Pet Sounds pet peeve

[wrayman]

I'm looking for suggestions on a well mastered vinyl copy of Pet Sounds.

The 3 albums I've bought in the past have all sounded flat and kinda lifeless, and I'm sure this isn't the original intent. I have a compilation called Good Vibrations, Best of the Beach Boys. It has several cuts from PS on it, and the sound is superb.

Any ideas on what reissue is done right ?

Mike

[ferriteman]

I'm looking for suggestions on a well mastered vinyl copy of Pet Sounds.

Any ideas on what reissue is done right ?

Mike


I have 2 reissued copies of Pet Sounds. One is a mono copy by DCC from the mid-1990s, it has been mastered supposedly from the original tapes. The other is a stereo reissue from a little later...I think I bought it maybe 5 years ago or so. I prefer the later stereo version...i think the higher freq's are clearer, more present, the overall sound is more balanced. I think the base is a bit thinner for some but it is fine for me. And then of course you have the stereo soundstage.

Don't get me wrong, the DCC (Dunhill Compact Classics?) version is very good but there is just something about the other one I prefer...the higher end of the freq range is more present, clearer. I don't think you can really go wrong with either though.

The stereo version I think is a Capital reissue not sure who pressed it (its a USA pressing) but if you want me to look for it give me a day or 2 to find it (my LP filing system isn't perfect!).

There may be other reissue versions but I'm not aware of them. As with most pop-rock LPs, getting a good, clean original pressing is usually next to impossible as of course they were played by teen-agers (not known for playing them on good tt's and taking care of them! although I WAS an exception!). And the mastering on these original pop albums back in the day typically wasn't anything great.

The other alternative is to pick up of a copy of a Japanese pressing....Japanese pressings are pretty much impeccable...often a tad thinner on the bass...there are a number of Japanese online Lp stores out there.

Hope this helps a little bit. Again, if you want me to look & check my stereo reissue copy, let me know!

[ompid]

I have a stereo re-mix/re-issue, on Capitol, 72435-21241-1-4, on Capitol, 1999.

From the credits:

Original album produced by BRIAN WILSON
Stereo Mix Produced & Engineered by Mark Linett at "Your Place or Mine" Location Recoirding Studios, Glendale CA,
under the supervision of Brian Wilson.

I like the stereo mix, but I like the music, so there is some bias. I can't compare it to my original mono, as that was reduced to unplayable status, by virtue of the number of times I played it. (My parents got really tired of hearing that.)

[wrayman]

Great info guys, thanks.

ferriteman, the DCC album might be pretty hard to find now. Did Steve Hoffman master it ? If you stumble across your Capitol stereo reissue, please let me know. Appreciate it !

ompid, I did some reading on Mark Linett and it sounds like he worked very closely with Brian Wilson on a couple reissues, Pet Sounds and Smile among them. Sounds like a good bet as well as he says they wanted to recreate the original sound. Thank you !

[ompid]

You're welcome!

[ferriteman]

Great info guys, thanks.

ferriteman, the DCC album might be pretty hard to find now. Did Steve Hoffman master it ? If you stumble across your Capitol stereo reissue, please let me know. Appreciate it

Hi Mike...here is a follow-up on Pet Sounds:

I actually found by DCC copy...you are correct, it is mastered by Steve Hoffman, dated June 1995. They were numbered LPs, not sure how many were pressed, I have #1538, catalogue # LPZ-2006. I believe there is a website that Steve hangs about at, I can't remember it right now, but I'm sure he'd know many PS DCC reissues were pressed. Actually, I believe he did a lot of the DCC stuff back then. I have all of the Doors DCC reissues...the jackets say "Lacquers +180 gm cut by Steve Hoffman".

The stereo Capital reissue is dated 1999 with the same numbers that Ompid indicated above...so I guess we both have the same stereo reissue.

Perhaps I'm a secret mono-hater...or someone just raised on 2-channel...whatever!

[Mr. Lin]

The mono version would probably sound far better with a proper mono cartridge.

[wrayman]

Hi ferriteman,
Steve Hoffman does great work, I'd like to find that DCC copy and check it out, the catalogue #'s will help me there, thanks. I have a Ray Charles greatest compilation on cd that he mastered, and the sound is excellent !
Also thanks for checking out the stereo Capitol release, I'll watch for that one too.

Mr. Lin, you are right, but I will have to content myself using the mono selector on my amp for the time being. !sigh!

[Mr. Lin]

Hi ferriteman,
Steve Hoffman does great work, I'd like to find that DCC copy and check it out, the catalogue #'s will help me there, thanks. I have a Ray Charles greatest compilation on cd that he mastered, and the sound is excellent !
Also thanks for checking out the stereo Capitol release, I'll watch for that one too.

Mr. Lin, you are right, but I will have to content myself using the mono selector on my amp for the time being. !sigh!

I understand, it's kind of tough to take that plunge and get a mono cartridge, even if you have a second turntable. That's why if I ever do it'll be Denon's model, which can also play stereo records.

[ferriteman]

I understand, it's kind of tough to take that plunge and get a mono cartridge, even if you have a second turntable. That's why if I ever do it'll be Denon's model, which can also play stereo records.

I wasn't aware that Denon made a mono cartridge - the only mono one I'm aware of is some of the Audio Technica and I think one of the Grado models come as mono. Do you know if they still make them?

[ferriteman]

Hi ferriteman,
Steve Hoffman does great work, I'd like to find that DCC copy !sigh!


I'm sure you can find a DCC copy if you keep looking...it is likely to be expensive unless you get lucky...maybe a lightly used one could be found for reasonable $$$. Check out this online store, they have both versions but boy the DCC reissue is pretty expensive:


http://www.audiophileusa.com/display.cfm?days=9999

I have bought from this store in the past, they are Calif. based, yes they are expensive, but yes, they do sell a good product...

[Mr. Lin]

I wasn't aware that Denon made a mono cartridge - the only mono one I'm aware of is some of the Audio Technica and I think one of the Grado models come as mono. Do you know if they still make them?

Yep, the DL-102. I believe you can get it for $175 if you order straight from Japan, but then you'll have to wait a couple weeks. Otherwise, the price is $250, here's a picture and description on Needledoctor's site:

http://www.needledoctor.com/Denon-DL-102-High-Output-Moving-Coil-Mono-Cartridge?sc=2&category=369

I've never heard one, mind you, but I've read a lot of praise for this model on AK. One member there claims this is a true mono cartridge, and that the Grado, AT, and Ortofon models, while good, are just re-wired for one channel. I can't verify the accuracy of that though. Like I said, the big plus is that you can safely play stereo lps with this one, which you can't do with a lot of mono cartridges because of the larger stylus. Apparently this was a commonly-used cartridge in the radio industry back in the day.

[wrayman]

Great link ferriteman, some very cool records there !

And yes, the DCC is a bit more than I'm used to paying....*yikes*

Perhaps I'll have to lower my sights a bit, or get very lucky with a used copy !

Hmm, Christmas is coming tho, and maybe instead of a pair of lovely socks....

[ferriteman]

[QUOTE=wrayman;12011]Hi ferriteman,
Steve Hoffman does great work, I'd like to find that DCC copy and check it out, the catalogue #'s will help me there, thanks. I have a Ray Charles greatest compilation on cd that he mastered, and the sound is excellent !
Also thanks for checking out the stereo Capitol release, I'll watch for that one too.

Hi...here is a link to a record store (I regularly buy from this guy myself) with a Pet Sounds reissue for $22. It isn't mastered by Steve Hoffman but it sounds like it's a good pressing...my suggestion is to ask Chad (he owns the store) what he thinks of this pressing, he will give you an honest opinion if he has heard it himself.

http://diamondgroove.com/detail.aspx?ID=4354

Cheers!

[wrayman]

Hey thanks ferriteman, great info ! I found a DCC Pet Sounds, but at $250 I couldn't justify it.
I'll send Chad an email, they are located in Canada too, that's a bonus. I think this pressing was just released Sept this year ? Good price and 180 gram, might be worth a shot.

Mike

[ferriteman]

Hey thanks ferriteman, great info ! I found a DCC Pet Sounds, but at $250 I couldn't justify it.
I'll send Chad an email, they are located in Canada too, that's a bonus. I think this pressing was just released Sept this year ? Good price and 180 gram, might be worth a shot.

Mike

Actually, I just ordered a copy of it for a buddy of mine. Chad said he hasn't heard it himself, but all feedback on it has been "Its very good" but I've heard of no comparisons to the DCC reissue...I will likely hear it the end of next week, if you want I can let you know.

Personally, if it is "good" reissue I'm sure it's well worth the $22...some record shops will want that for old scratched copy...when you can find it.

[wrayman]

I will likely hear it the end of next week, if you want I can let you know.


You are in a great position to offer an opinion, seeing as you have the DCC and the 1999 Capitol versions. If you have a chance to post your impressions on this latest reissue, I'd be very interested in reading them. Yes!

Mike