Bowie: Is RCA vinyl the Best Sound we are going to get?

I did pick up a UK Green label RCA internatinonal LP of Ziggy. On its own I think it sounds very good. Anyone knows how this compare to the earlier pressings.

 

The green labels I've had (Ziggy & Hunky) were a bit brighter than the early orange labels.

 

Thank you. I also have a black label UK RCA. The second side of this LP is cut much louder than side 1. Because of this I don't like it that much. I need to find an early UK version that has the same cut on both sides.

 

I just chanced upon a bunch of Dynaflex pressings of Bowie albums (in a box that was dumped by my house); Ziggy, Aladdin, Live, Diamond Dogs. I played Live yesterday as it's the one I haven't actually heard a million times and was shocked at how good it sounded. I fully expected these to sound horrible because they were stacked flat in a box that has been abandoned for months before I finally got around to looking at it; surprisingly no warping, no scratches, no pops. I think the only dynaflex vinyl I'd heard before was some 2-lp Elvis comp we got after he died when I was a kid, I can't rememer how that sounded.

 

I thought I'd update again:

After comparison, I found that the WG RCA for Scary Monsters was better than the Japan for US RCA. The SACD is very aggressive, but it has always been an aggressive-sounding album.

 

Really nice thread.
In general mirrors what I find, UK RCA vinyl first or early press for anything early. US EMI for Let's Dance.
Scary Monsters is a toss-up. though I like the UK RCA.

 

Any comments on french RCA's? Are those any good? I am offered Space Oddity orange RCA made in France in 1972. Any ideas how much it could cost and (more important) how could it sound like?

matrix codes:
A: BPRS 4501 A MC1 2
B: BPRS 4502

 

for what it's worth...

my uk vinyl from the 70s, mostly 1st issues bought on release, beat any cd copies i've ever heard. the cd's lack a lot of the music and nuance of these lps...maybe because this is how i first heard them...but i don't think so. the only cd release that comes close to the vinyl is the 'young americans' issue from a couple of years back (visconti, i think? go tony).

we really need good cd versions of the bowie catalogue. it's shameful that they're not out there yet.

 

I agree with this. I haven't heard every version of every Bowie album on CD out there, but when I began collecting UK Bowie vinyl a few years ago, I couldn't believe the difference. To me, the Ryko CDs have weird EQ, very bright. The UK orange LPs by comparison sound absolutely magical.

 

I have a few of these french pressings. An original orange RCA in at least VG+ shape would cost somewhere between $15 and $50, depending on the rarity and who you ask. LPs are typically overpriced in France, though.

They generally sound pretty good but rarely great. Some of the 70's albums were made from UK metal parts (same mastering) IIRC. The later french pressing that have "M6" followed a bunch of numbers in the deadwax are usually a bit dead-sounding. The quality of the vynil material itself is good, but not as quiet as the best UK or german pressings.

 

Mid to late 80's LPs repress were indeed done on a budget. I had a Who's Next reissue which sounded abysmal. I quickly learned to track down early pressings or foreign ones (UK & US) not french.

 

Thanks everybody for your input. So as I understand buying near mint french orange RCA for 15$ is practically a bargain?

And... I've searched this forum and couldn't find it - Could anyone please tell what are UK RCA orange label's matrix codes for Space Oddity?

 

The only US/UK shootout I did was Hunky Dory. Originals UK v US. It wasn't close, which is always nice because it only took about 10 seconds to realize it was time to sell the US. It was obviously at least a generation away from the UK copy.

 

By the way Space Oddity was first released on Philips under the title David Bowie.

Tim

 

Yes, thank you, Tim, I know it was released by Philips first. But I am wondering if french RCA used the same stampers as UK RCA for its first release of the album.

But I am sure there will be somebody to tell the stampers for orange UK RCA of Space Oddity...?

 

BPRS 4501 1E, BPRS 4502-1E
BPRS 4501 2E /BPRS 4502 2E

Try these links:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/DAVID-BOWIE-R...dZViewItemQQptZUK_Records?hash=item48393bb139

http://www.popsike.com/DAVID-BOWIE-Space-Oddity-1972-UK-RCA-wPOSTER-MINT/310115417222.html

 

One thing I've never understood is that supposedly the RCA CDs (not a threadcrap, I promise) were dubbed from a LP master. Wouldn't that mean that the CDs should sound VERY SIMILAR to the LPs? Apparently, this is not the case as the vinyls are praised and the CDs are, well, better than any other release of his catalog. How did this happen other than bad D/A converters?

 

Thank you, Dr. Merkwürdigli. Well, not sure what it means exactly but at least half of my french pressing's code is the same - BPRS 4501 / BPRS 4502.
What is BPRS? It's not a catalog number...

 

They should still sound different, as LP masters are EQ'd to take into account the effects of transferring to vinyl. Bass is almost always rolled off (so you don't get an LP that keeps throwing the stylus out of the groove), as well as any other adjustments the engineer may care to make at the time. So, similar, perhaps, but not identical. FWIW, the original UK pressing of 'Aladdin Sane' is one of the best-sounding pieces of vinyl I have. REGULARLY played.

 

Right, but they must NOT be similar sounding because the opinions of them are completely different! If you add a RIAA curve to the Bowie CDs, do they all of a sudden sound AWESOME? You would think if it were that simple, that people would have done it YEARS ago!

 

Maybe it has something to do with the mix? I never heard a good cd of early Queen or Led Zeppelin for example. Talking about music of 70ties...

 

The German RCA CD for Low beats the UK first press LP. IMO.

And it is my belief that some of the RCA CDs were made from the master tapes -I'm thinking of the JPN Aladdin Sane, the German Low and possibly the German Scary Monsters.

 

Does anyone have the MFSL 1- 064 of Ziggy on vinyl? I have one but haven't listened to it in years. Now that I'm spinning vinyl again I'll give it a turn.

Also, IRT singles, what are the earliest 12" promotional singles for Bowie? I have a white label (iirc) of 'Fashion' that sounds really good. Of course there were a slew of them for Let's Dance but what other earlier albums had them?

 

Do you have any info behind this is or is it pure speculation?

 

As I said, "it is my belief". Pure speculation if you prefer.

We have no way of knowing for sure if these RCA CDs were made from the masters, dubs, or even EQ'd copies for that matter. Some of them sound like they are from battered old 5th generation copies, some them sound like they are fresh from the master tapes (especially to my ears the ones I listed).