JON & VANGELIS, The Friends Of Mr. Cairo USA 1st press LP State of Independence

$

20

  Jon And Vangelis* ?– The Friends Of Mr. Cairo Label: Polydor ?– PD-1-6326 Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, 53-Hauppauge Pressing  Country: US Released: 1981 Genre: Electronic Style: Synth-pop, Ambient Tracklist Hide Credits A1 The Friends Of Mr. Cairo Voice – David Coker, Sally Grace 12:04 A2 Back To School Backing Vocals – Carol Kenyon, Clair Hamill* Saxophone – Dick Morrisey* 5:06 A3 Outside Of This (Inside Of That) Flute – Dick Morrisey* 5:00 B1 State Of Independence Backing Vocals – Carol Kenyon Flute – Dick Morrisey* 7:53 B2 Beside 4:08 B3 The Mayflower Voice – David Coker 6:35 Companies, etc. Copyright (c) – Polydor Ltd. Phonographic Copyright (p) – Polydor Ltd. Manufactured By – PolyGram Records, Inc. Pressed By – Hauppauge Record Manufacturing Ltd. Marketed By – PolyGram Records, Inc. Recorded At – Studio Davout Recorded At – Nemo Studios Credits Artwork [Illustration] – Rosemary Harrison (2) Artwork [Sleeve] – Alwyn Clayden, Vangelis Composed By, Lyrics By, Vocals – Jon Anderson Composed By, Producer, Arranged By, Performer – Vangelis Engineer – Raine Shine, Roger Roche Engineer [Assistant] – Loic Richman Notes "53" at the beginning of the label rim text denotes a Hauppauge Record Manufacturing Ltd. pressing. 

USA BLACK AND WHITE SLEEVE FIRST PRESSING VINYL ALBUM WITH ORIGINAL PRINTED INNER SLEEVE.

SLEEVE: VERY GOOD+, JUST LIGHT SHELF, CORNER, EDGE AND RING WEAR.   INNER SLEEVE HAS ONE MIDDLE EDGE SEAM SPLIT.

DISC[S]: EXCELLENT. NO MARKS OR SCRATCHES. CLEAN LABELS.

Why buy a first or early pressing and not a re-issue or a ‘re-mastered’ vinyl album?

First and early pressings are pressed from the first generation lacquers and stampers. They usually sound vastly superior to later issues/re-issues (which, in recent times, are often pressed from whatever 'best' tapes or digital sources are currently available) - many so-called 'audiophile' new 180g pressings are cut from hi-res digital sources…essentially an expensive CD pressed on vinyl.  Why  experience the worse elements of both formats?  These are just High Maintenance CDs, with mid-ranges so cloaked with a veil as to sound smeared.  They are nearly always compressed with murky transients and a general lifelessness in the overall sound.  There are exceptions where re-masters/re-presses outshine the original issues, but they are exceptions and not the norm.

First or early pressings nearly always have more immediacy, presence and dynamics. The sound staging is wider.  Subtle instrument nuances are better placed with more spacious textures. Balances are firmer in the bottom end with a far-tighter bass. Upper-mid ranges shine without harshness, and the overall depth is more immersive.  Inner details are  clearer.

On first and early pressings, the music tends to sound more ‘alive’ and vibrant.  The physics of sound energy is hard to clarify and write about from a listening perspective, but the best we can describe it is to say that you can 'hear' what the mixing and mastering engineers wanted you to hear when they first recorded the music.  

     
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