Dark Side of the Moon, again....

[Allen]

My Father in Law kindly gave me a copy of this, I watched the classic albums documentary and felt like listening to it, but unfortunately it isn't in terribly good condition so I want to get another one.

I'm confused...it's a very common album, but some pressings seem to command very high prices, I don't care about the poster or stickers, I just want one that sounds good.

Which one do the Floydists reckon is best to have?

1st Solid Prism EMI pressing
Seventies harvest pressing
Quadrophonic
Japanese
Seventies audiophile special pressing
or one of the 2 special 'anniversary' pressings one from the eighties and one from 2003.

Allen

[Paul Barker]

No idea but I recon it's been done to death all over the land, don 't care if I never hear it again, though I won't sell you my copy. The cd is not as good as the vinyl, that's all I know.

And I'm now saturated with the Wall too!!!!!!!

[I love my records]

1st Solid Prism EMI pressing is great. Lush, analogue sound.

The anniversary EMI pressing is brighter and loses that 70's feel.

I've never heard any of the Mobile Fidelity or other 'special' re-issues, although I'm sure they would be different again!

Dave.

[david counter]

you're welcome to borrow my 2003 reissue to try,

[Little Mick]

I have only ever had SHVL 804 (Seventies harvest pressing) and it’s stood me in good stead for thirty odd years now, my collage mucker never wanted to hear it and I always said how would you know, still it was the time of Zen and if a tree falls etc.

[Black Stuart]

Allen,
get car booting and go for a 70s' pressing. My first copy got truly hammered - as you would expect.

I bought a so-called audiophile copy - expensive and ****. I picked up a 70's pressing at car boot and it's good.

Yes it has been played to death Paul but it's one of those pieces that when I catch a few bars it's like flashback to a particularly crazy night from long, long ago and everyone crashing out with the sunrise - wonderful.

Black Stuart

[michael orme]

I have been looking for a new copy for a while. I always thought that the EMI Centenary Edition was digitally remastered, but I am happy to be corrected. It would suit me if it were all analog.
Michael Orme.

[simon2a3]

I'm struggling to remember the full story, but at the time of their release in 1997 there was a bit of controversy over the "EMI100 - The First Centenary" releases. Apparently, and I don't know whether it's true/factually correct, the first tranche of releases were cut using a Neuman (sp?) cutting lathe which effectively meant the music signal had to be digitised (so the story went). Analogue freaks complained about the big fanfare of the new super-duper 'analogue' pressings that were, in fact, digital. The second tranche were supposed to be fully analogue.

Looking at the two EMI100 releases I have - DSOTM is from the first batch and the label on the sleeve includes "Direct Metal Mastered". This is the Sea by The Waterboys from the second batch instead has this "Analogue Cutting From Analogue Tapes". So maybe it was true, or maybe not.

Simon.

[andrew ivimey]

The SACD has nothing more than the digitally remastered boxed version I've got. The only vinyl version I have is the half track master edition.

They all do it about the same; which might say something about the album being hugely better than the medium.

A propos of nothing in particular but amongst the records I have bought recently is a couple of old 10ccs. Whatever I might think of the music, the pressing quality and the recording is superb.

Interestingly I now have Electric Ladyland as:-

original Track
polydor (used)
polydor (mint)
US pressing

The american one has it, the original Track might have but my sister has rolled cocaine, injected marihuana and smoked LSD off it. This detracts somewhat ...

As for the Wall, we did hear rather a lot of a little of it at the 'do'. So, I have a few other records to listen to - mayaswell just get on and listen.

[Black Stuart]

Andrew you lucky so-and-so,
I've been trying for ages to get a 'good' copy of EL for a long, long time.

Can anyone point me in the right direction to score a copy please.

And IF I can get hold of a copy - it would have to be played on h/phones only - I mean you can't play this at 'reasonable' volume - can you.

There were two students at Sussex uni (circa 74) - one was a Canadian Indian (I forget which tribe) and the other English and they practised until anyone hearing them thought that Jimi had come back from the dead - they really were that good.

Black Stuart

ps. I did get hold of the triple LP 'Live at Woodstock' - again this should only be played at max volume or through h/phones.