What are your go to LP's for evaluating new gear or new tubes?

@flash56: Yes, the misapplied Dolby playback equalization decreased the percussive attack of the drumstick tip striking the snare drum and tom tom drumheads, and of the felt bass drum beater striking the kick drum batter head. With my sunray Island copy of the LP, the kick always sounded weak, anemic to me, with no punch or power. I attributed the dead, lifeless sound of the drumset to the then-common practice of over-muffling drumset heads in the studio (Ringo’s snare drum sound on Abbey Road is terrible for that reason. He recorded with a towel on top of his snare drum head!). Still, I couldn’t understand why Harry Pearson and Michael Fremer considered TFTT to be such a great sounding LP, and chalked it up to my having only a sunray label pressing, not an original pink label one.

But the first, most obvious difference is the missing "click" of the pick on the guitar strings, and the missing harmonic overtones of the guitar. And Cat Stevens and producer Paul Samwell-Smith didn’t notice that?!

By the way, Analogue Productions made the album in both 1-LP/33-1/3 RPM and 2-LP/45 RPM versions. The 45 RPM version is of course reported to sound slightly better than the 33-1/3, but I went with the 33-1/3 pressing as I’m willing to sacrifice a small degree of sound quality to get the full musical programming flow of each LP side. Music first, people!

I think this is the pink label version of TFTT, which I shall have to play this morning:

@flash56 

I just checked my re-master copy of TFTT. It is 180G, vinyl re-release, and says mastered from original tapes so not the typical digital remaster. For some reason, I thought it was a digital remaster, probably just because I'm so used to the term. The label reads UNIVERSAL MUSIC FOR THE WORLD, on a gray label with black circle. On the back, it says Universal and Island. Maybe it had a shot at being a good one. Maybe there is a way to re-drill the center hole? Will have to look into that. 

My Island copy is the sunray version but according to what I read on Hoffman's site, it should be the same as the pink label. Is BDP24 saying that none of them are right? There is so much info, I have trouble following. Is there a difference in the dbx version on A&M as I have that one too. 

I find nearly all Cat Stevens albums to have great dynamics, when compared to other records of the same time period. It always seemed to me that he must have been very particular about these things. It is really surprising to find that so many mistakes were made. My other favorites are Buddha and The Chocolate Box and Catch Bull at Four. I haver several others as well but the three named are more of my favorites and get more play time. There are good songs on all of his records and I am now inspired to listen to all of them, including each copy to see what I can pick up. 

This has been extremely interesting.

@bdp24 

Trying to make sure I am understanding what you say. I think you said that the very first Island (pink label) copies of TFTT got it right? Is that correct? My sunray may also be that same recording, according to the Hoffman site. Then Analog Productions did it right again? Or did they change it somehow? I don't mean to drag this on forever, just trying to be clear on what is being said. 

@dogberry 

You are a lucky dog...........berry. :) Hoping mine is the same just different label. Verdict not quite in yet.