The Alan Parson's Project

I was about to start up an APP thread, until I bumped into this one! Thanks
Dave.

As I am building up my vinyl collection I'm starting to frequent some 2nd
hand vinyl shops, surprisingly many around here, about 16 within an hours
drive that I could find!!!

So in this one shop I picked up in mint condition(!), couldn't have been played
more than once, for EUR 2.50 each:

Stereotomy 1984 Arista German pressing
Amonia Avenue 1984 Arista German pressing
Eye in the Sky 1982 Arista German pressing
The Turn of a Friendly Card 1979 Arista German pressing
Eve 1979 EMI Dutch pressing
Pyramid 1978 Rondo Music UK pressing
I Robot 1977 EMI Dutch pressing

The only CD I have is of Eye in the Sky (Arista 1983 issue) at the beginning of
the CD revolution. This CD cannot match my LP on my system in my room,
not by a long shot ... haven't heard any SACD or DVDA 24/192 version yet,
and my CDP is pretty good.

I have to say that all LPs are very, very good pressings. If I had to pick, Eye in
the Sky and I Robot are the quietest. I cleaned all of them before playing. The
three dimensional soundstage I have on pleanty of other recordings too, but I
have to say all of them are very well recorded and mastered with pleanty of
phase shift/instrument combo's signature APP sound. Sirius is mindboggling
at high playback levels, as is the instrumental Mammagamma.

Dead quiet and 180 degree sound like this I have found in Pink Floyd, Tears
for Fears, Franky goes to Hollywood, Supertramp, and Simon & Garfunkel
recently. All original vinyl (120~140 gr?).

Any other APP records/pressings out there to consider?

I've been building a near complete APP collection on used vinyl of late. Also own "Best Of" CDs vol 1 and 2.

The sound on all are very good and many compositions are sterling classics.

I did pick up a used vinyl copy of the first APP album "Tales of Mystery and Suspense" but discovered that there were some quality issues with that particular copy despite looking clean. Working on replacing it...

Spun my only MFSL APP vinyl recording of " I Robot" the other week for the first time in years. It was mesmerizing, the best I recall ever hearing that title sound.

Mapman,
Great that you have a MFSL copy of I Robot, have you compared it to a pristine original pressing? IMHO the original is fantastic for 140 gr, quiet, full scale dynamics. I love it!

I think I do have another standard issure copy of IR. I'll give it a spin sometime and report back.

I had listened to a very good standard issue copy of "Pyramid" prior to IR on MFSL. The IR of MFSL was just a tad more dynamic and quiet and I would say better overall.

If you like I Robot then you must get Jean Michel Jarre Oxygen - similar synth extravaganza type stuff. Turn the lights and enjoy :-)