ Masterpiece (my personal favorite of all their albums) is going to thrill and delight the lucky person who snags it
  • If you’ve heard the Half-Speed and Heavy Vinyl versions of The White Album, then you know how riddled they are with unacceptable flaws
  • “If there is still any doubt that Lennon and McCartney are the greatest song writers since Schubert, then next Friday – with the publication of the new Beatles double LP – should surely see the last vestiges of cultural snobbery and bourgeois prejudice swept away in a deluge of joyful music making…” Right On!
  • Our customers often write us to tell us how much they like their Hot Stamper pressings of The Beatles, and they have been especially enthusiastic when it comes to The White Album

Our White Album Hot Stampers have always been a big hit with the folks who’ve been lucky enough to snare them. If you’re ready for a high-quality copy of The White Album that’s sure to massacre all the pressings you’ve heard up until now, you should jump right on this bad boy.

The Toughest One?

It’s exceedingly difficult to find audiophile quality sound on The White Album. Other than Yellow Submarine, side two of which almost never sounds good, The White Album is surely one of the toughest nuts to crack in The Beatles canon.

The Beatles were breaking apart, often recording independently of each other, with their own favorite engineers as enablers, and George Martin nowhere to be found most of the time. They were also experimenting more and more, pushing the boundaries of recorded sound. These new approaches and added complexity cause a loss of “purity” in the sound. Let’s face it, most audiophiles like simplicity: A female vocal, a solo guitar — these things are easy to reproduce and often result in lovely sound, the kind of sound that doesn’t take a lot of money or effort to achieve.

Dense mixes with wacky EQ are difficult to reproduce (our famous DOR scale comes into play here), and the White Album is full of both, taking a break for songs like “Blackbird” and “Julia.”

This is my favorite Beatles album, a desert island disc if there ever was one, and nothing less than a work of genius. If some songs could have been recorded better, so what? They’re as good as they are going to get, and on a Hot Stamper pressing like this one, that means awfully good.

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The Beatles – Hey Jude

More of the Music of The Beatles

  • With solid Double Plus (A++) grades or close to them on both sides, this vintage import copy is doing just about everything right – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
  • An amazing 10-song compilation from 1970 of some of the band’s biggest and best hits – “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “Paperback Writer,” “Lady Madonna,” and the iconic title track among them
  • Longtime customers know that we had never been able to offer this title up until 2022 – it took us twenty years to figure out what the right pressings are, and believe me, we had to go through a lot of crap to find them
  • If you know the album at all, you know how bad it sounds on the average copy, and my guess is you just gave up on the idea of finding good sound for these songs, which is more or less the way we felt too, but we finally found what we were looking for, and here it is (particularly on side one)
  • “…showcases the Beatles’ versatility and growth, as they move from the exuberance of Beatlemania to the intense psychedelia of the mid-60s and then settle into rich post-Pepper days…. Great songs all.”
  • And Past Masters, referred to in the Allmusic review below, is not the answer they seem to think it is — it has some of the most abominably bright and aggressive digital mastering we have ever heard
  • Your one other option for some of this music with top quality sound is the 1967-1970 compilation album, the Hot Stamper pressings for which have only recently been discovered
  • “…showcases the Beatles’ versatility and growth, as they move from the exuberance of Beatlemania to the intense psychedelia of the mid-’60s and then settle into rich post-Pepper days…. Great songs all.”

If you love these songs as much as we do, you won’t believe how good they sound here.

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