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


I have several that I use but Mannheim Steamroller is nearly always in the mix. Does anyone else still listen to them or is it just me?

billpete

@bassbuyer

I don't think that many people saw the early Steely Dan  concerts since they quit touring very early in their career. I also saw the first tour after they released Two Against Nature in 2000. I saw them at "George at the Gorge" in Washington State. The outside venue sits right on the edge of the gorge that has been carved by the Colombia River. It is near the small town of George, Washington. Located in the south eastern part of Washington State. In the middle of nowhere. They released a live album of that tour. And the cover photo was taken from that show.

I have since seen them a number of times.

@flash56 

Inside the gatefold, at the bottom, says Printed and made by the E I (I think) Day Group, London and Bedford.

The ILPS-9135 in hyphenated on the label.

In the wax, I can read the same ILPS space 9135  A-3 u. It also says Sterling in very small print as well as RD

Sounds like a re-issue? All I can say is, it sounds better than the A&M's. Too bad my 180G has the off-center hole. 

@billpete

I believe that you said that it came with a blue inner sleeve. I know how difficult it is to read dead wax. Is there a chance that RD could be LH? The Sterling LH should be stamped not etched. Or can you find LH somewhere? In either case I believe that there is a good chance that this is your pressing. Take a look at the photos carefully and compare them to yours. If you find discrepancies note them and I will look further.  https://www.discogs.com/release/1141587-Cat-Stevens-Tea-For-The-Tillerman?redirected=true

@flash56 

Yes, LH is right by Sterling. I thought I included that before but I guess I forgot. LH and RD look to be stamps. The RD is written sideways and is very faint, halfway out from the label edge. Everything else is written in the same direction as the grooves.  Even the stuff that is sometimes hand etched, looks to be stamped as it is so perfect. It is much larger than all the rest and is the same number as the jacket and label with A-3u added. Hope this helps. And yes, the inner sleeve is blue paper with pink lettering. 

@billpete

The RD might be someone who was etching it. Who knows? The dead wax matrix catalog is far from complete. There are many variations that have not been recorded. Many times you just have to combine all of the information along with the closest match to the matrix that you can find. The blue inner sleeve was a clue. That is why it is important for you to study the photos and compare them with your album. There can be subtle differences in the covers. Or the labels. Like the missing hyphen on one of the pressings. So click on the link that I sent. Read the information under Notes: Many times they will tell you about little things that you should look for. And click on photo in the upper left hand corner. It will bring up additional photos. Usually at least the front and back cover and both labels. And if it is a gatefold. It will show the inside. Sometimes the inner sleeve. Carefully compare looking for any discrepancies. I think that there is a good chance that the link that I sent is your pressing. But without having the album in my hands. I cannot be sure. The smallest difference could lead me to the right one. Missing printing where there  should be printing. Anything. That is, if you even care to know the exact pressing. Otherwise we have it narrowed down to pressings done between 1971 &1972

And as far as the Island pressings sounding better than the A&M. You are far from alone in that opinion. I have read that many many times. There are numerous reasons that that could be the case. Depending on the facility that pressed it. Their  equipment may not be maintained as well, or is old. Plus, those production metal pressing plates do have a life span. They do wear out. That is why first releases are sought after. You know that the plates were new. The more pressings the more toll it takes on the plates and the less likely that the pressing will sound as good. The US is a big market. A&M would have had multiple facilities pressing that album. For example, some will prefer a Monarch pressing to a Pittman pressing. All of those factors come into play.

However, it is still unclear to me if the solid Pink labels were pressed correctly and the others weren't. I am highly skeptical of that being the case. Simply because those original production plates were being shipped all over the world just as fast as they could produce them. However, I am not familiar with their work flow. They could have produced multiple production tapes from which to make the metal pressing plates. And maybe only some of those tapes were flawed while others weren't. And like I said. Some countries were using solid pink labels at the same time that other countries were using pink rim labels. I must do some research of the difference of a repress and a reissue. Does a reissue use new production plates? Whereas a repress is just another batch of pressings from the same plates? What is the standard for the maximum number of pressings before the plates should be replaced? Is there even a standard in place? Many questions still are unresolved in my mind. If I could get my hands on a solid pink label UK 1st pressing. Then I would be able to tell within the first song. However, I don't have the cash to take that gamble. And there are no NM  solid pink label UK pressings for sale anyway. I still stand by what I said. It is a beautifully recorded album. I just want to make sure that I am hearing all of its beauty and not a technically flawed one, simply because someone forgot to flip a switch.