Fairport Convention 4MWB LP reissues *

Not even close...(at least L&L)...

I was gonna say that too, based on my very unimpressive first run thru of the 4MWB Liege and Lief, which I KNOW sounded like sludge compared to my UK Pink Island copy...

But I have not tried the other two FC titles out yet, as they are lost in the stacks already...

...and I have not read Michael's review, an analogue reviewer I respect and admire, who usually gets it right, but I have some serious doubts this time...

Maybe he's trying to smooze to get some more upcoming 4MWB advanced pressings...

 

It's actually possible he's listening to quite different discs to the issued ones. It's happened before that test/review copies are not the same as the production.

The 4MWB stuff has always seemed a bit polite and rolled off to me; that's not something you want to do to Liege and Leif, a muddy mess of sound to begin with even on (polydor) pink island. IIRC discussions here favored the original US CD, where someone seems to have used some EQ in a non-destructive way to make it sound decent... Now if this old stuff had sounded like (say) the Albion Band LPs on Harvest we'd be getting some music...

 

Best Liege?...

HUm... interesting info. MikeyH...

I'll have to look into that (play some) and get back to you...

 

I've never seen a Pye mastering of Liege, though I do have one of King Crimson's first. It's conceivable that's quite different. I find the polydor cut quite dark and dim, though certainly no lack of power.

 

I've seen a U.K. double-LP "Best of" or "Anthology" or the like...

Probably pressed in the late 70's / early 80's.

Anyone know anything about it and its sound quality?
.

 

I have an (original ??)1972 copy of that one;it is called "The History of Fairport Convention" Island ICD 4.

On the front is has a Pete Frame "Family Tree"(in a kind "medieval ages"handwriting) ,inside the gatefold there is a 12 page "booklet" in as slightly smaller format then the gatefold containing notes on every song by John Wood.

At the back the handwriting of the tracklisting is identical with that on the front,little symbols refer to the respective album the track has been culled from.

The respective CD of it has some tracks less(due to playing time restrictions similar to Jethro Tull's "Living in the Past" set),sound quality is average(just because Island was a rather small label and Fairport not a "front row" act).

 

Yep, that's the double-LP I've seen.

Are you saying the sound of the LP set or the CD is "average"?
.

 

History Ribbons... 1st and 2nd place...

I believe he is talking about the sound of the CD...

The vinyl sounds dope...(see annoying phrases thread...)

I have this too, and did you know that there are at least two different colors of the ribbon on the cover, a first and a second pressing... One is red, and I think the other blue? Anyone know which came first?

 

Hi,I am NOT talking about the sound of the CD!

This double LP dates from 1972,and in those days a lot of not so successful bands(and mind you:Fairport was an underground act)on not that successful labels(and mind you:Island was a major independent,but was fairly small to the majors of the day)were not that well recorded as the studios were 2nd rate equipment wise,and in Island's case most of the material was given to 2nd rate pressing plants....etc

I am not saying that the double LP in question sounds bad,but to make the stuff really stand-up certainly requires a major overhaul which in this case would be easy as most of the Fairport stuff was remastered some years ago!

I know the CD as well.and I'd like to point out that its overall sound is worse compared to that of the LP set!

 

I have a pink rim Holidays with this matrix:

• Matrix / Runout: ILPS 9092 A-3U
• Matrix / Runout: ILPS 9092 B-4U

Can anyone give me the lowdown on this pressing? Seems like a later pink rim since it apparently shares matrix info with the later blue/orange label. I think it sounds pretty good, but the vocals are pretty hot - almost sibilant in the loud spots.

 

Also, it's a quite a bit flimsier vinyl than the pink rim I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight I have. That one has a hand-etched matrix and a very similar looking label although it has a date and is missing the "witch on a broom" logo. Also, Holidays has a stamped GD on side A and a stamped T on side B.

 

I could be described as a Fpt fan, and I don't think L&L has ever sounded very good. It has always, to my ears, felt closed in and indistinct. Because of this I wouldn't expect much from another vinyl reissue, but I appreciate the OP's comments anyway.

On the 4MWB label I have 3x Bridget St. John reissues and 2x Incredible String Band reissues. All of them sound acceptable, and all, I would guess, are from a digital source of some kind. They wouldn't suit a purist.

 

Tapestry, which used to be Timeless, is a boot label, almost certainly. On or 2 of their releases may be official, but most not.

 

It went from Tapestry to Timeless. The Tapestry version of 'What We Did On Our Holidays' sounds pretty close to my Pink Rim copy. My guess is they may be sourced from high quality neeble drops at 24/96. The Timeless edition of the First Album (originaly Polydor) also sounds pretty fine to me.

 

Right. Thought I might have that backwards.

Btw, the Timeless edition of Strawbs: Strawbs is very good - good sound and no pressing issues, but again it's probably from a digital source and I was never able to establish whether it's official.

 

I would love to have L&L on good sounding vinyl if it exists but I have the original US CD and it sounds fine to my ears so I guess I will stay with that one.

 

Frankly all the Timeless/Tapestry vinyl releases I have are at least good to excellent. Given the dubious sources and remasterings issued by the official record labels these have to be the best series of 'bootlegs' ever. I think their credentials are called into question by them being based or registered in Liechtenstein and changing the label name in the middle of the run of reissues. They did make some rare and expensive material available on very decent pressings though.

 

I have L&L on gold label A&M and I think it sounds great - I've heard that the Pink Islands blow it away and that might be true, but for $5 or so, you can find a nice US copy. That goes double for the A&M Unhalfbricking which has RL in the deadwax - that one has amazing clarity and depth. The WLP I have of Full House ain't too shabby either, nor is the A&M Gold Sandy album which has LH in the deadwax . . . they may not sound as good as the UK Islands, but the US pressings sound very, very good to me for the price.

 

Thanks! Those show up on occasion at my local vinyl shop and will keep an eye out for them.

 

For an alternative reissue of Liege and Lief the revived Simply Vinyl have released a new version. The Gatefold repro is a bit shoddy (white background) but it sounds pretty good and certainly is not muddy sounding. My guess it is better than 4MWB. Their version of Unhalfbricking was a highlight of the original SV companies' releases. Try to buy from a dealer as I found their own website and customer service to be diabolical as they failed to deliver 2 titles I ordered and would not reply to phone or email messages. Luckily paid with paypal and had to open a dispute to get a refund.

 

The original US CD and LP of L&L seem really fine. I haven't heard the new expanded ones, but based on Spotify not much has changed. The UK remaster of Unhalfbricking remains a favorite, as well.

This is one where the UK needs to be auditioned carefully.

 

And the Woodstock soundtracks!

 

On a related note, what was the deal with the Carthage/Hannibal reissues. I swear they used a different composition of vinyl than I've seen anywhere else. It looks like melted S&M outfits. Nevertheless, my Danny Thompson Whatever? is one of my best sounding albums (even with a slight warp). The Sandy Denny box is a bit noisy, however.

 

I've had really good luck with all my Hannibal discs, CD and LP. They seem very shiny and quiet to me, and very well made.

 

Me too. I have a number of Hannibal/Carthage LPs i bought new from '84-'92 ish and they're all very good. CDs also.