Pearl Jam – Rearviewmirror (Greatest Hits 1991-2003)

Let's make this review quick and to the point.

The verdict is in. A just sonicly awful pressing. Narrow and lifeless with a compressed soundstage.

Complete imo.

SMH.

Much better than volume 1
Has some great songs. If you're only a radio fan get 1. My copy has light static after cleaning . Has a locked groove on Daughter have to manually lift needle last it
Why in God's name they put "Last Kiss" on this is beyond me. But otherwise pretty good songs.

Thought I would add another decent review to offset the many negative ones (not discounting the validity of said reviews). Bought Volume 1 during the Walmart sale as well, wasn't really a PJ fan during their heyday but never actively disliked them either, so I said what the hell, maybe I'll find a new appreciation for them. Ended up really enjoying the first volume, so I sought out the second volume and found a sealed copy on here for a great price. Once again another great collection of popular album cuts and singles. Now for the pressing, sound quality is great in my opinion, loud and dynamic, punchy rhythm section and vibrant highs, but there is some noticeable surface noise during some of the quieter parts, but nothing ridiculous honestly. Did have one skip during Last Kiss, but I can't attribute that to the pressing until I have another listen. Discs were both flat as can be though, spindle hole a bit tight on the first disc, and the second "Gray" disc is definitely more of a metallic silver, but really no complaints other than the occasional surface noise and some paper debris from the sleeves they came housed in. Was a bit discouraged by the negative reviews I didn't bother to read before this purchase, so if you're hesitant to purchase for that reason, I say throw the dice for a reasonable price.
Give the records a clean before you spin, and as long as you're not listening on a 10K system, I doubt you'll have many complaints with the volume turned up \w/

Having both Vol 1 & 2. Vol 2 is definitely the “deep cut” version with “A” songs to help elevate the album. That said if you are a Pearl Jam fan you WANT both Vols because it is a much better listening experience. Pressing is ok and flat. Recommended.

It doesn't sound bad, but it's not something out of this world either. Not even close to $250.

In my case disk one sounds much less than CD quality and is flat, lacks detail and is highly compressed. Disk two, still clearly from a digital source, sounds much better- more open and dynamic with less distortion. I would say they are both pressed well, but again disk two seems to be better in that regard. It's almost like they came from different mastering houses and plants. Of course the music is great, but with the subpar disk one in the mix, I'm going three stars overall.

For my tears, it’s a poor, pressing. Way too much background noise in between songs and a few pops here and there. What do you want to hear I listening to great music

Anyone who says this sounds great has probably never heard original PJ vinyl pressings or even the original CDs. The sound on this is atrocious. Compressed, lifeless, muddy dreck. Sounds like a low quality mp3 stream.

Listened to on a Pro-Ject X2 w/Sumiko Moonstone.

Picked up an MPO copy for $15 from Walmart during their recent sale. My grey disc is much more of a metallic silver, and both discs are pressed perfectly flat and are centered. However, the paper lyric sleeves had a huge amount of static, especially on the black disc, and I had to be super careful not to scratch them when removing them from the sleeves. Both discs were quite dirty from the plant, but cleaned up really nicely with a wet clean. Pressing is solid, only some very light surface noise in the very beginning of each side that becomes unnoticeable once the track starts. A touch of light noise in between some tracks as well. Both discs played through super clean and noise free during tracks except for a few light static pops spread out across the two discs- I expect them to disappear after further cleaning and spins. Sound-wise, the mastering here is really solid to my ears. I had to increase the bass a bit on my receiver and turn up the volume but after that it really opened up. Full, rich, and colorful, especially on the more acoustic tracks. Some of the louder tracks seemed like they could be suffering from a bit of brickwalling, but overall it’s surprisingly dynamic. I definitely think I lucked out with one of the better copies out there, but they do exist. This release definitely needs a good deep wet clean and some EQing to really shine. I docked a star as the sleeves really should be either poly-lined or a thicker cardstock, as they were terribly staticky and could easily scuff and scratch the records inside. Overall solid 8/10 release, good to hear some of my favorite non-album tracks on wax.

EDIT: Copy was played on a AT-LP120XUSB turntable with a AT-VM95ML stylus through Onkyo TX-910 receiver and Pioneer SP-BS22-LR monitors.

Was able to snag a GZ pressing on the last day of Walmart's sale and needless to say, this version is much better pressed than the MPO which was filthy and terribly off center on one side. All four sides of the GZ are properly centered and although my first record has a slight bowl effect, once I use my record weight, there's zero issues. Discs were clean and fairly noise free.

Listening on an ATLP120XUSB with a VM95ML cartridge.