Heartland

I thought I had the different pressings covered, however, I just picked up a US promo version of the LP and the confusion started all over again...

I played it to see if it was cleaner than my other US pressing (custom label, not red and black Elektra label), or cleaner than my German gatefold copy. Upon listening, I found out that NTTC [edit: I meant to type Walk Away] is a COMPLETELY different mix than on my custom label US pressing and my German gatefold, both of which have the same mixes on them.

The promo should definitely be a first pressing, it has a custom label, a promo stamp on that label, and a stamp on the jacket. And this should have the same mix that is on my other custom label US pressing.

Any thoughts?

Here's what I know - all versions of the CD suck, including last years "remaster". The German vinyl is top notch, very punchy, good production. And at least some of the US pressings are the same as the German pressing, but apparently not all. And you would think it's later issues that are different, but apparently not. Unless the record company made promos a few years after the album came out.

I'm at a loss and would like to hear what everyone else has to say.

BTW, I know there was some interest in a CD version of the German vinyl pressing. I have ripped this on top notch equipment (Pro-Ject RM-5 turntable, Ortofon super OM-40 stylus, Pro-Ject Tube Box pre-amp, Mackie 1202 mixer, M-audio audiophile 192 soundcard) and upped it to Oink in the past. I would be willing to upload it to a public tracker if anyone is interested.

Very strange.

It's a pity the database that used to be here isn't there anymore as this might have had the answer you were after.

I'm sure one of the collectors will be able to help you with that though (thinking PiB or Taylor).

As far as I knew, last years CD was supposed to have the original vinyl mixes on it. I ripped my Vinyl copy a while back and to be honest I can't really hear any difference, but when played against the 1992 mixes it is obvious. I think I ripped mine off the UK release which I didn't think that it was any different.

Thanks for your offer on the vinyl rip, but I will say on behalf of the forum thanks, but no thanks. We tend to stay away from sharing officially released stuff (at least we don't discuss it on the open forum!).

Interesting first post anyway!

Seconded on the "no shares of official material" - we don't want to kill the goose that laid the golden egg, do we?

Interesting that the German first pressing is different again. Maybe it's just better quality vinyl or something, since as far as I'm aware all of the 1985 releases contained the same mixes/arrangements.

I think it's unfair to say that last year's reissue sucks. True, there are some problems with it which it would have been very easy to fix if only someone at Rhino had listened to the thing before letting it out, but restoring the original mixes and getting the comtemporary B sides reissued was far more than we could have ever hoped for not too long ago.

Official stance: No, we don't share official material.
Unofficial: If you happen to accidentally upload it to a server somewhere, and then accidentally send me a PM with a link to it, I wouldn't say no.

Welcome to HL anyway.

mh wrote:Seconded on the "no shares of official material" - we don't want to kill the goose that laid the golden egg, do we?

that's pretty much the official stance to be honest. we're walking a fine line with the boot/demo weeding & sharing as it is. i don't want to overstep the mark (any further)...

Quiff Boy wrote:

mh wrote:Seconded on the "no shares of official material" - we don't want to kill the goose that laid the golden egg, do we?

that's pretty much the official stance to be honest. we're walking a fine line with the boot/demo weeding & sharing as it is. i don't want to overstep the mark (any further)...

Aye...

Welcome newbie. Like your post.

Is the NTTC mix on the promo the same as the mix on the 1990 CD/Japanese vinyl release? If so, someone could've sent the pressing plant the "wrong" mix by mistake. Just a thought.

that's pretty much the official stance to be honest. we're walking a fine line with the boot/demo weeding & sharing as it is. i don't want to overstep the mark (any further)...

Really? I don't wish to sound too cynical, but does Eldritch actually give a toss about anything to do with the sisters any more? Does he still consider it an asset worth protecting?

Has there been complaints in the past? Who would actually do the complaining, if a complaint were hypothetically received?

all good points, but presumably someone holds the copyrights, and that someone also has access to lawyers

I listened to the rest of the album all the way through, and it appears that Walk Away is the only different mix on the album (not NTTC like I mentioned, I meant Walk Away but typed NTTC).

It's very different, and I should compare it to the Japanese mixes on the original CD. I have one somewhere, but honestly don't remember them being this different. The guitars are further in the background, the whole mix is a lot brighter, and actually doesn't fit the album as well as the "real?" mix. And it's a bit muddy compared to what I'm familiar with.

The matrix etchings are different between the two US pressings as well - On the promo there is a set of numbers followed by a -1, and on the non promo US pressing, that -1 is changed to a -4. All of the handwriting is identical, it looks like someone just changed a 1 to a 4. And that is strange in itself, usually matrix numbers are entirely different, with some else's handwriting or machined numbers, etc.

I was not impressed with the remaster. Compared to the German vinyl, it still sounds muddy. And if the masters were truly lost, were they found again for the re-issue? It is cool though that there was enough interest for them to be put out at all, and with the B-sides (which sound as good as they did on vinyl, which makes me think the FALAA masters are really lost).

I like this forum. I should have joined ages ago.

numanoid wrote: I like this forum. I should have joined ages ago.

You say that now...

Nice to have you here

aye! welcome aboard

Welcome. You'll like it here.

With regard to the reissues, I was grateful for some of the extra tracks, esp SKOS early version, however, it was obvious that there was a lot more that could have been done - just look at the recent re-mastering of The Fall's back catalogue, where each album has been repackaged as a 2CD set with singles that weren't on the original album and B sides, Peel Sessions, Demos and live tracks. It would have been nice for each of the Sisters re-issues to have been treated with the same consideration.

numanoid wrote:I like this forum. I should have joined ages ago.

Welcome to the asylum, numanoid!

Quiff Boy wrote:all good points, but presumably someone holds the copyrights, and that someone also has access to lawyers

True and those lawyers will probably be very, very good. But we have Herr Blast and he has a very, very sharp knife

Nixon wrote:Welcome. You'll like it here.

With regard to the reissues, I was grateful for some of the extra tracks, esp SKOS early version, however, it was obvious that there was a lot more that could have been done - just look at the recent re-mastering of The Fall's back catalogue, where each album has been repackaged as a 2CD set with singles that weren't on the original album and B sides, Peel Sessions, Demos and live tracks. It would have been nice for each of the Sisters re-issues to have been treated with the same consideration.

Good point. Same thing with the cure re-issues. Bags of extra goodies there too.
Welcome to the good ship HL numanoid.

numanoid wrote:I listened to the rest of the album all the way through, and it appears that Walk Away is the only different mix on the album (not NTTC like I mentioned, I meant Walk Away but typed NTTC).

No worries.

The matrix etchings are different between the two US pressings as well - On the promo there is a set of numbers followed by a -1, and on the non promo US pressing, that -1 is changed to a -4. All of the handwriting is identical, it looks like someone just changed a 1 to a 4. And that is strange in itself, usually matrix numbers are entirely different, with some else's handwriting or machined numbers, etc.

That's the bit that's confusing me, the matrix numbers. One would assume that the test pressings/A&R promos would have the lower number (-1), with a blank black or white label and the external release promos would have the -4 and the usual red and black Elektra label. Particularly if someone sent the "wrong" mix to the pressing plant, rather than the other way around.