I own the UHQR of 'Countdown to Ecstasy'. I have 'The Royal Scam' and 'Aja' on pre-order. I have great curiosity about 'Pretzel Logic' as well. 'Katy Lied' can never be rescued, as the multi-track tapes were just weird to begin with. 'Gaucho' would be difficult to improve upon sonically (but at 45RPM, you never know). Being in the US has its perks in the case of these LPs, and the ability to easily return them in case of fault.
The packaging is superb, as you know - faithful reproductions of the original everything, plus bonus notes from Mr. Fagan. The vinyl itself is perfectly flat, on-center, and dead quiet in the groove. Sonically, it is slightly quieter volume-wise than the original US pressings I own (including a white label promo), but has a wider dynamic range with less compression. Details previously buried in the mix are easily elucidated. Frequency extension, from top to bottom is better. It sacrifices nothing musically or rhythmically - it easily gets the foot tapping and you find yourself singing along. Now whether it's worth $200, or the pain in the ass of having to get up every two songs is debatable. For the audiophile fan AND the collector, I'd say it's a must-own: it will certainly never lose value in the long run and will likely wax in value. For the casual listener, I'd say absolutely not; first pressings are cheap and easy to find and great enough in their own right.
