Incubus (2) – Morning View

I bought this US release twice thinking my first one was a dud.

The mastering on this is not a hot garbage but it is really disappointing. It sounds like a MP3 with boosted bass that makes the entire record sound bloated with unwanted low end frequencies. Soundstage is very average/contained.

I did a volume matched A/B with what’s on streaming and the streaming sounds much better (more dynamic and much better EQ). Will try to get the MOV release and compare.

I compared it to my RSD Science release. While Science still sounds compressed, it is nowhere as bad as this one.

Amazing band and music. Just disappointed with the mastering.

For both the orders - discs were a bit warped.

Pressing sounds great. Did not blow me away, but it's a really good pressing. Brings back pots of memories

This pressing is a disappointment. Nonfill on side 3 makes unlistenable. The other side are not much better. Lots of pops throughout and that is after an ultrasonic cleaning. Also the bass sounds bloated and muffled. All this on a Rega P6 and Ortofon Bronze cart.

Really good pressing of a really good album. Nice heavy, flat vinyl. I can actually hear the songs far better on this than I ever did on the cd, lots of good sounds and tones popping off the wax that I hadn’t heard before. Picked this up for $16, a total steal.

Love this album. Ok pressing. The bass is a little woofy. Bob Ludwig mastered it but who cut this? Will compare to my CD soon. It does sound pretty amazing in a lot of ways. I love the bass playing on this album.

So much better than the CD releases. This vinyl really brings out more of an album that is already beloved. The drums really sound amazing - you can hear the hot sticks and the snare pops perfectly.

Sounds perfectly fine with it maybe having a little surface noise but doesn't ruin the record. This is an all time classic album that just instantly brings back memories of where you first heard it.

The mastering sounds great and is undoubtedly better than my CD from 20 years ago. Nice that it comes in poly lined inner sleeves so there is no scuffing as I've gotten used to. Side 2 has some pops throughout even after cleaning and I noticed non-fill while cleaning so probably won't improve with repat play but I guess I'll see cause I'm going to play the crap out of this one

The record sounds great on vinyl. Even after a vacuum clean, there was still some noise here and there. I used a Zerostat on the mat, record, and stylus before playing.

The name for Incubus' fourth - and best selling - album comes from Morning View Drive, where the band recorded the album. The studio was adjacent to the beach, giving the band an outlet between sessions. The band has been quoted as stating that they took a new approach to the record, and wanted something that more creative than their past albums. It worked. Morning View is an excellent record, taking the best parts of their previous releases Make Yourself and SCIENCE into something that feels fresh but at the same time familiar. This pressing is excellent, although I do have some noise on my pressing that may clean up with a good washing. The soundstage is well balanced, and instrumentation very clear. What is most noticeable is how alive Mike's guitar sounds. It's almost like you are in the room with his amp. It has punch and dynamics and sounds unbelievable. This is a wonderful release, for both fans of the band, and music itself.