yeah no this pressing really is not good, I bought it at his show back in 2015 and as soon as i played it, there was a lot of nice and it would skip a lot... not good

Then why did you rate it 5 stars? The rating system is meant to rate the quality of the physical media, not how much the album is enjoyed.

Got mine new from a 2nd and Charles... it sounds good enough, if a little noisy on some tracks, but the real bothersome thing is that both sides were scuffed, even sealed in a seemingly unharmed sleeve. So, be aware.

My copy from Barnes & Nobles is pretty horrendous. 2 cleanings improved it somewhat, but it's still pretty bad. Under all that noise, the mastering is actually pretty decent. I love this record so much, I may try another copy. It's pretty cheap at around $17. Who knows, I might get lucky.

A lot of marks on the vinyl + small warping.Fortunatzly it does not affect playing, no distortion or pops/clicks.I was afraid after reading comments here and seeing the lp, but was releaved upon listening.I took 5 minutes cleaning it toroughly though, might have helped !

Well, this is a surprise.My copy straight from Amazon sounded phenomenal. As in, super quiet, with little to no crackle, surface noise et. al.Very surprising due to the reviews I read on here before giving this pressing a go. Sadly luck of the draw, I guess :/

Amazing music but easily the worst record I own! Straight out of the package and the amount of surface noise is unbelieveable, the record is unbelievably warped but by the sounds of it everyone else has the same issue, dissapointed to say the least as the music is so good!

So Initially my copy seemed to have excessive b/g noise and crackle... but then I cleaned it properly .. twice ... and found out it is actually fine. I don't normally have to deep clean new vinyl - however - this certainly isn't the only record where I have had to.Perhaps if some of you with noisy copies can rescue them with a proper deep clean?Asides from all that - this is a beautiful album that (after cleaning) sounds very good.

WIsh I checked the review section before buying.. I also have a terrible copy, lots of noise and pretty low volume.Guess I'll see if I can trade it at the store.

I got a quiet one, some light crackles here and there, but nothing awful, just ordinary business these days. Better than average even considering the music itself is very delicate and quiet.

Very glad I didn't buy this after reading the comments. There needs to be a pressing quality review on Discogs.

One of the worst records in my collection, really bothers me to say that considering it was a gift from my friend. Incredibly warped and such an extensive amount of surface noise.Edit: Emailed Asthmatic Kitty about my pressing issues sent me a new copy, not warped at all and sounds much better.

I guess I lucked out (relatively speaking). Side One is pretty quiet, but Side Two has a few noisy spots; however not a deal breaker. This record sounds great on vinyl. It's some of the most moving music Ive heard in a while; and has made me search out his earlier catalog.

The amount of surface noise on this pressing is really ridiculous. We all expect some pop and crackle, but this ruins the album.

There wasn't any noise on my copy, but then, I used a low-end system. There was, however, a substantial amount of dust and dirt on the record when I pulled it out of the sleeve. Normally I grade unplayed records as Mint, but this was only a Very Good right out of the box.

Awful pressing-- I have tried four copies and own two- a black and a clear vinyl copy-- both are equally horrid. I've spoken to the label and they defend their pressing-- it is indefensible and ruined an album many consider a masterpiece. I have other vinyls by Mr. Stevens and they are better-- but they are all in the "so-so" category of vinyl quality-- as in CHEAP. Even the limited edition colored vinyl of Illinois and it is barely tolerable-- and it was not cheap. This label-- Asthmatic Kitty would do well by listening to the feedback from so many corners of the Internet-- YOUR VINYL SUCKS-- why not DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT BESIDES MAKE EXCUSES for crap quality? ANd do not use the excuse you're trying to keep prices down-- this in not the download version, it's your damn premium version and it deserves a quality pressing. Probably have to wait for Light In The Attic or some other reissue label to do it right as this label either DOES NOT CARE or DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO BRING A QUALITY PRESSING TO MARKET. Yeah, that's right dudes. So a little respect please!

Mine sounds fine. Some copies must have a proper pressing, at least.

It's ridiculous. A lot of these reviews are grossly overstated, my copy is excellent. This is quiet music, you are bound to hear the old pop. Certainly no distortion or warps!

If only I'd checked the board before I bought this one. Brilliant album but this vinyl pressing is absolutely subpar. Pops, crackle and distortion galore. It's even worse than this afwul Bon Iver pressing I bought a few months ago: Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago.

Just reading all the comments and the copy I just got has a ton of popping and to top it off both sides are side b, huge bummer

So many cracks and pops. Just. So. Many. Cracks. And. Pops. Completely ruins the experience of such a beautiful album.

My copy sounds lovely. No distortion and barely any crackles and pops.

Same. Some smudges but plays just fine!I don't doubt many are in much worse shape, though.

Yeah sounds terrible, lots of pops, crackles and distortion even after running it through the record doctor

Same experience as many others. Crappiest pressing I've ever had the displeasure to own/listen to.I'd trade it for the cassette.

I'm on my second copy (black). Tons of crackle on both. I'm giving up.WHATS UP WITH THAT ASTHMATIC KITTY? This is a really special album. Don't you care??

Poor pressing. Can be judged with the naked eye: Streaks and runmarks on both sides. Sounds ugly, surface noise and distortions, galore. Don't buy.

Wow sucks that so many have had bad luck. Got a black copy and it sounds incredible.

Nope. Not true. I've had four black vinyl copies-- the stampers are crap, the vinyl used is cheap crap, the pressings are a disaster. No one got "clean copies", rather some just don't notice or care about excessive surface noise or can't hear it on their low resolution systems. If you really have a clean copy and are willing to guarantee that to me, I'll give you $250 for it right now-- but is has to be a clean copy without the problems reported here and everywhere by dozens and dozens of disappointed owners.

As much as I like the album, this is a very poor pressing and mine was fairly warped. Definitely buy a CD instead.

I'm on my third copy trying to get one that isn't a hot mess of surface noise. The last two copies have had significant spindle wear when I opened them, so either they are play testing these or sending people copies that had previously been returned. It's a shame they couldn't just use a proper inner sleeve so that the record would have a chance of arriving without surface scratches.

I contacted asthmatic kitty and they sent out a play tested replacement copy. There is still some surface noise but no ticking or popping. I don't think perfect copies of this exist but some are much noisier than others. There customer service was great, so it's worth contacting them directly.

What a shame about the poor pressing - this album is beyond beautiful. I hope Asthmatic Kitty cleans its act up and releases proper pressings, because this is a must-have in any collection. This music is objectively beautiful, you would have to be borderline-psychopathic to not be touched by this.

Mine is perfect. Shame about the possibility of picking up a bad one. Such a beautiful LP.

I agree with the comments about poor quality control. My first copy was badly warped. There were no questions asked when I returned it for a replacement. The store must have been getting a fair amount of complaints. The second copy is nice and quiet without any warp. Annoying that it has to be such a quality crap shoot when purchasing new records.

Sorry just saw your question. I returned the defective copy to the record store I bought it from. I have probably returned close to ten records to stores because of poor quality. I don't except bad pressings.

Hello hhjack, I was wondering how you returned it after opening? Did you contact Asthmatic Kitty specifically, or did you just return it at whatever store you bought it from? Thanks so much

Bought this in Sweden (Gothenburg), the sound is awful. Distorsion through almost every song. Very bad pressing IMO.

Bought my copy in Göteborg as well (Bengans actually), and I can only agree. My copy also has lot of distortion on every other song. It's a shame that such bad pressing is allowed. Unfortunately I live abroad and can't return the record that easily.

Bad Pressings. Poor quality control on two copies. Ran through Nitty Gritty Machine, Gruv Glided and cleaned the stylus. Still sounds bad. Pops Clicks and a few songs even have distortion. Too bad because this album sounds great on every other format but Vinyl.

Album of the year thus far and not likely to be surpassed regardless of genre. Beautiful, moving, elegant simplicity that is wonderous to listen to and hum / sing along with. Does not put a foot wrong throughout the entire album. Better than Seven Swans and arguably his best yet.

My copy is dead silent, not warped and sounds fantastic. Seems like there are bad ones out there, but there are also perfect pressings, too.

No. You do not have a perfect copy. They are ALL a huge hot mess. I'll give you $250 for your "perfect copy" right this minute, or for any copy that is not awash in surface noise. Asthmatic Kitty allowed a very poor quality run of vinyl to be released when it should have repressed the LP and thrown those pressings away or sold them as cut-outs. People that bought this on vinyl were ripped off plain and simple.

I also got a bad pressing. Both sides are off center, Fourth of July is severely distorted and side B is not listenable. The album is great, but I will have to stick listening to the digital version this time.

My copy is not warped, but still I got some surface noise towards the end of both sides. But nothing major, wouldn't notice it if the record wasn't so quite. Decent press.

Disagree. I have tried five copies. If you have a high resolution system to play this back on, it is just plain crap. The music is genius. This pressing was a disaster. massive amounts of surface noise. Too bad the labels just make excuses when they produce terrible (meaning you are ripping off your customers) product like this. Beware of this LP on vinyl.

I don't mind the pressing, but my copy is severely warped. Still playable, but I'm amazed the needle doesn't fly off because of how much it moves up and down.

Bad pressing, a little bit noisy.

I understand why they have to do it but... it's really annoying when the tracklist isn't the same on different formats.

yeah and the lyric sheet has also the cd/digital tracklist which is something they should have realized...but anyway great album!