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RE: Velvet Underground & Nico... Best pressing?

Posted by btremelo (A) on June 30, 2008 at 22:44:35

In Reply to: Velvet Underground & Nico... Best pressing? posted by Marky P on June 30, 2008 at 11:17:41:

I own about ten different pressings of this lp from all different eras. Probably the "best" sounding would be the original '67 issues. I use the word best in quotes because this album sounded like a trainwreck right out of the gate-- from a purely technical standpoint, NO pressing of this lp sounds good. But in the context of the music and the aesthetic of the Velvets, in my humble opinion, the godawful production absolutely works. I've actually grown to love the way this record sounds, and I couldn't imagine it sounding differently. If you took away all the tape hiss, distortion and buzzing, you'd essentially be castrating this record. That's my two-cent theory, anyways.

But I digress. Anyhow... I was lucky enough to pick up clean '60s originals (both mono AND stereo) years ago before the prices went through the roof. From what I know, most folks seem to prefer the mono, but honestly, I like the stereo too depending on what kind of mood I'm in. The monaural's a bit more raw and intense, but the (primitive) stereo mix offers just a slightly clearer presentation of what's going on (and I do mean SLIGHTLY clearer). To my ears, the stereo's a tad more open and less muddy-- but still pretty rough. I also own some '70s US reissues that sound ok, but they lack the personality and balls-out character of the originals. It seems that they tried to maybe tone down the racket a bit and smooth out some of the rough edges when they mastered those.

And as far as the latest re-issues go, I'm pretty sure they're grey area European bootlegs. I think the yellow vinyl stereo is just a dupe of the latest cd re-issue (and please ignore the sticker pasted on the front of the cellophane claiming "high quality audiophile vinyl". I'm pretty sure this is bunk, as I've gone through three copies so far trying to find one with a quiet surface). Having said that, from a mastering standpoint, I think these might sound a little better than the previous re-releases from the '70s. They DEFINITELY sound better than the early digital re-issues Verve did in the mid-'80s. The latest mono pressing actually sounds better than the mix that's on that 2-cd delux edition that came out a few years back. Again, not quite as colorful as the original issue, but well worth picking up. So to sum up, if you've the cash to burn, the originals are the ones to own, but any of the re-issues (EXCEPT the '80s ones) will do nicely in a pinch. Check out the Velvet Underground Web Page link that I've included. This site has an amazing amount of detailed pressing info for all of the Velvet's releases.

• The Velvet Underground Web Page   (Open in New Window)

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