Calling all Rush on vinyl fans

Posted by: Belfast Taxman on 28 February 2016

I am currently refreshing my vinyl collection of Rush and have been buying the 2015 reissues on 180 g vinyl. Most have been excellent but I have had repeat problems with "A Farewell to Kings" and surface noise just where you don't want it, at the start of Xanadu. My second copy going back to Amazon tomorrow, hopefully third time lucky.

However the main question is this mornings shock when I played my brand new copy of "Exit Stage Left" which I have previously only owned on CD. Side one (I have not checked the whole album) sounds dreadful. Bass heavy with no mid- range at all and a little bit of tinny cymbals. I breathed a huge sigh of relief when I quickly played another album to discover there was no hifi system issue. My CD version is fine, so what is going on? Anyone had a similar issue? If it is a pressing issue then it is the first time in over 40 years of buying vinyl that I have ever come across such a thing. Always a first time I suppose.

Posted on: 29 February 2016 by Belfast Taxman

Surely there are a few Rush fans out there. In fact I know there are because there was a previous thread in anticipation of the vinyl reissues on this very Forum.

i have checked the Steve Hoffman Forum and indeed the Rush forum, and whilst I could not find anything directly on Exit Stage Left, there does seem to be considerable disenchantment with a number of the reissues with poor pressing quality a lot more common than I would have expected

caveat emptor it would seem

Posted on: 03 March 2016 by KRM

Hi Belfast,

I have Exit Stage Left, but haven't listened yet, so will check tonight.

The reissues are the best I have heard Rush sound. The problems of which I am aware are:

- AF2K is, as you say, a noisy pressing (the others are silent);

- Hemespheres has a gap after the Prologue (easily corrected on the digital version)

- Snakes &Arrows side A pressed off centre, which happened to me, but replacement was fine.

I will report my findings on Exit Stage Left.

Keith

Posted on: 04 March 2016 by Belfast Taxman

Thanks KRM

The good news was that I was third time lucky on aF2K - almost pure silence at the start of Xanadu - bliss

Posted on: 04 March 2016 by KRM

Well, I had a quick listen and compared it to my original vinyl album which I bought at the time. Yes, it sounds muffled and dull, but so does the original pressing. I remember reading a review at the time which suggested that it may have been recorded from the foyer. Good news about AF2K, though sadly, I would need to buy it again as its a bit late to take mine back :-(

Keith

Posted on: 05 March 2016 by Iron Cobra

Think I will stick with my originals thanks. I got Counterparts and Test for Echoes for christmas to complete the vinyl collection. Not at all impressed with the quality.

Posted on: 05 March 2016 by KRM

Iron Cobra posted:
Think I will stick with my originals thanks. I got Counterparts and Test for Echoes for christmas to complete the vinyl collection. Not at all impressed with the quality.

With the reservations I mentioned earlier in the thread, these reissues are the best I've heard Rush sound. Sean Magee (who remastered the recent mono Beatles box set) has done a sensational job. If I had to single two out they would by Fly By Night and Roll the Bones.

Keith

Posted on: 08 March 2016 by joerand

KRM posted:
Iron Cobra posted:
Think I will stick with my originals thanks. I got Counterparts and Test for Echoes for christmas to complete the vinyl collection. Not at all impressed with the quality.
With the reservations I mentioned earlier in the thread, these reissues are the best I've heard Rush sound. Sean Magee (who remastered the recent mono Beatles box set) has done a sensational job. If I had to single two out they would by Fly By Night and Roll the Bones.
Keith

Keith,

Have you got the original "Moving Pictures" vinyl to compare to the remastered pressing? I'd be quite surprised if the new vinyl can top a quality original pressing of that one. Would be interesting to hear from anyone else as well.

Posted on: 08 March 2016 by KRM

Yes, I have and I agree that the original is close to perfection. The new one is very good too, but I haven't compared them back to back. I wil do so this evening and post my findings.

Keith

Posted on: 09 March 2016 by dayjay

I can't comment on the vinyl versions but I would agree that in general the 2015 digital versions are the best I have heard Rush with one or two of them being fabulous.