The Seatbelts – Cowboy Bebop (Original Series Soundtrack)

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

Newbury in Cambridge has one copy left in store, I went today, they marked it up to $65 tho lol

I was silly and preordered multiple variants. I have spun the ones I got in so far at home. Love the sound. But both of my Newbury editions have a distracting noise on the right channel starting around „Rain“ on the C side that gets really bad on the quiet song “Memory”. This did not happen with my black LP, or the swordtail milan variant. Anyone else?

Top notch, excellent quality pressing. Can't go wrong with this one!