Greta Van Fleet – Starcatcher

I wouldn't tell any one not to buy this, but I'd recommend sticking with CDs for physical copies of Greta - cd of this is fantastic. LP lots of pops (same goes for another black LP I have of theirs) so will be sticking to CDs.

Really pleased with sound quality, no clicks or pops etc, really quiet between
tracks. Looks amazing with the glitter translucent vinyl. Only gripe is the tightness of the spindle hole but that's easy to fix.

My copy was extremely noisy, even after a manual and an ultrasonic clean, and it's unlistenable. I suspect it's due to the glitter in the vinyl.

Vinyl is cool, but lots of popping and not the best mix

I came here to see who mastered and cut the lacquer of this record....not surprisingly its the same guy Pete Lymann who did both. I am gutted by what happened here with this pressing, the popping and crackling that people describe on side A is called digital clock sync noise. Its a fault when the digital sound buffer cannot keep up and inserts tiny bursts of noise. Basically, the vinyl cutting room dood was asleep at the wheel, there was a fault in their digital system and they just let it go, probably not even listening to the vinyl cut. We should all be getting a refund/replacement as the pressing is defective. This is of course aside from the deaf mastering effort that smashed this whole record to all hell and destroyed any transient or punch in the music right up into nosebleed distortion. Its such a shame. Nice way to ruin a bands release i love the songs on this but cant listen to this pancake flat mess

I really like a few of the songs on this album and have heard the live versions of them here and there and own the digital and vinyl versions - and I can definitely say that the mixing is not good on the album versions. It's screechy and muddled at the same time, with way too much vocal processing going on and the volume of everything but the vocals is low. They over iced the cake here I think.

The physical quality of the vinyl version is not great either - the jacket is thin and cheap, the liner notes are tiny and hard to read and the vinyl itself is low quality and suffers from poor QC.

I hope they re-release this with care it deserves.

The Music is absolutely incredible....The problem I have is the sound.....When are these Mixers, sound-boarders...etc., ever going to learn that over-distortion and loudness is not comfortable with the ear....If i wanted to hear it like that, I will put it at full volume. I'm sending my CD back and wait for a repress....and it's too bad, because it is very good music

The Music is absolutely incredible....The problem I have is the sound.....When are these Mixers, sound-boarders...etc., ever going to learn that over-distortion and loudness is not comfortable with the ear....If i wanted to hear it like that, I will put it at full volume. I'm sending my CD back and wait for a repress....and it's too bad, because it is very good music

While I agree with others that the mix of this album is "a choice," for me, on vinyl it seems to sound less offensive compared to the CD and digital rip from it. On my copy of this pressing, overall the vocals are more prominent, and instruments like acoustic guitar, bass and organ parts on some songs ("Waited All Your Life," "Meeting The Master") seem to stand out more. Even the crazy wild fragment of the barnstormer "Runway Blues," which sounds a bit of a mess to me on digital, sounds much better on this pressing. I can actually hear the vocals.

My only gripe is that I have to turn up the volume a good 5 db for it to match the same playback volume of the vast majority of the records in my collection. That being said, once I have it there, my copy is silent with only a few subtle crackles between a couple of tracks. The vinyl is flat with only a slight edge warp noticeable when playing Side A.

YMMV, but I prefer the sound of the album on this pressing compared to the CD as it brings out some some sounds that get lost in the mix in that format, especially if you rip it to digital file. Also, the highs which to me sound too hot on digital are rolled off on this vinyl pressing and don't seem as harsh.

This may be an album they revisit with a remaster someday. We'll see.

I bought my copy at the merch desk during the Starcatcher Tour (Milwaukee, May 21, 2024). So, to follow up on my comment above about having to turn up the volume, I'm not discounting the possibility that my ears are still blown out from the show the day after.

The shrink reads "MADE IN CANADA 26 06 2241 1" in the back so it may not be exactly this GZ Media pressing for the US market, but may be using their plates. Matrix/Runout as shown below. Please note that the interlocked "LP" is actually "PL" for Pete Lyman, mastering engineer:

B0037872-1 A 262913E1 163911 PL
B0037872-01 B 262913E2 1654797 PL

I hope some readers find this helpful. I'm not sure if my particular copy can be considered a separate pressing with its own entry on Discogs.

Playback equipment:
Technics SL-1210GR (turntable)
Audio Technica VM540ML (cartridge)
Cambridge Audio Alva Solo (phono stage)
Cambridge Audio AXR100 (receiver/integrated amplifier)
Triangle Borea BR03 (speakers)

to the attention of everyone who has this particular release. no one wrote the amazing difference of this release. in the matrix number of the third option on side -A is part of the number. namely - B-0037872-1 A - placed on the penultimate track. for approximately 10 hours. This does not affect playback. In 45 years of collecting, this is the first time I’ve come across something like this... I don’t even know what to call it. who has it too? unsubscribe. I think this is true for the entire batch of this option, otherwise everything is fine.