What’s Spinning? (2/1/2026)

Another month, and another record on my 2026 resolution of taking a journey through vinyl. So what’s spinning this time around?

In my opinion, one of the great rock albums ever made. At least, the way I know it, as heard on common CD. I own the 1993 legendary 24 karat gold plated Mobile Fidelity CD, which advertises to have been made from original master tapes. It was on sale at Best Buy for $15.99 in 2000 money, or roughly about $30 in today’s money. It seems odd, but in my memory, CDs have almost always cost between $11.99 and $15.99, so if you look at it in terms of inflation, their price actually has gone down quite a lot, even with the comeback of physical media these days of both vinyl and CD. The sound quality could not be any more perfect. It sounds beautiful. It is one of my most prized musical possessions.

But, given this choice I’ve made to travel across the vinyl universe (a pun for all you Beatles fans out there), I had two questions. First, what does this album sound like on vinyl? Second, what did it sound like in the year 1973?

To answer that, I acquired what I believe to be an early U.S. pressing from 1973. According to Discogs, this is an early pressing done for sale in the United States.

So, what did it sound like on 1973 vinyl in a bygone age where digital mastering is a thing of science fiction, and everything came from analog tapes? Honestly, not great. At least, not compared to what I have on CD. The “Ultradisc II” edition, mastered from original tapes by Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs in 1993, is considered the “definitive” release of the album by an overwhelming number of music nerds and home audio aficionados on Reddit. It is said that the modern day vinyl release of the “50th anniversary” edition of this album of 2023 is better than anything else ever done, but I have not sprung for such an expensive record.

Although, there is one exception – and that is “Time.” The chorus of this song with the vocals by the late (and great) Richard Wright is good on the CD version. But, on the original vinyl, it almost sounds 3 dimensional. You can feel him singing, it almost vibrates and it sounds absolutely mind-blowing. The whole rest of the record is muddy and dull compared to the 1993 CD.

As fun and enjoyable as the vinyl format is, I’m afraid that this time it does not reign supreme.

With just a little departure from my usual photographic journey, I will still say to everyone – shoot photos, not each other!