Rick Saucedo - Heaven Was Blue (1978) [Original Private Pressing]

Rick Saucedo - Heaven Was Blue (1978)

Original Private Pressing: Reality Records RS-55-DGP

~ThePoodleBites Rip in 96 kHz / 24 bit FLAC + full hi-res scans~

"... almost like a psych head's fantasy invention rather than an actual vinyl object." ~Patrick Lundborg

I previously ripped the Guerssen reissue of this fantastic private trip, but after getting an original pressing I discovered that side 1 is completely different mix, and side 2 is much more dynamic on the original issue. So once again, the original pressing wins out in terms of sound quality. However, I still recommend grabbing the Guerssen for the bonus tracks, especially "Oh My God," which was originally intended for inclusion until cut from the final release by an unknown engineer without Saucedo's approval. 

Thanks to @PsychTrailMix for helping fund this purchase!

Unlike my rip of the Guerssen reissue, I've corrected for my system's frequency response here, making this as close you can get to spooling up the original master reel yourself. Maybe better, even, considering the number of tape dropouts I had to fix. Also unlike the Guerssen, there has been no dynamic range compression applied, nor has the entire album been passed through a de-click filter, as was so obviously done on the B-side title track for the Guerssen version. Also, side 1 is the original mix, available nowhere else. Although there is no indication of such on the original LP, side 2 has been split into tracks in accordance with the Guerssen liner notes for convenience of the listener.

Track listing:

01) “Reality” — 4:08
02) “In My Mind” — 4:29
03) “Country Shakin’ — History Makin'” — 2:47
04) “Ka Mon We’re Gonna Rock All Night Long” — 3:52
05) “Heaven Was Blue” — 18:31

• (i) “Heaven Was Blue” — 2:36
• (ii) “Graveyard” — 2:33
• (iii) “Set Us Free” — 3:37
• (iv) “Empty Pillow” — 2:26
• (v) “Angels March Into Hell” (instrumental) — 3:00
• (vi) “Some Call It Magic” — 1:36
• (vii) “Angles March Out Of Hell” (instrumental) — 0:45
• (viii) “Heaven Was Blue (Reprise)” — 1:58

Vinyl Condition: M-

Dynamic Range: DR 15

Lineage:

– Audio-Technica AT150MLx Dual Moving-Magnet Cartridge

– Audio-Technica AT-LP1240-USB Direct Drive Professional Turntable (internal stock preamp/ADC removed)

– TCC TC-754 RIAA Phono Preamp (new regulated power supply, added LM7812 regulator)

– Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 MkII (96kHz / 24bit)

– Adobe Audition CC 2019 (recording)

– iZotope RX 7 Audio Editor (manual declicking, EQ subtraction, additional adjustments)

– Audacity 2.3.0 (fades between tracks, split tracks)

– Foobar2000 v1.4.5 (tagging, dynamic range analysis)

MEGA: https://mega.nz/folder/FgBi0TLD#CGmNoKSBUFT7Z7Dj_ia7GQ
Enjoy, and please feel free to leave a comment below! :)