The Beatles – A Hard Day's Night

I gave away my original UK vinyl record that my Granny sent me from England one Christmas back in the '60s, when I got swept away in the CD craze, and bought a 1989 CD copy. That's all I've had until this morning when Amazon delivered this vinyl treat.
I can't see myself ever being referred to as an audiophile, whatever that is, but I definitely know what I like. And I like this record a lot. I did a side-by-side comparison with my CD, and the vinyl wins hands down. No comparison. It's like the CD is so brassy and aggressive that it almost hurts to listen to it. Whereas the new vinyl is just simply more elegant and enjoyable, by comparison, to listen to. What a band they were!!
I was torn as to whether or not to order it, on Amazon, because all the info. and a close inspection of the sparse selection of album pictures didn't give a lot of information. However, it did look as if it was going to be a Capitol copy pressed by Rainbo. Who knows? That might have been just fine, but based on reading the reviews I had my mind set on the Optimal Media version. I figured that if it turned out to be the Rainbo version I could decide at the time if I wanted to return it or not.
In the end, it turned out to be the European version, and an Optimal Media pressing, complete with the Hype sticker. So all was good! That's as it relates, by the way, to Amazon.ca (Canada)...$55.30 incl. tax. I just thought somebody might appreciate that heads-up.
Definitely more than happy with this sample of "A Hard Day's Night", and I would encourage anyone looking for a reasonably priced copy of this masterpiece to go for it.

Sounds really good. Not sure why they felt the need to tighten the separation of channels but it still sounds great and its qualities are much more evident on a really good system in my experience. I was astonished hearing this on vinyl on my high end equipment after years of hearing this exact master on solid but lesser sound systems. It always sounded good but slightly muddy to me. Now I just think it sounds wonderful.

It helps that the (stereo) mixes here are way better than on the first two albums and this is also one of the albums whose stereo mix sures the mono by a fair margin. I highly recommend this. The 2009/2012 remaster campaign was a success as far as I'm concerned, and here's a good example of why.

Who was the smart guy who decided to use digital masters? I don't understand why they committed such an aberration, the entire catalog published in 2012 is a headache.

Fantastic sound. Every song sounds clear, with no distortion or crackles or anything. Definitely a good pickup if you want a quick and cheap copy

Ok...anyone know why my copy has the 4 Beatles not in gray black and white but blue shaded?Finally got this for my collection. Wanted all the 2012 and got this one just now. Sounds great. 24/44.1 is considered Hi Res..even though I wish it were from the 24/192 files like the Pink Floyd 2016 vinyl which were superb. None the less I think these sound great. Are they better than the earlier releases...no...but...they do have a more balanced "safe" sound to them. If your system is bass light..these things will sound awesome. IF you have a balanced system they will sound full and thick. I like them. In a happy stroke of luck ...I just got this version new from one of my fav record stores for the original price. Cool. BTW it is quiet and flat and obviously from Optimal. LOL. Also...and tell me if this is odd..the 4 pictures on the back cover have a blue tint to them...odd? I plan to do a vinyl shootout on this one tonight and will update.

Sellers, PLEASE Double Check which version you actually have before listing it! 🙏
If it mentions Capitol Records & Hollywood, CA in small green print on the hype sticker above the bar code, then it's a Rainbo Records, USA pressing.

If it mentions EMI, "printed in the UK, made in the EU" after it, and it's pressed at Optimal in , then it's the EU version.

If it says "Made in Canada", then it's a very recent GZ Media, USA/Canadian pressing.

I can't tell you how many times I've received the wrong record, all because sellers didn't take an extra moment to check what version they have. Plus, you'll save yourself a possible return & buyers the frustration/disappointment of receiving the wrong item.

TLDR: It'll always say the country of origin right on the back of the album, if you look hard enough, again, either on the front hype sticker, a small white rectangular on the rear cover, or it'll be printed directly on the shrinkwrap itself.

A good sounding record overall. These 2012 pressings aren't the best pressings of Beatles albums, but they are far from the worst. It is a great way to get into The Beatles as a beginner on vinyl.

Pretty good sound, dead quiet vinyl. Sounds a little "flat"