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

a quick run through the nitty gritty with just distilled water largely fixes these issues for me (if even present to begin with), which would support your theory. when they come out, static charge is visibly reduced. anecdotal, sure, but still....

 

Does anyone have an opinion on the content of The Eternal?

 

Hmmm still pretty crackly after about 5 plays though the second disc is pretty much fine. It's a pretty good album i must say on a par with Sonic Nurse and Rather Ripped but not as good as Murray Street. Might try giving it a little wash though it looks very shiny and clean as is.

Just playing the first side of the live album and that sounds fine just the odd crackle. Sounds like a good addition to my collection too. Brilliant version of The Sprawl on this by the way.

 

I definitely agree with you on this. This cd sounds like sonic mud. It seems really goosed in the bottom end. It's a very aggressive mastering job. Honestly, I'm having a hard time getting into the album because of it. I pine for the days of decent and dynamic SY cd masterings of the 90's like Dirty, Jet Set, Trash and No Star and Washing Machine.

Well at least I got the live album too. I haven't spun that yet, but will listen to it soon.

 

I've listened to the first half a couple of times now and the stand out tracks for me so far, at least on the first half, are "Leaky Lifeboat (for Gregory Corso)" and "Antenna".

Also, anyone noticed in the cover art that it seems to be signed by John Fahey? Is that the same as the guitarist? I could be misreading the signature. Also, is that Johnny Thunders on the inside sleeve?

 

Yes, it's a painting by John Fahey the late guitarist and it is indeed Johnny Thunders, the photo is credited on the sleeve notes.

Despite my pressing problems the 3 songs on side two are all excellent especially Antenna and What We Know. Great bass on third track Calming The Snake before the guitars kick in hard.

 

Whoops, I completely forgot about the sleeve notes tucked in the opposite sleeve. I really dig the packaging for the cd. Very LP like.

Also, I don't usually do this, but I swear my headphones were clicking from the tom hits in this song:

 

Oh my, that's nasty, almost Rubin/Meller nasty. But the ultimate proof will be in the listening, and as noted above I guess this is what The Artists wanted...

 

Boy, I hope not. I swear I can hear clipping artifacts on that particular song. From looking at Greg Calbi's discography he's done a lot for Matador recently. It makes me wonder if he's sort of their main go-to for mastering these days.

 

Mine too. In fact all my Matador RTI pressings are as close to perfect as anyone is ever gonna get.

 

There is an interesting discussion going on on the Sonic Youth section of the Matador board right now about this and other recent Matador records. Specifically, Patrick from Matador comments on the label's plans to move away from 180g vinyl. I, for one, think this is a good thing if it lowers prices and the records sound good.

Link: http://www.matadorrecords.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9514&page=3

Relevant text from Patrick:
re: 120 gram. We want to. The shipping costs on the actual SY album (dbl 180) were out of hand. And I think 120 can sound better than 180.

Unfortunately many people have been brainwashed into thinking 180 = quality.

There is the resistance to warpage issue. I do think this is more important than ever now that fewer of the people shipping, handling and storing this stuff have any idea how to take care of it.

But yeah, I agree. Our next few releases are coming out on RTI 120 gram, and we've kept the prices as low as we could in light of that fact. We'll see how they do.

 

Let's not forget the producer is John Agnello, compressor-supreme. So very likely the damage was done before it got to Calbi.

Unlike Murray Street, I myself do not hear distortion or the sound of digital overs. That one, I wonder if an "audiophile" remaster might rescue, at some point. That'd be great because it's a beautiful album.

 

My LP pressing is not noisy at all, sounds good, but does not sound all-analog. I cleaned mine first before playing. The music is good from what I've heard so far.

 

My experience has been the same. These along with my collection of later Wilco albums, particularly YHF, are the highest quality modern pressings in my collection.

 

Yeah I was thinking of getting the vinyl but that's too much!
Instead I got the cd today for 9.99 from BestBuy.

 

Just too bad they're Wilco records.

 

BTW - customer service has been absolutely horrific. My LP and live bonus arrived on Friday, but the post office destroyed the cover. I am waiting to open the vinyl before I find out whether they want me to ship it back or what - SY is one of my favorite bands and the anticipation is killing me (though I have heard the stream for some time). I have sent four emails and called as well. Not a single response at all.

I ordered from them thinking that it would be more cost-effective and the label keeps the dough. I am NEVER ordering vinyl directly from them. Just terrible and a huge thumbs down.

Can't wait to hear it - but seriously, I'm not confident that this is happening any time soon given their complete lack of diligence in responding to my requests. This is no Mosaic, Music Matters, Music Direct or Audio Fidelity, folks!

 

I have an extra cover if you want it (because I got an autographed one along with my LP. If you can't get a new one from Matador or whoever, PM me and maybe you can just PayPal me some postage and I'll send it over.

 

I greatly apprecaite your generosity!

Will let you know. I sent another email last night - still no response and when I call them, I just get sent to someone's voice mail.

 

I really like the sound on this cd. Despite the waveform and all.......

 

yeh, I like it but not immediately as much as Rather Ripped which was much more Pop. The Eternal is very melodic but also a heavier vibe than Rather Ripped. I don't see any new ground being forged.

That being said I think it is a destination lp. One to listen to ad nauseam with so much to take in and I'm only on my second listen.

My vinyl sounds great and arrived in great condition, as good as any other RTI pressing I have or any Classic Records, etc. The live lp is really good , too.

 

Still waiting for my vinyl to arrive, but I'm loving the album -- and it really has grown on me after at first not being too impressed. Really love the second track, with the extended outro. Very cool.

 

Anti-Orgasm is a good one. I really like side three, too, which is more straightforward than the other sides.

 

Regardless of my issues with customer service, I wanted to report that as far as the LPs go, I was fortunate enough to receive four clean sides. Further, the sound is quite good. Regarding compression - duh - it is rock music (and yes, even the beloved RVG used plenty of it as well - Marc Rusch at CIMP, eg, not so much). Regarding the whole, I am very, very pleased with the record. It is another great one that will be played often in my home.

Regarding the content, I am personally a fan of SY's current direction. Their ability to fuse their improvisational/pop sensibilities into a seamless whole is impressive. They have had a lot of records and some duds, but imho, they are at another creative peak. Plus, they brought the rock.

There are some strong "pop" songs on the record for sure, like Sacred Trickster, Antenna and Thundercap For Bobby Pyn. There are also longer jams, if you will, that are impressive. Anti-Orgasm and Massage The History are good examples of their extended realms. And hey - even the Lee songs are pretty good!

So, two thumbs up from this long-time fan.

 

I got my LP yesterday. I think us Norwegians must be lucky - I only paid about $25 for it, which is a mere 3 bucks more than the CD at standard first week sale price. I consider that an absolute bargain, considering the dual 180g RTI vinyl (mine was also very nice and quiet), not to mention the *stunning* gatefold jacket quality. I think someone mentioned it previously, but apparently they hunted down the only printing facility in the US which was still able to produce LP covers the old-fashioned way. I can't quite put it into words (at least not English), but you know - the thick cardboard quality sleeve with glossy texture, and the inside with a pasted-on print. Just like in the 60s and 70s! I haven't seen a gatefold record this nice since...well, any of my vintage vinyl. The sheer weight is enough to tip me over... I can only imagine that this sort of thing is expensive to produce, so I consider it a steal for what I paid.

As far as the content, I have only made it through about once, so a little early to tell. The shorter, more rocking tunes sound a little same-y to my ears, and sometimes remind of their sound around Dirty, which I'm not so keen on, as they sound a little thrown-together here. The rest though, reminds me much more of Sonic Nurse, which I do like a lot, so I think there will be more to savour here. Antenna and Massage the Hisotry won me over on first listen, that's for sure. I'm a fan of their later, more "mature" and somewhat relaxed sound, now that they are well into their "grown-up" phase, and don't expect another EVOL, Sister or Daydream Nation, let alone Goo or Dirty.