So here I am, back 'n' ripping again after a break of several months. I've wanted to tackle this one for some time as it's quite possibly the best sounding edition of this old favourite (feel free to compare with my rip of a mid-'70s UK copy of the album, posted here earlier this year).
Nick Drake’s three albums were reissued on vinyl in 2012-13, each one initially as a limited boxed edition. Unfortunately the campaign became an exercise in diminishing returns as only Pink Moon (the first to be reissued) was cut directly from the original stereo master tape. Mastering for the new vinyl was undertaken by Adam Nunn at Abbey Road under the supervision of John Wood, who had been at the controls when the album was recorded 40 years earlier.
John Wood also contributed some vinyl mastering notes which are included with the release:
"There has been little change in the methodology and process of transferring Tape to Master Laquers since these albums were originally Mastered in the late sixties and early seventies. However over the next 15 years until the advent of the compact disc, improvements were made to the design of cutting heads that allowed more high frequency signals to be transferred which for ‘acoustic’ based material such as Nick’s, gives a feeling of more air and space to the material. In parallel with these improvements was the arrival of more sophisticated analogue equalizers offering the ability to subtly highlight parts of the audio spectrum in ways not available in Mastering channels when these records were transferred from tape originally. This new Mastering of Nick’s albums has made full use of these developments whilst retaining the integrity of the originals. It is inevitable that when dealing with tapes that are now over 40 years old there will be some degradation in quality consequently we have not always been able to use the original first generation tapes, however Pink Moon was cut from the Original Sound Techniques Masters."
Pressed at Optimal on 180g virgin vinyl the resulting product is (in my view) a triumph and very probably the best this album has ever sounded – and all achieved without sacrificing anything of what made you love it in first place. This is one of the rare instances where a reissue really does make the search for a mint condition original (in this case a very rare and costly item) if not totally pointless then certainly a wholly needless extravagance. As Randy Wells concluded in his review for Analog Planet,
"I’ll make this short. Run, don’t walk, and order a copy (or two) of this new reissue. Everything else is second best in my opinion. If your analog rig and electronics are up to the task, you will hear rich nuances, air, and separation not available on any other pressing I’ve heard. As good as the original UK –1U pressing is, and it is very good, it can’t compete with the resolution and fullness available here. Don’t worry, this mastering is not one of those attempts at eliciting more detail at the expense of warmth and musicality. You can expect to hear newfound bending of guitar strings and previously unheard vocal inflections. Yet everything is natural and smooth, with the added benefit of greater presence and believability."
This limited edition 40th anniversary box came with some nice peripherals including a poster, reproductions of two of Nick's handwritten lyric sheets and pictures both of the actual 1/4" stereo master tape and of the Sound Techniques studio record sheet (presumably completed by John Wood) attached to its storage box. The good news though is that the subsequent plain vanilla Back To Black reissue of the LP uses the same mastering as this edition. It's also pressed at Optimal, comes in a gatefold sleeve and has early '70s style Island Records "pink rim" labels. Best of all, it's inexpensive and widely available.
Thanks a lot oreston!!!
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