Vinyl Reissues - Sorting the Wheat From the Chaff (contd.)

I bought the standard Mofi issue of Tapestry a year or so back for £38 and it’s excellent. The only problem is I’m not sure it’s still available.

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Yes, the standard Mofi is probably your best option here.

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Thanks Neil. Indeed, doesn’t seem to be available in UK. That version seems available on the US website, priced attractively in USD, but we all know the shipping and duty would end up crazy money in GBP. Guess I’ll hang out on Discogs for a used copy.

I must have been lucky and got one of the last ones available (at least in the UK). As you say, it might be worth looking on Discogs. The new special Mofi release is rather expensive.

I wonder if Herbie Hancock reissues on Speakers Corners are sounding better or not vs the originals.
I speak for « Crossings « and « Man Child ».
Anybody could have compared ? I know, most of you are for 60’s jazz, but maybe……@Rexmanning perhaps ?

Cant offer you a comparison but I can say I’ve never been disappointed with anything Speakers Corner, buy with confidence imo
:heart:

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FR – There’s very little difference between the LPs and mint originals (IF you can find them), except price, so unless you’re rich or hyper-fussy, the PPs are more than good enough. Certainly better than any other post early 1980s reissues.

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I have already those records, in Mint condition, US pressings from the year of production.
So I would eventually invest if I am certified to have a better sound quality.
If it was MOFI 45 pm, like the Headhunters I bought, I would not hesitate.
I have some Pure Pleasure, but some of them sound clean but a bit cd like. Other are very good, as the last Al Green I received.

I have the Jeff Beck Wired, Blow by Blow, and Herbie Hancock Headhunters on MOFI 45 pm , and they sound dramatically good, better than the original ones I have ( and Japanese from the same year too).

Not how I hear them, their mostly pure analogue
:heart:

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From memory, I had a Taj Mahal PP, found it a bit digital sounding.

It’s possible but not representative of PP generally IME
If they sound too “clean” to you, you could always rub some dry sand into the grooves and restore the authentic wooshing and background sound of bacon frying :wink:
:heart:

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I could, I could…
When I say too clean, it means devoided of the pure analog magic.
The reason why, generally, I prefer the original masters. Same for the blue note remasters…… classic records……

If its mastered from the original analogue master tape using an all analogue mastering and cutting chain then I’m not really sure what you mean.
Some new AAA remasters for example can sound better than originals (subject to the condition of the master tape) due to the fact that back in say the 50’s n 60’s records were mastered with an EQ to suit the replay equipment of the time. I have read that Kevin Gray masters and cuts the Blue Note Tone Poet & Music Matters records very “hot” without any limiting. This results in a record with dynamics and sonics that the record players of the times couldnt play.
I recently compared an original 1st press Mono copy of With The Beatles that plays like mint against the newer, from a few years back, AAA mastering from The Beatles Mono Box set. The latter to my ears significantly outperforms the original whereby the limiting and slightly tinny sound in comparison of the original is unmistakable.
The first time I heard KG’s Music Matters cut of Art Blakeys Moanin it blew me out of my seat!
:heart:

Though I had the standard Mofi too it didn’t blow away the UK first press I have. I’d get the earliest best condition version you feel okay paying for and start there.

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I have only one Tone Poets, and find it very nice playing.
All MOFI I have are wonderful, specially 45 pm.
Analogue productions wonderful too.
But my little experience on Pure Pleasure, Classic records, Blue note reissues are mitigated.

Late response, sorry, was offline for a while due to the airco ruining my listening pleasure… :sunglasses:

Anyway: best to try out I guess. I would try the Speakers Corner versions of these two if you mind the good reviews of those pressings. My three other Speakers Corner records sound absolutely great for what it’s worth.

Pure Pleasure I am personally not too convinced about, but some like them very much over here. Like Hubbard’s Red Clay, I could not be more happy with my ORG pressing and am doubting my Pure Pleasure pressing of First Light. My other Pure Pleasure recording, Charles Rouse Two is One, also not too enthusiastic about the sound quality, but that could be in the original as well, I don’t know and there is no easy way to compare for that one.

Edit: or are they exactly the same company?

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@RexManning (and anyone else interested). I do know that with some of the labels Pure Pleasure, BBE and other specialists deal with, the master tapes have been lost or wiped. Therefore they have no option but to find a mint vinyl copy and dub it to digital and remaster the hi-res file for vinyl. The results – especially on things like BBE’s J-Jazz Master series – are very, very good indeed; often remarkable.

The Charlie Rouse, very unusually for Strata-East, was a decent but unspectacular recording. Every other Strata-East record I have on Pure Pleasure sounds pretty awesome.

Speakers Corner (with one exception, an Alan Parsons album) only ever cut from original analogue tapes.

I’m with Fremer when he says, as long as the record sounds great, who cares whether the source is 100% analogue, or partly digital? Things have moved on from 20 years ago when various reissue albums (naming no names) would just dub from CD, stick out a record and hope nobody would notice. I think the huge stink caused by the 2012 Beatles LP reissues being dubbed from 16/44.1 files has caused a major rethink about sourcing and transparency.

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Rex, Speakers Corner are affiliated, but not connected. PP (based in South West London) distribute SCs in many countries (SC are a Germany company).

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So you said First light Pure Pleasure is not the best you feel ?
I think I will try Man Child, as it’s one of my favourite records. So how is your P8 / aria / Apheta 3 vs Nd5xs2, for these 70’s records ?
Hope you the best enjoyment by the way.

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