Catherine Wheel – Ferment

Would someone recommend the definitive pressing of Ferment? I know it's been reissued several times with a pressing, including bonus non-LP tracks.

I'm overwhelmed.

1st copy I purchased had crazy scratches on it right out of the sleeve, 2nd copy is flawless and sounds great. Gotta say 2nd EP is not necessary
I would have preferred some era b-sides - where's "Balloon"!?!!

I have the MOV and this version. I am much more familiar with the MOV having had it for a few years and am used to the mix and the well rounded deep bass. This version compares well and is noticeably different. That does not mean better. Just different. The bass loses a slight amount of weight but is still relatively deep. The remastering and mix means there is more separation between individual guitar parts and the vocals are slightly more 3 dimensional. However, having heard the album upon its release back in ‘92, I am pretty sure the then swirls and melding of guitars into an enveloping electric haze was all part of the intended effect of the band. The MOV retains that effect. This release breaks the effect by imparting the more separated guitar images. So, overall, good sound quality in its own right, but not necessarily better or as per the original intentions of the artist. My copy also suffers from bad crackle and pop on Black Metallic straight from first play.

This MOV black vinyl is a pretty good reissue and much as most MOV reissues are.
The original UK release was pretty good too. This MOV has slightly fuller, deeper bass and the imagery of guitars, drums and vocals maybe slightly more precise. But you need decent hifi to appreciate the weight of the bass.

According to the Dynamic Range Database, this version has a higher dynamic range than the US version.

https://dr.loudness-war.info/?artist=catherine+wheel&album=ferment

It's too late now, but this really needed to be spread out across 3-4 sides in order to achieve more volume and fidelity. Here's a suggestion:

A1 Texture
A2 I Want To Touch You
A3 Black Metallic

B1 Indigo Is Blue
B2 She's My Friend
B3 Shallow
B4 Ferment

B3 Flower To Hide
B4 Tumbledown
B5 Bill And Ben
B6 Salt

But no, we get the same alignment as the original release, and an wasted extra 12" that could have been used for album tracks instead, with Side D containing bonus tracks ("Balloon" please?)

Not sure if it’s my speakers or individual copy but this pressing really needs to be cranked up, especially for the low end bass parts. There’s also a few pops here and there that really suck during quiet parts such as “Black Metallic.”

The MOVs were sourced from digital files original intended for CD (now, does THAT help?!). These reissues sourced from the original masters. End of sonic debate.

I had the MoV which one reviewer on the Hoffman forum said was as good as the original. I can’t comment on that. But I do think that this newer reissue sounds better than the MoV. It is less fatiguing at the top end (I find some MoV reissues can be tonally bright). My pressing was flawless and the jacket and inner looks really nice and on that point is much better than the MoV. I wasn’t too bothered about getting the EP but was a nice touch given that it didn’t add that much to the cost. They did a great job on this and this is my favourite album of theirs.

Reissues are coming in August. Preorders are up now at some places.

https://alternapop.com/2023/07/05/catherine-wheel-vinyl-reissues-coming-in-august/