Lisa Lougheed – Evergreen Nights

I have this and agree with the two other reviewers. Definitely sounds like a needle drop, with surface noise and sibilance present despite being brand new played with a fine-line stylus. Any distortion is obviously recorded on the tracks and no amount of cleaning can fix that.

=====UPDATE 1/21/2021:=====

As part of a digitization project, this release came up and upon listening to both the OG release and this rerelease, it reveals some sombering information I didn't catch at the time. The rerelease is missing the high frequencies and sounds overall a little more muffled compared to the original. An acquaintance also pointed out some tape wear and warble notably on "Run With Us" that isn't present on the original. Lastly, "Hold Back Tomorrow" has a different fadeout which emits that awesome drum solo ;< (there could be more changes that I didn't catch), It could be a edit in the master tape due to damage, or an alternative take. So with all this new info, I have to say, this rerelease is kinda poor. With this in mind, unless a backup master exists or CBC/Run is willing to undergo a careful proper remaster sooner rather then later, the original release may still be the best way of listening to this. Even more reason for a CD release.

---Original review 3/20/19:---

One of the most wanted 80s LPs has finally gotten a rerelease. It's an absolute shame that it took 31 years for it to get done, but here we are.

From the previous review, I compared the rerelease jacket to the original. The rerelease art is slightly more 'pixely' and colors are abit more saturated then the original art, however there is spot varnish on the front and the back. The copies I got had seam splitting happening along the center tops of the jackets. Copies are not sealed, the jacket is housed in a stickered resealable sleeve with a neat little blurb mentioning The Raccoons, of which the album is technically a soundtrack to. The record itself comes in a poly lined sleeve which is always a plus.

As for the actual sound quality of the record, the audio sounds about the same as the original, if there was any remastering, it's minimal. The pressing quality has some noise and a slightly noticeable noise floor, but it's likely in better condition then probably most original copies you'll find. Also to me, it sounds like sibilance isn't as exaggerated here ("Don't Fear The Fire").

Overall, obviously recommended. Props to Return To Analog for getting this out there. The record and jackets could have been handled better, but it's not a dealbreaker. Maybe in the future we'll get a more definitive edition (I dream of a CD release), but until then this will do quite nicely.

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My updated review:
Upon listening to my copy with my Audio Technica VM95ML (with the microlinear stylus), there is inner groove distortion that was baked in the sound (this is especially acute in "Don't Fear The Fire"), which lead me to believe that it came from a needledrop of an original LP. As powerstone05 mentioned, the re-issue has audio anomalies throughout the LP. There is a good chance that CBC may not have the original analogue master tapes, nor the original art assets as the reissue artwork was likely scanned from another source. At this point, if you want the original, you might as well save up the money and buy the original LP, which is very pricey nowadays.
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Old review below, disregard what I wrote:
Just got this last night and I have to say this sounds really good and is well-pressed. Much, much better than the cassette and fan "remastered" recordings online. Artwork is slightly grainy looking but it has spot varnish on the front and back cover, which is pretty cool.

Rare Canadian synth-pop album desperately in need of a repress. C'mon Lisa.. I'm sure your kids need money for college or something!

The small town ice rink I grew up on had an original copy of this in the stack of records they played for the figure skaters and during public skating. So yeah I have memories of ice skating to this as a kid. I do wonder who snagged that copy....