UK vs. German 1st Pressings: Big Differences in Sound! Smiths, Blondie, Human League & Pet Shop Boys
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- Опубліковано 3 лис 2023
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Prepare for an interesting showdown as I compare the 1st UK pressings against the German 1st pressings of iconic albums by Smith, Blondie, Human League, and Pet Shop Boys! 😮 Uncover the surprising differences in sound quality that will leave you questioning everything you knew about vinyl pressings. 🎶
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I have an original German press of my all-time favorite album Heaven Up Here by Echo & The Bunnymen & it sounds phenomenal even today. I also have Sulk by The Associates on a German press & it's great. Love seeing those "Made In West Germany " stickers on imports ! That means quality.
Yes, those records of the 80s were apart of my life as well. I appreciate the records you reviewed more today, and such great memories. Frederick is always so cool and enjoys the music as well. 😀 Thank you, Michael for this review !
Yes, I noticed this in many cases more than thirty years ago already without being able to say whether it is a general rule.
This problem hasn't been discussed yet. A very important video.
I must buy the British first pressing version of Behaviour.
Good morning Michael. This video made me pull out my 3 copies of the Human League Dare(!) album. The exclamation mark not on the British 1st/2nd pressings that I have. It's been a while since I listened to them so I wanted to do my own shootout. I made 24bit/192khz recording clips of the track "Open Your Heart" from all 3 pressings so that I could blind test between them. I agree with you on the German pressing being slightly darker in presentation, it doesn't have the "shrill" from the synthesiser strings but not a bad thing. I did find that there was a difference between the Townhouse 1st/2nd pressings though. Very slightly wider soundstage and the bass, certainly on this track had a little more weight. Small differences but they were evident to me, on my equipment etc...
Thanks!
we're of a similar vintage Michael. I grew up through the late 70s, and into the 80s. I had my first hi-fi system (a Marantz based one) for Christmas / my 18th birthday in 1981. I'm more a fan of 70s stuff, but have 1st pressings (UK) of Dare and Parallel Lines bought at the time of release - great records.
I bought the Blondie vinyl boxset based on your recommendation.
Would love to have experienced listening to Dare on your wonderful new turntable. Great choice of albums 😊
Played that Pet Shop Boys album to death at the time...even on my crummy cassette player (i used to tape my records as soon as i bought them)...the songs packed a big emotional punch.
My first version of Meat Is Murder was a German original pressing. It sounded pretty bad, very muffled. Then I got a UK pressing and it sounded crystal clear. I was surprised how big the difference was.
I really appreciate the Pet Shop Boys comparison. I would be super if there is a future possibility to review the earlier PSB catalogue? Oh and is Frederich a PSB fan?😊
he is for sure!
My OG DARE is one of the BEST sounding records I have
Interesting, might have to get a German copy of Dare, I also recently found the German Talking Heads - Remain In Light is way better than the original UK pressing.
Another option worth bearing in mind if you are only interested in certain songs from 80's and 90's albums is the 12' single which is often the definitive version if it's the album version and not an awful 80's cut and paste remix. If you get a decent engineer mastering one song at 45rpm on one side of a 12' disc the results can be stunning.
Examples I have where the 12' single beats any UK, US or German LP pressing I have ever heard are -
Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit - UK
Toto - Africa - Germany
U2 - One - UK
The Smiths - How Soon Is Now? - UK
XTC - Senses Working Overtime - UK
Iron Maiden - The Number Of The Beast - Germany (Super Sound Maxi)
Peter Gabriel - Sledgehammer - UK
Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams - UK
The Cars - Drive - Germany
Again there are differences in the sound quality such as the German Cars - Drive is much better than the UK 12' version which opens up another minefield.
Maybe a future programme featuring a shootout with some of these 12' pressings v definitive LPs Michael? especially as most of them are '45 RPM', it would be interesting to hear your and others opinion?
Have all those lp's, great era for music
...
I always go for GER versions, because they are available. My German first pressing of "Queen Is Dead" is black vinyl and sounds amazing.
Fantastic Michael love these comparison videos.
Some cool records on show.
Especially the 80s my wheelhouse.
I’m rediscovering them all over again.
Some interesting results.
I’ve been after a clean townhouse HL Dare for a while.
Now I’ve got second thoughts & may go for the German instead 😂.
I prefer the German Ultravox Rage in Eden ,
Keep these videos coming,great content for sure 👌
Have a great Saturday night Michael,take it easy 🍻
i always go back to the 80ies ....
Thanks for this Michael, excellent and honest reviews as always; and interesting to hear of the outcomes of course. On an 80s theme, it would be great to see something similar from bands such as U2, Duran Duran, Talk Talk, Simple Minds if you have the vinyls in your collection. Thanks for this one 😊
I am not surprised by the results. The best German first pressings go back to around the mid-80s. After that there were a lot of mergers in the record industry and that changed a lot. Records from the 70s you can almost always take the German first pressing without hesitation.
Nice video of walking down memory lane…your youth was with these classics, my 80s youth was ….you know what. Metal. 😂
The Smiths Queen is Dead UK reissue with the Vinyl Plus hype sticker (2009?) and the UK o.g. are blood brothers. Gooood.
sommelier of vinyl.
Also I grew up listening to these records and have some original USA pressings. They seem decent enough to me but have no idea how they might compare.
An interesting A/B is Robert Palmers' 'Clues" album. Both the UK and US original pressings featured metal parts derived from US Sterling cuts. The only difference being the pressings. Sleeve notes will tell you Ted Jensen did the mastering but it's Ray Janos' initials in the deadwax next to the Sterling stamp. I've had several copies of the US original and mid 80's repress but the UK original beats them for sound quality and presentation. My guess is that the UK version was electroplated in the UK which, along with the vinyl used, would make a difference in the sound. The US version is not bad (Wakefield pressing) but the UK version jumps out of the speakers and has a very visceral presence that I've never heard in the US original. I've played it for others familiar with the album without telling them any of this and had them stunned at the difference.
I used to run a record shop and saved up loads of 80s classics in mint from bands that I felt were unfairly in the pound section. I knew that they were going to increase in value at some point. I was right I guess. Well worth hanging on to them the last 15 years. I also got a few boxes of 80s 7" singles and 12" Human League, Depeche mode, visage, OMD I grew up with this on the radio and music videos. I'd be interested what you think of different pressing of Prince LPs. the difference between US/UK/EU pressings.
Another 80s band with pretty cheap OGs are ABC, would like to see a test on these. I have UK OGs but nothing else
The original UK 12's sound amazing. Deutsche Gramaphone pressings.
Apologies if this has been mentioned in the comments but regarding The Smiths, coloured vinyl from the 80s was not known for its sonic qualities unlike todays versions. Possibly an unfair comparison really, but great to have it confirmed.
Though it is a long out of print Super Audio CD, the stereo-one;y DARE is remarkable and everyone I play it for is shocked at its high quality and how much better it sounds than any other version they have heard.
Greetings from Serbia. The differences in sound depend on many factors. First thing is EQ tape. When remixed master tape is sent to mastering studio, mastering engineer should use his skills, compressor/limiter and graphic equalizer to prepare EQ tape from which lacquers are made. If German printer received raw master tape, rather than original EQ tape, there will be rather big difference in sound. I doubt if German mastering engineer will try to make EQ tape, especially if he is not paid for this job. Next thing is lacquer material. Either it is chrome or nickel. The sound of nickel lacquer is different from the sound of chrome lacquer. And last, but not the least, PVC quality is not equal in UK and Germany, there are slight variations in PVC quality. I shall give you one example. I was disappointed when I bought CD version of Isaac Hayes's "Hot Battered Soul" album. It was immediately obvious to me that CD was made from master tape rather than EQ tape. I prefer heavily compressed/limited sound of EQ tape from which LP was made. So, you should always keep in mind the way in which LP records are made and why there is so much difference in pressings.
Interesting! I've always wondered are german pressings close to british, because I live in Croatia and german pressings are a bit more accessible to me than the british ones. Of course, there are yugoslavian pressings, but they are often of lower quality, so german is a way to go!
i think you are very well suited with a German 1st pressing in general
@@Michael45RPM Thank you!
The best sounding version of Parallel Lines according to Steve Hoffman is the picture disk version which I have and he is right. I also have an original UK and a US original they are anaemic in comparison.
Great reviews, especially surprised by the Blondie German pressing being on par with the first U.K. cut by Bob Ludwig. That makes the German pressing a great deal, and I can stop looking for that impossible to find U.K. pressing now.
Dare is still dirt cheap (and severely overlooked) and I can attest that the UK first beats the pants off the Canadian first. Same with TQID. I've got a US first of Blondie and it beats the pants off the Mofi I also own. UK firsts are dominant in the 80s, at least from my experience with UK post punk bands. In most cases, it's not even close.
As you said you can't generalize. Even with pressings from one country it depends on the pressing plant. I got several 80s albums made by PRS Hannover. They had a wide sound stage and what you are always looking for: a great punch. Though, sometimes it's a bit too much and.... Es scheppert ein bisschen😊
In the seventies and eighties mostly the German and Dutch first pressings were the best sounding versions.
Amazing! So in 85 what did u think was a classic record ?
Beatles white Album :P
Helloween - Walls Of Jericho
Ive got US first press of all 4 and they sound decent, but I bet the UK’s sound better!
I have a Gordon Lightfoot 1983 release Salute German pressing. I compared it to the US and Canadian pressing. The German pressing wasn’t just better, there was NO sibilance at the end of each side. my jaw dropped 🤣
The second hand prices in record shops in Germany has definitely gone up in the last few years.
For example you used to regularly find Dare for €5 in VG+ condition.
However, as you know Michael, I found a lovely copy of Duran Duran - Rio (German first pressing) today for €5. Cover VG, but the record itself is NM. On Discogs the German sellers are currently looking for €30 -€50 !!
Hi, when I compare Brazilian pressings released until later eighties with American, Japanese or European ones Brazil loses every time, lol. Greetings.
hmmm then try to get those better pressings
Love The Smiths.
hey Thor how are you?
@@Michael45RPM Hi Michael. All good here…how are you?
Where can I find the stickers on your sleeves that have the Country of Origin flag and '1st'?
Scandinavian pressings are always good sounding.
Blondie is an American band. They have never been thought of as British.
Things that make you go hmm. 🤔
I bought the Gernan DSOTM based on your review . It is bright compared to a UK 5th pressing (pure bliss)
BLONDIE US first pressing are easy to get. they are the original
In principle, I am not interested at all if it is the first or the fifteenth edition. I'm also not interested in the release or country of origin, I'm only interested in the sound quality. It is very important to me that the record sounds good, or is it an unnecessary product and just waste for me.
First
true!