Sturgill Simpson – Cuttin' Grass Vol​.​ 1 (The Butcher Shoppe Sessions)

From other reviews, it looks like there is a lot of variability in the quality of this pressing. Mine sounds pretty sub-par, so I got unlucky. Muddy and very flat mastering. my Vol. 2 sounds much better.

Worst sounding albums I own, both this and 2nd volume. Purchased both new same day from the same shop. The mixing is wretched. The vocals are somehow both tinny and badly compressed. The surface noise is like a storm, and the entire mix is muffled sounding. Compared to the digital recording, it’s night and day.

I bought this last month in the VMP store, number 803/2500. Wonder if this is one of the "damaged in shipping" copies, it has the slightest wrinkle in the top left corner. Not any noticeable difference in quality between this one and the plain black one I already have, apart from the colour of the cover. But all told, a great album, I don't mind having two copies of it.

The music is great. I give the pressing and mastering a 4/5 stars. I can definitely recommend.

The mix and mastering is great, not too loud. The bass tones are rich and clear, and the rest of the strings sound precise and separated. Sturgill's voice is present and at times, has that analog distortion that we all love. Virtually no surface noise and no warping.

My side A of record 1 has a large scratch on track 4, was visible as soon as I took it out of the packaging. The rest are fine, look to be a manufacture error I guess. Sound is good on the rest after a wet clean.

This record has a "made in Poland" sticker on the back. Is mine different than this version.

I just purchased my copy on Discogs. No evidence of damage. I think the audio quality is fine. Not a UHRQ-like pressing for sure but good enough to enjoy Mr. Simpson doin' his stuff. I recommend securing a copy if your a Stugill fan. As noted by others there are fewer than 2500 copies in existence due to VMP cancelling orders. As time goes on these will likely get more expensive and harder to find.

Just a note for the future. The second press of this colored version has a slightly brighter yellow color vinyl. The first discs look identical on the copies we checked.

Cool pressing and variant - I signed up early for my copy but like others said - the batch was damaged and many were compromised. My order was cancelled with no plans for repress or replacement. Luckily I was able to get a copy on the secondary market. Sound quality leaves a lot to be desired - it sounds fine but it doesn’t sound much different or better than the streaming version to me. Glad I picked it up for the uniqueness of the press and the songs - but the sound quality doesn’t do much for me.