The Best Sounding Records In My Collection - Episode 1: Fly By Night - Rush

[@DanielHog13]

Kudos on the Anna! You're a top VC YT producer.👍

[@Cookingwithsteveg]

Great thread, Tim! I had a sealed 2015 200 gram pressing which I sold last year for $100.00. I thought it should find a nice home with a more intense Rush fan. Looking forward to the next 47. Take care

[@seekingathread]

This is the one Rush lp I have and I totally dig it, need to chek which pressing I have. I do remember my copy knocking my socks off. Nice focus on these Tim

[@johnbrazzell9469]

I purchased a copy of Rush fly by night about a month ago I'm not sure if it's the exact same copy that you're displaying but you're right it sounds fantastic blows away the original pressing I'm listening to it through sansui 1990 DB high-end ADC equalizer 4 DMC time window 3 speakers and two subs the sound range quality of the vinyl is spectacular

[@michaelbrown3294]

What a terrific start to a new series! This is a seminal record for me. I look forward to future installments.

[@mattgrabenstein2615]

And you forgot to say that Best I Can and In the End pre-date Neil with lyrics by Geddy. I own that 2015 reissue and it sounds amazing. Thanks, Tim. You are my Saturday evening zen.

[@Universityofvinyl]

Thanks for the info

[@robbiedetroitstigermanviny8883]

Very Nice, Bravo!!!!!

[@stevecarlsonvinylcommunity9147]

Tim, my local shop has been trying to get me into Rush for a few years, maybe one of these days. The Lee book has had some rave reviews

[@Universityofvinyl]

Steve - start with 2112 or Moving Pictures

[@latheofheaven]

Lovely intro Tim, loved that classical piece! Also, DAMN good start with Rush Bro 👍 One of my all time favourite bands. Actually when I was about 15 I made my very first record club order ever. I had absolutely NO bloody idea who these groups were or anything whatsoever. And, of course my first order from RCA Music Club was on 8-tracks. Guess what my very first order ever was...? To this day, I am amazed at my totally ignorant, but quite prescient choices. Remember, I had never heard ANY of these groups or songs by them. I was just going by the names of the groups, the album covers and the song names. A total shot in the dark. Get this as my first order: RUSH - 2112 Aerosmith - Rocks KISS - Destroyer Bachman Turner Overdrive - Four Wheel Drive Santana - Greatest Hits Can you frigg'n believe that! I still consider these among THE very best Classic rock albums of all time, and I just chose them completely blindly 😁 So, back to RUSH... I have all of their albums on vinyl except the mindlessly boring Hold Your Fire and Snakes and Arrows. I have sought out and researched all the 'best' pressings of each. Fly by Night is not one of my favourites, and I agree with Geddy, the title song is definitely not one of their strongest. I do love their 1st album, although with a different sound then subsequent albums (very Zeppelin-ish and good!) And for me personally Caress of Steel is a far, FAR stronger album with much better compositions and more powerful songs. Heh, I'll try to keep this from being one of my usual dissertations, sorry Tim... 😕 Anyway, for some odd reason several years ago when I very first started engaging on the Steve Hoffman Forums, for some odd reason I sort of lost my sanity temporarily and became almost rabid in my search for the 'best' pressing of Caress of Steel. This was the ONLY time I did this, but I actually bought like 6 or 7 different pressings, something that I NEVER EVER do! The trick with CoS, and you will find this interesting I think because you enjoy finding out the provenance of albums, is that for some odd reason for CoS specifically it is REALLY hard to nail down which pressing is actually a 1st US pressing, or even in Canada for that matter. The deadwax is very vague and can be quite confusing. FINALLY, after all these pressings, I found a guy in Texas who was selling his VERY extreme system and all his vinyl. I wrote him and he assured me that he indeed had a genuine 1st or very early US pressing of Cos. He also assured me it was the best sounding one he had heard. He even went so far as to say that if I didn't like it I could send it back. Well, needless to say that sold me. And yep... sure enough... it turned out that out of a German 1st pressing, a Dutch 1st pressing, a UK 1st pressing, the recent Remaster, and a couple of run of the mill US pressings that I already had, that YES this one had the most genuine Slam and the best sound. Mission accomplished 😁 I could easily go on and on about RUSH, but I just thought you might find that interesting... BTW, the Fly By Night I have is an early US Gilbert Kong. I'll definitely take it out here soon and give it a re-listen. Oh yes, I read through that ENTIRE thread on the Steve Hoffman Forums most carefully when I was searching out some of these pressings. If you look, you will see a *$hitload* of my posts on that thread 😊 If you are interested, here is a rundown of the pressings I ended up with: *S/T* - Early US pressing (this one I didn't go too deep on, mine sounds pretty good) *Fly By Night* (same as you, 1st US Gilbert Kong) *Caress of Steel* (very, very difficult to determine early pressings, but if at all possible the VERY earliest US pressing you can) *2112* (US pressing - JAMF in the deadwax) *A Farewell To Kings* (US pressing - JAMF in the deadwax) *Hemispheres* (never really could get into this one, so didn't pursue it. I THINK on the thread the 2015 Remaster is spoken highly of) *Permanent Waves* (1st UK pressing with R.A.Y.S. in the deadwax - quite a killer!) *Moving Pictures* (probably any 1st pressing with 'RL' in the deadwax both sides - I have a 1st Dutch double 'RL' that sounds amazing!) *Signals* (1st US pressing) *Pressure/Grace* (2015 Remaster just edges out the 1st US, but both are very good!) *Power Windows* (1st US pressing) *Hold your Fire* (😫) *Presto* (2015 Remaster tones down the shrill brightness of the 1st US pressing) *Roll the Bones* (2015 Remaster) *Counterparts* (2015 Remaster - quite expensive now DAMN good album!) *Test for Echo* (2015 Remaster - quite expensive now) *Vapor Trails* (Most definitely the later Remix - the original was seriously screwed up!) *Snakes and Arrows* (Don't have) *Clockwork Angels* (I believe there is only the original release - the sound quality is sadly quite lacking on this one which is a real shame since the songs are VERY strong!)

[@Universityofvinyl]

I think I recall seeing some of your COS posts in that thread.. 😆

[@jasonarsenault3791]

Well done Tim. Love the idea for the series. Congrats on the 3 years. I don’t think I’ve missed a class/lecture (insert any another University pun). Keep them coming. And nice work on all your production lately too. Next level 🤘🏼

[@brianmedeiros6845]

I go in collecting quests purchasing multiple copies with this being one of those moments. My focus getting a GK along with a vibrant cover. I absolutely love the cover along with the record and yours is Mint! I’m now a Horace Silver quest a little expensive sometimes but worth it. Got the package proudly on display. Congratulations on your channel milestone you deserve it. Thank You!

[@dison77433]

I have been a vinyl collector since the mid-70's, mainly but not exclusively of rock and jazz, and for some reason I never really got drawn into Rush's music. It was the timing, I think. I was getting out of prog as they emerged, due to it's growing excesses and it's only lately that I have revisited the genre after a recent, first-time complete cataloguing of my collection. Given the consistent praise they've garnered over the years, I figure I should correct that omission. Thanks for this recommendation of where to start, Tim

[@kmad5853]

Tim, great idea for the series. Another option for collectors is the 3LP Archives set, which includes Rush, Fly By Night, and Caress of Steel. My copy has Masterdisk GK in the deadwax of all 3 albums, and they all sound great. Note there are US versions with other masterings, but these sets can be had in the $40-60 range.

[@Cripplecreekcarl]

I have a DC and BK. Thanks, now I need the GK to complete my masterdisk set. I agree a clean vintage of this record is incredibly rare. Looking fwd to the series!

[@robertratliff2834]

Fantastic theme for a new series Tim!!!! Really looking forward to the next 49. On a side note, I received my copy of Marquee Moon direct from Rhino a few days ago. While their packaging is still not on par with The In Groove or Acoustic Sounds, my copy arrived unscathed. I hope yours does as well. Best regards, Bob Ratliff.

[@audioguy5253]

Great series- hoping either you or PBTHAL would do something like this

[@jameschant2740]

Happy 2024 Tim ! What an awesome record to start with in your top 50 best sounding records. Cheers !

[@johns126]

Great idea Tim - highly anticipated series with a top 50.

[@rdubstacks1289]

Great idea for a series! I will be watching ALLL...Thanks for sharing.

[@tomdemaline8869]

Very good video Tim, looking forward to whats next including your next Jazz installment :)

[@love2spinvinyl]

Happy Anniversary, i have really enjoyed your videos. I can see my Discogs wants list growing even more thanks to this new series you are doing. So thanks for that…😂

[@tonyd1119]

Great idea and what an album to kick it off! looking forward to it.

[@simonblack301]

Great choice for the start of this series! I look forward to future installments!

[@garsaeger7504]

Great choice. Looking forward to the rest of the series.

[@jbvinyl]

Love the excellent info you provide on the mastering and pressings in your videos. Been watching you for years and you always have me looking at my pressings to see if they match your recommended ones.

[@Universityofvinyl]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@markkopernicky3489]

A must own album....it's in fact my favorite Rush album. I own a Canadian 1st pressing mastered by Gilbert Kong....more importantly is the fantastic mixing and engineering job Terry Brown did. Way too much focus on the mastering in the VC. ..the mixing is far more important. Oh and I agree about Archives. ..it's a fantastic buy. I have a few different pressings including a gold stamp promo. Mastered by Gilbert Kong.

[@scottrap]

I bought my copy brand new in 1982 and it did not include the liner notes. Just a plain white, inner sleeve. Mercury sure didn’t waste any time pulling the extra goodies😢

[@chopayrussell9660]

Always informative and exquisitely researched but there in lies the problem, ...my copy holds the Masterdisk G.K. and original lyric sleeve , which is great...now the problem, the text and Mercury are at the top of the label with the Terra Haute hallmark.

[@Universityofvinyl]

You’re all set! It’s probably a true 1st pressing. Mine was a repress from approximately’76

[@allenwilliams8962]

Dear Timothy, I am still a little upset that you rated signals over hemispheres a few videos ago.

[@easynow2754]

I came for Liberace.....but I got Rush

[@markkopernicky3489]

I just want to add that I disagree about the Canadian pressing having noisey vinyl....I have several Canadian pressings of this album...and lots of other Rush albums and they all sound as good and a lot of times better then the US pressings. Country of origin...you can't go wrong.

[@i35photo]

I've got a Very Clean MASTERDISK GK US Pressing. Agreed it does sound amazing!

[@Universityofvinyl]

So good!