Moody Blues: Days Of Future Passed (Original Mix): Best Pressing?

US or UK Deram? Matrixes?

What about the Reel-To-Reel?

 

You must be speaking of Vinyl, yes?

 

the reel isn't so hot. Neither are the original pressings which I think sound incredibly dull and muffled. The MFSL was a revelation when it came out...

 

The MFSL is the dreaded remix. JWB is asking about the ORIGINAL, far superior, mix. For that, get an original UK Deram (with the DSS logo on the cover). Blows away any US pressing (and the cover painting looks SOOO much better!).

 

First-pressing U.S. Derams would have lacquers cut at New York's late, lamented Bell Sound, and in the case of the stereo releases, the matrix info on the dead wax would be machine-stamped instead of hand-etched, indicating that they were cut by Sol Kessler. (Later Bell Sound lacquers were hand-etched on the dead wax by Sam "sf" Feldman, and then there were a few Mediasound-cut lacquers in the 1970-72 period.)

 

I agree. I've had or heard all the vinyl mentioned, and the UK pressing are far superior.
Lance

 

Thanks guys! I'm off to get a UK DSS pressing.

I have a Gilbert Kong US pressing but it's rather noisy.

 

there was a two-fer Reel to Reel of "Lost Chord" and "Future Past" put out by something called the Reel Society. A pal of mine got one on e-bay, and it's the original mix, and it's pretty awesome sounding, actually.

I never found out what the Reel Society was, the tape was in a plain kind of box. Maybe someone here knows. This picture was in the e-bay ad:

 

I've got a German DSS pressing, and it's pretty nice....the US vinyl isn't all bad, but the pressing quality is so damned erratic you can't even trust a visual inspection.....

I've been curious about the Deram pressing from Canada. I've got most of the other MB Original 7 from the North, but don't seem to have that one. The others I'm very pleased with, wouldn't mind checking that press out too....

There's also a reissue c. 1971 from Japan, that has an interesting gatefold cover. Unfortunately, the copy was just noisy and scratchy enough to detract from the sonics. Shame, had to pick it up for next to nothing just for the cover, would have liked a mint press for reference....

 

G.K. (Gilbert Kong) cut Deram, US sounds great.

 

My brother had a US copy. Unfortunately, it was a late '70s pressing, cut at Columbia and pressed by Columbia.

 

I own many pressings of this album and my fav is the stereo UK first pressing with -1 on both sides (hard to find but worth it).

 

Unbanded, correct?

 

IIRC, the UK issues are partly unbanded.. tracks are grouped in sections, with no bands between tracks in a section. I haven't seen a totally unbanded copy. Not sure if I have a -1, -1 though..

The UK, while dim, is indeed the best sounding, though the US bell sound isn't too bad.

Later UKs, (Deram not DSS) are even dimmer but still beat the US. Some covers are different, omitting the white band on the top. Still worth having.

 

How does the recent Speaker's Corner LP rate? Or is that the remix?

 

I have a copy of the unbanded cover that still has the original mix inside, so don't assume that the changed cover indicates the remix is within. You actually have to LISTEN to the record!

 

What is the remix that you're talking about?

 

Were the UK first pressings in mono, too?

 

Yes, I have both stereo and mono

 

Do a search on the EXTENSIVE posts here about the remix from 1973.

 

1978 actually.

 

Are you sure? I always thought that the remix came about when they did the quad mix in 1973.

 

Larry, I hope you don't mind if I use your quote from the search I did in case others are curious:

"BTW, the easiest way to tell the 2 mixes apart is at the end of Evening--on the original they say "Evening, time to get away" 3 times. On the remaster they only say it twice. When I first got a 70s UK vinyl copy & the MFSL vinyl edition, I always wondered where the 3rd repeat went to!
The repeat of Peak Hour is only on the quad & DTS versions, and not on the stereo remix.

The original mix of this album is way superior to the remix, & it's a damn shame it's still missing."

 

What's even worse are there are safety copies of the original mix that exist in the US, Canada, Germany, and other countries, yet no one at Universal seems to know or care enough to go and pick them up from the vaults

 

It's the remix. For what it is, it's pretty nice.