Pink Floyd - The Wall

[count.d]

A bit of a long shot but,

Does anyone know where I can get a sealed LP copy of The Wall:

a) 1/2 speed Mastersound CBS
or
b) 1st UK pressing

I'm prepared to pay a high price!!

[Matt]

Have you tried posting a want ad in a collector's magazine/periodical? Goldmine may be a good place to start.

[KLM]

They occassionally turn up on ebay. Right now there is the japanese pressing which is also very good. See the link below:

http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1514570463

Good luck.

[Andy]

I have the CBS version. It CAN'T be the best version of this record out there. But if your really want it Griffo has it listed for $400.

http://www.audiophile-records.com/

That's a link to the site. He's a good dealer I've never had any problems with Brent.

[count.d]

Thanks for the speedy replies.

Andy,

When you say that the CBS 1/2 speed can't be the best version, why do you say that?
What is the best version?

[Andy]

The CBS on my system seems shrill or tinny. I’ve never really been a big fan of The Wall, so I haven’t tried to find a really good one. I like the MFSL gold disc, but if you’re after vinyl that probably doesn’t help.

[Sckott]

The Japanese/Sony LPs of "The Wall" are cheaper and sound much better. Second place: a Canadian "Litho in Canada" (on the spine) pressing. True! Believe it or not, the Canadian Pressing gets noteriety as well! Great bottom end! Ya just have to find a mint copy. The Japanese copies are usually very taken care of. The Japanese even used the slick microfibre sleves while using the exact same printed lyric sleeves as they used in the states.

Forget about the CBS 1/2 speed. The juice on that issue is from concentrate. Don't pay an arm for it. (every copy I've seen looks like crap, coverwize!) The Sony/JPN issues are more available. Don't be suprised the OBI isn't on. It was merely a piece of paper that hung loose in the wrap, similar to how we had it in the states with a 5"X7" paper with Scarffe's "Pink Floyd..The Wall" writing on it.

The other issues I have are UK, and an original US and reissue US with the UPC on the cover. The album came out far before the bar code scanners were standard practice.

[Grant]

Wait a minute, When "The Wall" first came out, copies in the stores I went to had the UPC bars on the back. CBS was indeed using them near the end of 1979. I have many CBS titles to confirm this.

Anyway, not a big issue, unless one is a vinyl collector...

[SVL]

Originally posted by Sckott
Second place: a Canadian "Litho in Canada" (on the spine) pressing.

That is interesting info about the Canadian pressing. I wonder if the catalog number was different for the Canadian version. The US pressing of The Wall was Columbia PC2 36183; Canadian is sometimes listed as PC2 36183 K9 - is that correct?

[Humorem]

Hey Count D,
I have a sealed British copy. It's probably not original, but unless you crack it open and check the stamper numbers it will be hard to know what era it was pressed in.

Make me an offer if you like.
You can contact me at tomport@earthlink.net.

By the way, as you read above, don't waste your money on the half speed, a slab of mud if ever there was one and overpriced by a factor of ten to boot.

The Japanese pressing does sound quite good but is usually noisy for some reason.

Finding quiet Walls is tough because of the dynamic nature of the recording and the many quiet passages that allow the imperfections of the vinyl to be heard clearly. Wish You Were Here is the same way, but at least the CBS half speed sounds good when you get the right stampers (there are a number of variations, some quite a bit better than others.)
Best, TP

[KLM]

If you are still interested, there is a 1/2 speed currently on ebay. You will have to pay the price though and based on what I have heard from others, it may not be worth it. Here's the link:


http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1515768858

By the way, I compared my copy of the japanese to the original US release and while the japanese was maybe a little quieter, the US version was less bright sounding and overall very favorable. I have not heard the 1/2 speed or original UK version though.

Good luck

[Sckott]

Originally posted by Grant
Wait a minute, When "The Wall" first came out, copies in the stores I went to had the UPC bars on the back. CBS was indeed using them near the end of 1979. I have many CBS titles to confirm this.

Anyway, not a big issue, unless one is a vinyl collector...

Grant,

Pretty sure, but I wasn't looking at the pieces, so I may be wrong. My apologies. VERY sure the Canadian pressing did not have any UPC at all. I'm on the road right now. :rolleyes:

SVL: I'll check when I get home. :cool:

[SVL]

Originally posted by Sckott


SVL: I'll check when I get home. :cool:

10x; I'll be waiting:)

As for European LPs of the Wall, there were at least five different sets. The catalog numbers seem to be:

First issue: 1A 154-63410 / 11
Second issue: 1A 158-63410 / 11
Third issue: 1A 164-63410 / 11
Fourth issue: 1A 198-06340 / 11
Fifth issue: 1C 198-1634103

Got these from a PF discography on a Dutch website . It is not really clear what they mean by "issues", and I suspect it may not always be equal to "pressings".

[Gary]

Originally posted by Sckott

..... VERY sure the Canadian pressing did not have any UPC at all. I'm on the road right now.



Sckott is correct. I checked my Canadian copy (which was very easy to obtain since I am in Canada ;) ) and there is no UPC symbol at all.

And I am very pleased with the sound.

[TommyTunes]

As always I have the first issue US, UK, CBS 1/2 speed and Japanese.

The 1/2 speed is CRAP and would gladly sell it to you if you want to pay the price (email me privately if you really want one).
The Japanese is highly detailed and very analyical probably closer to the master tape than any others.
My personal favorite is the 1st issue UK it was cut by the Mastering Lab same as the US version but utilized better vinyl and was better pressed. Mine has TML-M in the inner groove. I would seek out a UK copy BUT make sure to check the stampers.

[Humorem]

If it says "TML" keep in mind two things:

It was tube mastered, cool!

There will be tremendous stamper variations. All my TML records have them, even more than most other labels.

They had three lathes: M (master), S (slave) and X (who knows, another slave I believe)

They would send the tape signal to two lathes at once to speed up the process.

But you have to PLAY them to know what any of them will sound like, regardless of the stampers.

Later on Columbia cut some but I think the TML copies should sound better.

[patricku]

hello,I must have a lot of " The Wall " in my cellar...not sealed,but in 100% condition,if you do not find what you are looking for,contact me,and I will check,what it is...

[Joe Koz]

I have a German pressing and was told it had different mixes. Is this true? If so, how does it differ?

[Sckott]

Someone had told me there was a different mix used on the VERY 1st German pressings of "What Shall We Do Now". I've not encountered ONE yet that is like that.

It's not new news that The Wall was meant to contain "What Shall We Do Now" replacing "Empty Spaces". Even the lyric sleeves were printed with both "Empty Spaces" and "What Shall We Do Now". Roger supposedly made that quick decision when production was on a mad rush to get this title out to EMI and CBS. "Empty Spaces" was used on Side 2.

Many different ideas both "dropped" and "re-invented" were recycled for the movie, when newer versions of "Mother" was done and "When The Tigers Broke Free" became an afterthought. "The Wall" has always been a mess, and somewhat of a few mysteries (like the backwards message on "Empty Spaces" - 'Roger, Caroline (?) is on the Phone!' - Okay)
Again, I've both seen and heard tons and tons of Walls in my life, and not one German pressing with "WSWDN" still in.

People should also seek out the "Under Construction" Internet-only boot. It's the complete "The Wall" as it was after its second DEMO attempt. Many lyric changes, early overdubs as a demo or two actually were left IN "The Wall" and the Demo of the full WALL was under 74 min. It was posted to the net for the 1st time about 19 months ago. It's been Mp3d, as that range of quality suits the quality of the cassette demo. Don't pay much (or any) money for it, as it's in Mp3 trading circles something fierce, and the people who had posted it specifically asked that it be a "TRADERS" title. Interesting stuff though.

[Ben]

Gee - All I have is the Gold CD's from MFSL....



Fortunately, they kick a _ _!



Sincerely,

Ben

[Dave]

Ben,

And my wife thinks I'm obsessive collecting sometimes 2 of the same album. She should see how much it could really cost if I were to get into vinyl.

Fortunately I'm like you, very satisfied with the MFSL version myself.;)

[Ben]

(Laughing)

You're not kidding there! She should count her blessings!

I still love my albums though - the great art, holding the covers and reading the lyrics on the gatefolds or inserts...they truly are an experience unto themselves...

Hope all is well in BC...take care, buddy.....


Ben

[count.d]

Thanks KLM,

This has now reached $290 for an opened lp.

Am I missing something?

Is it any good?

People on this forum have said no, but why do people pay such a high price for this pressing?

[Uncle Al]

The majority of us on this board seek superior sound over collectibilty. The version of the title you seek is not widely available, and that makes it a collectors item. While I only have a marginal interest in The Wall (I used to own the US vinyl, my only current copy is a DVD of the motion picture), I am always on the lookout for superior sound.

If you want the "collectible" - go for it. Your chances of "getting lucky" on second hand vinyl or gold CD's decreases every day. If you want the best sound - heed the advice you get here. Even our host's have pointed out that you need not always pay the highest price for the best sounding version.........

[Humorem]

Originally posted by count.d
Thanks KLM,

This has now reached $290 for an opened lp.

Am I missing something?

Is it any good?

People on this forum have said no, but why do people pay such a high price for this pressing?

Greater fool theory opperating here big time! A dealer bought it! To resell for more!

I would charge plenty too, but I would never say it sounded good, because it doesn't. You don't have to be a crook in this business to make money, but it helps.

:)

Seriously, if people want to pay big bucks for a record like that, fine by me. But I would be the first one to tell you, if you asked, that that is not the way to go to hear that music properly.

Because I like to sleep at night.
TP