Immerse Your Soul In Love - The Radiohead Thread

hatfieldpdx said:
I've got the distortion on my copy. It certainly sounds as though it is fairly universal. As you say, it more of an annoyance than a travesty, but in context with the other QC issues I have on Kid A (off-center, mild warp) it's a bummer.

That said, I've always been partial to Amnesiac, and my copy is about as good as I could have hoped for.

In short, a mixed bag, which isn't exactly what you are looking for at this price point.
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I'm listening to amnesiac now and I do think it sounds better than kid a. My kid a was slightly off center but no affect on play. No warps. Although discogs has got people already chiming in w off center, warp, wrong labels.
 
Prefab Diaper Babies said:
I could very well be wrong and misremembering the song, as it's been awhile since I've played Kid A (any format) but there seems to be some slight distortion toward the end that isn't part of the actual recording (or I don't remember it as so....but that would be a good point to revisit another version)
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The distortion on KID A MNESIA is unique to this reissue it’s noticeable when Thom is hitting his upper range of his vocals on the track.
 
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hatfieldpdx said:
In short, a mixed bag, which isn't exactly what you are looking for at this price point.
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This. I feel like I am being overly critical and if you think about it as 2 full length albums plus bonus material for approximately $50 or $25 a piece and it’s a somewhat reasonable. I think my expectations were heightened probably because my OKNOTOK blue pressing was pretty much flawless (I did spring for the UK pressing of that one though) I was hoping they had figured out this whole vinyl thing.
 
TenderLovingKiller® said:
This. I feel like I am being overly critical and if you think about it as 2 full length albums plus bonus material for approximately $50 or $25 a piece and it’s a somewhat reasonable. I think my expectations were heightened probably because my OKNOTOK blue pressing was pretty much flawless (I did spring for the UK pressing of that one though) I was hoping they had figured out this whole vinyl thing.
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Agreed. Aspirationally, we all want flawless vinyl each and every time, but the reality is that it remains an imperfect process - and, market demand has put ridiculous pressure on the plants responsible for cranking these out. 3xLP for $50 is decent value, and to be honest, in spite of myriad flaws my Kid A still sounds relatively good.
 
So the consensus on the US red pressing is this:

1. How to Disappear Completely has distortion during the climax of the song on every copy. That's a shame, it is literally the best song on the album.

2. Kid A is pressed off-center on most copies.

3. Amnesiac is mostly pressed well.

4. Expect warps of varying degrees.

5. Some of the records were trimmed poorly or cracked on the edges.

6. URP is to blame. They took on a big job and implemented limited QC.

7. Local record stores now are going to have to deal with this issue firsthand due to all the pressing defects and the returns.

8. Red copies from Optimal in EU are without flaws? Anyone know if this is true?

I'm away from home and my copy is waiting to be opened and played. So just trying to prepare for the disappointment ahead of time.
 
zdkaiser said:
So the consensus on the US red pressing is this:

1. How to Disappear Completely has distortion during the climax of the song on every copy. That's a shame, it is literally the best song on the album.

2. Kid A is pressed off-center on most copies.

3. Amnesiac is mostly pressed well.

4. Expect warps of varying degrees.

5. Some of the records were trimmed poorly or cracked on the edges.

6. URP is to blame. They took on a big job and implemented limited QC.

7. Local record stores now are going to have to deal with this issue firsthand due to all the pressing defects and the returns.

8. Red copies from Optimal in EU are without flaws? Anyone know if this is true?

I'm away from home and my copy is waiting to be opened and played. So just trying to prepare for the disappointment ahead of time.
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I’m afraid that sounds about right. The only silver lining is that Kid A somehow manages to play fine (I have no surface noise) in spite of the flaws, with the exception of How to Disappear Completely. Can’t speak to the EU edition.
 
I'm living in Germany and just received the red edition from German retailer JPC. I'm not sure, if it was pressed at Optimal or URP. Where can I see that?

I've so far listened to Kid A and the bonus songs vinyl.
No visible warps for me, no off-center. The bonus one has some trimmed/sharp edges, so isn't cut too well.

Kid A also has the distortion on "How to disappear completely" towards the high notes at the end. "Everything in its right place" and "Treefingers" have some pop. "Treefingers" has lots of crackle, but no distortion. "Optimistic" sounded a bit muddy to me. Some crackles also on "Motion Picture Soundtrack" but not as bad as on "Treefingers". Maybe a longer cleaning will improve this. I agree with @TenderLovingKiller® that apart from these songs the record is dead silent. Apart from the mentioned portions it sounds very good to me, though a bit less dynamic than the blue OKNOTOK. Best sounding to me had been "Kid A (the song)", "The National Anthem" and "Idioteque". No bigger issues on the bonus disc.

Now onwards to "Amnesiac".
 
Purchased from the band's website and just received today. Fairly brutal defects...

As mentioned, most of the pressings are off center, which becomes much more apparent through my linear tracking tonearm. If that were the only problem, I wouldn't have an issue.
  • Dimple/pockmarks all over side 2 of Kid A.
  • Cracking on the labels coming out of the spindle holes on all three records.
  • Nasty scratch/abrasion on Amnesiac, going the length of more than three tracks:
defect.jpeg

  • Bad warp on Amnesiac (this is playing on a vacuum hold-down table with a record clamp.
Warp.gif
 
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DJSpinner said:
Purchased from the band's website and just received today. Fairly brutal defects...

As mentioned, most of the pressings are off center, which becomes much more apparent through my linear tracking tonearm. If that were the only problem, I wouldn't have an issue.
  • Dimple/pockmarks all over side 2 of Kid A.
  • Cracking on the labels coming out of the spindle holes on all three records.
  • Nasty scratch/abrasion on Amnesiac, going the length of more than three tracks:
View attachment 116963

  • Bad warp on Amnesiac (this is playing on a vacuum hold-down table with a record clamp.
View attachment 116964
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Yikes! That’s a bummer. I guess the issues (to varying degrees) are across the board.
 
DJSpinner said:
Purchased from the band's website and just received today. Fairly brutal defects...

As mentioned, most of the pressings are off center, which becomes much more apparent through my linear tracking tonearm. If that were the only problem, I wouldn't have an issue.
  • Dimple/pockmarks all over side 2 of Kid A.
  • Cracking on the labels coming out of the spindle holes on all three records.
  • Nasty scratch/abrasion on Amnesiac, going the length of more than three tracks:
View attachment 116963

  • Bad warp on Amnesiac (this is playing on a vacuum hold-down table with a record clamp.
View attachment 116964
Click to expand...
For a band of Radiohead's stature, this kind of product is absolutely inexcusable.
 
Prefab Diaper Babies said:
Optimal did the black pressings and they're not without flaws
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DJSpinner said:
Purchased from the band's website and just received today. Fairly brutal defects...

As mentioned, most of the pressings are off center, which becomes much more apparent through my linear tracking tonearm. If that were the only problem, I wouldn't have an issue.
  • Dimple/pockmarks all over side 2 of Kid A.
  • Cracking on the labels coming out of the spindle holes on all three records.
  • Nasty scratch/abrasion on Amnesiac, going the length of more than three tracks:
View attachment 116963

  • Bad warp on Amnesiac (this is playing on a vacuum hold-down table with a record clamp.
View attachment 116964
Click to expand...

Not to keep harping on this but this is United again. I don't really know if anyone here or even on Discogs has commented on the EU copies, and I've not seen photos yet but I'd wager the EU blacks are Optimal and the US blacks are United.

So it goes.
 
Bluecloud777 said:
I'm living in Germany and just received the red edition from German retailer JPC. I'm not sure, if it was pressed at Optimal or URP. Where can I see that?

I've so far listened to Kid A and the bonus songs vinyl.
No visible warps for me, no off-center. The bonus one has some trimmed/sharp edges, so isn't cut too well.

Kid A also has the distortion on "How to disappear completely" towards the high notes at the end. "Everything in its right place" and "Treefingers" have some pop. "Treefingers" has lots of crackle, but no distortion. "Optimistic" sounded a bit muddy to me. Some crackles also on "Motion Picture Soundtrack" but not as bad as on "Treefingers". Maybe a longer cleaning will improve this. I agree with @TenderLovingKiller® that apart from these songs the record is dead silent. Apart from the mentioned portions it sounds very good to me, though a bit less dynamic than the blue OKNOTOK. Best sounding to me had been "Kid A (the song)", "The National Anthem" and "Idioteque". No bigger issues on the bonus disc.

Now onwards to "Amnesiac".
Click to expand...
If you don't mind posting an image of the label.
 
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