Paul Weller – Stanley Road

Anyone else missing the download voucher which is mentioned in the notes describing this release? Bought it new and sealed this week, the exact runout codes etcetera, but no download code whatsoever to be found.

I`ve had this a few years now so I can`t remember or find the price on purchasing new but it wasn`t much(about £20).
Compared to my cd copy this IS better but like the cd the 1st track("The Changingman")isn`t mastered/recorded as well as the others here.Things start to get "slightly" better from "Porcelain Gods" then on the b side it`s back to the lower sq,why this is I don`t really know my copy is a later version with "Stanley" spelt correctly (vs "Stanely") so if this IS significant for sound quality your guess is better than mine.

Nice enough gate fold printed inner sleeve with all lyrics except "I Walk On Gilded Splinters"(maybe because it`s a cover?) the disc is flat,well centred but fairly noisy. Now judging by what I know & have learnt about hifi in general I would comfortably state this IS the reason for the poor sound reproduction people are expressing(some on here have mentioned that their "reissue" has sounded fairly muffled etc.).
If your system is quiet enough(so if you`ve got your mains,amp/s,turntable etc sorted) this one is FULL of dynamics which means from quiet to loud passages the music is dramatic and impactful even over the "noisy vinyl" used for the pressing!

Every track here has something for anyone into the Modfather(Weller)/Indie Rock/Pop/Rock etc. this is one Weller`s best LP`s.
Five stars for the music and musicianship - thank you for reading.

Music 5*
Sound quality 4.5*
Mastering/pressing 4*

System:
Turntable:Rega P3
Cartridge: Roksan Corus Goldring G1042 stylus tip
Phono Stage: Whest Audio TWO.2

Given the comments below, the material length, and the era, I was pleasantly surprised by how good this is sonically.

I didn't find it muddy - it's a very midrange-y EQ.

Spacious, detailed. Vinyl is a tad noisy, though.

This original release sounds 10 times better than the 2017 reissue I had. It was definitely worth spending a little extra for an original. Great album!!

Great album. Love it. This version is nice to have. But frankly, it sounds inferior to the CD. It also, curiously, sounds less good than the later LP reissue.

Presumably, either of the usual 2 reasons apply: a digital master was used for the vinyl pressing, or a vinyl master was never produced in the first place.

Printed on the inside of the record-holding part of the sleeve are a pack of "Stanley Road" cigarette papers and a half-smoked bifter.

the 2021 re-press (which is almost identical to the 2017 press - this version has Stanley Road on spine, rather than Stanely Road) still has a few ticks/pops especially on Side A - it sounds slightly better than the 2017 pressing however - I got mine cheap for £9.99 so am happy with that. Maybe it's the length of each side that causes a problem with 'quiet' pressings!?

Sounds great to my ears! Just did a quick A/B comparison on The Changingman with a friend's original copy and there's no difference that I could discern.

This pressing sounds great on my setup, didn't have to crank the volume to enjoy it at all. Lovely gatefold cover.
Worth noting that "I Walk on Gilded Splinters" lyrics missing from inner sleeve, but track listed on back side of outer cover.

I have a few M and NM copies of this original pressing.
As others have mentioned, sadly, I dont think it was mastered or pressed well on Vinyl.
Very compressed, flat and muddy.
Did anyone find a copy with sparkle?
Packaging however was brilliant!
I haven't heard the new repress. It might be the way to go...and certainly cheaper!