Bobbie Gentry – Ode To Billie Joe

This is a fantastic sounding edition. Dynamic, clear and separated. If you find one of these buy it; they are cheap and you will not be disappointed.

Great record. A bit of a musical journey with a folky root. Great vibe.

The review by Zacavis says it all. I will add that it is typical of VMP to use blurry low-res artwork on their album covers. Most of their releases look like that. You haven't lived until you go on their Discord and read all the excuses and reasons why they can't possibly have crisp, clear artwork like Impex or Blue Note. Pathetic. With that rant out of they way, this sounds gorgeous. Very quiet vinyl, right up until you approach the run-out, when, in typical GZ fashion, it gets noisy.

VMP has done a few truly extraordinary country releases in the past year: Dolly Parton "Little Sparrow", Willie Nelson "Across the Borderline", Waylon Jennings "Honkytonk Heroes". This release joins that august company. A beautiful record!

Got my VMP copy a few days ago. Everything that Zacavis said. Dead silent and excellent. A great disc and package from VMP.

First off - I’m comparing the VMP press to my other copy, a NM original stereo copy. Since the new one is a mono mix it isn’t a direct comparison.

Long story short, the VMP release beats out the original in my opinion (sonically) - more separation between instruments/vocals and no dramatic left-right stereo panning. A track like “Chickasaw County Child” sound much more balanced on the mono VMP release, as opposed to the original stereo where Bobbie’s vocals are slammed into the left channel to make the outro more dramatic when the whispered vocals come in on the right channel. The vocals are also a bit more out front on the VMP copy, apparent on a track like “Mississippi Delta” when the electric guitars come in really loud. On my original Bobbie’s vocals get sort of of swallowed up but on the VMP copy they hold their own in the mix. Not picking up any IGD on “Ode To Billie Joe” either, whereas on the original there is quite a bit on my copy.

I also find the VMP release to be more detailed, especially in the more subtle instrumentation like the vibraphones on “Hurry, Tuesday Child”. These finer details aren’t getting lost in the mix. The multitracked vocals are also something I never paid much attention to on my original copy, but they really pop on the VMP version. Slightly more bass as well, which I’ve found to be the case for most releases on the VMP Country track. Not sure how much of this improvement is chalked up to mono vs. stereo, but the VMP mono is the clear winner to my ears.

The LP showed up un-warped and is pretty much dead silent after a cleaning.

Aesthetically the release is a mixed bag. Thick, glossy jacket with vibrant colors, but the album art seems a bit fuzzy. The image of Gentry isn’t exactly crisp on the original either, but it seems a bit blurrier (more blurry?) on the VMP copy. The listening notes booklet is nice, and the LP itself is a stunning bright orange.

I like Bobbie! I like this album. The unique voice of Bobbie comes out great in this pressing. Great buy

Got this at Goodwill for $4 in 2023 and it’s stunning how good it sounds. Dead quiet, really fun to hear the nuances of her voice and how she uses it differently to fit the song.

How is this one compared to the Pure Pleasure Reissue???

She was HUGE...A true crossover artist who appealed to both country and MOR groups...Bobbie made the big time with the Ode tune and see penned others to sell a whole heap of wax for the Capitol folks...then puff, she was gone...Her last appearance was in '82 and she put up her guitar right then and there and never returned...Now 80 and supposedly living in the deep South, Gentry had one boy and went on doing a NO show biz path...This smash selling LP was arranged by Jimmie Haskell and it is loaded with great music...and we still have her music and THAT is a very, very good thing...

Excellent pressing, although I don't have any other to compare it to.
From the German importer's notes on this:
"The remastering for Pure Pleasure was done by Sean Magee at Abbey Road Studios."

I added a note about this on this entry page but not everybody reads the notes so... :)