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tcris wrote:just opened and played my Joey Albert LP, purchased from astrovision in glorietta...first song i listened to was Million Miles away and to my dismay the entire song had this ticking sound over and over again. checking the vinyl it had 2 scratches. can i have it changed in astrovision? thanks!
muypogi wrote:After listening and mulling over the latest 4 OPM vinyl reissues, here's my 2 centavos on the matter . . .
Francis M:
I had high hopes for this album, as this was the first release of Polyeast after the initial Martin and Bamboo albums. Bought this sight unseen and unheard, as I wanted to give Polyeast the benefit of the doubt on this one. My comments:
Cover: In terms of materials and finishing, this one I think Polyeast has down pat. Very nice glossy feel to the jackets, and they listened to inputs on the inner sleeves, making them poly-lined, which was a big improvement from the tight paper cover that led to scratches in my Martin and Bamboo albums. In terms of artwork, I personally like the artwork, but that's just me.
Song Selection: Overall very comprehensive, though I was disappointed by the absence of Kaleidoscope World, which was was my favourite. Not Polyeast's fault though, as they apparently do not own the rights to that song. Still hoping for future albums to contain this track.
Sound: Since I do not have a copy of the earlier Francis M albums, I had only the Polyeast Best of Compilation to compare the sound with. . .
Pros:
- Sound was very detailed, with the vinyl issue revealing some additional details which I didn't remember/notice from the CD copy
- Obviously not sourced from just a CD copy/digital master, as compared to the Bamboo/Martin issues, thus sounding less compressed
Cons:
- Unfortunately, the increase in detail resulted in a sound which was I feel was not as involving as the CD version.
- Sound was very forward, with highs/mids/lows front and center. This was in contrast to the CD version, where the drum/bass lines were more dominant, giving a nice foundation for the songs. As such, I felt the CD was more "fun" and "involving" to listen to.
- Not sure if this was due to remastering the source file for vinyl, but the sound of the Francis M LP seemed a bit thinner and less "rounded" vs the CD version. Normally, the vinyl version is touted to be, for lack of a better term, "mas bilog" and warmer. . . I felt the LP was actually thinner sounding vs the CD.
Joey Albert/True Faith/The Dawn
Cover: In terms of materials and finishing, I have the same comments on these three albums. Artwork though left much to be desired, as the quality of the artwork bordered on looking like a pirated CD. I think Polyeast noted they don't have the proper source for the artwork. However, this could have been mitigated by possibly a more creative layout in the albums. If the original images are not available, then I think Polyeast should have gone for more original and better looking cover art. Parang pinilit yung covers ng three albums. Sayang.
Sound:
Generally speaking, these three albums sound better than the Francis M album, but somehow these albums again sounded a bit thinner, and not as warm as you'd expect a vinyl album to be.
In any case, in the case of Joey Albert (ballads) and True Faith (mostly acoustic/band sets), the same charateristics found in the Francis M album actually work as an advantage. There are no bass/drum beats that need to emphasized, and the additional detail is welcome. Joey Albert though has a touch more reverb in the vocals vs the CD version, which heightens the "kweba" or "singing in the CR" effect. Not a sound engineer, so I leave this as a peculiarity with the recordings of that era, which may have included such effects.
The acoustic sets of True Faith (Kung OK Lang Sa Yo, for example) actually sound better, but YMMV on this one.
The Dawn I'm fairly neutral, as I actually only like 2 songs - Enveloped Ideas and Salamat. . .
Also, I would recommend better proof reading on the album text. As this is being released by a recording company as opposed to fly by night CD pirates, you would naturally expect a certain level of polish on this one.
In terms of pricing, I think the price is fair, given that it is a limited run after all, and the label has taken a chance in pressing these albums. Vinyl reissues even in the States has never been cheap, so I think we should give Polyeast a break here given the low volumes and the considerable market risk they are taking in pressing these albums,
In all, I think it's a work in progress, as we at least have a label willing to risk a vinyl issue. That being said, I think any future releases should take these into consideration, if record companies expect further OPM vinyl sales:
1) Sound quality has room for improvement, as the comments here can be addressed by additional mastering efforts, given Polyeast (or any other company) has the master recordings. It's only fair I think to expect this, as local record companies cannot forever bank on the novelty value of these LPs. People should be buying them for the real reason they buy LPs - the perceived better sound quality and overall listening experience.
2) Better artwork layout and proofreading. These albums are not cheap, and the target market for these albums deserve better execution from Polyeast or any other record label.
3) Hopefully more record companies can join the bandwagon, as there is an addressable market for this products. The fact that LPs are less piratable vs the CD copies should encourage the labels to at least address the niche market for LPs.
Just my 2 cents worth.
zenaudio wrote:Just got a copy of the Joey Albert LP. Unfortunately I did not read this thread before I bought it. I may have been able to read between the politely worded lines.
Agree on the comments above. I'm sure the original pressing sounds much better than this reissue. This doesn't like it came from the original tapes.
Truly poor dynamics, too much reverb. This is probably just a vinyl pressing of an mp3 file, or something recorded from the radio.
Hindi ko na tinapos pakinggan. What is playing in my mind is "I remember the song, but I don't remember the feeling anymore."
I wanted to support OPM on vinyl but I feel ripped off.
Sorry to say but this is a disservice to OPM and to vinyl. Unfortunately if the new vinyl converts are introduced to this kind of recording, they might think they are better buying the P99 CDs of Joey Albert in the bargain bins.
Or just hunt the old pressings at the WS marketplace or the vinyl swaps.
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