UK 6th Pressing (1978)
PCS 3062
Discogs | TheBeatles-Collection
Matrix:
Side A: YEX 142-3 HTM
Side B: YEX 143-2
The 6th pressing was manufactured between 1976 and 1980, and can have different variations of stampers used. Mine comes from the 1978 BC-13 box and has the -3 matrix, cut by Harry T Moss, on Side A, and the -2 matrix on Side B. So, let’s check it out.
On Side A, “No Reply” immediately strikes out by having more presence in the midrange. The vocals stand out more (though sounding somewhat compressed), the instruments are more in the background. The emphasized midrange is also notable on the bridge, where the clapping is more pronounced, almost to the level of shrillness. It’s just not as harmonic-sounding as the 1st cut. On “I’m A Loser”, the emphasis on the midrange makes the instruments sound more detached from each other, they sound more detailed, but somehow also more separate. The rhythm guitar pick during the verses is much too present and sounds somehow grating. “Baby’s In Black” doesn’t have such jarring issues, so here the vocal clarity is more pronounced. Now, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Music” is a bit muffled on the high end anyway, so it actually profits from the more presence in the midrange, having more energy to the vocals and a tad more ring in the percussions. “I’ll Follow the Sun” sounds almost like the 1st cut, with just a tiny bit more presence in the vocals. Now, on “Mr. Moonlight”, the emphasized midrange is not really helpful, as it makes the vocals shrill, overpowering the accompaniment, and the bass is missing a bit of punch. The closing track of Side A, “Kansas City”, disappoints: it’s been dynamically compressed, and the vocals are actually weakened and thin. The only good thing, the echoing “Hey, hey, hey, hey” chorus from the right channel sounds less distorted here, than on the 1st cut.
Side B: On “Eight Days A Week”, once again, the midrange and trebles are amplified, which makes parts of the vocals and the percussions sound too bright, almost shrill. Same goes for “Words of Love” (intro guitars sounding almost too brittle). On “Honey Don’t”, the trebles are heightened, but Ringo’s vocals have actually been pulled back, they’re more buried between the instruments. “Every Little Thing” is more pronounced in the vocals once again; as for the bass, the timpani are missing the tiniest bit of “boom” the 1st cut had. “I Don’t Want to Spoil the Party” has actually less vocal presence than the 1st cut, but the trebles (tambourines) are more pronounced. “What’re You Doing” sounds actually very similar to 1st cut, but the vocals are actually slightly reduced here. Same is the case with “Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby”, where the trebles are very pronounced, but the vocals are lessened in presence.
Overall: not a bad record, but not a match to the 1st cut. The changed EQ and some compression make the vocals stand out more, sometimes it buries them deeper, and the percussions are sometimes too prominent and rather unpleasant.