Spiritualized – Let It Come Down

Probably the most accessible work from Jason Pierce (aka Spacemen 3) before releasing And Nothing Hurt, Let It Come Down remains my favorite Spiritualized album. I played this album endlessly when it was originally released in 2001. The sculpted special CD edition at the time was stunning to look at, though it became a bit of a hassle to keep it clean.

I’m somewhat surprised to see all the negative reviews surrounding this reissue. Considering the pressing plant, Memphis Record Pressing, isn't known for top-tier pressing quality, I can understand there might be defective batches out there. But I haven’t noticed any sound issues with mine. Spiritualized albums have never been audiophile perfection. None of their records offer that pristine, 3D holographic sound or expansive left-right surround effects. You might wish for that audiophile-level quality, especially with Ladies and Gentlemen, but if you’ve seen their live shows, you’d know that Jason Pierce isn’t concerned with sonic gimmicks. His focus is on creating a sonic world, unbothered by audience reactions. His music invites listeners to find beauty within the dense layers of instrumentation. Is it the "wall of sound" concept?

With that context, this remastered version sounds just fine to my ears. While I wouldn’t rank it among the best-sounding records in my collection, it certainly exceeds the standard of most new releases. It’s more than adequate for getting lost in the music. There were moments when I wished for a bit more clarity and separation, but then I realized that might ruin the atmosphere of the album. So, no complaints there. Some tracks, especially “Stop Your Crying,” really shine on this edition. I’ve never heard that song with so much drama before.

I can tell a lot of love and care went into The Spaceman Reissue Program by Fat Possum Records. This is a truly exceptional series, especially when you compare it to Fat Possum’s other releases. While they might not reach the top-tier quality of labels like Tone Poet or the Atlantic 75 series, and there may still be occasional pressing issues, it's a wonderful gesture to give indie artists like Spiritualized a chance to shine.

With proper setup and cleaning, this edition should have no issues such as inner groove distortion, sibilance, or skips.

By the way, I also own Lazer Guided Melodies and Pure Phase from this series. Lucky me, all my copies are clean and defect-free. I absolutely love this reissue program and hope they didn’t change the artwork.

Setup:

Modded Rega RP6
Nagaoka MP500
Graham Slee Excession MM
Sugden S21se Signature
ATC SCM 19v2

I got a good crackle free copy of this one of my favourite Spiritualized albums, so am happy and can confirm they do exist..
I have a crackly Ladies & Gentlemen on Plain and my Pure Phase es a bit meh from Fat Possum. But this one's good for me.
It's the lack of quality control or proper pressing methods these record plants do these days I suppose. It's all about money money money and coloured vinyl splatter etc nowadays. Bring back flower power..

One of my favorite albums. Sounds just fine until some horrible non-fill defect at the end of Sometimes. How ya gonna mess up the best song ever?. Disappointing and totally bricked. Fat Possum sucks dick

Bought a copy without checking reviews here. No distortion to report, but skips and loops abound on inner tracks on sides B and C. Bummer.

The 2014 Plain pressing sounds better than this. Think about what I just said.

Extremely disappointing. I'm finally going to just pick up an OP like I should have in the first place. It's a shame Jason Spaceman can't hear well enough these days to veto these garbage pressings.

Does this have a 3D effect like the special editon CD did?

No surface noise or pops/clicks, but as others said inner tracks are very distorted and hard to listen to, while outer tracks sound better. Seems like a mastering problem to me.

probably the best pressing we'll ever get of this one, but it's still not very good. cut SUPER hot, and it ends up very distorted, not to mention that the upper midrange is bright and harsh the entire time. in fact, my 96/24 digital transfer of this LP sounds better than listening directly to the record, probably because the generic cables in my conversion chain (which aren't in my normal system) took off some of the edge. sure, the LP has more robust bass and a better spatial sense than the digital, but the improvements are negligible when the overall experience is ear fatiguing.

It sounds horrible, first track on each side sounds okay. Tried multiple turntables that are properly set up.

They sent me this as a replacement for the black vinyl, yet it has the exact same terrible distortion/noise at the end of every side. It's basically unlistenable garbage, I'll never order new Spiritualized vinyl again. meanwhile I've got 40, 50+ year old records that sound perfect still