1987-best

Squeeze – Babylon and On

More Rock and Pop

  • 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

(more…)

George Michael – Faith

More of the Music of George Michael

  • Incredible sound for this George Michael classic, with both sides earning Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) grades or close to them
  • Here are just a few of the things we had to say about this stunning copy in our notes: “punchy and solid and weighty”…”deep, rich bass”…”vox focused and breathy”…”present and rich and open”
  • The domestic pressings are a dubby joke next to these original imports; here is the size, clarity and Tubey Magic you’ve always wanted this music to have
  • With six (6!) Top Ten hits, this album is chock full of brilliantly produced and passionately performed material
  • There are some bad marks (as is sometimes the nature of the beast with these vintage LPs) on “Father Figure,” but once you hear just how killer sounding this copy is, you might be inclined, as we were, to stop counting ticks and just be swept away by the music
  • 5 stars: “A superbly crafted mainstream pop/rock masterpiece, Faith made George Michael an international solo star… All of it adds up to one of the finest pop albums of the 80s, setting a high-water mark that Michael was only able to reach in isolated moments afterward.”

(more…)

Suzanne Vega – Solitude Standing

More of the Music of Women Who Rock

  • Suzanne Vega’s sophomore LP debuts on the site with INSANELY GOOD Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sound throughout this original A&M pressing
  • Both sides are big, rich and sweet with wonderfully breathy vocals, excellent clarity and a plenty of bottom end weight
  • Exceptionally present, real and resolving, this pressing is guaranteed to murder any remastering undertaken by anyone – past, present and future
  • 4 1/2 stars: “The songs on Solitude Standing, Suzanne Vega’s second album, had years listed beside them on the lyric sheet, so you could see that some of them dated back to 1978. But that bold admission heralded the album’s triumph – its diversity was what made it so good.”

(more…)

Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris – Trio

More Linda Ronstadt

  • With KILLER Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) grades or close to them on both sides, this original Warner Bros. pressing could not be beat
  • Here are just a few of the things we had to say about this stunning copy in our notes: “present and breathy vox”…”big and rich”…”so present and open”…”jumping out of the speakers”…”clear and detailed”
  • Big, rich, smooth, and sweet, how did George Massenburg pull off this kind of analog sound in 1987?
  • We don’t know, but we do know good sound when we hear it, and we heard remarkably good sound on this copy
  • Problems in the vinyl are sometimes the nature of the beast with these vintage LPs, but once you hear how incredible sounding this copy is, you might be inclined, as we were, to stop counting stitches and just be swept away by the music
  • 4 1/2 stars: “…that rare example of an all-star collaborative effort that truly shows everyone involved to their best advantage, and it ranks with the best of all three headliners’ work.”

With three brilliant and accomplished singers harmonizing in the studio you can imagine that faultless midrange tonality is key to the best copies, and you would be right.

Some copies had the girls’ sounding a bit dark and veiled. Some had them a bit thin and bright. The Goldilocks Principle comes into play here as it does in so many of our shootouts: the best copies find the right balance of richness and clarity.

This Is 1987? Seriously?

And what richness! How did so much Tubey Magic get recorded onto a tape produced in the dark ages of 1987? I can’t think of another recording from the period that sounds this good.

A big fat solid snare, full-bodied yet breathy vocals, huge amounts of space around the musicians, a wide and deep stage, dead-on tonality from top to bottom — once we got into our shootout, these unexpected sonic qualities took us completely by surprise.

As a point of comparison, I am not aware of any Emmylou Harris album that is as well recorded as Trio. As for Linda, only her best 70s recordings are this rich and natural. Can’t say much about Dolly’s albums as we have never done a shootout for one, not that we wouldn’t like to.

(more…)

Simply Red – Men and Women

More Simply Red

More Rock and Pop

  • Simply Red’s sophomore LP makes its Hot Stamper debut with INCREDIBLE Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sound throughout this original import pressing – remarkably quiet vinyl too
  • Both sides are amazing clear and transparent, with present and breathy vocals throughout
  • Analog at its Tubey Magical finest – you’ll never play a CD (or any other digitally sourced material) that sounds as good as this record as long as you live
  • “…the album holds up as a solid and assured work, and the musicianship is as stellar as you’d expect.”

(more…)

Joe Satriani – Surfing With The Alien

More Joe Satriani

  • Boasting two solid Double Plus (A++) or BETTER sides, this vintage copy of Joe Satriani’s sophomore release (one of only a handful to hit the site in nearly three years) was giving us the big and bold sound we were looking for
  • Trust me on this one – you’re going to have a difficult and (and expensive) adventure trying to find a great sounding copy of this album on your own
  • 4 1/2 stars: “Joe Satriani’s 1987 breakthrough can be seen as the gold standard for guitar playing of the mid- to late 80s, an album that captures everything that was good about the glory days of shred.”

(more…)

Michael Jackson – Bad

More Michael Jackson

More Soul, Blues, and R&B

  • A vintage copy that was giving us the big and bold sound we were looking for, with both sides earning outstanding Double Plus (A++) grades – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
  • The sound here is huge, full-bodied, punchy and relatively smooth throughout, with real space and ambience around the vocals and instruments
  • Includes some of Jackson’s biggest 80s hits, “Man in the Mirror,” “Dirty Diana,” “Smooth Criminal,” and of course, the title track
  • 4 1/2 stars: “… essentially taking each portion of Thriller to an extreme, while increasing the quotient of immaculate studiocraft. He wound up with a sleeker, slicker Thriller, which isn’t a bad thing…”

Michael Jackson’s records always make for tough shootouts. His everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach to recording make it difficult to translate so much sound to disc, vinyl or otherwise. Everything has to be tuned up and on the money before we can even hope to get the record sounding right. (Careful VTA adjustment could not be more critical in this respect.)

If we’re not hearing the sound we want, we keep messing with the adjustments until we do. There is no getting around sweating the details when sitting down to test a complex recording such as this. If you can’t stand the tweaking tedium, get out of the kitchen (or listening room, as the case may be).

Obsessing over every aspect of a record’s reproduction is what we do for a living. This kind of Big Rock Recording requires us to be at the top of our game, both in terms of reproducing the albums themselves as well as evaluating the merits of individual pressings.

When you love it, it’s not work, it’s fun. Tedious, occasionally exasperating fun, but still fun. And the louder you play a record like this the better it sounds.

(more…)

Basia – Time and Tide

More of Basia

More Records We Only Offer on Import Vinyl

  • This outstanding pressing of Time and Tide boasts solid Double Plus (A++) sound or BETTER from start to finish – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
  • The sound is rich and Tubey Magical, yet transparent and spacious in the way that only the best vintage pressings ever are
  • Allmusic: “This is sophisticated pop music that sounds ideal for playing in any number of upholstered locations — a black-tie cocktail party, a fashion-show runway, the back seat of a limousine. Basia’s lightly accented voice adds an exotic flavor to the Euro-disco style of the music.”

Man, here is the Audiophile Pop Sound we go absolutely CRAZY for here at Better Records. Toto Shmoto, THIS is Pure Pop for Audiophile Now People like nothing you have ever heard.

You will have a very hard time finding another modern recording (this one is from the ’80s so those of you who don’t like synths steer clear) with the kind of formidable MIDRANGE POWER heard here.

It must be on the tape, right? Who knew?! Somehow it managed to make it to the record.

Demo disc qualities? Too many to list! Spacious, rich, present, punchy bass, yada yada yada, you know all our favorites by now I’m sure. They’re all here and more.

YOU Pronounce It

Basia (nee Barbara Trzetrzelewska) exploded on the scene with this outstanding debut. Songs like New Day For You and Promises were all over AOR radio, which made me immediately dismiss her as a TOP 40 One-or-Two-Hit-Wonder, but I was wrong. This whole album is overflowing with cleverly arranged, beautifully sung, well-written popular songs about the stuff pop songs are mostly written about: love.

Time and Tide

Her one Killer Pop Song for the Ages is here: Time and Tide. If you aren’t impressed by the complexity and sheer length of the melody line, then you are one hard-to-please pop person. That song ranks up with the greatest Three Minute Wonders ever produced.

A Final Note

The CBS Gold CD of the album is far better than the stock copy I own, and actually quite good. But it sure won’t sound like this.

(more…)

U2 – The Joshua Tree

More U2

More 5 Star Albums

  • An outstanding pressing with excellent sound throughout – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
  • Big and rich, with correct tonality from top to bottom, strong bass and plenty of space – this copy sounded just right to us
  • Stunning sound for the album’s biggest hits, including With Or Without You, I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, and Where the Streets Have No Name
  • 5 stars: “With the uniformly excellent songs… the result is a powerful, uncompromising record that became a hit due to its vision and its melody. Never before have U2’s big messages sounded so direct and personal”
  • Based on the U2 albums we have played, we must consider this the band’s Magnum Opus, their single greatest achievement. We don’t know of any U2 album with better music or better sound.
  • Better music, absolutely. Better sound? We grade albums on a curve, so the most we can say for this album is that the best pressings strike us as being the truest to the intentions of the artists and engineers. Not Demo Discs by any means, but records that sound right for who made them and when they were made.
  • This is also the last U2 album we have found with much in the way of audiophile quality sound, since the dreadful Achtung Baby, Zooropa and Pop were the next three to be released, and we have never cared for any of them.

The soundstage is huge, and the overall quality of the recording is big and bold. Most copies of this album are either thin, shrill and aggressive — like most U2 albums — or thick and veiled. This one is smooth and natural sounding, with the added benefit of some deep punchy bass. (more…)

Sinead O’Connor / The Lion and the Cobra – Our Shootout Winner from 2014

More Sinead O’Connor

 

Big and lively on both sides, and that’s the sound you want. All her early records are hard to find in clean condition these days. 

Side Two

A++, big, open and clear, with breathy vocals. So spacious! A little more weight would have earned this one a White Hot Stamper grade!

Side One

A+ to A++, big and lively, but a bit of smear and congestion compared to side two. (more…)