new 2lp release of Priest = Aura?

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Jonathan Sargeant

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Apr 10, 2021, 6:51:31 PM4/10/21
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Anyone listened the new 2lp release of Priest = Aura?

 

It sounds okay to me but I haven’t heard what many seem to suggest is the botched version by Plain recordings back in 2016.

 

Anyone done any comparisons, or analysed the new version?

 

Jonathan S

Edgar Aldrett

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Apr 10, 2021, 7:02:04 PM4/10/21
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Hi Jonathan.

I have yet to take it for a spin. I had the Plain version which suffered from inner groove distortion. Ended up selling it. I have the German version which I like. I plan to compare it to my original Arista CD copy which is the best sounding version to date for me. The EMI ones sound compressed and too tinny for my ears.

Ed
Seattle

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Rod Collins

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Apr 11, 2021, 4:03:01 AM4/11/21
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Very quiet. No pops or crackles.  Has a clarity similar to the original compact disc.  Some people at Discogs have claimed it sounds muddy.  Not sure what they've been smoking...

From: seanc...@googlegroups.com <seanc...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Edgar Aldrett <eald...@gmail.com>
Sent: Sunday, 11 April 2021 9:01 AM
To: jona...@ministryeducation.org.au <jona...@ministryeducation.org.au>
Cc: Seance List - The Church <seanc...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [Seance] new 2lp release of Priest = Aura?
 

Jonathan Sargeant

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Apr 11, 2021, 5:23:06 AM4/11/21
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Ed, do you do the wav file comparison? Someone on Seance has done full audiophile comparisons for compression etc. in the past. As I listen on my set up, records can sound different depending on how warmed up the amp is, what time of day, how I'm feeling, etc, so I'm interested to see an objective, empirical comparison from wav files or whatever it should be...
I never managed to get a German pressing, so I'm pretty excited to have the MoV version, so...

Jonathan S

From: Edgar Aldrett <eald...@gmail.com>
Sent: Sunday, April 11, 2021 9:01:51 AM
To: Jonathan Sargeant <jona...@ministryeducation.org.au>
Cc: Seance List - The Church <seanc...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [Seance] new 2lp release of Priest = Aura?
 

Tom Ragatz

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Apr 12, 2021, 1:22:43 PM4/12/21
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Nice to get some email from this list, I hope y’all are well.  


Vote for Of Skins and Hearts in this poll (from one of the world's best radio stations): https://cloud.connect.mpr.org/essential_debut_albums


(And may I also humbly suggest: The Chameleons, Fountains of Wayne, Kaiser Chiefs, Madness, Squeeze, and the Specials).


Tom

 

P.S. I’m still looking to get the latest Kilbey/Kennedy cd in the US without paying $15 for shipping, if anyone has any ideas. 


Edgar Aldrett

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Apr 12, 2021, 9:16:01 PM4/12/21
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Hi, Jonathan.

I don't do the wav file comparisons for vinyl. I can for digital as I don't capture vinyl these days. But I know what you mean about the comparisons. I believe Daniel Watkins and Glenn Page have done those in the past.
My setup is basic and I go by my ears to discern the quality. I've got it dedicated to vinyl. Digital is done on my headphones these days. I spend a lot of time on hi res audio so looking forward to ripping that Starfish SACD from IR records.

Ed
Seattle

Dan Helgerman

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Apr 12, 2021, 9:35:30 PM4/12/21
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Yes email is nice. I voted for Church, Big Country, New Order,
Radiohead, the Cranberries, the Feelies, Smashing Pumpkins.

Which brings me back to the vinyl question from Jonathan because I got
Big Country's the Crossing earlier this year, and I will be receiving
P=A mov on Thursday. When I play vinyl it's on the basement stereo
with few distractions. The rest of the time it's mp3 from the phone or
car and I'm always asked to turn it down...so the vinyl versions sound
better! I will test the new P=A against the original Arista CD this
weekend. I don't have P=A on vinyl otherwise.

Intervention Records has Starfish on preorder due this summer (Ed just
mentioned!). And Kilbey Kennedy's Jupiter 13 can be preordered at
qrates.com.
> To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/seance-list/CAJke91uu8RHOW%3Dwv%3DkhzPjWEUu4_R22R6hO1LcQCVvDYMycZDg%40mail.gmail.com.



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Daniel Watkins

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Apr 13, 2021, 2:20:02 AM4/13/21
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I did this one for the Starfish reissue: 
https://youtu.be/rX5rRgz0gR4 

Obviously you can't show quality, just volume and how compressed/squashed it is.

My copy of the new P=A has been sitting with Amazon for a long time waiting to be fulfilled so I haven't done a rip / comparison for it.


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Prescott

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Oct 4, 2021, 7:49:51 PM10/4/21
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Has anyone listened to the 2 LP release of Starfish from Intervention records?


My oldest friend who actually introduced me to the Church back then is considering buying it but he understands that vinyl reissues can be dodgy so he's asking my opinion. I don't have it but figured I'd check with all you folks. Any thoughts?

Chris Barrus

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Oct 4, 2021, 8:44:27 PM10/4/21
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Folks on the Steve Hoffman forums seem to really like the SACD version that Intervention released earlier this year, so perhaps that’s a good sign?
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Edgar Aldrett

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Oct 4, 2021, 8:53:32 PM10/4/21
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I have both the SACD and LP IR releases and by far the best version of this album remastered and best pressing by far on vinyl. Even better than the first pressing on Mushroom, Arista USA, Arista Germany. Not happy about the MOV release, white vinyl Australia limited edition tour release(CD source), or PLAIN release. All suffer from inner groove distortion due to improper mastering to vinyl. IR has done a spectacular job at mastering to vinyl mastering to SACD. I've managed to rip the DSD (.dsf) files from the disc and I'm able to playback the tracks on my phone that is designed to playback HD audio files via headphone connection.

I still get chills listening to this on my phone. So clear and even the bonus tracks sound amazing.

This pressing is worth it. Now, if you are asking about the quality of vinyl pressing, with any vinyl pressing release, it's the luck of the draw in hopes you get a clean pressing. Make sure to clean or wash the vinyl as it comes with the releasing agent on the pressing and you will need to wash it off. Then flossing the album by straight through playback with a properly setup stylus, cartridge and tonearm will make the playback more enjoyable and clean sounding.

Good luck.

Ed

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Christopher Prescott

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Oct 4, 2021, 8:56:57 PM10/4/21
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Huge thanks to both Chris and Ed. Very helpful. And, aside from my friend, and despite purging the majority of my collection about five years ago, I'm tempted to jump back in given these reviews.

Seance is(n't) dead. Long live Seance!
Sent: October 4, 2021 20:53
Subject: Re: [Seance] Re: new 2lp release of Priest = Aura?

Edgar Aldrett

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Oct 4, 2021, 9:09:28 PM10/4/21
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Chris,

I just read the reviews on the Hoffman forums. I rarely frequent the site as it can get over the top and I'm just shaking my head a lot.

An example is the licensing ownership of the catalog. Arista is owned by Sony and Sony owns the rights from Starfish to SA. Are they difficult to deal with? YES. BY FAR. I had a nightmare negotiation with release rights for the company I worked with and it took about 3 years and ended up paying a lot of money to appease them.

The EMI releases are all UMG now for the Church catalog in Oz. And EMI was split up between WMG and UMG. In the USA, labels might need to procure release rights to offer the pre Starfish releases. Just like Warner and Capitol back in the day.

Anyway....IMPO, this Starfish is by far the best and hoping the other releases get the same treatment. I'm hoping Box of Birds gets a release but that will be a licensing nightmare so not holding my breath. Perhaps a secret release? :)

Ed

Christopher Prescott

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Oct 4, 2021, 9:13:29 PM10/4/21
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Thanks again, Ed. All very interesting, particularly for an IP attorney like me who has little to no entertainment IP experience but, as a music fan, knows enough to know that he doesn't know enough. (Except that is for my brief consult with Marty during the Feedback debacle.)


Daniel Watkins

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Oct 4, 2021, 10:20:37 PM10/4/21
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I got my copy today and got to give it one listen through. Very quiet, clean and clear. The artwork and cover are nice quality too. Better than my original pressing!

Alien Rendel

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Oct 5, 2021, 12:07:57 PM10/5/21
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Agree with what Ed said earlier....I've heard a lot of versions of Starfish over the last 35 years and the Intervention LP is easily the best it's ever sounded.  Bonus tracks, too!  Well worth tracking down a copy.

Jonathan Sargeant

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Oct 11, 2021, 9:38:56 PM10/11/21
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Intervention’s Starfish sounds beyond amazing. Destination just roars out of the speakers, the drums sound sooooo good, clearly separated, super dynamic.

 

This version is much cleaner, more defined elements, clearly made for a good setup. It does not compromise on bass to be able to play back on lower tier set-ups.

 

I’ve been living with my original Australian vinyl pressing since it came out and wondered if it could sound better.

 

It does and, I think, is worth it if you can afford it…

 

Jonathan S

Captain Cid

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Oct 31, 2021, 10:40:56 AM10/31/21
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I'm mostly a CD guy, I only do vinyl if the material is exclusive to vinyl or the CD is dynamically compressed. That said, I am also a collector and have the Plain 2016 P=A reissue, the new 2021 reissue on black vinyl (white vinyl on the way) and the original 1992 German LP. I've honestly never listed to any of these, I think the CD sound perfect. That said, I decided to give a test all 3 LPs last night with my non-audiophile wife using the objectively best song on the album; Paradox. I'm using a Pro-ject Debut Carbon turntable adjusted to eliminate buzz from the tone arm going through fairly inexpensive Cerwin Vega 3 way floor speakers.

I started with the 2021 MOV reissue. It's not bad. I hear the typical vinyl deficiencies compared to a good digital transfer: narrower stereo image/cross talk between channels, mono low frequencies. I did not measure the dynamic range, but it sounds somewhat compressed to me. The drums are a bit submerged, the vocal reverb seems less intense and the vocals themselves sound more up front. I think this is pretty inferior to the CD, but it doesn't sound bad.

Plain was next. There is a nasty spike in the upper mids that ruins this for me. Even my wife heard it right away. She even asked me to turn it off after about a minute. It is not a pleasant listen. All the deficiencies of the 2021 version are present plus more. Even the art on the cover looks bad and washed out, lacking contrast and detail. I think this one may get sold now that a new copy is out. Not that it really matters though, I only buy vinyl like this to collect it.

The German LP. One 12 inch record with almost an hour of music on it. I expected this to sound like garbage. I've owned it for over 15 years and never played it, but that's beside the point. Anyway, I was expecting this to be really bad, but was aware that some here have said it sounds the best. I hate to have to say this, but that sentiment is 100% true. While this copy was noisier that the other two, and the signal quieter and requiring more volume from the receiver, it sounds the most like the original CD and I mean that in a good way. It's got a wider stereo image, the vocals sit in the mix well and the reverb on them sounds detailed. The EQ curve is pleasant to listen to and the record overall just has a great sound. I do wish it was a 2LP release so some of the surface noise could have been reduced, but if pops and clicks are not an issue, this is easily the best version and worth the money if you truly prefer vinyl over CD. It seems to run for a little less than the 2021 white vinyl version.

I have the IR Starfish SACD. I've only listened to the extra tracks (I'm not into Starfish at all) and they sound incredible compared to the AQSAS CD. Less noise, more clarity and detail, they almost sound like properly recorded album tracks and less like demos.

When does Priest = Aura come out on Blu-Ray audio mixed in surround with an HD transfer of the Ripple video? I wish all the albums would get the surround mix treatment Forget Yourself got, even Sometime Anywhere.

After years of looking, I finally managed to track down an original Australian Red Eye original release of SK's Slow Crack on CD. This sounds far superior to the Rough Trade version, worth picking up if you can find it. It's actually not expensive regarding collectable value, but very hard to find. Discogs says the most expensive copy sold was $22.55 US.

Daniel Watkins

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Oct 31, 2021, 11:20:39 AM10/31/21
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Thanks for the review / assessment! I don't have the newest P=A vinyl but was curious how it compared.

dw

Edgar Aldrett

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Oct 31, 2021, 2:41:31 PM10/31/21
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Agreed on all fronts here:

P=A:
  1. MOV - Mediocre at best but looks very "purdy". A lot of my MOV releases sound mediocre but beautiful to look at on the turntable. Great packaging but not utilizing original photos as they are copies and blurry.
  2. Plain - Terrible, yes, terrible sounding and suffers from IGD (Inner Groove Distortion) due to poor vinyl mastering
  3. Arista Germany - Best sound of all. Perhaps because this was done with mastering engineering still at its heyday(pun). Mastering vinyl is an old artform and many of these newbie engineers have not much experience, let alone worked with any old timer engineer to learn the techniques. Plenty of articles supporting this observation and my MAJOR concern when vinyl came back en vogue. Why so many of these vinyl releases sound like shit.

I would like to see the Church catalog properly transferred to HD from the original tapes complete with proper mastering, not just brick walling. But again, that would be a licensing nightmare.

Agreed on the Red Eye original releases, including Unearthed. The American counterparts always sounded like dumps and even back then I would go out of my way to seek the Red Eye CD releases and hands down do sound  better. The Karmic Hit releases sounded overly compressed to my ears but still purchased for the bonus tracks.

Finally, IR Starfish is the shit. Period. For my ears, anyway. The DSF files sound soothing. And in case you are reading this, Lloyd, I do like the original Arista release but it does sound limited to my ears. 

Bottom line. Listen to what you like and what your ears are happy with. No matter what version. :)

Ed

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Captain Cid

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Oct 31, 2021, 4:01:27 PM10/31/21
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The German 1992 LP of P+A has one massive drawback though, no Dome. I love that song and it's missing from the LP, I assume for space reasons? 

What's really odd is that, if you look one the back of the Plain and MOV vinyl copies, Dome is not the same lettering as on the CD. It looks like it's been constructed from the lettering of the other song titles. The D and O are from Paradox, the M from Mistress and the E from Ripple. Maybe they should have just used their solution for the cover art and taken a photo of the Dome title from the CD booklet and inserted it as such?

Edgar Aldrett

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Oct 31, 2021, 4:44:55 PM10/31/21
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Yes, that is the downside. Why I still have my original copy of P=A on CD that I bought on March 10, 1992 at Aaron's Records on Highland Ave in Hollywood. :) 

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