Help, what's the best "Sticky FIngers?"


Can you point me towards the best sounding version of the Stones "Sticky Fingers." I've got the Virgin/Abko cd version, a well worn original US lp pressing (too well worn to really evaluate,) and a near mint MFSL lp. They all leave a lot to be desired in my opinion. The main problem with the MFSL is that the engineer mastered it with an exremely low sound level. I've got to turn the volume up to near maximum, so even with a well vacuumed record, there is too much awareness of groove noise or the occsional tic. This recording is the only one I've ever found with such an extreme case of this. Any suggestions?
photon46
MoFi really screwed some things up. I have the Virgin CD remastered by Bob Ludwig. Some of it is decent but for the most part it is not very good. Not much of the Stones stuff sounds very good.
The Stones Rocks..... on Ampex 4 track 7.5 or 3.75 IPS. I am telling you guys, factory pre-recorded reel to reel will revolutionize your systems. You have got to experience this firsthand. While at the last Stereophile show the talk was at one of the exhibits, a scully 1/2 inch 30 IPS reel to reel master tape. Well my reels are not that good, but an excellent scaled down version of the master tape. Will surpass any vinyl rig.
My advice WAIT. I go to a web site for Better Records every now and then to look for vinyl and the guy is brutaly honest about the albums he sells. It's refreshing. I mean how many people will tell you the Classic remasters of Led Zeppelin II and III suck. I purchased copies of Exile on Main Street and Beggars Banquet on RTI but have not opened them up. I bought these over a year ago but I don't think Stick Fingers was offered. Wait until someone does a decent job and for now listen to your MOFI. I have the MOFI and it sounds o.k. ims alot of detail but no warmth.
Qdrone, thanks for pointing me to that web site. He evalauted some pressings I wasn't aware of which I'll keep an eye out for.
as regards the above-mentioned site, all i can say is CAVEAT EMPTOR. some egregious and incorrect claims have been made in the past regarding reissues. a very effective salesman, to be sure. got a good amount of my money until i wised up. YMMV.
I have ordered from them but as you said everyone has there own opinion of what sounds good. Would I order the Classic remaster of Graham Nash's Songs for Beginners? Why I have an original pressing in mint shape that sounds great. Would I order the Clasic remaster of David Crosby's If Only I Could Remember My Name? Yeah and I did because my original copy was starting to show some age. Oh by the way it does sound great,one of my top three albums to listen to when it's raining. The other two Lifestyle's by John Klemmer and In the Land of Grey and Pink side two by Caravan.
Photon 46 also go to Sundazed Records website and order from them straight away and cut out the middle man. I just bought Love Revisited after being wowed with the remaster job they did with Forever Changes by Love. They are cheaper than most and they sound pretty good. By in bulk and you save on shipping which further drops the price as opposed to having to pay sales tax. I google the record lable right away to see if they sell straight to the musicaly challenged.
One of the saddest days in my audiophile life was losing my MFSL copy of Stickey Fingers. This release is just flat out awesome and I beg you to compare 'brown sugar' and 'moonlight mile' to any other release.
Russellrcncom but it is mastered so low it has to be turned up very high which of course raises the noise floor.
To my knowledge there is not yet out a remastered S.F. but I know it is under discussion. However, several of the songs on SF are available now in remastered versions - on ABKCO Stones albums in hybrid sacd/cd which came out about 2 years ago there is Wild Horses and Brown Sugar (on Hot Rocks 1964-1971); and on The Best of the Rolling Stones-- Jump Back, there is Bitch. So you can get 3 of the 10 songs on the SF albumn now in remastered versions with the best sound possible.

The negotiations for the remastering and release of SF are apparently difficult since the rights are not owned by ABKCO but by the Stones themselves and maybe others,
Most of the later Stones albums were re-re-released as remastered CDs on Rolling Stones records (CDs) a few weeks ago. Sticky Fingers included, but I haven't heard it. Does this mean that SACD version won't be happening -- which would fit the general trend of no new rock SACDs. The new Exile on Main ST. is a decent improvement over the previous CD version. Any opinions on the other new versions?
Re: Tpy's response. I too noticed the "USA collection" discs that were recently released. Are these the remastered versions to which you refer?