George Michael – Older

Sounds pretty good, soundstage maybe it could be a little bit more wider but it's ok. Very quiet pressing, perhaps with a low output volume but nothing really important. Smooth mastering, it's a great record and great version. Go for it.

GEORGE MICHAEL | OLDER (1996) SONY MUSIC 19439857091 (2021 Remaster): EU pressing featuring gatefold sleeve. This would be one of the quietest pressings we own. The remastering is highly successful and makes the (still) excellent original digital lossless file version sound a bit brash and shouty by comparison, if slightly more vivid. This beautifully remastered LP version provides for a more spacious and natural sound, which is almost like discovering Michael's masterpiece afresh. I'm so glad that I made the investment to buy this remastered 02xLP version and feel that it offers the more analog-sounding perspective that most audiophiles crave. Worth the price of ission for "You Have Been Loved" alone, IMHO. Grab a MINT copy while you still can! - SONDEKNZ

Well, I don't have the CD but I'm very happy with my copy. It's very quiet, vocals are clear, bass is nice and deep. I think the mastering does justice to the style and atmosphere of the album and it's a delight to spin. Maybe I would find it disappointing too if I owned another format or an original, but for those like me who don't, I'd say give it a go.

I found this on soundonsound.com:
The recording of Michael's new album began on his own Mitsubishi X850 32‑track digital machine which, due to its reliance on regular servicing and tendency to emit strange noises, was beginning to wear the patience of the studio team. It was clearly time for a change and when good reports were received of Chris Porter's purchase of the Otari RADAR hard disk recorder, the team were keen to try out a system.
"Stirling Audio lent us one 24‑track RADAR for three weeks and we slaved it to the 32‑track machine. We found that there were certain aspects of the system that proved invaluable and, compared to the Mitsubishi's somewhat harsh sound, the RADAR's playback response is very faithful to what is recorded. So when it came to the end of the loan period, I said to George that it would be great if we could have one. He replied that we should have two! So that was when we stopped using the Mitsubishi, and we transferred everything onto the two RADARs."

My pressing is not very good (repeating noise figures between the songs), but this might be only my particular copy. I absolutely agree what was written below regarding the sound - it is OK, not great. In many cases, vinyl recording has benefits over the CD versions, especially in of better dynamics of masterings (not enough space on the vinyl disc for loudness wars...). But this is not the case here. My original CD sounds better, more balanced and dynamic.

It's interesting how one record can split opinion on it's quality like this one has. In my opinion, this pressing sounds great. Lots of detail and dead quiet where it should be. I'm very happy with it!

Firstly, like all of us, I love this album. We play George in our house and business every day.

I finally sat down with this and am listening on headphones. There is no depth and width to this mastering. So little bottom end, it's wild. Fast Love is totally lacking in that dance floor bass that's on the CD.
Mids are there, but not in the lower
Vocals are thin, highs are nice and crystalline.

The pressing is good, but this deserved much better mastering given the wait. Also, the estate printed way too many of these. A repress was clamoured over loudly by hardcore fans and I think they overestimated how many true fans were also record collectors. It wasn't a great seller because of this, and I fear that might stop future releases. We need Unplugged, Songs, and Symphonica.

Purchased mid-2023 from Amazon - Not joking when I say this is one of the better sounding LPs in my collection - Jesus to a Child is Absolutely STUNNING. Phenomenal soundstage; hearing detail you just wouldn't get streaming or on CD. Recommended!

(Garrard 301/SME V/Ortofon Black)

My copy looks identical to this one, but I also have 3 inserts with photo prints of George Michael. These are not mentioned here in the description, also not listed in the images of the release. So I'm wondering if anyone has the inserts as well? Or is it maybe a slightly different release I'm not aware of?

Sounds good, not great. I didn't pick up much separation or depth. I cleaned it well, removed static, using high-end equipment + headphones... Still nada