Why do my rolling stones albums sound bad?

Get the Japanese SHM-SACDs. Yes, ridiculously expensive, but you've never heard these records like that before!

"Get the Japanese SHM-SACDs. Yes, ridiculously expensive, but you've never heard these records like that before!"

When did price ever stop anyone here from getting their next fix of good sound????

O-o
\_/

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

I have the original stereo london Aftermath LP and is the best of the originals that I have.That's the one to own IMO from original early pressings.Not being a huge Stones fan I find some of their vinyl runs from poor to excellent on the same LP.

Playpen --

You really need to hear an original unboxed, mono Decca "Aftermath".

One Stone's lp that does sound very good is the 1995 Virgin "Stripped" release. The four sides of live recordings in small clubs all sound good and the performances, while not the best ever, all are well done IMO. Some reviewers have been pretty harsh about this release, calling the performances lethargic and uninspired. Seems if they aren't always playing with furious passion, the mellower acoustic flavored sets they started playing on the Voodoo Lounge tour turns off some listeners. I don't mind the change up of pace myself.

A Bigger Bang is not exactly chopped liver.

I agree that "Some Girls" is the only Stones album I have heard with really beautiful production. Of course I never would have been able to tell the difference until I got into a good analog system.

Oh yeah, 'Some Girls' is really good production-wise. It was mastered by Ted Jensen, who is a great mastering engineer. I recall he worked for Levinson back in the 70s.

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.

Cool, sounds good.

All my Stones LP's suck. sucking in the 70's!
I also have the mo fi sticky fingers, atrocious at best.
& let it bleed makes my ears bleed.

I don't think the Stones were ever interested in audiophile-quality recording, and besides which that wouldnt fit the raw, rough and ready nature of their music. Yes, I know, some will mention the ballad type s tuff like Wild Horses, but the Stones had an image to uphold, and pristine audiophile quality recordings werent part of it. And yes, early Deccas and even some Londons (have an early London pressing of Beggar's Banquet, its very good) were very good quality recordings.

I must say that my Stones remasters of the Beggars banquet, Let It Bleed, and Sticky Fingers CD's) sound really nice. So they did have some recordings, sucks about he vinyl quality being sub par.

My copy of Black and Blue sounds pretty good, but it is an imported Dutch blue colored version. I remember Emotional rescue sounding decent too ?

So is it not recommended to buy the 1964-1969 box set. I'm a big fan and want all there albums at the best sound offered. My original Decca of Let it bleed is ok. The later stuff I think is all pretty decent. My Canadian Tattoo You, Emotional Rescue, and Under Cover I am very happy with. It's the early stuff that I want better. I'll add this though, my warn out original London mono Decembers Children sounds awful. Except hearing Micks voice on 'As tears go by'. From my research I can't decide whether I should take a chance on the box set, which has doubled in price since it sold out or chance e-bay originals. It sounds like the original Decca and Londons sound a little better.

Anyone see the "Stones in Exile" documentary? It's shocking that Exile manages to sound as good as it does, given that the musicians were literally in different rooms from one another and the tape was being rolled from a mobile van outside the villa. IMO, anyone who doesn't "get" the Stones just doesn't "get" rock and roll. Keith and Charlie have some of the best rhythm of any musicians out there, no joke. Some of their shit is incredible in its simplicity. Find the 7" mono version of Tumblin' Dice and you won't have a damn thing to say about the Stones brand of rock and roll, I promise you that.

Every night of my freshman year, the guys next door pounded 'Sticky Fingers' into my brain at pegged VU meter levels... right through the (paper thin) dorm walls. I don't need a recording, it's imprinted!

My freshman year I was pegged with Bob Seger Mainstreet and the group Boston to death.

LIsten to the Allman Bros at the Fillmore Rock out!!

If stones didn't sound good originally from the beginning, they can't sound good in any of the releases you try. Oiginal releases are OK but nothing special. NearMints can be purchased at mid to high teens dollar amounts from discogs and no further looking required indeed.
One of other good solution is to go as EBM suggested and switch to Alman Bro-s. Way better music and recordings as well.

I'd opine that many Stones albums are of audiophile quality and some examples are Love You Live, Under Cover, Voodoo Lounge, A Bigger Bang.

I can only speak on the material from "Beggar's Banquet" through "Undercover", as I don't like their music outside of that range. My first RS album was "Emotional Rescue". In time I owned about 4 Atlantic distributed copies on the Rolling Stones records label, and all sounded muddy, especially the very first track, "Dance Pt.1". None of these were brande new sealed copies.
About 4 years ago, I found on Discogs a sealed copy and I quickly bought it. I think I paid about $25 for it. "Emotional Rescue " is not a highly prized album. The record was sealed, and it did not come with the poster (by now I had 3 of them in my collection). It was a Columbia pressing, as for a time, the Rolling Stones got a better deal with Columbia to release their albums, and some of them were re-pressed. While the label skimped on the poster, they delivered a much cleaner, sharper sound. This was like listening to the record for the first time. Mindful of not ruining it, I played it only once, and today it resides in my collection.
And, finally, the same can be said of "Black And Blue", another unloved, underrated album, but full of good songs. Not a single dud in my opinion. 
Last month I went to a record fair, and founf a sealed Atlantic pressing for $45. I got it for $37. I haven't opened it yet, but when I do, I hope I will be pleased with the following two things: (1) that the record will sound clean and sharp and (2) that the record is properly pressed CENTERED and not OFF_ CENTER, as I found on two copies I owned.   Even between Atlantic pressings, there is a difference as the record appears to have been remastered but with a duller sound. The catalog number is the same, but you can tell from the inner wax, that these were different stampers, and the copies did not sound alike. I kept the better sounding one and sold the other one in a bundle.

Get your Ya Ya's Out is so muddy at points on LP or CD or streaming as to be near unlistenable no matter HOW low you play it. As to whether Maggie's will deliver enough bottom end, I recommend a good subwoofer. As I sit here with my 30.7's driven by the NAD M22 and JL audio E-sub I've got plenty of tight, driven bass for anything. The problem is really the recordings. You may run into some pressing that manages to somehow interact better with your system than another but in the end what you hear is what they wanted. My preference would be for less mud, but that's just me.

Must be the era to some degree. I've been disappointed in general w/ Led Zeppelin LPs. It didn't bother me back in the day, but compared to other albums today they sound inferior. But the chemistry of their music in the studio is amazing.

Man,this quarantine must be getting to us...
8 year old thread. We listen to Stones albums(LP's) because it's the Stones, not the for the SQ.
R&R live albums are always a crap shoot. I don't however, hear the bass as "muddy" on my period press.

I also agree about Emotional Rescue. Best sounding Stones album I think. And yes.  very underrated. Listening on a good system to Ron Wood and Richard’s guitar intertwine together on that record is awesome. Yes. I’m a guitar player. On a good system it’s a very exciting album to listen to. Every track. Let it bleed Decca is decent but not great. Great album though. Haven’t tried many monos  yet. Got a mono cartridge and need to find a couple. My December’s Children mono is completely worn out. Been playing that one since I was about 9 years old. As tears go by has decent presence in Mick’s vocals. I was really looking forward to my excellent seats for the stones in Vancouver. I really hope they will reschedule. 

"Down In The Hole" from Emotional Rescue is one of my favorite Stones songs and very well recorded.  

I've picked up an original UK pressing of "Exile on Main Street" and it is revelatory.  It's actually a pretty good recording and worth every penny.

I owned the MOFI Box Set LPs pressings that were 1/2 mastered.  They sounded like crap also, sold the set to a dealer at a loss.

I also have 7 or 8 SACDs, and the GRR! BluRay.

The SACDs also sound like lofi crap.

Only the BluRay sounds decent.  

 

 

 

Nothing has changed in the 10 years this thread started or since  a particular album mentioned was released.

Rolling Stones and most R&R LP's are meant to enjoyed for the musical content, certainly not "audiophile" SQ standards.

Only requirement is playing it LOUD. It does of course help if you have a decent setup and CLEAN period presses-mono for me if we're takin pre-70's albums.

 Ironically, as a life long LP disciple, I do find my early 2000 ABKO CD releases to sound quite good.

 

+1 @tablejockey Agree completely. Every album I own I grade A,B,C,D based on sound quality. I don't have any Rolling Stones albums that are class A.

Pity, since the music quality is so good.

Uh....because they're the Rolling Stones.

Let It Bleed is okay. 

@secretguy 

 

yup, an average 4th rate blues/rock band,

hey, at least the Grateful Dead put the Stones to,shame by being the,most boring 5th rate blues band. 
 

@mapman 

agree, past several years, I try to get all my releases from Japan on the SHM cd, or the blue-spec CDs  

can definitely hear a bit deeper kick drum, and guitar solos are so in front of me, I sometimes start to groundhog!

Probably don’t believe me, I have many doubles Japan blue-spec, or the SHM , 

I do swap them back and forth, there is a subtle difference with,specific recordings  

my Japanese LP copy of Anthem s/t, blows away the copy I have on cd  

there are a lot of the SHM Japan,CDs coming out, the new Megadouche sick,dying,dead cd is SHM, that one is hard to tell, there all so damn brick walled.

which is why I keep all my older mercury scorpions CDs made in Germany, sooo much better, than the brickwalled and ear splitting, searing, molar grinding remasters from years back  I like the SHM and blue-spec Japan discs, so I try to always get the Japanese CDs past few years  

not all, but I check to see if there’s extra tracks, if so I usually get the Japan CDs  

plus the Japanese take pride in their music, CDs, albums, our regular,metal blade, or cleopatra releases, just feel,cheap, look cheap, flimsy, single folded paper cover, no lyrics, nothing. 
 

thanks for the eyes & ears

i feel better now