The magnum opus of Godspeed You! Black Emperor deserves all of the praise it receives. This work is about as moving and intense as any old classical work. Lift Your Skinny Fists is one of the greatest pieces of music conceived, it exists because of a disregard for genre and tradition, it was made solely to be music.

Does anyone know which pressing plant that record is pressed in?

Amazing album, there's a bit of surface noise on my copy but nothing that distracts too much from the songs. Beautiful packaging and artwork.

this is a great repress with KP matrix etched runout (1st time on 180 gram vinyl), much better than the John Golden repress, this reissue sounds much more open with more details. Anyone who knows what KP stands for, please feel free to comment.

Re-review 2 years later: Listening to this album in several setup variations, I can say for sure the mastering sounds just right. Not a shower, but the details are still there. If anything, it's just as "muddy" as the digital version. Crackles is still sorta present in my copy, haven't wet-cleaned my copy yet to see if they vanish.

Given that there is only one LP release for this album, it's obvious that there are multiple pressings floating around. I've noticed that sufficient work has gone into clarifying the differences between pressings for F#A# Infinity, but I have not seen the same work done for LYSFLATH. I've gone through countless internet searches and have yet to turn up anything. Does anyone have a lead?

Just listening to this on my ATLP120/AT95E/Pro-ject MaiA/Sony MDR 7506-combo, and holy dang this record sounds great!

For those curious about the vinyl vs. CD differences, this forum post gives a pretty good rundown: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.256835-Small-Waves-reviews-Godspeed-You-Black-Emperor-F-A-infinity-Vinyl-vs-CD

You gotta keep your CDs somewhere else, this sleeve can make some nasty scratches.

I think all the differences in peoples copies are due to this being repressed multiple times. I have a copy I bought new in 2000 (probably a first press) and it still sounds amazing after several plays and 16 years. Always has been better and warmer than the cd. Likely with each repress the quality is going down. I only say that because this lp is still and always has been avalible. Constilation will not let top sellers go out of print. Probably a ton of different newer/older pressings floating around.

Yes, this album has been constantly repressed, but knowing RTI, it's very unlikely for the subsequent represses to drop in quality. They use the same metalplates (not the same stampers, of course), so every copy should sound the same. Of course, not every pressing plant is perfect, so there may have been some bad batches... my copy sounds great by the way, I bought it not too long ago.

My record sounds amazing. There is a few pops here and there but overall it sounds great!

My copy is fantastic, and with the great price buying directly from Constellation... its an incredibly valuable buy. Well worth it.

Just checked the Constellation pricing based on your comment - holy cow those are great prices! Lucky for me in travelling to Montreal in a couple weeks, I wonder if I can stock up whilst im there...

My copy has nearly zero surface noise, but all four sides are slightly off-centered. Doesn't really affect the sound but gets on my nerves regardless.

I'm not sure why people are complaining about the sound, mines sounds better than the mp3 without a doubt, very little surface noise and certainly not muddy.

For sound quality you're better off with the digital release. Very narrow, muddy and lacking drive. Get it cheap directly from Constellation, better yet get the CD.

My copy has a ton of surface noise at the beginning of each side, it's worse on the A/B disc. Anyone else have this problem? I got mine at Amoeba and I'm 100% sure it was new. Also, my records came in the sleeves where the guy is being scolded for A/B and the guy is getting his hands cut off for C/D, but it seems like it should be the reverse. Is that normal?Also worth noting that my inner sleeves are different from the pictures. Both sides of the sleeves are the same height on mine, in the pics the side made up of photos is shorter.

I got it yesterday and I have the same complaints.

Mine doesn't sound like it should :( what should I look out for on the sleeves? Mine was a brand new copy when I got it.

The surface noise issue was a common issue with the pressing of these LPs. Quite a few people relayed common experiences to me. The new LP i purchased did not have a ton of noise, but definitely more than usual.

it says this version was released in 2000, but the barcode thats listed is for the 2010 release

From five I give this seven. From ten I give this 13. From this I became the universe.

It is what it is.

Man , I've never noticed anything special about covers with hands on them , after reading your post , I will certainly gape at anyone that comes in view ... "I don't really have the patience for these tracks sometimes..." you said ... would you believe if I told you that I had got the record right after its release date , on the advice of a best friend and fervid music lover , I stored it carefully and it has remained in tact since then ??? It was 3 weeks ago that I came across a vinyl flac copy of the album , I downloaded it and today I'm being immensly hooked ... I'm giving 5/5 "for the way it heightens my emotions" too !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For a band that has voiced their appreciation for vinyl, going so far as to include special packaging on certain releases (see F#A# Infinity), GYBE and Constellation did a pretty poor job mastering this one. The mix here is considerably muddier than the CD version, and it could use a kick in the low end, in other words more bass. It's a shame because this album seems designed for vinyl release - the CD version is basically two tracks a disc, where the vinyl is one track a side. The most I can say for the vinyl is that it's a nicely designed physical product - and the timeline in the packaging is helpful for discerning where movements end and begin. It's a great album, rock and musique concrete combined and organized in a classical manner, but buy the CD version for better sound.

Man , you're right by saying that ... , BUT , I found a 16-44.1 vinyl flac collection of their discography , done with a VPI Classic 1/Lyra Delos/vintage Pioneer tube phono stage and the sound is light years ahead ... thus , I'm rather sure to confirm that there is a broad variation in the sound quality of those pressings , since I own a copy and the sound through my analog rig directly is way inferior , and I strongly suggest to anyone interested better find those particular vinyl flacs , won't regret a bit ;-)

I personally wouldn't use vinyl rips to judge a pressing by its sound as a whole, you really gotta buy the thing and listen on your own set up to be the judge of that.

Guys , there is a vinyl flac copy around , download it and compare it to a cd-flac copy ... I'm listening to the vinyl flac through hi-end headphones and it sounds fine , rather muddy and slightly luckin' in bass weight , but still I'm happy enough to enjoy the masterpiece ;-)))

Shame, I was hoping to get this on vinyl.Say the CD is a 10 in terms of sound, what would the vinyl be in comparison to that?