Portishead – Portishead

Tough to ID, but think this is my pressing. Runout has etched signature that looks like ‘Kri R~’ which doesn’t seem to match any listing with same barcode. Rear shrink says “Vinyl Made in Mexico” which seems to narrow things down. Bought new with a decent seam split in progress… bad enough that I thought it was a gatefold and tried running a fingernail through to remove shrink before I noticed it was a split. Not too impressed with the basic paper sleeves for the asking price.

But after all that, this is a great sounding pressing and completely flat vinyl. Such an iconic chill album with vibe for days.

I don't love this pressing. It's cut very hot and sounds a bit brickwalled, so as a result, it provides quite a fatiguing experience. I know it's supposed to have a very lo-fi sound, but the constant blaring, undynamic loudness is just tiring to listen to. I didn't feel very immersed in the music.

Flawless. Such a cool album... “Dummy” understandable get’s all the attention because of the singles - this album is somehow more moody and angry.

Is the UK (or EU, German, etc.) vinyl better than this US cut? I ask because 2 1/2 decades after buying my copy, I finally compared this pressing with my original Canadian CD I snagged for a buck. For "Half Day Closing", my gawd, the CD trounces my vinyl copy. Cut at a much higher volume, highs are clear and crisp with "air" and no sibilance, the bass is more robust, and the drums have more snap. The same track on vinyl sounds so thin, sibilant with dull highs that it has the yucky quality I usually associate with a compromised sound due to the side containing too much music e.g. 30+ minutes. But that's not the case here, as Side 2 is only under 13 minutes long. I rarely played this record over years, so wearout is probably not the cause.

The original UK pressing or modern EU reissues HAVE to sound better than the US pressing. Anyone? Which (re-)issue would be recommended - the 2017 pressing? the Simply Vinyl reissue?

copy sold with two vinyls presenting the same sides one and two

This is an incredible reissue - reference quality to really test the limits of your system.

I do own this SHM-CD and I can vouch the weight and soundstage does come across in detail and warmer .. using a oppo udp95 + Devialet expert 200 . Buy if you find this ..

Mas sive shout out to Dav id Mc Don Ald
✌🏼

This 16-bit reissue (Qobuz) sounds....odd. The clarity seems a bit low, but I'm not sure if that's not the intentional result of an obvious "retro" vibe. Stylistically this feels claustrophobic, and at times I feel that I can't take it any more, but on the other hand I can't seem to turn it off. Challenging to say the least, but also very rewarding for the diligent trooper. In the end I decided it's wonderful.

S o u n d s s u p e r b! No issues here. dynamic, tight, and very low noise.