The Seatbelts – Cowboy Bebop (Original Series Soundtrack)

This pressing sounds amazing! Through my cornwalls the horns and all the instruments are just blasting at me. So much detail. All the small things. It’s crazy that some of my favorite bands don’t get mixing and mastering this good. And to all you bitching about the album art, I think it’s fine, but the music is A1. Well done!

Anyone know the matrix run out codes on this pressing?

For all you regular Joe enthusiasts out there, I thought this release sounded great.

Did anyone else see that our black vinyl is splatter? I realise under a strong light at a certain angle, there are splatter marks. My sounds quite alright but not sure if this is recycled vinyl or done on purpose.

Finally mine arrives.
To not mince words Ill just say that this is simply a way to collect Bebop material and listen to the music on vinyl. One should not go in expecting some revelation in of sound or visual design.
My first gripe since day 1 has always been the rather unimaginative artwork. It does not reflect the show very well and does not work as a display piece. It may be by the original creator but thats a weak defense.
Its also a real shame Green Bird is nowhere to be found.
Soundwise theres nothing particularly wrong here, and sometimes its rather good on the simpler tracks. But the complex orchestrations feel pretty congested, 2D and lackluster in of remastering. Much more care could have been put in highlighting and staging the performances to make a convincing and realistic soundscape. This seems to me largely like a CD pressed to vinyl almost directly. There are few exceptions, particularly on Side D, which is a bit better but the set certainly doesnt start off with great impressions.
It does have decent bass and highs, its just how its all arranged and used that is a bit disappointment when compared to other great Jazz recordings and pressings.
The pressing is quite decent for me however with low surface noise and the odd pop here and there mostly. But those rough card inners should really be lined with plastic if intended to be used.
In the end its nice to have as a fan, but what puts it into perspective best I think is that Id rather have the bootleg for its nicer cover and likely similar sound.

Equipment Used:
Technics SL-1210GR Turntable
ATVM95ML Cartridge
Cyrus 2 Amplifier
System Fidelity SF-3050 Tower Speakers

I just listened to the black version, unfortunately on all 4 sides there is a lot of noise. Then there will be a song or two with no noise at all.

I am enjoying this album but there was an adjustment period. Part of that is because there are multiple versions of a lot of Cowboy Bebop songs and some of them are not the versions I am used to (I mostly have listened to a rip of the Cowboy Bebop CD Box Set). So Mushroom Hunting was very different from what I expected, and the male vocal version of Rain felt different as well.

All in all, I do enjoy it. It does have a bit of surface noise on a couple tracks on disc two unfortunately. Not sure if that is specific to mine or a wider issue though.

Just finished giving the black pressing a listen, and honestly I found it to be quite flat sounding at times. It didn’t have that dynamic element I was hoping for, especially given this style of music. I find this odd because some of the reviews of the colored variant state the opposite. On the plus side I noticed virtually zero surface noise and the audio was indeed clear. My disc 1 was rather scratched up from the factory and slightly warped, but nothing that seemed to effect playback.

I’m curious to know if others had a similar experience upon listening. I think those that are hoping for little surface noise will definitely be pleased, but I do wish there was a bit more punch to the sound overall. The music itself is excellent of course.

P.S. I found that I liked the cover art better in person, and the gatefold/sleeve artwork is gorgeous.

Its too bad this has the worst cover yet, the unofficial and 2018 ones look much better, even though this is supposedly by the original artist. Hopefully the sound is decent.