Prince - 180g Vinyl - Warner/Rhino

I just noticed that Dirty Mind, Controversy and 1999 are available for pre-order from Elusive Disc on 180g vinyl.

Anybody know who mastered these? Sorry if I missed an earlier thread.

 

IMO the originals sound pretty good and aren't too hard to find...think I'll pass on these unless they are a major sonic improvement from the analog masters....

 

the japanese original pressings had less surface crackle than the US .

 

Don't have any info on the new pressings to offer but I'd stick with the original pressings. I've got most of the albums through the early 90's and they sound great. Not to mention i paid probably 4-5 bucks a piece. Save yourself some cash and go with the originals, they're all over the used bins.

 

Yeah, this is one of those things I can't quite see needing a repress -- super-easy to get hold of these albums.

 

I would agree , Surprised they are re-pressing these .

 

It's cool. I have all the originals up to Diamonds and Pearls, though the Purple Rain reissue was very well handled.

 

I've been impressed with all the Rhino vinyl I've purchased over the last few years, but I have to agree that I can't see these beating the originals - they all sound fantastic. Dirty Mind in particular has out-of-this-world bass, Bernie Grundman absolutely killed it on these albums.

 

Just another indication of a market that's becoming over-saturated with product, with a concomitant lack of attention to smart choices for reissue titles.

Next comes a falling out among the reissue labels.

 

Music Direct says these have been cut by Chris Bellman. With supervision from Bernie Grundman perhaps? Pressed at RTI.

 

I can not see how anyone will be able to recreate that 80s heavy synth funk production. Stick to the originals, they are unbeatable

 

Amen!

 

Bump, anyone review these reissues?

 

The release date has been pushed back to May 10. If anyone has heard test pressings or knows more information, many of us on prince.org would be interested in your thoughts.

 

Saw these yesterday, had to pass, but am curious as to how they sound.

 

I took the plunge and pre-ordered Dirty Mind and 1999. I'm keen to hear what Chris Bellman has done with them.

 

Well, by that criterion, about 95% of what these audiophile labels are pressing makes no sense.

 

I totally understand how people have this reaction to the Prince albums getting this treatment -- I have mint originals of all these and they sound GREAT! I can't imagine how they could sound any better.

However, Chris Bellman is THE man. I have become a huge fan of his work in the last couple of years. When I saw his name attached to these, I pre-ordered them all without blinking. I wish he could do ALL vinyl reissues -- he is on such a roll. All the Tom Petty titles he did, the Grateful Dead box along with the recent Dead mono LP, the Warner Bros. stuff he has been doing... I'm sure he has an off day every now and again like any human, but his is a name worth betting on in my book.

I'll be shocked if these don't sound every bit as good as the originals with the added bonus of quieter vinyl. That's not enough reason for most people to upgrade, but it is for me.

Bring 'em on.

 

These look good - are these done with Prince's blessing? Does he have control of these?

Does Controversy include the 'shower pic' poster? Publicity materials say it 'replicates original packaging'.

Look forward to hearing some opinions on the sound quality.

 

Yup what he said!

 

Just received all three LPs, and cracked open "Dirty Mind" right away. Sounds phenomenal... I used to have an original but it got trashed in a basement flood, so I couldn't tell you if it sounds as good or better than the original vinyl.

I can say, that I was extremely impressed with the quality of the sound of this new pressing.

Anyway, Dirty Mind is mastered by Bernie Grundman not Chris Bellman. There is a BG in the deadwax. I wonder if WB could or would actually use the original vinyl mastering if it were still available? I doubt it, but regardless Dirty Mind at least is a Bernie Grundman master.

 

Bernie mastered all three of these albums originally when they were first released. So it seems quite appropriate that he did them this time around too.

 

What else is written in the deadwax? I have an original pressing, and this is what appears to be written in the deadwax:

Side 1: BSK-1-3478 LWI
Side 2: BSK-2-3478 LWI

I don't see a BG in the deadwax on the original.

Can't wait to get my copies of these.

 

The original catalog number for Dirty Mind is BSK 3478.

 

Bernie never signed his initials in the majority of the albums and singles he mastered. Especially during the years he ran the mastering studio at A&M Records. His handwriting is very distinctive. Specifically the way he writes the number "2".