BLUE RODEO - 5 DAYS IN JULY (2023, WEA, 30th Anniversary x2 LP Cobalt Blue)

 

Originally Released 1993 (CD only)

2023 WEA Reissue, 30th Anniversary x2 LP Cobalt Blue vinyl

Mastered by Greg Calbi

Clarity: 4

Dynamics: 4

Tonality/Balance: 4

Soundstage/Image: 4

Pressing: 4.5

Fantastic pressing! Clear tight bass, crunchy bright guitars and 3D midrange. This has wonderful headroom in the mix and sounds HUGE yet intimate. And why does this sound so fucking amazing on wax? This was originally mastered at Sterling by Greg Calbi, and he is also credited with this specific remaster! Then it's cut at Precision Mastering.

Final Grade: 4.1

THE TRAGICALLY HIP - UP TO HERE (1989, MCA)

 

1989 MCA; First Pressing (Promo)

Cut at Precision Mastering by Stephen Marcussen

Clarity: 4.5

Dynamics: 4.9

Tonality/Balance: 5

Soundstage/Image: 5

Pressing: 4

WOW!! My buddy brought over the 2015 MOV pressing and I liked it, it sounded...polite. But this is hot and intense with a HUGE 3D soundstage and miles of headroom. It just kills the repress. What I hear in the repress is a well-rounded nice presentation that brings the bottom up a bit but dulls top which is the crunchy guitars. I just don't understand the modern philosophy of taming the hot aggressive top end and losing the headroom. And the problem is this: until you have an OG to compare you don't know what you're missing. I can't recommend this highly enough.

Final Grade: 4.68

WARRIOR SOUL - LAST DECADE DEAD CENTURY (1990, DGC)

 

1990 DGC; First Pressing

DMM Sterling mastered by George Marino

Clarity: 4.8

Dynamics: 4.4

Tonality/Balance: 4.6

Soundstage/Image: 5

Pressing: 4.5

This thing rocks!! It's cut a bit quietly, so you need to crank the volume controls to make this come alive. And WOW, does it come alive! The guitars are hot and crunchy on top of the mix while the midrange reveals a wide 3D soundstage. Though the low-end isn't punchy, it's well balanced with a killer drum sound. Vocals are strident and crystal clear. Detail exquisite. I had this on CD back in the 90s and was very happy to discover this OG in a recent collection. When Rage Against the Machine dropped their perfect debut in '92, I felt they were a logical progression from Warrior Soul. Hope you feel the same. TURN IT UP! Highest recommendation.

Final Grade: 4.66

VAN HALEN - VAN HALEN (1978, Warner Bros.)

 

1978 Warner Bros.

NOTE: This is the first pressing, with Burbank / palm trees labels. After its first six months or so of release, the album was reissued with white WB labels.

Clarity: 4.4

Dynamics: 4.9

Tonality/Balance: 4.7

Soundstage/Image: 4.3

Pressing: 4.2

WOW!! This pressing obliterates my hi-rez 24bit [flac]. The bass is monstrous and guitars shriek and are hot on top of the mix. The drum sound is killer too. Vocals strident and crystal clear. My god, this is one of the best sounding albums I've played on my gear. The midrange is dynamic and gives a wide 3D soundstage that blasts through your listening room. I'm no Van Halen fanatic even though I grew up in the era, but never actively disliked them. But I snagged this OG in a recent collection, and the reviews had me curious. And they're right! Forget any other pressing and track one of these bad boys down. Great fidelity doesn't have to cost a fortune! Highest recommendation.

Final Grade: 4.5

SMASHING PUMPKINS - PISCES ISCARIOT (1994, Caroline Records/Virgin, Yellow Transparent)

 

1994 Caroline Records/Virgin, Yellow Transparent vinyl

First Pressing

Cut at Masterdisk

Clarity: 4

Dynamics: 4.4

Tonality/Balance: 4.6

Soundstage/Image: 4.5

Pressing: 3.9

Rock solid pressing! After reading reviews I made sure to thoroughly clean the wax, and my copy is dead silent. The dynamic range here is incredible but that's no surprise with a Masterdisk OG stamper. I can't compare to the CD or repress since I haven't owned this for decades in any format. But a nice copy appeared in a recent collection so had to spin it. What I can report is that this is very sharp and well balanced and just sounds fantastic. The kick drum hits hard. Highest recommendation.

Final Grade: 4.28

VARIOUS - KISS MY ASS: CLASSIC KISS REGROOVED (1994, Mercury, Red Clear Vinyl)

 

1994 Mercury, Red Clear Vinyl; First Pressing

DMM cut at Precision by Ron Bousted

Clarity: 4.1

Dynamics: 4.3

Tonality/Balance: 3.7

Soundstage/Image: 4.5

Pressing: 4.6

DMM cut at Precision by Ron Bousted who also cut one of my favorite albums of all time: Jayhawks - Tomorrow the Green Grass (1995 First pressing). And this sounds fucking fantastic! HUGE 3D soundstage with miles of headroom. Detail in the midrange is sublime. Listen that bass on Anthrax's SHE! Wow! But it's Stevie Wonder's harmonica on the first track that sends chills down the spine.

Final Grade: 4.24

WILCO - SUMMERTEETH (1999, Reprise, x2 LP)

 

1999 Reprise; First Pressing x2 LP

Mastered by Robert Ludwig

Cut at Damont

Clarity: 4

Dynamics: 4.2

Tonality/Balance: 3.9

Soundstage/Image: 4.3

Pressing: 4.8

WOW! This is an intense hot pressing! This sounds like a migraine with piercingly sharp top end and bright detail. The low end is tight and is perfectly balanced in the aggressive mix. The headroom is exquisite. This just attacks from the speakers while the '09 repress tames the top end and loses a bit of headroom by pushing the bass up just a notch. I love this DAMONT pressing which will be my go-to version to spin from now on.

Final Grade: 4.24

METALLICA - ...AND JUSTICE FOR ALL (1988, Elektra, x2 LP)

 

1988 Elektra, x2 LP; First Pressing

Masterdisk DMM cut by Robert Ludwig

Clarity: 5

Dynamics: 5

Tonality/Balance: 5

Soundstage/Image: 5

Pressing: 5

Holy hell, the guitars are massive, LOUD and yet have perfect separation and razor-sharp detail. WOW! The drum sound is killer and rocks my listening room. I'm so used to the original CD that this has me floored. Literally. This is an entirely different experience. There are miles of headroom in the cacophony which gives this a 3D soundstage. This is one of the best sounding records in my collection. Highest recommendation!

Final Grade: 5

JANE'S ADDICTION - RITUAL DE LO HABITUAL (1990, Warner Bros.)

 

1990 Warner Bros.; First Pressing

Cut at Specialty Records Corporation (SRC)

Clarity: 4.4

Dynamics: 4.6

Tonality/Balance: 3.9

Soundstage/Image: 4.2

Pressing: 4.5

HUGE hot soundstage, this thing just rips! I don't have a reissue to compare but I'll never spin one anyway since this is killer. The bottom is strong and tight with a midrange that opens up a 3D sound, while the top end just attacks from the tweeters. This sounds like a dentist's drill piercing your temporal lobe. And I mean that in the best possible way! Highest recommendation.

Final Grade: 4.32

THE RUNAWAYS - THE RUNAWAYS (1976, Mercury)

 

1976 Mercury; First Pressing

Cut at Masterdisk by Gilbert Kong

Clarity: 4.6

Dynamics: 4.7

Tonality/Balance: 4.3

Soundstage/Image: 4.8

Pressing: 4

Masterdisk cut by the legendary Gilbert Kong and this thing rocks! It's loud, sharp, with aggressive guitars and vocals that jump from the tweeters. GK did the music justice. The low end here is very tight in a nice 3D soundstage. Damn, this sounds fucking great.

Final Grade: 4.48