Tom Petty Box Sets

lenmc2964:

Thanks for expanding somewhat on your listening impressions.

My passion gets the best of me quite often so forgive me.

I always appreciate members here who have hands on experience that share that for all of us to come to a more knowledgeable conclusion on , in this case, music purchases.

If I remember correctly, Fremer said Box 1 was (all) from the original MCA masters? My question is, some of these were originally on Shelter. I assume Shelter maybe an offshoot of MCA?

Box 1 would be THE one I have more interest in if I had to choose. I own most of box 2 as 1st pressings.

FWIW: Popmarket has offered these sets, off and on, in the past for $219.00 each.

As an aside,

Soundstage Direct is my favorite lp seller. Why? Because when I have an issue with the pressing's quality, if I send a picture and an explanation, they step up to the plate and will send a brand new, inspected copy and include a pre-paid address label for the return. NO one else does this IME.

This could be enough of an incentive for one to pay $30.00 more for this box set?

Here's my evaluation of my "Damn The Torpedoes" mastered at BG by CB, on ORG.

I really don't have anything for direct comparison but my decades old "gold stamped" MCA re-issue/with barcode.

My best way to compare is my love of Petty and my long history in listening to him and thousands of other artists.

Listening today was done at 12 o'clock through my system as follows:

Townshend Rock 7, Funk Firm FXR 11 arm, Dynavector Karat D3, EAR 834P w/ volume through it's mm mode into a Bob's Devices 3440 SUT into a McCormack/SMC 225 with current updates(Ultra-15), Usher Mini Diamonds, Martin Logan Depth i (2), a well treated room.

Refugee: SQ= nice well developed frequency range, overall balance feels right, no complaints. Bass is integrated into the mix very nicely, not overemphasized, Sound is analog, all the way.

Here Comes My Girl: (the start)= Mid-bass is punchy, controlled and musical.

Even The Loser: Nice, expansive staging, not overly wide, no issues.

....."and the beat goes on" throughout this re-mastering...

It is very consistent. No feeling of songs recorded in different places/studios. And the entire lp is just like this, consistent and nice! Nothing over-emphasized.

On my re-issue= the sound is in your face, hard, brittle, artificial by comparison. The soundstage is compressed by comparison as well.

The Rolling Stones set is not really an equal comparison by many standards IMO.

Cheers!

The following is mostly cut and paste from various sites.

VOLUME 1:
Limited Edition 180g Vinyl 9LP Box Set!
Cut by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering from Original Analog Master Tapes!

Features:
• Limited Edition
• 9LP Box Set
• 180g Vinyl
• Lift-Top Box
• Replica artwork
• Cut by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering
• Cut from Original Analog Master Tapes!
• Pressed at QRP (all except the 1st three albums)
• All except three albums were remastered for this box set; Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, You're Gonna Get It!,  Damn The Torpedoes

"QRP pressing plant pressed most of the MCA era box, it did not press all of it. Two of the records, the first two Tom Petty albums, reverted back to Tom, who later licensed them to Warner Brothers. So even though they are in the MCA box, the pressing was done under Warner Brothers control..." - analogplanet.com


VOLUME 2:
Limited Edition 180g Vinyl 12LP Box Set! Seven Classic Albums!
Cut by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Studios! All but two LP's cut from original Master Tapes.

While the original releases of Wildflowers, Echo and Last DJ were mastered for vinyl from digital sources, for the 2016 box set release, they assembled the original analog masters for the first time, and mastered vinyl from that. According to Bellman, "the sound quality is especially better on these albums." - analogplanet.com

All except two albums remastered for this box set. Mojo - (2010) (2010 remaster).  Hypnotic Eye - (2014) (2014 remaster). Both Digital sources for the box set.

Please disregard an earlier post (above) regarding Geffen Records, it was in error.
Geffen Records produced the recent greatest Hits on 180g vinyl. I remember someone posting here that the Sonics were not as good as 1st pressings or the new box sets.

ORIGINAL LABELS:

Shelter Recording Company Inc.
Profile:
Only use this profile where Shelter Recording Company Inc. is directly credited. If the release credits Shelter Records please credit Shelter Records. If the Shelter Records logo is present, then use that as the label.

Known to have used Bernie Grundman Mastering for Mastering
Parent Label:Capitol Records
Sites:bsnpubs.com

Shelter Records
Profile:
Shelter label appearance:
• When it began in 1970, the Shelter label was red, with an egg image bearing an inverted Superman logo*.
     (*From mid-1972 to 1973 [the remainder of Shelter's distribution by Capitol] this part of the Shelter logo was usually overstamped [obscured] with a black rectangle in response to a copyright infringement lawsuit and later settlement with DC Comics).
• After ABC took over distribution in 1974, the Shelter label was an 'S' in egg-shape circle on orange tint background, with 'Shelter' in curved black text at top.
• The ABC-distributed Shelter label later became orange, with 'Shelter' in dark orange print seen in a straight line at top.
• In 1978, Shelter employed the eerie orange-and-yellow tinted 'Saturn & Moon' design (the "S" egg now has a Saturn ring over it), which was later continued into the MCA era when it acquired ABC Records in 1979.
(See full background on Company page Shelter Recording Company Inc.)
Label Code: LC 1766




Backstreet Records
Profile:
Backstreet Records was an MCA Records sublabel that was active during the 1980s, but is now defunct.

Vinyl releases on this label may have MCA master plate numbers on the labels -- ignore them; only use the BSR numbers.
Parent Label:  MCA Records
Contact Info:
90 Universal City Plaza
Universal City, California

bradf:

Wow, thanks so much!