Weather Report – Heavy Weather

Side 2 is terribly distorted. Something went wrong in the pressing of this record

Around 2014 I saw a used copy of this reissue at a local record store and spotted 'pearls' all over the grooves indicating non-fill...then saw the Rainbo matrix. I put it back right away. Who knew the human eye could be so good at telling bad pressings!?

NOT all Rainbo pressings are bad, but at the time I was still quite miffed at their catastrophically defective Beatles Abbey Road I got as a gift the year prior (whose side 1 is so poorly pressed it sounds like all the grooves were carved out with a razor). That alone gave me reason to be extremely cautious about them.

Heavy distorsions on side two. It's not a record, it's a kitchen blender muffled with a towel.
Thanks the "Lacquer Cut By – Joe Lambert" & "Pressed By – Rainbo Records"

Legacy had Rainbo press this record in 2008. Rainbo has gone out of business. Legacy had moved on from Rainbo since 2008. Sony Legacy had RTI press Paul Simon's Graceland 25th anniversary edition. Now Legacy uses the Memphis plant. I shopped for the Music on Vinyl edition of Heavy Weather at four online stores and none had it.

I agree with all the other commenters, side two sounds really bad. Side one wasn’t terrible for me despite some surface noise but side two… not good.

I have tried two copies of this. I sent the first one back explaining "side 2 is all distortion". I just listened to the replacement copy, and it is the same thing. As a previous review noted, you will think your stylus is damaged. Great music, bad pressing.

This is a really bad pressing and like the others, I regret picking it up and wish I could return it. The first side actually sounds fine - great, even. But side 2 was cut in such a way that it sounds incredibly sibilant. You’ll think your stylus is going, but it’s not - it’s the cut! That being said, I still found this record entertaining because the music is just that good - a testament to the abilities of Shorter et. al!

I can confirm what others have said. This is dreadful. There is bleed though from adjacent grooves which creates a muddy and distorted sound and in quiet ages you hear it like an anticipation of what is coming. Everything about this is bad, the mastering is compressed, it sounds thin and lifeless, and the pressing is utter rubbish. I wish I could return it but it's too late. A total waste of money but at least I will never buy another record from the Legecy label again. Mastering by Allan Tucker. Avoid this and buy a decent copy and you'll be fine.

Comparing to original pressings, or re issues from the following years, this sounds really bad. Very muffled sound with the stereo image reduced to a mush. On top of that, low quality pressing with scratches everywhere . I wish I could return it.