Kate Bush

Does this new disc show the same problems at exactly the same places, Actus? Is the disc drilled dead centre? MRA is often the root of all evil in situations like this but it looks like you accounted for that with your cleaning regime.

To finally nail the problem, take it down to your local hifi dealer and ask him to play it. If it exhibits the same symptoms then it's the disk. If not, it's mechanical.
Hope this helps...

Actus....you owe it to yourself to buy Aerial. I'm convinced this is the best thing she's ever done.

At first play I thought the album too "sanitised" compared to her earlier work such as "The Dreaming". A judgement I regretted after the second play (200 since then). It's long and complex but an immensely rewarding listen.
It's so intimately presented that sometimes there is a sense that you are actually inside the composer's head and you feel honoured that she allowed us to hear this Work.

Kate is possibly the only composer I can think of who could write a song about a washing machine and make it profoundly listenable.
The principal guest stars on this album are the legendary Rolf Harris, and of course Kate's young son, Bertie. Rolf illustrates his artistic skills and even gets the chance to sing a verse. As a child I remember marvelling at how Rolf could create an impression of the Outback using a full sized decorators paintbrush. Kate's album is a fitting tribute to the man.
Some of the songs are so quirky (e.g. "Pi", where she sings the value of Pi to over 120 decimals) that your brain may struggle to absorb them at first.
Disregard your preconceptions and recognise true genius which achieves it's full expression here.
To those unfamiliar with Kate's work, if you dare "put your hand over the side of the boat" she will own your heart...

I didn't intend a makeshift review-come-thread-hijack so apologies for that.... :)
Best....

Actus...you are not alone by any means my friend... :0)
Your post puts the case far better than I ever could.
Reason I posted was that I listened to the entire album yesterday afternoon and was reminded of your interest. Aerial has been one of my top3 Desert Island Discs since its release and it just keeps getting better. Despite being an analog diehard I can say that all the emotion is available even from the CD and the digital production is so good that I don't feel cheated. Listening to it on a pair of electrostats every nuance of the voice is conveyed.

You read my mind on Sunset.
Every time I hear it, its sheer urgency makes you feel like climbing the aerial yourself to catch that last glimpse of sunset fire....
Best Regards...

Something you may be interested in Actus : getting back to the technical details for a moment I must say that Kate's vinyl productions are among the most lavish, no expense spared examples I've seen. This is one artist who really takes Analogue seriously.
I'd pre-ordered the "Director's Cut" and "50 Words.." last year abd was blown away by the production values on the D/Cut. The attention to detail was almost unprecented.... anti-static poly lined paper sleeves, properly de-burred immaculately clean and properly finished records, a generously sized book of notes...
Sumptuous and perfect-looking is the only way to describe it.
There were criticisms about the analogue sound on DC by some...
Here is Kate's take (on Analogue) and the logic behind the D/Cut in a rare BBC Radio4 interview :

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b010vxyv/Front_Row_Kate_Bush_in_a_rare_interview_and_John_Cleese_reviewed/

Dear Raul...many thanks for your confidence in our critiques.
That you already know Kate from the past is a sure guarantee of success, but I really hope you like it.

Prior to Aerial, Kate disappeared "off the radar" for 12 yrs. When Aerial's release was announced there was a stampede(!) to pre-order.

Best regards...

Dear Actus...I strongly agree regarding the D/Cut. I was delighted with it and felt at the very least it provides an alternative viewpoint.
When I googled the R4 interview (which I'd not previously heard) I was actually looking for a more recent one on "50 Words" that was recorded weeks ago, but this one was especially interesting.
In the way that Kate says she is never satisfied and constantly feels a desire to rework the material, she is fast becoming the new Gustav Mahler (:-)
(Meant in a kindly way to both Mahler & Kate...)

I don't think the composer would be offended if you went for the CD version. The only note of caution is that there may be remastering differences between the 2005 and 2011 versions. Kate took a loooong time thinking about the 2005 version, so, to me at least, Aerial is a finished masterpiece(?) and it worries me that they may have have tinkered with Disc 2.
Websites appear to show the tracklisting on CD2 with a single title "An Endless Sky of Honey".
The original had 2 main titles :
CD1 = A sea of Honey
CD2 = A sky of Honey
The following are the original titles of each "movement" on CD2 in their correct order :

Prelude
Prologue
An Architect's Dream
The Painter's Link
Sunset
Somewhere in Between
Nocturn
Aerial

Hope this helps...