Dark Side Of The Moon 50th Anniversary

[ToTo Man]

With all these classic albums they should just recreate the originals in totally obsessive detail IMO. In this case just remake the UK ‘blue triangle’ 1st press down to the last full stop on the cover, the type of backing on the stickers, and get the master right to the point you can’t tell it apart in a blind test.

Is this even possible given that the master tapes are 50 years old now and have (presumably) been played to death? I think the closest thing to an original pressing you'd get now is a needledrop of a clean original pressing but I doubt many customers would pay £££ for that.

 

[per-Sony-fied]

That version is not very good at all IMHO. It is however worth a lot of money. If I were you I’d sell it and buy this (which I’d expect to be a lot better) or a nice tidy bog-standard used ‘70s cut for about £50-70. The latter would be my choice, but I’d also expect this clear copy to be very nicely done. The MoFi just sounds all kinds of wrong to me; mid-scooped and gutless.

It's not the only version in my possession. I also have a Japanese vinyl version & the 30th Anniversary version on Hybrid SACD. None to sure which is best tho' since none have been played for so long. Until my TT reaches it's rebuild conclusion I'll not know.

 

[per-Sony-fied]

Is this even possible given that the master tapes are 50 years old now and have (presumably) been played to death? I think the closest thing to an original pressing you'd get now is a needledrop of a clean original pressing but I doubt many customers would pay £££ for that.

Some by amazement do. A couple of recent eBay auctions saw 1 go for (roughly) £750 & 1 (roughly) a whapping £1999

 

[ToTo Man]

Some by amazement do. A couple of recent eBay auctions saw 1 go for (roughly) £750 & 1 (roughly) a whapping £1999

Sorry I meant pay for a needledrop, not the actual original pressing. I'd happily stump up good money for a high-res digital copy of a minty-clean first pressing, but I don't think I'd pay money for a vinyl repressing of a needledrop as you're effectively doubling the noise floor and probability of hearing pops and ticks!

 

[per-Sony-fied]

Don’t underestimate just how batshit crazy the algorithm can be, if it takes a real dip just for an hour or two a pre-order will catch that and it becomes your price. The one thing I that is attractive here is the release is such a long time off and that has to stack things a little in our favour. That said I have a feeling the algorithm may be a little less insane these days, but I’ve certainly won on it in the past. There was a long pre-order on the DSOTM Live At Wembley and IIRC that landed on the doormat at about £15.50, though that one wasn’t limited and has settled at a very reasonable £20 (actually feels like decent value for what you get; nice pressing, nice cover, posters etc).

PS Given the huge time-frame, and given I really don’t need it myself, I think if it hasn’t sold-out, or at least starting to look really tight in supply by the start of April I’ll just cancel.

Edit: I’ve cancelled! I have a feeling they’ve made container-loads of them, so I’ll leave it to those who actually want it. I’m sure it will be really nice, and I’d not be at all surprised if Amazon’s bonkers preorder algorithm didn’t get the best price given the huge lead-time, so if you want it get in now, but I just don’t need this one myself and I have a feeling I’d have to keep it sealed for a decade or so to show a good return.

Just had a peak on Amazon France. It went down to €54.13 on Feb 6th & €58.49 on Feb 16th. Hey hoo....

 

[shrink]

I just received the vinyl only edition of this album, with reproductions of the original posters and stickers etc.

Haven’t played it yet though, so I’ll be keen to see how it compares to my much much older pressing (early 80’s if I remember right)

Edit: I remember wrong. I have a 1977 5th pressing in fair condition. It’s a little noisy but still sounds so darn good.

 

[cporton]

Here are the three CDs I have to hand (the silver-face is in the shop). The ‘black face’ is unquestionably ‘the one’, almost certainly the quietest CD I own, the level really is feeble, but it sounds how it should to my ears, very like original UK vinyl. The ‘TO’ black-triangle and UK silver-face are identical. Exactly the same mastering, which isn’t bad, but it does have a spike in the treble which doesn’t sit well with me.



I don’t know that one at all. World market Floyd confuses the hell out of me, e.g. why are the first issue Japanese DSOTM and Meddle (also available as a black triangle) on EMI/Harvest, but WYWH CBS/Sony? I think the same is true in the USA too, though the EMI stuff is Capitol there. I know the ultra-collectable WYWH is a CBS with only two tracks, but I can’t remember much more than that. The Japan for UK black-face (label looks the same as the DSOTM in my pic and has a black cover pic like the sticker on the shrink of original vinyl) sounds superb. Again exactly right to these ears, so I’m done there.

As for ASFOS I’ve got ‘70s ‘two-box EMI’ UK Columbia vinyl and the UK silver-face CD. I don’t think I’ve even played the CD, I just filed it away when I found it for a quid or two as I’m trying to get a good early set of CDs. Is the Japanese CD you refer to mono or stereo?

PS I’ve just stuck the ‘black face’ up against my A10/B9 (correction from upthread) UK vinyl. I am now convinced this CD is taken from the vinyl cutting master, they sound unbelievably close. So close I don’t think I’d be able to tell them apart blind. May well be the closest vinyl vs. CD comparison I’ve ever heard.

Sorry to revive this thread for a quick question... maybe for @Tony L , given that he posted the above).

According to http://www.pinkfloydarchives.com/DUKCDPF.htm#DSOTM1

I've got 2 copies of the Harvest Records 1st issue CD, namely...

23) Top: CDP 7-46001 2 CP35-3017 30A1
47) Top: CDP 7-46001 2 CP35-3017 34B2

They seem to match the 42:56 total time, whereas I also have 1 copy of the Harvest Records 3rd issue, namely...

2) Top: CDP 7 46001 2 AR CP43-5771 1A1 TO

...which shows the 42:54 timing.

However, both copies of the Harvest Records 1st issue CD don't show as having pre-emphasis on XLD or dBpoweramp CD Ripper.

Do other people's "Black Face" / 1st issue CDs have pre-emphasis do you know? Is the Pink Floyd Archives site wrong?

Or am I looking in the wrong place for the pre-emphasis flag?

TIA,

Chris

 

[Tony L]

I’ve no idea where to look for the pre emphasis flag, but the ‘non-TO’ and ‘TO’ masterings sound totally different. The former is very quiet in level, but sounds very like original UK vinyl; warm, balanced and natural, the latter is louder and much brighter, and to most people’s taste doesn’t sound anywhere near as good.

 

[cporton]

Thanks @Tony L .

Anyone else have one of these discs and could advise re: pre-emphasis?

I want to check I'm getting the de-emphasis right once the files go to Roon etc.

Thanks,

Chris

 

[allthingsanalog]

Sorry to revive this thread for a quick question... maybe for @Tony L , given that he posted the above).

According to http://www.pinkfloydarchives.com/DUKCDPF.htm#DSOTM1

I've got 2 copies of the Harvest Records 1st issue CD, namely...

23) Top: CDP 7-46001 2 CP35-3017 30A1
47) Top: CDP 7-46001 2 CP35-3017 34B2

They seem to match the 42:56 total time, whereas I also have 1 copy of the Harvest Records 3rd issue, namely...

2) Top: CDP 7 46001 2 AR CP43-5771 1A1 TO

...which shows the 42:54 timing.

However, both copies of the Harvest Records 1st issue CD don't show as having pre-emphasis on XLD or dBpoweramp CD Ripper.

Do other people's "Black Face" / 1st issue CDs have pre-emphasis do you know? Is the Pink Floyd Archives site wrong?

Or am I looking in the wrong place for the pre-emphasis flag?

TIA,

Chris

My black face has pre-emphasis. (Demph) on Dac is light.

Need a Dac to be sure as I've yet to find a pc programme to be accurate. I did try a software decoding to the cd when ripping the files once but didn’t sound anywhere near as good as being done by a Dac or cd player.

• Matrix / Runout (Variant 26): CDP 7-46001 2 CP35-3017 28A1

https://www.discogs.com/release/2020149-Pink-Floyd-The-Dark-Side-Of-The-Moon