We recently finished another challenging shootout for this Better Records favorite and were thrilled to come up with a copy like this. It's always been tough to find great sound and quiet vinyl for this album, and this time around was a NIGHTMARE. Most copies just don't deliver, and most of the ones that do don't pass our stringent condition check.
The presence and immediacy of this copy on both sides are OFF THE CHARTS! The sound is HUGE -- wide, open, and SUPER transparent. There's tons of ambience, lots of breath to the vocals, real depth to the soundfield and INCREDIBLE amounts of energy.
You don't find many copies with this much Tubey Magic! Paul's vocals are rich and full bodied, and the acoustic guitars are warm and sweet. The bass is tight and punchy, just the way we like it. If this copy sounded any better, my head might explode!
Side One
A+++. Side one is open and transparent with excellent presence and a big punchy bottom end. Paul's vocals are tonally Right On The Money and the instruments are wonderfully detailed and textured.
Side Two
A+++. Side two is absolutely KILLER -- it's bigger, fuller, cleaner, clearer, livelier and more present than practically every other copy we played it against. The energy level is OFF THE CHARTS, the top end is nice and extended and it has a dynamic quality that you just won't find on the average copy.
These first two tracks have the quality of LIVE MUSIC in a way that not one out of a hundred rock records do. It sounds like it's recorded live in the studio, but of course that's impossible, because Paul plays all the instruments himself! It just goes to show how good a multi-track studio recording can sound when done well.
Always A Struggle
It's practically impossible to find clean copies of this album that sound good. We went through about two dozen of our best copies this week and eventually found the sound (and surfaces) we were looking for. I can't tell you how many copies we had to toss because they were noisy, had weak sonics, or both.
Looking For The McCartney Magic? Look No Further
In our experience, the real McCartney Magic is only found on the best domestic Apple pressings. We've never heard an import that knocked our socks off, and the later CBS issues are hardly worth the vinyl they're pressed on. Then again, many of the domestic Apples are garbage too. You've got to clean and play a whole lotta copies to find a copy that sounds like this one.
His Masterpiece
I really only like two Paul McCartney records: this one and Unplugged. Band On The Run is quite good as well but it's not a favorite album of mine like the above two. I find it very difficult to sit through the typical McCartney album. The hit songs are always engaging, if lightweight, but the filler is unbearable. This album, like Unplugged, is SUPERB from start to finish. At the end of side two you want MORE. I wish I could say that about the rest of his discography.
