I like the Canadian pressing, colored yes but has more contour and punch, it kind of frees the frequencies

Brother, i am: - so proud of you, - excited at what all the Dark Side of the Needle pressing comparisons you are embarking on in the future.. 👍👍👍👍😁😁😁✌✌✌✌

Think my favorite is the Canadian. Really stood out and sounded great. I came into collecting kinda late so only able to get the 2016's so far. Was kinda cringing waiting to hear the comparison, but it wasn't bad at all! A slight difference, but if that is the worst that it is I'll take it. Great video

The problem I find with most of the originals is that they were played to death on inferior turntables a lot of times and had 1000 miles on them from going to school, record parties, buddies houses and smoking sessions. Took me quite a while to find one that was fairly silent and didn't sound like I was sitting by a campfire. That is the one quality I like most about the BG copy I own...dead silent. As far as your comparison, I really liked the sound of the KG/DS version the best with the Canadian press coming in a close second

The fact that you would be happy with any of them is great news for record collectors. It seems that Japanese pressings are hard to beat. They may not always be the best but they are almost always near the top. Now I need to find my copy.Keep up the great work.

This was interesting. Thanks for doing this. I'm starting to get back into vinyl and have a number of pressings of this title myself. I've gotta say, it's not surprising that you used Wally's cut as the reference because it sounds to me like he achieved the best balance overall. I noticed some of these masterings try to eek out a little more top end and this is one album that really doesn't need that. That said, I'm listening on headphones and maybe I don't have the best perspective. And as you said, you really can't go wrong with any of these, all well represented. Cheers.

The 2016 remasters on Pink Floyd Records are outstanding. My parents original, sounds lifeless compared to it.

first let me congrats with you, this was really well done. Bravo! I own a A3 B3 UK, an Italian late 70s and the 2003 reissue. I have to add that wally US to my collection because to me it stood out as a clear winner in your head to head comparison. That and brighter but fresh sounding Canadian pressing. Stan Ricker was deaf. The Japanese 74 is to me weird, narrow and canny (dunno if it is the right word). But what it became clear to me thanks to your effort is that master tape are no longer in good shape; the last reissues (kg and bg) sound "tired" compared to both Canadian and US Wally. Thanks for this kind opportunity to hear all these versions side by side! Please keep it coming. ps. look out for a early UK pressing ( if you sell both the Japanese and mfsl your wallet wouldn't even notice it 😀).

Great in depth video. Notice the inner groove spacing leftover in Mofi comparisons. I like the Mofi and Canadian, but Wally's is more beefy regardless, thus thickening the grooves a bit more.

Thanks so much for doing this. It's really great hearing the different approaches. They're all pretty different, just goes to show how subjective Mastering is. Hire a mastering engineer who's work your love, don't trust a robot.

the canadian one sounds great!. the wally traugot one sounds less clear, the japanese one sounds even more muffled, and the stan ricker one sounds "weak" or "flat". in the wally traugot one the left channel sounds a little less clear or bright than the right one, I noticed it during every song compared to the other editions.

I have the 30th anniversary press as well as the MoFi, and they are both very, very good. But I have a third pressing that beats them both imho, and that's the 1978 Japanese Toshiba-EMI "Pro-Use" version (EMLF-97002). This is definitely worth hunting down. It can be hard for around 100 usd or so if you are patient.

Damn I love this video...a true gem🤘🔥if I didn't mention it before, I liked the 30th anniversary edition.brighter than Wally and not forgetting about the bottom end

Hi! Thanks for your work! About the deadwax letters TLC is for The Lacquer Channel Limited a Canadian mastering studio and lacquer cutting facility in Toronto, and the T is for the lacquer brands used: TLC-A = Apollo Masters Lacquers TLC-P = Pyral lacquers TLC-T = Transco lacquers

Great stuff, here goes mine. The Canadian sounded great, but I reckon it might be in a tad better shape than your original US press. Best to worst 1. Wally 2. KG & DS 3. Canadian 4. MOFI 5. Japanese 6. BG

Hi Paul very cool thanks for taking the time 1 Kevin Gray 2Wally 3 Japanese 4 Bernie ( I've shocked myself by putting Bernie last) Thanks Paul-- Lis

I dont like how on the second track the bass line was only played on wally's pressing every time. doesnt let the bass track on the other pressings shine

Wow.. A lot of effort on your part for not enough returns.. The only fact I can here is Wally got it right from the get go.. Thanks for this post..

My Dad gave me a load of his vinyl albums a while ago. Amongst the audiophile gems was a 2nd pressing of Sgt.Pepper and also the original 1st pressing of DSOTM..We have listened to the very album since i was a kid in the 70's...It was only recently that i learned of the value of it to collectors...It's mint, having been lovingly owned by Dad and kept in a plastic gatefold sleeve it's entire life...The cover looks new, and i mean brand new.

One of my versions doesn't contain "Speak To Me" nor "On The Run", but rather has "Wot's Uh the Deal?" as a bonus. When I upload my response/comparison video you'll find out why.

I ate the cassette and now I hear it all the time...

1. Canadian 2. Wally 3. Japanese/ KG, Sax 4. Grundman/Stan Richer (Mofi) Happy to have any of the first 3, glad to save the $ on the mofi and 2016 reissue, my stock standard CD from who knows when sounds better. I own the 2003 and an original Australian quad copy, they do me fine. Cool video, I was late to the party on this one.

wow! the Japanese this time around is sounding much much better! the Canadian Press in my ears was a little more dynamic sounding, however perhaps I sit up here writing this in Toronto I'm being a little biased ;) the Mofi sounded great, and was definitely the quietest pressing. You're right though, it's really not as dramatic as the Zeppelin II. I'd probably be quite happy with any of these, and for around 20$ it'd be hard not to recommended that Bernie Cut. Great vid Paul!

All around my favorite without headphones is the original US pressing. the Canadian and Japanese sound almost identical, they both have louder, but fuzzier mids. The Stan Ricker mix has less Low end and sounds emptier than US. the doug sax version Has the vocals and drums A little to prominent, and the Bernie Grundman mix is "Flatter" and has a lower Fidelity sound. on the Grundman version of "Time", the drums are far to quiet, the only drums I can clearly hear are Hi Hat cymbal hits. For me, the original US is the best balance of everything.

Thanks for putting the work in to do this, very cool of you to take the time to accomplish it. I own an original UK pressing, and the newest Grundman remasters, and quite honestly, I hear zero differences with my setup. But I underscore "my setup". So many factors can go into it, but I just wanted to add that, if anyone is looking to buy a solidly mastered copy of this album, the newest remasters is an excellent way to go.

Wally's pressing is by far the best. The dynamic range is more present, the mids don't feel squished, the highs and lows pop out and are clear and distinct. The worst is the Japan release, it is the loudest recording of the bunch and the volume seems to be causing some distortion. All the later pressings are suffering from a narrow bandwidth giving the music a super thin sound.

Love the audio vérité and the images at the start of this video Paul. If there is one album in the history of music that I would love to have been involved with the making of, it's Dark Side. Great video, really enjoyed it. I have an early, possibly first or second British pressing that my dad bought as a gift for my mum back in the early seventies (you can see it in my recent response to Cloudy Milder's contest). My kids have no interest in music at the moment; if they still don't when I'm an old man and about to journey to the dark side of the moon myself, and if you're still around then also, I'll leave it to you in my will.

Well done Paul and very interesting comparison. I never knew that there were so many pressings of this album. I have an original US and UK pressing only. I would love to grab a few of these too. It is hard for me to tell. Each one sounds a little better than the other. I will go with the Bernie pressing because I like him so much. Fantastic editing~ Rob/Boston

and brother Paul.... i love the way you constructed the cover photo!!!😁: - rainbow colours going through the stylus turned Prism, and sound waves coming out from it!!! on the electron microscope groove closeup!! 👍👍👍💪💪💪

There is no such thing like two perfectly identical recordings in analogue audio tech. That is why they are unique. If done with care they are all marvelous

Just found a real nice super clean 1973 Wally at a yard sale! Can't wait to give it a listen.

Fantastic job on this video Paul, wow, the editing on this one must have gotten you close than ever to Carpal Tunnel and Insanity! Believe I own 5 different pressings of this (MoFi, remaster, US 2nd, etc. blah, blah) and have to admit, I suspect we have the same thoughts in that all of them just sound nice because a botch job would be sacrilege. Likewise, I own multiple pressings of The Wall (my personal favorite) and they too all sound, well, damn fine. You deserve the patient editor of the year on this one man, I can only imagine the few times the computer lagged while you were wrapping it up you had a panic attack wondering when the last time you hit save was! Absolutely enjoyed every second of it, huge kudos. Did you use the Mani in the clips? Been thinkin' of grabbn' one for ha-ha's but the phono stage in the Marantz 2238b is just fine so I keep holdin' back. Slam dunk man, thanks for the entertainment! P.s., you know KZfaq compressed all this, it's not real, blah, blah ;-) Just kidding! - Lj

The 2016 BG mix is my favorite because of the reduced background noise and phenomenal detail. The Wally mix has incredible punch in just the right range for me, maybe it's a nostalgia thing, as it sounds the most like what I had on cassette back in the day. The others have their pros and cons. The Canadian is a bit colored, but I'd be more than happy if I hadn't heard the others. I'd rate them in the following order, from best to least best. 1. 2016 BG mix (the detail, baby) 2. Wally (fantastic low-mid punch) 3. Canadian, Stan, 2003 (tie) 4. Japanese (a bit too bright and hot) Glad to find I like the BG mix best, as one is currently in route to me, along with his versions of WYWH and Animals.

Canadian, for me. Thanks for sharing!

The runout groove on USA press is shockingly larger ..like a 1cm difference ! Easy to see comprimise in how it was mastered for vinyl. That explains alot.

You're right when you say you'd be happy with any of these. Even with KZfaq's compression they all sound nice. About the only difference I could hear is perhaps volume (slightly) louder on the Canadian pressing, but that's it! I have the 2003 version, a mid seventies Japanese version and now I might go and get myself the Bernie Grundman version due in part to your video. I really enjoyed your video, nice work.

I'm shocked by how much more open and cleaner the Canadian pressing is. But that it still sounds like Floyd. It maybe closer to how later Floyd albums sound (Wish You Were Here, Animals). I wonder if they had the British Masters sent to them to use. I would look for that outright, just based on the fidelity and dynamic range difference.

I’ll be honest. They all sounded pretty good to me.

I really dig that Canadian version. Has a nice wide sound with headphones. Thanks for posting!

In my ears the canadian press sounds air'ier and with sharper discant than the Wally master. :-p

This one was tough but to my ears this is what I liked in order: 1) Kevin Gray 2) Bernie Grundman 3) Canadian Press 4) Japanese Press 5) Wally Traugott 6) MoFi

Great job Paul. Regardless of which one is best, it's fascinating that different versions do sound different -- another amazing part of vinyl collecting. I'm a bit late to the Pink Floyd party. I have an original Canadian pressing of The Wall because everyone got that album when it came out. As for PF themselves they were the antithesis of the punk movement that I was into back then. However, I've since bought most of the 2016 reissues and am very pleased with them! I could have bought that Canadian pressing of DSOTM recently, I'm kicking myself for not getting it!

It is nice to ear differences, the highs crispiness, the bass presence, the middle frequency...etc And in this "cutting" style of comparaison, we ( our ears, brain..etc) can immediately hear subtle ( or more pronounced) differences.. I also liked the WT pressing the most, because it has a very good separation of instruments, deep bass, not too crispy Highs, and an enjoyable Middle frequency.. the one i liked the less was Stan R. Pressing..the Doug & Kevin sounded very closeto my ears ;) Cheers, thx for the video

When this was first released in the US, there were versions that did not have the sticker on the front. I bought my original copy at a Treasure Island (J.C. Penney Department store. I remember this because I had heard tracks on WRAS as soon as it was released and looked there several times for it. I finally asked the department manager about it and he told me "Oh, that's the black cover with the prism on the front. It's on the waterfall stand at the end of this aisle". I found it, but didn't see a title. I wasn't aware at the time about album titles being printed on the spine because I had only recently started collecting. I asked the manager "How can you tell this is that album?" Then I felt like a doo-doo head when she showed me the spine. I've probably had about 4 different vinyl versions, including the Japanese pressing you have.

Ok so I finally sat down and did a proper listen to this....which I must thank you for doing this...love these types of comparison videos...my vote goes to the Canadian pressing. ..overall it sounded more full and powerful. ..I was shocked how weak THE MOFI sounded in comparison. ..considering that a MOFI version costs about 80 dollars canadian around here ( I'm in Toronto)...I bought my Canadian version for 10 dollars. ..and it sounds great...and great lesson learned. ..sometimes you are paying for the name (MOFI)...just because it's a MOFI doesn't mean it's better. thanks again Paul.

Paid $110 in '83 for the MoFi UHQR, and it is--shall we say--stellar; the initial clocks sound blew one channel's tweeter fuse, so I kept a flashlight & spare fuse at hand! Once listened to some (yeah, it's hard to only listen to part of DSotM) of an SQ quadraphonic version played through a two-channel rig with electrostatic speakers; on Eclipse "everyone you meet", I distinctly heard more than one person's voice for the first (and to date, only) time. The Kevin Gray/ Doug Sax 30th anniv. edition sounded spectacular on my buddy's Linn (reasonably close to the UH, I think). Had a copy or two back in '75 Maybe an "original original"; never played it on a "high fidelity first class" rig, though. I want to listen to the 5.1 ch SACD. Thank you for your comparo work.

OK my vote is for Wally. I tried to ignore my instinct to go with the Canadian pressing or others just because the highs were brighter. The Japanese version was very close but I started to notice the mid ranges were the biggest difference to me. Over all the Wally won out but man was it a close shoot out! You chose the order very well. I listened at HD 1080p with Audio techniques noise cancelling headphones ANC33iS on a laptop. I owned a mofi and traded it in because it was too noisy lol. The store owners gave me quite a bit of credit that day. BUT I didn't know about the font difference. Mine was a newer copy. Did you see that the Abby Road console that DSOTM was recorded on sold for 1.8mm? Great video Paul, thanks for taking the time to do this.

I see that many others have the same favorite as me, but yes, the Canadian is by far the best to my ears. It strikes a nice balance between loudness and separation of the various audio elements. The worst one (although they're all fine) is the Japanese one. And that really came as a surprise, given how good Japanese pressings tend to be. It would be interesting to put the Canadian up against the SACD version, which so far is the superior version to all other versions, in my opinion.

Wally sounds incredible! It slaughters all the others.

I have a Canadian, and a UK pressing. Not sure what year they were issued, will have to do some deadwax research. They both sound good. Wouldn't know how to compare them to the many other issues. I'm fortunate to have them as each copy was a gift.

my picks: CAN, 2016, 2003, Wally

Wally, Stan, Kevin, Bernie all Winners. Now how is the simple consumer buyer suppose to figure this out and have an understanding of where to go and what to do when buying. Either there is to much out there, or there is incompetent people making technical decisions. Just do it right the first time! Thanks Paul.

canada pressing britheer sound' that one tan label was kinda strange like the sound was more thicker side by side mfsl sounds slightly compressed-like they are pushing past speakers 12:55 sound shifts and the drums sound brighter 13:45 sounds slightly different 14:54 sounds like one is clinching ones ears like kids did thats how to explaine it compared to placing microphone next to speakers at different angles

Hey Paul..are you sure the Canadian one doesn't say TLC in the deadwax? (The Lacquer Channel? )

i am a professional engineer who, at 55 can still hear above 16 khz. that is not supposed to happen at my age. glad to have found this, as it never ovvured to me to compare pressings. i only work with master tapes. after that, the band does as they wish, often slaughtering my work with so called mastering engineers. it is laughable. the canadian pressing is harsh in the mids and cymbals . the original is soft and warm, no hype. there is no comparison between the two. the original is best.those of you who prefer the CDN pressing are the same people who buy their audio gear from best buy and shop in malls and like those hyped up sounds. that is fine for a few minutes but unbearable for extended listening. untrained ears like candy. it is understandable, but you are wrong. thank you, poster for enlightening me!

I'm surprised you didn't take the samples and put them in audacity and invert one to find the differences. This is quiet telling. It is a little hard to do as each mastering has a different amount of tape speed difference and wow which clearly shows in the audacity difference test. The differences in the mix are very apparent. Did this on the CD, SACD and Mobile Fideliety Labs copy. Found either due to mastering or differences in playback, one is already inverted.

Even using my computer, I immediately notice the differences in the Truagautt and Canadian / Jap pressings. Traugatt seems much more warmth compared to the two. The Sax and Gray also seemed on the warmer side, but the Grundman sounded really detailed and still warm ish. In reality, though, it'd be hard to know which is best, without at least having one british copy in there for good measure, as I hear they master things a little differently over there.

I own a Quadraphonic from Australia that is stellar!

There's an aspect to this which hasn't been mentioned, or at least I haven't seen it be mentioned. Which is that depending on the age of The Listener their ears are going to discern the frequencies differently then someone of a different age whose ears are able to pick up frequencies that the former's isn't. My 46 year-old ears appreciate the colored tone and stand-out highs of the Canadian pressing.

BarakaPDub, since the Canadian pressing gets several positive comments here, I would suggest you hunt for a Canadian orig. red label pressing of Led Zeppelin III, which is supposed to be the best sounding one out there and do a shootout for that album (I love these comparisons).

just got my 1st press of dark side im a huge fan of pink floyd i dont even have a turntable XD

For me it's the Canadian pressing first followed by Wally T's version. No doubt. Both sound smooth and rich but the Canadian copy has a bit more clarity and articulation while retaining the wonderful smoothness and warmth of the Wally copy. The Wally sounds a tad rolled off in the highs by comparison and maybe a bit lesss dynamic. The rest are all noticeably less good in various ways. The Japanese pressing is maybe third place. You went to a lot of trouble to make this comparison and you did a great job. As an aging old school audiophile, I thank you.

There's a Japanese "PRO-USE SERIES" version that came out in 1977 (its cat number is EMLF-97002 and has a black OBI strip instead of a white one) which is arguably the best of the pressings that came out of that country.

How did I miss this one????? OMG. Excellent! By the way my brother, the etching in the Canadian pressing is not TGC but it's actually "TLC" for 'The Lacquer Channel' which was (and still is) a mastering studio in Toronto. Not sure if anyone else mentioned this already as I didn't check all of your responses to this video... there were a lot. You will often see the etching - "TLC-T" which also stands for the type of lacquer used.... kinda weird, lol e.g. - T = Transco lacquers P = Pyral lacquers A = Apollo lacquers :-)

My top: 1. 2003 classic records 2. Draw between RL cut and Mofi (very smiley mofi but much clearer) 3. 2014 4. Japanese I live in Chile and here buyers are always selling japanese and normal reissues, they say that everything from japan or new is better, here is really hard to find us or european pressings

the Canadian pressing sounds great on my fisher kx 200 with schitt DAC and infinity rs 425 speakers

Hello Baraka, notice Deadwax's version with Wally. She is closer. That means he gave more freedom to the cutting grooves. The other "cuts" have Deadwax are wider. The grooves become narrower, resulting in "weak" audio.

1. Canadian 2. Capitol 3. 30th Anniversary 4. Mobile Fidelity 5. 2016 Reissue 6. Japanese

Hi. Great shootout again ; for my taste I like the best the 73' US pressing which is well balanced and with a solid bass presence, the Japanese with its more "open" sound, and the Canadian the "loudest" of all. The others although good seems to forgot the bass a little too much for me, some are even toned down. Thanx for the vid. PS : I finally got my hands one Schiit Mani, and will soon couple it with my PL-514 and the MP-110.

UK 3rd press is my go to...nice thick vinyl. Sold my Canadian Wally cut soon after buying.

wonderful comparison, great work! the wally us and the 2003 remaster sound best to me... i have an early german pressing, maybe first press, and i am totally satisfied with the sound.

I really like the Wally version the best . 1. Wally 2. 2003 3. Canada 4. Japan 5. 2016 6. MoFi Thank You, so much for taking the time and energy to do this video.

For me the Canadian pressing sounds the best with more air or space in the sound. I thought the bass on Bernie's pressing sounded weaker. Interesting as I was looking at buying this version after my uk original given to me by my parents was ruined in a flood. Thank you for the effort you put into this. If only YT didn't compress the sound.

This was a lot of fun and really well done. The demos interspersed between the individual shootouts were really effective as audio "palate cleansers". My initial reaction was that I enjoyed the Canadian one more - it sounds like it has a little more life in it. The Japanese doesn't sound much different from the baseline pressing. All the other ones sound inferior to my ears - quieter, deader, or weaker on bass. Somewhere I've got a copy of my dad's Canadian pressing, although I'm sure it is in nowhere near as good a condition! (But I think it may still have the inserts.)

Canadian FTW! ✊Hard to pick a 2nd, they're close.. Maybe the KPG/DS, then Japanese? US 3rd, & BG 4th. 🤷🏻 Thanks for the comparison!

One key point about DSotM is the preecho/printthrough just before the chimes go off for 'Time' - very noticable in the original UK pressing, I presume they've improved that on remastered ones. When comparing pressings its always good to include a dead quiet section so surface noise level can be heard.

Thanks, what a great job editing and putting these comparisons together. Surely not as big a difference as Led Zeppelin II, I would be happy with almost any of these pressings.

Now do the same but the CD Pressings of The Dark Side of The Moon

I have the Canadian edition but I see the Wally signature in the dead wax.....

Hmmm, interesting comparison. I listened through Sennheiser HD650 phones run through a Grace m9XX DAC (...and of course KZfaq compression). The Canadian, Wally and Japanese pressings all sounded pretty good, hard to distinguish differences like soundstaging though them. One thing I noticed that I didn't see mentioned in the comments that I read was that the MoFi was cut at a lower level than the others, which would cause it to be at a disadvantage to the others in this comparison (because it didn't seem the levels were matched), but give it the advantage by allowing more of the natural dynamic range from the tape to be passed through. That was one of the touted advantages of the half speed mastering that MoFi uses. Also, the super low noise levels of the JVC SuperVinyl that the MoFi's were pressed on, allowed for the lower overall levels and greater dynamic range to be captured in the grooves. I have the 1st MoFi press(ing) :) and I find it to be very quiet and also very dynamic. When all the alarms go off, GET BACK JACK if you have the volume cranked up! It gets loud!

Best to worst for me was: KG&DS (2003) BG (2016) Wally Canadian Japan MFSL Which amazes me, since I found the Wally and Canadian very narrow in their soundstage, but more tonally balanced with more dynamic and deep timbre than the Japan or MFSL. The 2016 had better soundstage than those four, but too bright and the decay and transients seemed artificial in some way. 2003 had the best soundstage of all of them, with quiet surfaces and dynamics, both high and low, to.boot. It probably helps I own the 2003, but I can admit that. XD

Thanks for the video, and very well done! The baseline sounds the most muted of all the rest, but certainly a good pressing ! The Mofi sounded the most different, typical scooped out mid, enhanced mid-bass and treble in the 6 to 10 Khz range. The mofi sound is superimposed, but preferred by some listeners... nice pressing of course and super quiet. I like the Canadian pressing, nice and open, quiet background, superior dynamics, and also the Japanese pressing.

Doug Sax & Kevin Gray version. Wide open, balanced with endless headroom on a full range system. What cart is that on your Rega? Is there a list of your gear?

Amazing job by Doug Sax & Kevin Gray! The Canadian was a little more compressed and loud and the Japan one was harsh.

Seems to me the Canadian pressing was slightly louder but very subtely. It did not sacrifice the overall clarity. All of these are done very well because the original source is so kick ass, would be proud to own all or any of these beauties. Thanks for the video its thought provoking and interesting. Any other Pink Floyd comparisons coming?

On this day I'm growing impatient for my backordered DSOTM multi-channel SACD. I have no idea what vinyl version I own but having purchased it from a book store just two years ago, I suspect it's a late model. It sounds nice, very black silent moments, and no pops from my SL-1210GR/Shure V15V-MR/Jico SAS. Still, can't wait for the multi-channel SACD.

The Canadian pressing is bright. The Japanese one is slightly muddy (too much emphasis on the midrange). The MOFI has less bass than Capitol pressing (but has a wider sound stage). The Doug Sax pressing is very close to the Capitol, but has slightly more punchier/clearer bass. The Grundman pressing is also a bit brighter, I'd say it lacks the warm sound the others have, it does sound like it was digitally sourced. But this is only my opinion based on what I heard through my tiny iPad speakers, I'll probably edit this once I have a chance to listen through some higher quality speakers, I know I missed something. *edit* yep, I definitely missed something, iPad speakers couldn't produce enough bass to notice the difference between the MOFI and the Capitol. Review/opinion updated. I agree the the Doug Sax/Kevin Gray is the best version of these to have, but it's not enough of a difference to make me throw away my Grundman pressing and hunt down a copy (unlike Led Zep 2)

The original was best every single time, usually by a wide margin. That murky but strong plodding sound is what I’m used to and feels like the right fit. All but the 40th anniversary digital one are still fine. Canada maybe needed lower volume, and 2003 / MFSL a bit more volume to get a proper comparison. (They might have the same punch when played louder.) Japan was matched dynamic range wise so a nice “revealing” alternative. Regardless, the original had less “hiss” & a darker soundstage so good to know my vintage copy clicks and pops and all isn’t any worse off than some $100 special edition sold at FYE and Best Buy now.

This is cool but I think the quadraphonic pressing are the best ones and hardest to find due to how quad failed to catch on. But overall this video is incredible.

The Sax/Gray and the MFSL were my favorites on your shootout, the Canadian and Jpn sounded spatially "flatter". It is a shame that you don't have an early UK or German pressing - My go-to is a 3rd press German with the MFSL being my "backup"

Hi Paul I have an OG blue triangle pressing. I can safely say it blows any other pressing I have heard out of the water. It really is amazing quality. I think I have 3 or 4 different pressings including a couple of 70s ones and the 30th anniversary edition. Take care Kevin

Wally vs Canada: Canada wins. Wally's slightly muddy in comparison to Canada

The Canadian and Japanese stood out for me, real close. Wally’s next and then the rest.

I just bought the Grundman version, sounds fantastic to me! Of course that's the only version I've ever owned except for the CD version! The "change" sound on "money" doesn't have that "teeth rattling" clink that the master tape has! But still sounds great compared with most "modern" vinyl!

1. Canadian 2. Japanese (close second) 3. & 4. Wally & KG - these sounded nearly identical to me. Or at least not better/worse. 5. Grundman 6. MoFi I do have a 1973 Japanese pressing. The first pressing had an OBI with 2000 yen on it, the second had the 2200 Yen OBI, which is the one I have. It is sublime and I think better than the Japanese featured here although hard to tell without a face-off. Pretty shocked about the MoFI but goes to show you must A-B pressings and can't rely on label/mastering engineer reputation alone. Wonderful channel, I'm enjoying immensely! Found you through Ian's channel.

Wally's sounds deep but slightly distant. Rickers has that 70s feel and sounds quite narrow and pushed almost tinny. The Canadian version was vibrant and full didn't sound like they rolled anything off the high or low end. Sax and Grey seem to have a tiny bit less low end 200hz and down, but that vocal band and those mid highs are tight and clear loud. Grundman sounds almost 2-3db quiter almost like he didn't go for the gold or something. BUT this is based on youtubes compressing the shit outta things and what not. My ears aren't super old either I'm sure in 5-10 years my opinion won't change, but as for now I am going to go out looking for that Canadian pressing for sure.

another amazing video! I think I prefer Wally. Not sure why. it had a lowmid range that is really pleasing to me. I also enjoy the Kevin Gray mix as a close second. I'm really disappointed with the mofi and grundman mixes, which feels sacrilegious to even say. It's like a shootout for who's mix is more lifeless. Thanks for doing this. I need to go see which version I have.

I honestly prefer the Canadian version over the Wally. Top 3 would be: 1. Canadian 2. Wally 3. Kevin Gray

Hello, Listening through youtube, you can not tell big differences, but you could see that the Canadian look sounded better than all of them. And I chose the Japanese version. Congratulations!

A wonderful video,to my ageing ears ,the Sax and Gray version has the edge over all ,I am alittle surprised to report the one that finds least favour is the mobile fidelity one,could it be something to do with the mastering electronics?back in the late seventies a Dutch friend of mine who was at Philips said that it wasn't the half speed mastering that was selling the records but the quality of the JVC pressings I think he may well be right Again an excellent video I look forward to the next Thankyou Ted Barr