Mercury Rev – All Is Dream

Thankfully my copy is flat and plays fine. Most of the bonus tracks really are worth having. I’ve been spinning them constantly.

I have an original UK pressing too, so I decided to do an A/B, as it struck me that despite my old copy being a bit beaten up - it possibly sounds better. And it does. Unfortunately the new re - mastering has sapped a lot of the atmosphere out of the album. They have pushed and widened the top end - it almost runs hot on a track like Tides of the Moon. The biggest loss there is that Dave Friedman’s excellent bass playing is de-emphasised throughout. The new version ends up being fatiguing to listen to compared to the original.

It’s a small thing but the cover reproduction is not as sharp either… not surprising I guess. Finally the credits are slightly different - not actually crediting Friedman with playing for example.

All up it’s a decent re-press with great bonuses. It’s just a shame they pushed or compressed the master as much as they did. I was hoping my original would be redundant, but I really can’t see myself playing the Cherry Red version by choice. Decent, but a missed opportunity too.

I picked this up today and it is without question among the quietest slabs of vinyl I have ever heard, not to mention a terrific album that is served well by being well-pressed. Relieved as I read the reviews below after order the album. The bonus material is...well, a bonus!

Fortunately my copy sounds clean and full, with no surface noise. The swirls could look better though haha, but overall no complaints from me. Sounding wonderfully beautiful as the first time I heard this, if not even better now that it’s on vinyl. Mercury Rev is seriously very good when it comes to modern psychedelia, and this is a great follow-up to Deserter’s Songs.

I just got this version from ihaveit music on eBay, who seems to be ignoring me at the moment,
like other people have stated, side 3, the first two tracks are unplayable.
I haven't come across this before, but the record looks opaque around those two tracks, it's as
though the record's surface has been stained, or it could be friction damage ?
I use an Audio Technica AT33PTG/II, and it won't track at all.
So be warned, if you do get this copy, examine it,
you will see the playing surface damage if you look for it.
Update - ihaveit music on eBay refunded me.

I had to change my first copy, as the surface on the C side was extremely noisy, I’ve never heard anything like it before. My new copy is great, a bit noisy at the end of the D side, which is a common problem with vinyls made with more than one colour, but totally acceptable noise, it doesn’t bother me at all.