June 9 : Sonic Youth’s ‘The Eternal’ with BEGN option

Live album: thumbs way up though my pressing has quite a bit of noise. I'm really bummed I missed this show--it's an awesome set list too. Packaging is essentially the same as the Pavement Record Store Day so I think it's the standard for Matador promo/one-offs.

CD mastering is credited to Greg Calbi, FWIW.

 

Hey-
I also got a signed cover. My Thurston sig is all smudged though. But still very cool.

I had the same reaction to the sound. Very dark, thick, and warm on the lower end like you describe (on my VPI Scout w/ Dynavector 10x5)

 

Thanks!

Mine showed up today, and it is a really nice package. Haven't got the chance to play it yet.

 

Got a signed cover with my CD order, a very pleasant and unexpected surprise. So I got a sealed cd, the poster, the live LP, and an autographed empty gatefold jacket of the LP.

 

here's Malibu Gas Station (hardly the loudest song on the cd)

 

His work can be pretty variable, alas - it all depends on the client. Although I would suspect that SY would have their heads screwed on right on this front.

 

I received an email last week from Sonic Youth saying thanks for pre-ordering and that I'd be getting another email with a link to an exclusive merch store that would expire this coming Thursday. I've yet to recieve the link. Anyone get it?

 

I didn't receive that link either.

It was a nice, unexpected surprise to get that email from sonicyouth.com - my assumption is that they're not directly associated with the Matador BEGN promotion, but wanted to offer a little something extra to help fill out the bonuses provided to BEGN purchasers who might be feeling a little less than 100% thrilled with the program so far.

I'm curious to check out what the discounted merchandise is going to be. I have most of the recorded stuff (CDs/LPs) by Sonic Youth already, but perhaps there are a few releases I've managed to overlook that will be included in the sale?

Craig.

 

Well at least I'm not alone.

 

just received an email saying some orders are delayed and won't be out till mid week. don't know if that means my order, as they already told me they shipped it, although it's yet to arrive?

they sent a download link for a 320 kbs mp3 copy of the album to compensate.

 

I got the link to the "secret" store. There's just a few crappy t-shirts. Nothing interesting whatsoever.

 

matador=greed

the new tori amos is 180gram. its a double album/gatefold. and a great album. price at amoeba in hollywood?
$16.98.

sonic youth must have become republicans. for shame.

 

RTI 180g pressings are $2.30 not $4. bottom line is, matador is ripping public off with $38 list price. period.

 

Yeah, I got this, too. And received the e-mail last week saying mine had already shipped.

 

Most of the time Greg Calbi's work is fairly good to my ears...
But what has he done this time ?? I listened to the cd once... I don't know what you people think, but well this one sounds horrible ! it lacks everything that would make me appreciate the album...

 

Dang it. I wanted to order the live lp combo. I had it the web page opened and didn't order two weeks ago, and then last week too. Finally decided to pull the trigger. No longer available. Ugggh !!

 

It's $27.89 from Insound, but is missing the bonus disc.

Sonic Youth - The Eternal 2xLP

 

That's what I want though, the live lp.

 

Very noisy pressing which stinks for £28!

Loads of staticy sounding crackle especially in the right channel (side two is really bad) and distortion artifacts similar to groovewear when the dynamics increase. Ruins the listen for me. I have most of their albums on vinyl and they all sound great but not this one which was the most expensive by far. Tried adjusting the tracking on my cartridge which i never have to do but no improvement. I was worried my stylus iwas exhibiting first evidence of wear so i put on a mint copy of Free's Fire And Water on Island Pink rim and it sounded perfect. It's just a rubbish pressing from RTI yet again. This happened with the RTI 180g Mark Olson/Gary Louris album where there is groove distortion all through side two. Pathetic.

 

Yes I'm not surprised...
Alas it's veryfying for most of recent pressings... The sooner the better people will realize this and stop buying such crap... maybe it would make the manufacturers more cautious about their product quality...
I wasn't intended to buy it anyway... and as I've previously said, even the cd sounds like crap... no medium range... compressed... distant... sad... Sonic Youth deserves a better treatment

 

Helter9Skelter, Matador's list price for the stock, non-Buy Early that came with extra LP, poster, and mp3s, is $28. Whatever problems some may experience with the pressings (mine were good), they are offering precisely the same physical product as one of the Music Matters 2x45rpm Blue Note issues--same record plant and weight, same super nice sleeve printed by the same firm--except they are offering picture sleeves on the inside too. Music Matters charges $50, Matador $28. I'm sorry you think $28 is too much, but you are frankly wrong. You cannot find any RTI vinyl, Stoughton Press sleeved double LPs on the market for less than that. Some indies do press that way, and their single LPs are usually $18-$22 and doubles $28-$35. You may not want to pay for deluxe sleeves, but that is what they cost, no rip off involved.

 

I do not like the sound very much either. Watching the VU meter and the frequency spectrum on Foobar shows the vinyl needledrop and the download mp3 to have similar lack of dynamic range (about 4db to the eye) and a similar frequency spectrum--not lacking in mids (as claimed above), but dramatically sloping down in the highs.

To think this is not what the band wants, however, I think is ridiculous. First, this is their fourth straight new release that has this same sonic signature (Murray Street, Sonic Nurse, and Rather Ripped share it). Second, their "deluxe editions" also share a very compressed sound, and T mentioned how great it sounded in the liner notes to one, and one said "super remastered" on the cover. Third, the mastering was in town and I'd guess they attended the session. Fourth, the vinyl sounds pretty much the same as the CD, making it seem even less like an accident. Fifth, the label is not known for compression, and clearly is going out of their way to give the band what it wants in other respects.

 

So what are people's thoughts on the live bonus LP itself? Performance, set list, etc. I've noticed that the live album is included as a bonus CD on the Japanese limited edition, making this version the only place that the live album is available on a silver-pressed CD. Is the live bonus set worth plunking down the extra $ to get it on CD?

 

No problems here. Pancake-flat and dead quiet. YMMV, I guess....

 

This is probably a painfully obvious thing to say given the pros 'round here, but I'm wondering if a static gun or similar would take care of a lot of the problems being mentioned. I've had many records that sounded crackly and crappy on first play, but smooth and quiet on subsequent listens.