Mark Hollis – Mark Hollis

Received my copy of this release from Amazon.ca today to replace a copy of the BA DA BIND reissue from a few years prior. There was visible "stuff" when I first pulled the record out of the cardboard inner sleeve, but a good ultrasonic cleaning took care of that and then it went into a MoFi Original Master Sleeve. The record is perfectly flat. Pretty much dead silent. No distortion on The Gift (A.4) or A Life (B.1). There are a couple of buzzing artefacts on A.4, but that's it. What I have noticed is that the double bass is not quite as thunderous in this remaster, which is a shame because it really stood out in the previous release.

All in all, I'm very pleased with this purchase. Recommended!

Got my new copy in Wah Wah Records -Barcelona - without the hype sticker, and it sounds simply fantastic.

After reading about the hit and miss experiences of other listeners I was apprehensive about spinning this one for the first time.

Pleased to report a noise free pressing with rich and immersive sound quality. Such an incredible album.

Picked up from Boomkat, August ‘24

One of true visionaries of modern music. From pop, to the experimental realms of Talk Talk, with such reflection and potency. Mark Hollis was truly a wondrous artist. With this swan song solo album, I wonder what was his musings near the end of life when he dropped his body and carried on onto the next life from that damned disease. His music has been a friend to me during hard times and hope this man travelled on with solace and love over the mountains of the moon.

Purchased mine through Abbey road. Total disaster. Record had visible scuff across the first track.
This translated into clicking noises throughout that track, alongside an annoying edge warp that
screwed up the whole pressing... Have contacted AR for a replacement copy hopefully i get lucky next time.
Mine was ordered Feb 24 and didn't have download or Hype sticker...

What a masterpiece.
I been lucky - my copy is perfectly pressed.

Flat, about as dynamic as you'd expect something recorded this quietly to be; though probably having to turn it up to hear the music might reveal the noisiness of the vinyl itself, but it probably has about as much noise as anything else pressed in 2011-12 (first, clean your records, second you just may not have heard it there because the music was louder). However, there is room for improvement as the recording could benefit from a label willing to give a whole lot of care into making sure the vinyl is pressed as perfect as can be, and I'd love to see the last two offerings from Hollis be given the same treatment as Colour of Spring and Spirit of Eden were a few years back.

I've had this copy since 2011, played on a Technics 1200 with a Sumiko Moonstone as of this writing.

I must've been lucky also. Very quiet. Sounds fantastic too.

Yeah sadly this is not a dead quiet pressing. Mine was alright, not too distracting and sounds completely fine once the music picks up a little, but since this is a very quiet and spiritual album the imperfections stand out. Gonna try for a cleaning next and see if that helps at all. I will say the pressing itself sounds fantastic, extremely clear and dynamic.
Concerning the music itself, you can tell this is the album Mark Hollis had always wanted to make. I may enjoy Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock a bit more, but this is the final stage in his musical evolution, a deeply religious piece which seems to occupy its own space as every note lingers in the air. This is not an afterthought of Talk Talk, rather the realization of its vision, which makes sense given this was Mark’s final musical project. If you are searching for a record which is the sum of the parts of its creator and his outlook on life, look no further.

My pressing of this is both dead flat and very quiet, but there are a few mild pops on the second side. The clarity is otherwise excellent.