Herbie Hancock – Sextant

This pressing features the worst cover art reproduction that I've ever seen; shocking resolution and no attention to detail; it's amazing that it's an officially licensed release and not a bootleg.

Actual pressing seems pretty decent, although haven't heard an original etc.

Musically I find it very curious that this has such a broad consensus of acclaim. I'm into a lot of music that is considered more outsider/experimental than this which is much less weird. It's very weird music! Treading similar waters to Miles' most outre 70s fusion stuff. I think it's great, but I don't get why so many other people agree and it isn't instead regarded as a much more esoteric, overlooked, "for hardcore fans only" type of release.

Anyway I still haven't worked out what I'm rating with the stars on here; is it the audio quality (i.e. mastering, reproduction), the quality control (absence of warps, non-fill, surface noise), the look and feel of the object, the music itself? Etc

Presumably all of the above, but I don't think that's necessarily what everyone else is doing on here. (Any guidance would be appreciated.)

This is a great sounding record. I can almost bet that original pressing of this sounds better (wider soundstage, more presence and depth) - I have a deep jazz funk collection from the 70s and they all sound a bit livelier. However, that doesn’t make this a bad reissue at all.

Ryan Smith’s Acoustic Sounds series AAA cuts superior sounding but he still did a great job.

This is a great reissue plus the packaging and the color on the vinyl is top notch. This will be a great placeholder till I get a vintage pressing.

Favorite thing I picked up during the VMP 35% off sale. Awesome high quality packaging, love the spot foil on the cover. Feels like a wonderful companion piece to my mofi Bitches Brew and Analogue Productions Head Hunters.

I hadn't played mine in a while but thought about "upgrading" to the recent VMP. No need this one hits all the marks for me and sounds pretty damn good.

Dead silent, has depth and clarity. Would def recommend this

Thank you all for the great reviews. Perfect vinyl, jacket and of course music. Truly recommended !

Good pressing, mine is slightly warped but plays well and sounds nice.

I can't believe this album was recorded 50 years ago. Even today it sounds like it is 50 years further on into the stratospheric future. It begs the questions 1) What drugs were these guys taking? ...and 2) Where can I get some? This is some truly far-out interstellar stuff. Makes the cantina band in Star Wars sound like Lawrence Welk. Excellent mastering seems to sound a little more analogue... a little warmer than my MOV copy. Great presentation in a tip-on jacket. It's not a glossy cover but the lettering on the front is in silver foil. HOWEVER, it needs to be said that my MOV cover art is sharper and more vibrant in colour than the VMP version which, again, has a softer focus and the colouring isn't as bright. Can you say "Low rez"? You get a nice photo of the guys in concert as a separate print and there is a cool booklet with some info on Herbie and the band. Classy package, and the music is... hypnotic. The jacket could have been better though.

How does this compare to a first US pressing of the record?

Quiet and flat vinyl. Soundstage is sometimes very wide, with sounds coming at you from the far left or far right, but it's mostly a medium soundstage that stays within the bounds of the speakers. There is good separation of instruments, but there is sometimes a muddled sound because the music is so busy. There is a lot going on, and some of it is difficult to hear. The bass is easily audible, but it's not a vivid bass sound; perhaps I am trying to say that it lacks immediacy or that it is not a vibrant sound.

I like this record. It seems to be heavily influenced by the Miles Davis electric albums that are now becoming familiar to me from the VMP Miles Davis box. The extraordinary thing about the Miles Davis records is the way the recorded sound blooms and seems to expand way beyond the speakers to fill the entire listening room. This record lacks that magic, but it's a good record.