Funkadelic – Maggot Brain

I pulled out my copy yesterday after not having a spin for a couple years and for the first time I noticed some of the defects others have noted in the title track. I stopped a minute or so in to inspect the surface of the record as it looked glossy and clean in dim lighting, but under more intense light I noticed a lot of scuffs and scratches that didn’t come from me - that is certain. Looks like a lot of friction from the inner sleeve combined with some less than stellar qc where particles weren’t cleaned off the surface after being cut, and during the records’ journey these bits of paper and loose vinyl bits wore their way across the surface.

That said, this really only becomes apparent at higher volumes. At normal listening volume these crackles and clicks all but blended into the rough mix of the song - where even in digital versions you can hear the gain of guitar amps / drum mics punch in and rise early into Maggot Brain. To speak to the clarity of this pressing - with eyes closed, I can clearly see the faders on the console rapidly slide up with the proportionate difference between the ring, index, and middle fingers. If I was bummed about the noise before, this audiovisual synesthesia made me smile.

Do I wish they had better QC on this pressing? Absolutely. But did I expect them to magically remix the source tapes to sound better than the original recording? Maybe - but I’d probably also be disappointed that they did. All in all, QC aside, this is a great alternative to the wild markups on original copies - which we would probably find the same issues with. Would I buy this pressing again given the chance? In a heartbeat.

I concur with exactly what 99% of you are reporting here. Came here to see if others had issues... There sure are, do not buy this.

Pops. Pops. Pops. Clean. Clean. Clean. Sill pops. Crackles. Sounds digital too. The cd is so much more listenable.

My copy is unlistenable. The pops are so insanely loud from a copy right out of the package that I have to find an older pressing or something. Nice to have as a collectible though.

Mine is silent, no crackle, no noise. The mastering is a little bass heavy, but maybe some like that. I think a decent version, I like it.

My copy of this sounds like an 112k mp3 from the 2001. Yuk

I just found a very nice used copy of this and overall I have to say pretty happy here. I can say the amount of surface noise isn't bad at all and no scratches pops or clicks people have been complaining about. On the back it does say Direct metal mastering from digital tape. It sounds very clear and actually quite dynamic and pristine in areas without taking away the rawness and funkiness of this great record (it retains the funk, IMO). I really only heard a bit of surface noise on the 1st track maggot brain, was pretty quiet after that. If you come across this def give it a listen, and make your own opinion. I am very happy with this, it's funkalicious

I just received my copy today, brand new right out of the wrapper there were so many scratches and scuffs, some of them pretty bad looking, whoever was responsible for packaging the batch my copy is from really messed up.
it plays without skipping, but there's several loud pops throughout due to the worst of the scratches.
horrible quality control

Aren't those crackle and pops supposed to be there? I grew up with the cassette and I can swear those sounds were on that cassette too.

Had to test play before listing for these low prices. Gonna keep this one. Calling this unlistenable is ludicrous. Maggot brain has light static and crackles. Not the best pressing I've heard, but far from the worst as there are some awful presses. This is a bright and clear mix with light background noise on the title track which is not easy to clean up and will never sound perfect as the recording is not perfect. Honestly, this sounds damn near as good as my VG+ canadian first press so the people complaining have no frame of reference.