Queen – Sheer Heart Attack

Hissing on the "s" sound and IGD best audible on Now I'm Here. Sound is quite boomy and flat. Music on the other hand is of course great

The first of the Ludwig remasters that I purchased on vinyl. The other versions of SHA I was familiar with were the Parlophone '93 CD remaster, and the 2011 streaming version.

So before I get to reviewing the sound here, let's discuss Sheer Heart Attack. Without a doubt, one of Queen's best and most cohesive albums, and the first that truly showcased their wild creativity, effortless diversity, not to mention campy bombast. It's my favourite Queen record of the 70s, and their most digestible dish before they went completely over the top with the excessive Night at the Opera.

So then, on to this 2015 pressing. How does it sound? Absolutely superb. Lots of definition without being harsh or brittle. The low end booms without being overpowering. Stereo image is engaging without being exaggerated. The overall sound is full, thick and powerful.

Is there compression? Yes. Is it distracting? In some moments, but nothing to detract from the overall experience. Ludwig and co. have delivered a sound this is truly engaging.

There is some noise going on beneath the craziness, audible only during the outros of Now I'm Here and Lap of the Gods Revisited.

Ignore the snobby audiophiles trashing the sound here. The truth is Queen never were an audiophile-type of group. They just made fun, awesome music that was, in Freddie's own words, made for listening to then disposing of.

Looking forward to grabbing the rest of the Ludwig remasters!

This is where the fun really starts with Queen. This 1/2 speed job is boomy and I had to back off the bass. All the 2015 1/2 speeds are like this. The details are there but you have to tweak the EQ to get them out. A lot of people hated the Ludwig remasters and the vinyl is cut from them.
There is compression unfortunately. I have all Queen albums on vinyl in multiple copes from different times. I think the trick with the 1/2 speed pressing is play them loud!
In general I think old pressings are better overall, as modern vinyl often disappoints.
The vocal details on this pressing is pretty good. Analog recordings should really follow the AAA path when being produced. The 1/2 speeds are produced from digital files.
Anyway, some people expect amazing fireworks from vinyl which has lower sound quality than CD. If you want the best sound play CD!

The sound is so-so. Ought to be played on cheap turntables. Otherwise, disappointment is guaranteed. Heard better releases. Spare your money for something more useful.

This remaster is Arena Rock grade. My Dynavector 10x5 picks it up great, and the music I discovered and loved as a teenager comes full throttle into my listening room. I feel the band's intent with this their 3rd studio LP is captured well and for the first time, Queen are fully formed, with the Thrash Metal and Vaudeville mixed, delivering a never-boring panoply of sound. I am pleased record companies are taking the capital risk to remaster classics like this and improving on the often sad quality of 70s thin-stretched vinyl, scrimped as dictated by OPEC policies of the time and the West's feckless response then. New vinyl in general is getting better attention to detail and manufacturing quality targets than when it was the dominant media. With streaming, the record financers know they need to deliver a quality product to justify costs and gain repeat customers. Spinners are benefited if they use decent kit to capture the magic. These guys did well, others do not (think Euro represses from CD masters). This was an honest and well-intended effort that produced a quality product. Peace.

I have to differ with most here.
This remaster is a big disappointment all over.
Brighton Rock is a disaster and sounds flat, with sharp vocals. My old German pressing from 76 is actually better.
Rest of the album is better on vocal, and the sound is not so "hollow" but it still lacks dynamics. This smells of a cheapo work from a poor digital remaster.
Music is 5 stars, but remaster quality is below zero.
I often wonder how this people keep their jobs when they deliver such poor results.
This remaster is a waste of both time and money.

Sound is quite boomy but you can hear it only with Taylor's kick drum, other part of sound spectrum is very well balanced. Good mastering, but my LP is slightly warped. Overall good mastering.

Maybe plays good, but for me Brighton Rock plays better even on polish tonpress......

This pressing sounds fantastic. The low ends really shine.