Pet Sounds 40th Anniversary Double Vinyl Set

[The Heartical Don]

Dear friends, colleagues, relatives, lovers, priests, truckdrivers, eggheads, alcoholics (hey Luther!), and other BBs obsessives -

how is this double vinyl set? Does it have special merits that warrant purchase? Soundwise? Bookwise? Shapewise?

I need help.

[MBE]

Well if you already have the stereo and mono on vinyl it's not really nesicary.  If you don't it's a good way to start. I have heard some better pressings but it's not bad at all. The stereo is vocally closer to the mono then what came out in the nineties on vinyl and CD. One good thing about this set is that it has more notes and info then any other vinyl release. So I do kind of recommend it, but it's not essential. Remember to get the real mono Pet Sounds you have to get a pre 1990 pressing of either the various vinyl LP's or Japanese CD. There is a cough that was cut out of Here Today but it removed some of the echo too.

[The Heartical Don]

Well if you already have the stereo and mono on vinyl it's not really nesicary.  If you don't it's a good way to start. I have heard some better pressings but it's not bad at all. The stereo is vocally closer to the mono then what came out in the nineties on vinyl and CD. One good thing about this set is that it has more notes and info then any other vinyl release. So I do kind of recommend it, but it's not essential. Remember to get the real mono Pet Sounds you have to get a pre 1990 pressing of either the various vinyl LP's or Japanese CD. There is a cough that was cut out of Here Today but it removed some of the echo too.

Thanks, I know enough! Esp. the qualification about the stereo vinyl in that set... might be precisely what I am looking after!

[Dr. Tim]

The stereo vinyl seems more folded in because the high end is a little rolled off.  You get a better sense of stereo placement with high frequency information.  I seem to recall Mark Linett telling us here that the same stereo master for the new CD was used to make the LP lacquers.  Rollin goff the high end on vinyl pressings is still common but not universal.

The mono LP is based on that last digital U-Matic copy (1990 or so?) of the mono master we were recently discussing in the Steve Hoffman thread.