Unfortunately, I can confirm the sound problems regarding "Iceblink Luck" & "Heaven or Las Vegas" too. Her voice hisses and is distorted on both tracks. The track after "Iceblink Luck" sounds damped, while "Heaven or Las Vegas" has the same audio probs as "Iceblink Luck" too.Other than that, the rest sounds pretty fine and well-balanced, equipped with a stunning great clarity and depth. But "Heaven or Las Vegas" & "Iceblink Luck" ruin the otherwise fine impression of the pressing. Sadly.

Don't bother for the reissued vinyl. It sounds horrible and will take out any desire to listen to this amazing album through this pressing. Just go for the original CAD 0012.

If you are a casual listener, the 2014 repress is fine. I don't find it awful by any means. That being said, I will say if you are a Cocteau Twins lover like myself, do yourself a favor and get an original pressing. I found the 1990 US issue to be much more clear and crisp sounding. Liz's vocals come through significantly better and are more in balance with the music than in the repress. Overall a smoother listen and worth the extra $$, you will hear a difference.

The sound quality for this repress is only ok. Very sibilant in parts. Also there is a noticeable hiss between songs. I bought mine from Amazon. I would also like to point out, when you listen to the MP3s that you are given with the included download card, "Iceblink Luck" is noticeably quieter and doesn't sound nearly as good as the other MP3s.

perfect copy as well. Very happy with the pressing. no pops, clicks, or high noise floor. Well done, and for $11.99 shipped on Amazon, highly recommended.

Absolutely adore this album, but holy cow does this pressing fall flat. My copy had audible wooshing after Pitch the Baby, Iceblink Luck sounded harsh, and Heaven or Las Vegas sounded damp. Do yourself a favor and spend a little more money on a clean original US or UK press.

Ok, I finally bought a copy. Gotta say, although there was a sibilance issue on Iceblink Luck, which is definitely a shame, that is the only complaint. Other than that, the record sounds great. Nice and quiet, and very clear, much like the other recent 4AD reissues.

My copy sounds great, sorry to all the folks who weren't so fortunate

I had my doubts about this reissue as well due to some reviews. However, my copy I just purchased sounded perfectly fine. Would recommend it!

was worried reading about this pressing but my copy is perfect. no complaints

I guess I lucked out as well, as mine sounds great.

My copy is perfect. No noise issues, no pops, crackles, skips, etc...

Don't know if I got lucky or what, but the press I have of this 4AD reissue is amazing!! Silent wax, no ticks or pops, no loud and then quiet songs. Everything sounds great on my HiFi. And the music... Well we all know, just blissfully gorgeous. Great album, and a good reissue. At least the one I got.

Can I ask where/how you got it? I've been wondering whether to get one of these for ages, and the negative comments have put me off. But if you were lucky, maybe I can be lucky too...

I've got a nice hifi but this record sounded crap. Unless they've done a 2nd press of the reissue I wouldn't recommend buying this. I got rid of mine and picked up an affordable original copy which sounds better.

I don't get the complaints here, this sounds fantastic to me. On a nice Hi-Fi system it blows of the lid of this classic dream pop effort.

I just received my new/sealed copy and now I'm wishing I'd read this comment section before buying it. I played it on both my turntables including a Rega P3 w/Sumiko Blue Point Special cartridge, and it is absolutely the worst "audiophile" pressing I've ever heard. Audible clicks and pops on the lead-in/lead-out grooves as well as between tracks and during quieter passages. Thin, splashy highs and reedy, hollow bass. And by the third track "Iceblink Luck"--just as other commenters have mentioned--distortion is so bad that it's barely listenable. It's just a disastrous pressing and bad QC at the pressing plant, but ultimately the responsibility falls on the label. What a shame. HOLV is one of my all-time favorite albums and I'd been looking forward to a 180g reissue for years. (Also as another commenter mentioned, the WAV file sounds great so the remastering isn't the issue.) The seller is great and has offered to replace it for another copy, but based on the comments below, I'm probably beating a dead horse and should pick up an original pressing instead.

EDIT: The review I originally wrote on here was generally positive (although I did realize that it had problems), but after listening to this more, I'm realizing it's pretty poor. I think it'll do to hold me off until I find an original, but I wouldn't spend money on this again if I had the choice.

Interesting to read everyone's comments on this vinyl pressing as mine sounds quite poor compared to say the recent Bjork vinyl re-issues. This is probably one of the poorest albums in terms of sound quality that I have ever heard which is a great shame as it is such a classic album. I might return mine and try and track down an original pressing. I can't imagine anyone at 4AD genuinely believing that this is 'good sound quality'? What a pointless remastering and one can barely hear any bass on it.

Both Fifty-Fifty Clown and Frou-Frou Foxes In Midsummer Fires are "full" versions with abrupt ends, rather than all previous versions of the album where the songs just fade out.

I ended up taking it off the platter after Iceblink Luck. Maybe the rest is better.

The cover art is a bit disappointing too - looks like it's been scanned and reproduced from the original vinyl rather than the masters, so the text on the front is duller and less defined than on the 1990 version. A shame, because the original artwork is bright and really pretty - and particularly odd because the tracklist has clearly been typeset fresh.

The track Iceblink Luck is clearly messed up in this pressing. Quieter and hissier than the rest of the lp. Really unfortunate considering this is my favorite album and was looking forward to this vinyl repress for Years.

I emailed 4AD after receiving it, and they said that a) they hadn't heard any complaints, and b) the vinyl master was approved by Robin Guthrie so it was unlikely they would do anything about it. i agree that the high-quality digital files that they provided do sound marvelous, so clearly this is an issue with the pressing quality!! awful that 4AD didn't really care to do anything about it, especially given this is clearly not just one bad copy...

I had the same problem with Iceblink Luck too. :( Frou-Frou Foxes In Midsummer Fires has a significant loudness drop as well. It's too bad the pressing QC was lacking for this release. The wav files included in the download sounds great!

Yeah, got the same thing with Iceblink Luck :/

is anyone else experiencing issues with this repress? i'm finding some glaring volume and clarity issues particularly on Iceblink Luck and the title track... treble "hissing" in several tracks. it's hit and miss...

I bought it yesterday, the one with the coma, and it has the same problem. So 4AD hasn't fixed.

same for me. this is a horrible reissue. the mixes are not the same as the original.

Mine sounds great - except for Iceblink Luck, which, as you mention, has terrible sibilance. I've listened to the download that came with the LP, and the 2004 CD remaster, and the sibilance is noticeable on both of those as well, though not nearly as bad as on the LP. Could be a combination of source problems and pressing problems...