COMPARISON CORNER #13:
by Skødjö
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DAWN OF THE DEAD/ZOMBI
Music Composed by Goblin
A comparison between four vinyl releases of the score -
VARESE SARABANDE,
DAGORED,
AMS and
WAXWORK RECORDS, with an A/B of the two opening tracks on Side A and some scattered notes on the different artwork/presentation/track listings.
1. Varese Sarabande (1979, VC 81106)
33rpm
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This is the first pressing by Varese - there are a couple of different vinyl pressings by the label, with different logo colour on back sleeve (mine is the red print) and label colouring. Some comments on Discogs suggest that the different pressings also have slightly different mix, but I have no way to confirm or comment on this. Might be baloney.
First thing to note is that the performances here are almost certainly those heard in the movie - I compared the opening two tracks to their appearance in the film and they sound the same. This release has
incredible mastering! My god, I gave this the business on headphones, cranking the dial waaay past my usual 9 o'clock position all the way to about 11 o'clock, to really feel the power of those two opening cues. They sound immense, with no break up or unpleasantness at the higher volume, the killer bass line of the title track (actually Track 2 on the VS release, but Track 1 on all the other releases...) is thunderous, and the shrill, piercing keys stabs really contrast beautifully in the mix.
My copy arrived today, and is now 42 years old - it's in excellent shape with just a few scuffs, and the pressing overall sounds quite astonishing - just as we've come to expect from Varese releases from this era. As well as all the feels that this version gives me instantly, poring over the Scott Holton sleeve notes (just as I did in my teens) and the grimy black and white stills, it's hard to believe that any of the other releases of this score on wax will come close in terms of mastering and pressing.
2. Dagored (2000, Red 117-1)
33rpm
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This was my first Italian pressing of the score, billed here both as DoTD and Zombi variously on the sleeve and labels, and officially licensed from Cinevox. This pressing has the titles in Italian, and has three points of difference with the VS tracklisting: the opening two tracks on Side A, 'L'Alba Dei Morti Viventi/Dawn of the Dead' and 'Zombi/Zombie' are switched around, the tracks 'Torte in Faccia/Pie in the Face' and 'Al Margini Della Follia/Edge of Madness' are listed as one track on the Varese and as individual tracks on the Dagored (although in reality, they play with a gap between on the VS so they are effectively separate tracks there too), and the Dagored adds a final short additional track 'Zombi (sexy)' at the end of the album which is a little loungey/sax piece.
Otherwise the tracks presented on this version sound similar to the VS release, albeit with noticeably less punchy mastering and slightly lower volume level. It's a little bit noisy but this could be my copy, overall though this is an excellent pressing of the score.
The album comes in a glossy gatefold sleeve with the trademark 'textless' Dagored front style - with a nice choice of still image. There is a pretty cool 'blood hit in motion' image on the reverse, and the centre gatefold has a neat 'grasping zombies at the glass' spread, and a little ad which informs us that there is also a Cinevox '20th Anniversary Special Edition' expanded CD - more on this when we get to the Waxworks release.
3. AMS (2014, AMSLP31)
33rpm
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Love the sleeve on this AMS reissue of the Cinevox original pressing, with the Italian film poster variation on the front and a groovy live shot of The Goblins in action on the reverse. This repress has the same tracklist as the original 1978 Cinevox pressing, which is the same as the Dagored with the omission of the bonus 'Zombi (sexy)' track that was tacked onto that release.
Sound wise, this is the most different sounding of the four versions I have, from a mastering point of view - it's really quiet! Putting it directly up against the Varese, it's almost half as loud as the ferocious mastering on that edition, which is pretty weird. It actually sounds just fine once it is cranked a bit, but you best know that with increased output comes increased surface noise. So strange that they would tone it down so radically for this pressing. In any event, musically it sounds very similar to the Dagored mix but perhaps they went back to tape masters for this one, and erred on the cautious side with the mastering for vinyl? Hard to say. I enjoy having this edition in my collection mainly for the Italian sleeve, but so far it's the least impressive pressing as a listen - though by no means bad.
4. Waxwork Records (2018, WW 051)
Blue/Green Swirl -Zombie Flesh Variant, 33rpm
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The first expanded vinyl release of this score by Waxwork is a presentation of the Cinevox '20th Anniversary Special Edition' CD from 1998. So the first two-and-a-half sides present the original Italian set, including the switched track one and two order that's different from the Varese release, and then including the bonus and alternate takes over the rest of the four sides. Truthfully, there's no reason not to believe that when they say 'Re-Mastered for Vinyl' they mean from the CD master source, rather than from original analog tapes - otherwise, they would have mentioned it right?
Sound wise, this release stacks up against the Dagored release in terms of overall sound and volume level. But when compared to the Varese, it is still a little bit quieter and less aggressive for the most part. The one area where it has been adjusted is the kick drum and bass on the opening track 'L'Alba Dei Morti Viventi' - it has been given a pretty heavy low boost which makes the track mix in general sound a bit more modern, with less of the boxy low kick of the original mix as presented on the previous releases. Not sure how I feel about it if I'm honest - don't hate it, but it's also maybe a little crude when you put the track up directly against the Varese, which sounds more natural and balanced, and more similar to the film version.
As with many WW releases (and to be fair, other contemporary horror reissue labels etc), the artwork treatment here might work for you, or it might just leave you flat. It goes heavy on the minimalist cartoony illustration style favoured quite a bit these days, and while personally I'm okay with the front art, I find the rear sleeve and inner gatefold illustrations to be fast and cheap looking - like art from a fairly meh modern comic book tie in.
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Wrapping up then - all told, the Varese pressing
buries all the others in a shallow grave, with little respect or even saying a few kind words over the grave - it's truly fantastic, brash, in your face and hot, without going too far. This music deserves to be treated in the manner that it's offered, with Goblin (under Argento's urging) turning their Italian amps all the way up for maximum dynamism and power. My only small query with the Varese set is the decision to switch the order of the first two tracks - although Zombie is itself a terrific track, Dawn of the Dead (as presented on the Italian and WW editions) stands as one of the greatest opening tracks in all of horror soundtracks.
I don't know about the original Cinevox pressing, but I would quite like to hear it, to see if it's as polite as the AMS repress! The Waxwork presentation sounds just fine, with the caveat about that bass boost, and the fact that it is quite likely re-mastered from a digital master.
For me, I'd be happy to have the Varese original, along with a rip of the Cinevox 20th Anniversary CD for those times when I want to break out the alternate takes etc, but I also don't hate having that set on the Waxworks 2xLP release on my shelf. I just can't say it's the copy I'm going to be reaching for when I want all my DotD feels going forward.