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'Music on Vinyl' Pressings

Elephantears

Elephantears

Trunkated Aesthete
Does anyone know of a good source of Music on Vinyl releases? Their website doesn't include a list of stockists.

I recently bought their edition of 'Someday My Prince Will Come' and it is really very good. I had been put off Music on Vinyl a while back after reading that their edition of Kind of Blue was sourced from digital. I don't know if 'Someday My Prince..' is sourced from master tapes or not, but it seems to me superb.
 
AFAIK most of their stuff is sourced from digital. So I avoid them. I am aware that does not answer your question, sorry.
 
Yes that's what I'd heard, as I say above, and it had put me off. But this 'Someday My Prince' sounds as good as or better than the Classic Records 'Kind of Blue', for example. If you were nitpicking you might say that the saxophones can be slightly recessed, but Miles sounds beautiful.
 
Better than the Classic Blue, now that's something! But on the other hand, those are different recordings. Prince may have been a better recording from the beginning (soundwise, of course). I really cannot comment the records you mention, as I only have Blue on CD and do not own Prince. I know, that Classic RIs have their issues, but what I have (mostly rock) is excellent. Sometimes even better than originals.
 
FranzD said:
Better than the Classic Blue, now that's something!
Click to expand...

That might have been an extravagant claim in an enthusiastic moment. And yes, they are different styles of recording.

Anyone have good sources for purchase?

What makes it so difficult is that 'Music on Vinyl' is much too vague and general a name for search engine accuracy.
 
MOV use the old CBS/Sony Haarlem plant, which is good, but I would doubt no more than a handful of their repressings use analogue sources depite the lofty claim on their website. It's already been stated that the Dylan pressings for instance are mastered from 96/24 hi-rez files. So, FLAC files with surface noise, rather than CDs with surface noise, but that isn't to deny that they may sound great of course.

Amazon sell them for about £20 a pop. Just add the word 'vinyl' to your search and check the label in the Product Details. Apologies if that's stating the obvious.
 
I find they are fairly pricey on Amazon actually; I'm seeing them for around £24. I've emailed MOV because their website mentions a European outlet but the don't have a link to it. I've also asked them if they'll let me know which are analogue/digital masters.
 
What Records is worth trying as well.

I think MOV try and go to the best available source then make a hi rez master from that. The quality of their pressings, which is at least as important as anything else, is up there with the very best IME.

In a Silent Way is excellent as is the recent Stanley Clarke School Days.
 
Excellent, thanks kevinrt, they have a great selection and the prices are better than Amazon. You are luck to have them as your locals guey.

I'm tempted by the MOV Byrds pressings but haven't read any reviews. The most recent cd remasters, which most people seem to like, don't quite do it for me personally.
 
Personally, I haven't heard a bad MOV yet and I've got quite a few. I could easily buy lots more too if I had the cash ( couldn't we all...)
 
Ok, I've got a very helpful reply from Music on Vinyl. Their pressing of 'Someday My Prince Will Come' was taken from a hi-rez digital file, and it was mastered by Steve Berkowitz.

So two fascinating bits of information there. If a pressing of a 60's jazz album taken from hi-rez digital can sounds as good as this, then I have to rethink my prejudices. Of course it is by a superb mastering engineer, who did the Dylan Whitmark demos, the Dylan mono set, and all sorts of other stuff.

My enthusiasm for this pressing should be qualified slightly since its not one of the Miles albums I know best, and I don't have a copy taken from the analogue master. If anyone does have a good original copy (particularly if you are in the London area) it would be very interesting to compare them.

More generally, MOV say that their 'house' mastering engineer is Rinus Hooning. There are other titles done by Steve Berkowitz but I don't know which. I'll look into this.
 
I have Moving Waves and Focus III by Focus, along with an original Focus III for comparison.

I think the MOV version is a digital source but its really good. In some ways better than the original, and if I had to pick one only I'd keep the MOV. They seem to take lots of care over the mastering and pressing, which is much of the battle.
 
That's interesting. I was thinking of picking up these two Focus MOV titles. I already have the other two essential ones (At The Rainbow and Hamburger Concerto) on original UK vinyl
 
I own these MoV titles:

Afghan Whigs - 1965
Jeff Buckley - Grace
Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out
Miles Davis - Kind of Blue (blue vinyl)
Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced
Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland
Jimi Hendrix - Band of Gypsys
Jimi Hendrix - First Rays of the New Rising Sun
Jimi Hendrix - Valleys of Neptune
Opeth - Damnation (clear vinyl)
Elvis Presley - From Elvis in Memphis
Elvis Presley - The 50 Greatest Hits
Satchel - The Family

As mentioned the pressings are always flawless - quiet and flat. I too believe that most of their output is hi-rez digital (converted from analog tape where available). Personally I've no problem with this.

The outer jackets are generally rather nondescript - printing not always the best and seldomly gatefold.

Here's Fremers take on MoV KoB (and comparison to the Classic 45rpm):

http://www.analogplanet.com/content/digital-kind-blue-0
 
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