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Why do my rolling stones albums sound bad?

When I first got into vinyl a few years ago, I purchased a few stones albums. I thought they sounded good at the time but now that I have collected quite a few more records the stones albums sound bad in comparison. A few that stand out to me are the sticky fingers re-issue by mobile fidelity and let it bleed by abkco circa 2003.I am really disappointed with both of those.
The MoFi pressing sounds like the vocals are in the background and it sounds overall muddy. This surprised me because of all the MoFi pressing I own of various artist, this stones album is the only one I was not satisfied with. Really sub par compared to the rest of their work I have. I don't own the original so I can't compare the two. I would hope the original sounds much better.
The abkco pressing is a DSD. I didn't know this at the time of purchase or I might have avoided it. I do own a few other DSD pressings of other artist and they sound pretty good. Let it bleed from abkco (2003) sounds like mick is singing underwater. The instruments sound really flat in this one as well.
I also own hot rocks from abkco (2003) which is also a DSD. It sounds a bit better than the let it bleed album but still nothing to be impressed with.
I thought the MoFi pressing would sound better because it is mastered from the original tapes and done AAA. In my opinion it has the worst sound quality of the pressings mentioned here.
I would love to have some stones albums that sound great but, I have been reluctant to purchase any more of them for fear of getting the same sound quality of the other pressings. Are there stones albums out there that sound really good? I want something I can be impressed with. What would you guys and gals suggest. What stones albums do I need to be on the lookout for. Thanks in advance.

Andy
andyprice44

Showing 12 responses by andyprice44

andyprice44 OP
133 posts
 
I wasn't aware of that. That's too bad as I love their music. I wonder why they would intentionally record it to sound that way.
andyprice44 OP
133 posts
 
It is disappointing to me that they recorded it this way. Surely they must have known at the time of release it sounded like ****. Why they wanted this type of sound, I'm not sure. Obviously, it worked well for them and was successful. I was just hoping that really good quality stones albums existed. The funny thing to me is that, the cheaper your system is, the better the stones sound. They sound good in my car or on my computer speakers. They don't sound as good on a nice, revealing system.
andyprice44 OP
133 posts
 
I have some nice muddy waters albums. One in particular is the folk singer 45rpm album from analogue productions. I only wish my rolling stones could sound half as good as that muddy waters pressing. I also have a regular weight cbs pressing of muddy waters king bee. The stones sound is somewhat similar to muddy waters and other various blues artist like robert johnson. I'm not denying the blues influence, I am only saying that the stones albums, at the ones I own, do not sound good.
andyprice44 OP
133 posts
 
I don't think my system is to be blamed for the bad sound as pretty much every other album I own sounds good. Some of them great. I don't feel the need to re-think or alter my system to get three stones albums to sound good.
andyprice44 OP
133 posts
 
I will agree with this to a certain point but, there is alot of other music I love besides the stones. I don't want to sacrifice my setup that sounds great for all my other albums. I was just hoping that someone could point me in the right direction of some stones albums that are known to sound good. After reading the responses here and other websites it appears that the majority of stones albums were recorded to intentionally sound "lo-fi". I just didn't want to waste any more money on stones albums only to be dissatisfied with them in the end. I guess that is part of the game though. I might try to track down some of the mono pressings and see how I like those. Thanks for the suggestions everyone.
andyprice44 OP
133 posts
 
thanks for the info Viiu. I will make sure to check them out if I find some
andyprice44 OP
133 posts
 
I did purchase a new pressing of some girls live in texas '78. It was recently remastered from the original multitrack tapes to a 2-channel mix by bob clearmountain. Hopefully this pressing will have more life. I will report back on it in a few days
andyprice44 OP
133 posts
 
I do have an SACD player but, no stones albums for it. I might pick up a copy to try out.
andyprice44 OP
133 posts
 
I got a few new stones albums today. The first one is some girls live in texas '78. It is a double LP with an included DVD pressed on red vinyl. This is a new release on the eagle rock label. It is a remaster from the original multi channel tapes done by Bob Clearmountain. I have to say this is the best sounding stones pressing I have personally listened to. Mick's voice is front and center and not in the background. He doesn't sound like he is underwater. All the instruments are well defined and the soundstage is WIDE. Good dynamics. Some may say this is not the stones "sound". All I know is that I am really enjoying this pressing.

The second record isn't really a stones album. It is Muddy Waters and Rolling stones live from the checkerboard lounge, which was Muddy's club in chicago. This was recorded in 1981 while the stones were on their U.S. some girls tour. It is all Muddy's songs with mick singing alongside Muddy and Keith playing guitar. For fans of muddy and stones, you will really like this one. It is also on the eagle rock label and is a great pressing. All voices are clear and distinct. Kieth's guitar sounds really good. I am finally impressed with a stones album. I would highly recommend these two new pressings from eagle rock.

Andy
andyprice44 OP
133 posts
 
After listening for a few more hours, the two pressings I mentioned above are quite good. I won't call them audiophile recordings by any means but, they sound really nice. A LOT better than the mofi pressing of sticky fingers and the abkco let it bleed. Pick it up, It won't disappoint.

Andy
andyprice44 OP
133 posts
 
I have been down the dark path of japanese vinyl before. They are some of the best sounding albums I have. I thought I read somewhere that there is only one last pressing plant still open in japan. If that is true, this plant has amazing quality control. Every bit as good as my pallas albums.

Back on topic, I have an oppo universal disc player as part of my HT but, it is not in my 2-channel setup. I might integrate it in for a bit and see how it sounds. I have a handful of SACDs but, not near the amount of LPs I have acquired. Most of my SACDs are multi-channel. I might try to find a stones 2-channel SACD and see how that sounds.

I have now listened to every song on the two new stones albums I purchased and I am very pleased with them. Micheal Fremer did a review of the Muddy/Stones live album after I purchased my copy. He thought very highly of the album as well. Check it out @ analogplanet.com
andyprice44 OP
133 posts
 
I am still really enjoying the some girls live in texas ( london green shoe cowboys). This was remastered by bob clearmountain from the 5 channel mix. It sounds really good. The Muddy waters and stones live at checker board lounge sounds good as well. Check them out.
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