XTC – Apple Venus Volume One

I just got this pressing from Amazon. I’m very happy with the sound quality. I find it very smooth and crankable. I have no other versions to compare it to. Taken on its own, I think it’s wonderful.

Sounds great to me, but then I can't compare with the original pressing. Mine was flat, centered and had no pops or noice, and weighs just under 200g. Apple Venus is easily one of the best XTC albums.

Same as the other comment, got the new batch and it sound good to my ears! Some surface noise but the mixing is good.

Just got one from the new batch and the sound is sublime. Shame it's not gatefold though. Nice to have the lyrics which the CD didn't have.

Worth noting that Partridge has mentioned via Twitter that they are re-doing this with Mr Wilson twiddling away https://twitter.com/apehouseXTC/status/1349755611844648961

The OG pressing is so much more open, pleasant, and dynamic. It’s nice that people have access to this masterpiece again but it sounds compressed, too strident and lacks the high and low ends. Just a shame.

Yes having played this reissue now I agree for the most part with the other close listeners here.
Good quality pressing but the new mastering has compressed the mixes so much that not only is there a lack of dynamics for what is highly dynamic music but also the output level lacks volume.

I personally suspect that certain tracks even got more attention than others on the remaster. Greenman sounds like it has fuller frequencies going on whereas Frivilous Tonight sounds squeezed like something off Magical Mystery Tour.

Overall I PREFER the pressing to the original one because I just couldn't get a clean copy first time round in 1999 or whenever it was. This one is sooo clean. I got over the lack of volume output by simply CRANKING UP THE AMP to DOUBLE what it normally is my 60s 70s and 80s records!! Then I was happy.
Suffice to say though I won't be buying the other XTC vinyl reissues. Very happy with my originals from the 80s and early 90s.

NOTE: Andy Partridge approved the masters yes (or 'the tapes' as it says on the inner sleeve) but...I suspect the engineers at the pressing plant may have added their contribution to the chain, tweeking the compression and output volume as they transferred it to a lacquer or DMS master.

Trickness : I'm really pleased that you've said that, as I too think the same way, but I thought it must be my ears. Definitely compressed sounding and not as "open" as the original (which I own). The problem I had with the original is that the pressings (and I tried 2) were really poor, but the sound quality was good. A real shame that this reissue doesn't do this album justice, especially as it was supposed to be "approved by Andy Partridge".

Be careful of the inner sleeves that came with this and Apple Venus 2 - my copy started to develop vinyl rash in the dead wax - thankfully it cleaned up ok and I replaced the inner.

This is a fantastic pressing. Absolutely no surface noise of any kind. Very dynamic.