German 1977 Reissue (2nd cut)
1C 072 05 200
Discogs | German Matrix Database
Matrix:
Side A: 04 200 A-1 04 200 A-1
Side B: 04 200 B-1
Despite the similarity in the numbering of the matrices, this, in fact, is a new German cut made in the 70s. The runout area of Side A is considerably wider, and the matrix numbers are stamped very close to the labels. The blue Odeon label has a LC logo and the new price code (072).
Now to the acoustic side of it.
Side A, “No Reply”. Goddamn! Now that’s a surprise. The bass is there! Vocal presence is there. Trebles are there. Details are there. Stereo separation is there. As a matter of fact, it has a tad more vocal presence than the UK 1st, but the clapping is not as shrill as the UK HTM. Sweet. “I’m A Loser” – another great-sounding track, very much in the way of UK 1st, but with a tad more vocal presence. “Baby’s In Black” – the vocal harmonization is very present, while having a nice low end and good details on the tambourine. “Rock ‘n’ Roll Music”: once again, vocals are a bit stronger than in the UK 1st, while the rest is very similar. “I’ll Follow the Sun” – again, a very slightly more present vocal, with the rest just like on the UK 1st. “Mr. Moonlight” – similar to UK HTM, with the vocals standing out more than on UK 1st, but not as shrill as the German 1st. “Kansas City” – again rather close to UK 1st, but the vocals are more present, and the chorus on “Hey, hey, hey, hey” is actually less distorted than the UK 1st, probably due to less inner groove distortion because of a wide deadwax area.
Side B continues just like that. “Eight Days A Week” seems as brilliant as the UK 1st, though the vocals have a bit more presence – but without the trebly shrillness of the UK HTM. “Words of Love” – again, very very similar to UK 1st. Same goes for “Honey Don’t” – the basses, the vocals, the trebles sound very similar. The timpani sound low and punchy on “Every Little Thing”, while vocals are nicely embedded into the instrumentation – again, very similar to UK 1st. “I Don’t Want to Spoil the Party” has slightly more pronounced vocals, but just the tiniest bit. Same goes for “What You’re Doing”. Well, the last track, “Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby”, is no exception – once again, it sounds very similar to the UK 1st.
Overall: now, that was some major surprise. This is a damn fine-sounding pressing, that’s for sure. It has a slightly more presence in the vocals, but other than that, it is very true to the original UK 1st cut – detailed, punchy, harmonic. A very enjoyable listening experience, and also quite affordable.