Definitive Audiophile pressings

While we are on the subject of non-classic rock non-jazz audiophile type stuff. The new box set of Pavement’s Terror Twilight is…
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I am listening to it now and Nigel Godrich’s production really pops on this. I was initially a bit wary of the new track order but Nigel really got that right also. It’s an excellent set. Not sure on the sourcing but it really jumps out of my speakers. Couldn’t be happier. I am not sure if PBC still have it listed for $70 but it’s worth every penny of that.
 
Viking Dan said:
Elliott Smith, Bjork, Fiona, Wilco, Mars Volta… to name a few.
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Every Wilco album I own (which is 2) are basically audiophile quality already. 2xLPs pressed at RTI in Stoughton jackets.
Sonicpharmacist said:
Sigur Ros, Smashing Pumpkins, Iron Maiden, New Order, Steely Dan….
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Yes, a one-step of Siamese Dream, oh yeah!

For Steely Dan, just buy the hot stampers, right? ;)
 
dhodo said:
I would love to see audiophile reissues of many of the artists mentioned but would much rather they were normal ones than the insane one step price model.
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In a better world they would just do two version. One basic high value version with top quality sound and no frills (think BN Classic series) and an audiophile version that uses the same analog master with high-end vinyl and premium packaging. I’ll bet you could do them simultaneously and they would both do very well. And, the extra cost of producing would be minimal.
 
Mather said:
Elliott Smith Either/Or is in desperate need of a remix on top of a remaster. The way that album was mixed is atrocious.
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I’d love to hear a reworked version of Rose Parade.
It’s the precursor to the full band/studio sound that what was to come on XO and Figure 8.

And the guitar work on Angeles, Say Yes, and Between the Bars would really be a highlight if the vocals didn’t sit so heavy on top of them
 
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TenderLovingKiller® said:
I own 6 and would agree wholeheartedly.
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I own them all. They do pay attention to detail and the new reissues are great.

But that new Lemonheads got me thinking about how quiet a good pressing can be - and that level of attention to YHF, Schmilco or Ode To Joy would take those to whole new level.

There’s a YHF anniversary pressing in the works - so I may get my wish on that one very soon.
 
Joe Mac said:
Imagine an audiophile master of any of Massive Attack. It could sound, well, massive. Add in Portishead and Tricky from that scene. What about The Smiths, they could sell tonnes of them. Jeff Buckley badly needs his stuff revisited for vinyl.
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TBH there are a ton of deserving albums through the last 30 years or so. I'm guessing it's a bit of a toss up which would benefit from the audiophile treatment, so many were recorded pretty poorly on the first place and made for CDs. However, would love Boom Boom or Bernie to have a crack at them. It's easy to do 'audiophile' with a lot of the old jazz & classical titles, I'm guessing much more hit & miss with everything else.

One of the albums that springs to mind for me is Paul Weller Wild Wood, I was well pleased when I managed to pick up a copy of the repress a few months back, but really not that impressed on the first listen. Dare I say it, if I dug out the CD I wonder if it would sound better?
 
Andy said:
TBH there are a ton of deserving albums through the last 30 years or so. I'm guessing it's a bit of a toss up which would benefit from the audiophile treatment, so many were recorded pretty poorly on the first place and made for CDs. However, would love Boom Boom or Bernie to have a crack at them. It's easy to do 'audiophile' with a lot of the old jazz & classical titles, I'm guessing much more hit & miss with everything else.

One of the albums thats springs to mind for me is Paul Weller Wild Wood, I was well pleased when I managed to pick up a copy of the repress a few months back, but really not that impressed on the first listen. Dare I say it, if I dug out the CD I wonder if it would sound better?
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What I don’t understand is why doesn’t every label/artist take the same approach to vinyl that Neil Young and Wilco do? They consistently make fantastic pressings at very reasonable prices.
 
Sonicpharmacist said:
What I don’t understand is why doesn’t every label/artist take the same approach to vinyl that Neil Young and Wilco do? They consistently make fantastic pressings at very reasonable prices.
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I think a lot don’t care. The difference between someone buying and not buying a vinyl album based on sound quality isn’t enough for most to worry about.
 
Andy said:
TBH there are a ton of deserving albums through the last 30 years or so. I'm guessing it's a bit of a toss up which would benefit from the audiophile treatment, so many were recorded pretty poorly on the first place and made for CDs. However, would love Boom Boom or Bernie to have a crack at them. It's easy to do 'audiophile' with a lot of the old jazz & classical titles, I'm guessing much more hit & miss with everything else.

One of the albums that springs to mind for me is Paul Weller Wild Wood, I was well pleased when I managed to pick up a copy of the repress a few months back, but really not that impressed on the first listen. Dare I say it, if I dug out the CD I wonder if it would sound better?
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The question is were they actually recorded that badly or was that choices made in the mixing/mastering to suit FM radio and lower quality digital playback. My hunch is the latter and that could be fixed.
 
TenderLovingKiller® said:
I think a lot don’t care. The difference between someone buying and not buying a vinyl album based on sound quality isn’t enough for most to worry about.
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Sadly. I don't think a lot of consumers care either. The majority have been happy enough with low quality streaming over the last 20 years or so. I think they're only starting to understand there's a market for quality. The vinyl revival isn't all about sound quality either.
 
McGlam said:
I guess I consider two audiophile-oriented releases at the same time to be done to death. It's a worthy release, but maybe it could have been the fifth or six One Step that they press instead of the third jazz title in a row.
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I know we mostly all wanted something other than jazz. Hell… I’m a jazz fan and even I am getting a little tired of the constant barrage of jazz releases in these formats. But Concord largely owns jazz music (and show tunes) and people have complained for years that they are sitting on all this great material. I was hoping that it wouldn’t be a prestige title that was being repressed but as mentioned AP only got permission to repress back in November or so. These one steps have taken at least a year to produce. I had called Acoustic Sounds last summer to ask if there was any chance at a repress of some of these Prestige titles and was told that the likelihood was very high, Chad had tried a few times to get the rights again and Concord had said no.
 
Sonicpharmacist said:
What I don’t understand is why doesn’t every label/artist take the same approach to vinyl that Neil Young and Wilco do? They consistently make fantastic pressings at very reasonable prices.
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These are my thoughts with Radiohead. Like if you were to wipe my brain and then ask me what band would care the most about their releases and the sound quality represented on them, I would pick Radiohead top three every time. For them to care so little about the quality of the music being sold to the public just blows my mind. I just don't get it. It seems to completely go against who they are as artists.
 
Mather said:
I would like to put forth a motion to officially ban all Miles Davis titles from future fancy One Steps/UHQRs. We have enough Miles Davis, there are numerous audiophile pressings of every single Miles Davis album. We do not need any more, do something interesting.
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I agree… to an extent. Bitches Brew I’m down for though because there really isn’t any remotely affordable great-sounding copy of it…I don’t wanna spend $300 on the older MoFi copy of it. I’m probably out on Somethin Else since I have the AP. I’d just like more non-jazz that’s actually well-produced and recorded to tape.

Not everything needs a one step. I’d rather we get fantastic $40 reissues for most albums. I’d take an Intervention Records quality-pressing of some titles people have mentioned over a $100-125 one step. A lot of names have popped up here for wishlist items that either have great sounding pressings that are still in print or probably just weren’t recorded amazingly. I love Elliot Smith’s stuff but I’ve never thought of it as an audiophile quality recording. Wilco sounds incredible and is under $30 usually and easy to get. Would I buy a Neil Young one step? Probably…but also his records are $20-25 and sound great.

For me, I’d want one steps of really well-produced albums that were recorded to tape and either don’t have good AAA pressings or haven’t been reissued in ages and cost more than $125 on the second hand market. D’Angelo comes to mind because they took so much care in producing those albums but most either didn’t have AAA pressings or didn’t sound amazing.

I also wonder what’s the benefit of doing a one step for something recorded digitally? I get maybe pressing it on a quieter formula but doesn’t it kinda defeat the purpose of a one step if you’re just pressing it from a bunch of 1s and 0s?
 
Mather said:
These are my thoughts with Radiohead. Like if you were to wipe my brain and then ask me what band would care the most about their releases and the sound quality represented on them, I would pick Radiohead top three every time. For them to care so little about the quality of the music being sold to the public just blows my mind. I just don't get it. It seems to completely go against who they are as artists.
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I’d actually say it’s more that they make the album and put all their craft and attention into that and after that they just aren’t involved. It’s made and they’re onto the next thing, it’s not even in their consciousness.
 
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