Can – Tago Mago

I purchased this in 2024. The hype sticker incorrectly labels it as orange vinyl. It is black vinyl. I know there are orange versions, but mine, sadly, is incorrectly promoted on the sticker.

Bought this 5 years ago, gave it a few listens and put it on the shelf. Don't think my musical tastes were ready back then, but just gave this a spin and its fantastic all the way through. Musically, its an experimental fusion of crunchy guitar work, spacy effects and jazz-funk style drumming. The pressing is top notch and it really sings on my set up. Highly recommended!

Have to give it 5 stars since it knocks the freaking socks off the CD version. Super dynamic with a full range of separation of sounds. Mastered loud. Sounds hot and bright in certain areas but I really can't detract from that as it seems that's what they were going for with this remastering. Definitely a must own on vinyl and I'm glad that I finally got it.

Get this to have the album, but if you ever come across an Original or 1981 pressing, BUY IT!

Have to agree that this pressing is on fire. Loving it.

I think this pressing sounds great, especially for a lo-fi recording. Soundstage is holographic and absolutely three dimensional. I heard sounds go in a circle in my two-channel system! Rarely do I hear that. Great imaging. Highly recommended.

Worst inner sleeve of all time. Be sure to replace it with a much better one. Otherwise this isn't a bad reissue IMHO.

Bought brand new/sealed but has a 3/4" scratch straight across A1. Skipped the 1st time but seems ok on successive plays. Never seen anything cosmetically that bad/obvious on a brand new record.

I think it's interesting when people say a record "sounds digital" and make other statements along those lines. The sampling rate on a CD (for example) is 44.1 kHz. That's each second divided by 44,100. I'm not saying there's no difference; rather, I don't know whether my ears (or anyone's) are sensitive enough to identify a "digital" source with absolute confidence. Undoubtedly, people will argue they can, and maybe so, but I have my doubts.

Now, a bad pressing is another thing. Too much compression or a bad mix can ruin an LP. But these are problems that plague LPs pressed from analog sources, too. I was really disappointed by Dinosaur Jr. - Give A Glimpse Of What Yer Not (for example) and that was recorded and pressed in 2016! The compression is horrible on the LP and I think the digital formats are superior.

As people often write on Discogs, no record sounds bad in isolation. The question is whether this pressing sounds superior to other pressings. I have only heard this particular pressing (plus CDs, back in the day). It sounds good to me: quiet, and reasonably dynamic. Not shrill, and not muddy. Most of us have not heard a pristine copy of the 1971 German Can - Tago Mago. If anybody here owns or has heard both a first pressing and this 2014 remaster side-by-side, I would be very interested in reading a comparison. (Actually, I would love to hear the 1971 LP and compare the two myself!) I can't say this pressing is "as dynamic" as a 1971 pressing. I can't say it's "more (or less) quiet." I certainly can't say it sounds "digital." Taken in isolation, I think this is a pretty good sounding pressing, especially if you're not inclined to spend a lot more for an original LP.

sounds like a mp3, shocking pressing, thought i had a damaged needle