Best version of Zenyatta Mondata and sting reflexions

[yaya97]

ZM has always been a very close 2nd favorite Police album just after Sychro.... I am a vinyl fan and to this day I find that Sychro on vinyl is one of the best sounding recordings ever ( I have the KC purple vinyl for those that are vinyl lovers).
I decided that my CD copy of ZM need an upgrade so I am considering either the Japanese AMP 28011 vinyl OR the Nautilus half master .... Anybody have both?

In any case its incredible to see how this very underrated album ( never see with a special mention in books as one of the best recording of all time) seems so modern and perfect today . Not one filler song!
The Boys had it when they recorded this. I find it sad to see how Sting IMHO has lost it. I listened with a VERY open spirit ( I can appreciate Gregorian chorals all the way to Metallica) to all the Sting albums and again IMHO Sting has just lost his inspiration with each new album. I think the Stewart –Sting “war” was necessary to come up with that perfect music. Kind of like McCartney-Lennon. Yes Paul and John wrote some excellent solo stuff BUT their best was written in the form of a competition –who can write a better song.
Once the Beatles were gone they just lost steam every new album.

With this in mind I just have to listen to the great 5 albums ( all different but all superb) that Sting Stewart and Andy left us with.

[smax]

"Nautilus half master..."

oh, i felt like i'd walked into a conversation half-way through and was expecting to join in, then i hear a phrase like "Nautilus half master" and think "WTF? Why haven't i heard of this? i think i'll keep my head down"....

i've got my 30+ year old vinyl which is what i listen to at home the digital version on my ipod if i'm feeling lazy. love love love the album... although the Budokan Hall bootleg comes pretty close to rivalling it.

i think the album DOES have filler tracks on it (i'd stick my neck out and say Voices, Camel and TOWOS ) BUT they're brilliantly done which is one of the reasons why i love the album so much..... they can take three ideas (Voices) and turn 'em into a brilliant song, which is a much better idea than having some less good 'complete' songs on there.


so what is/are the "Nautilus half master/s"? sounds like either a wrestling move or a type of knot.

[yaya97]

The Nautilus superdisks are pressed on high quality vinyl ( thus less surface noise in theory) and and recorded at 1/2 speed thus there is more detail in it. I have a few nautilus records and some a better than others.
Here is an exemple of ZM on ebay

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Police-Zenyatta ... 1e67c32013

Easy to find. Up till now my Japanese vinyls have been good so I am more inclined to pick up the Japanese version over the Nautilus at the same price ( around $20)

[Dietmar]

I think ZM is the album with the MOST filler songs.
But it's the best sounding Police album - as far as drums are concerned...

[yaya97]

Well OK there are some instrumentals but I would not call the fillers ( fillers to me are songs that I just pass over) .
I have always loved the drums on this album! Stewart was really able to show his talent IMHO

[Funio]

Couldn't tell you which vinyl (or CD pressing for that matter) sounds best - I have I believe a fairly "normal" vinyl pressing, and it sounds great. I must say, and this was even said on the Steve Hoffman forum, that the early AM+ series CD's were really well done, especially considering the era they were released in. I have a West Germany AM+ CD of Zenyatta Mondatta, and it sounds very good. Would love to hear a half-speed master edition, but I don't think my vinyl/stereo setup would do it quite justice.

The production on Zenyatta Mondatta is damn-near perfect. Not that I can find necessarily "wrong" with the production on Synchronicity, which does indeed sound fantastic on vinyl, but there's something about the sound of ZM that just fits like a glove with the songs on it. The drums do indeed sound phenomenal.

[yaya97]

my take on what might have happened with Synchro vs ZM: in ZM there was the aggressivity-urgency... Synchro was an adieu... Sting was taking over.. but Stewart and Andys were there to put the cherry on the cake.

[63falcon]

[quote="yaya97"]my take on what might have happened with Synchro vs ZM: in ZM there was the aggressivity-urgency... Synchro was an adieu... Sting was taking over.. but Stewart and Andys were there to put the cherry on the cake.[/quote]
Regatta D'Blanc is MY favorite whole album, but am in aggreeance w/ this comparison between these two works. To my ears, anything on Synchro (the way the trackes are listed om CD-have my old album, but only recently re-acquire a way to play it again) after "King of Pain" is all Sting to me. At least on K O P, I still get a sense of 3 voices whether that is reality or no. The sayonara piece to my ears, and is I am listening to all 5 discs straight thru on lazy day, I turn my player off after K O p because that ends the Police for me.
Now I am yearning for another album of new stuff, yaya97-thanks! Enjoyed reading this thread folks.

[smax]

i've always loved KOP, more than the other singles from that album, Fortress around your heart strikes me as very similiar in mood, lyrically, musically, composition etc.

the inclusion of Miss Gradenko and Mother always pleased me.

Nauitlus, tsssk, who knew? i found myself getting too involved in some audiophiles' blog talking about that series of releases. dangerous ground... i've always thought that the fact we live in a noisy world and our mind's ability to filter out and screen what you hear kinda means that it doesn't matter to that degree about the perfection of the recordings... obviously it matters a lot but i think there is a level beyond which it's kinda theoretical.

[yaya97]

Nauitlus, tsssk, who knew? i found myself getting too involved in some audiophiles' blog talking about that series of releases. dangerous ground... i've always thought that the fact we live in a noisy world and our mind's ability to filter out and screen what you hear kinda means that it doesn't matter to that degree about the perfection of the recordings... obviously it matters a lot but i think there is a level beyond which it's kinda theoretical.

Well I have noticed that on better recording ,the details ( I am going back to my first pressing of Sychro) allows you to hear new details every time you listen. I can honestly say that every time I listen to Sychro, I hear things differently.
I also collect jazz and while some records are fantastic in terms of musical performances, when the sound is poor, the listening experience is just IMHO less pleasing. I did pick up yesterday a Japanese ZM vinyl. First I found it a bit dull in the high end ( I compared it to my Message in a Box CD that has lots (too much??) of bass and treble). I think this is just the way it was meant to be recorded. I was amazed to take notice of bass details driven to tears....