Did Sony Bungle My Bloody Valentine's 'Loveless' Reissue?

BY Alex HudsonPublished May 8, 2012

As My Bloody Valentine fans all know by now, the new reissue of the band's seminal 1991 album Loveless contains two different remastered versions of the same 11 tracks, and after hearing both, we admitted that they were relatively similar. Well, it looks as if the folks at Sony may have got confused, too, since reports suggest that the two discs may have been mislabelled.

The first disc was supposed to feature a new remastering from the original tape, while disc two was meant to contain a version previously created (but not released) by MBV leader Kevin Shields using original 1/2 inch analogue tapes. According to an in-depth analysis by The Power of Independent Trucking [via Slicing Up Eyeballs], however, Sony got the discs the wrong way around.

The blog notes that the brand new remastering (using the original tape) features the identical EQ to the original 1991 release, except it's louder in order to meet modern CD standards. According to their sound analysis -- and evidence provided by small sonic details -- this is the version that pops up on the mislabelled second disc.

As for the version created from 1/2 inch analogue tape, it features a different EQ with more bottom end. According to the blog, this is the version that appears on the mislabelled first disc (which also apparently contains a digital transfer glitch on "What You Want").

If the report is accurate, you could write this whole thing off as not a big deal, since the two versions are so similar that you can only really tell the difference when comparing the EQs. Given that the reissue is geared towards audiophiles with an interest in hearing two different masters, however, it seems like a critical oversight on Sony.

So far, the label has not commented on the allegations. It also hasn't set any release date for MBV's reissues here in North America.

Latest Coverage