Stone Temple Pilots – Tiny Music... Songs From The Vatican Gift Shop

#149 - Jumps out of the speakers... amazing soundstage... no compression. Very happy with the purchase. Highly recommend!

This release is absolutely incredible! A must own for any STP fans and especially those who favor this album out of their catalogue.

A++. Mofi, keep pursuing and releasing music from the 1990’s and 2000’s. There’s a market for it and limited good sounding (or affordable) OG’s. This is the way…

Like others have stated, this release sounds really good. The soundstage is vastly improved over streaming/CD, and is a decent improvement over the copy included in the deluxe box set. The record plays with minimal surface noise and no audible defects. The only complaint I have is that the opening slot of the gatefold is peeling up a little. Maybe the product of mishandling at the factory or at the warehouse? It’s not enough for me to request a new copy but it’s enough to bother me a little. Overall, it’s a great release

Best I've ever heard this album. The sound is open and less compressed, revealing nuances in the mix that I never picked up before. Absolutely fantastic audiophile treatment for one of my favorite albums ever. MoFi knocks it out of the park (again!)

Alright, time for a good old fashioned "I spent too much time analyzing and spent too much money on multiple copies of this album" review.

I have three copies of this album - the MOV, which I've had for a number of years at this point; the box set, which I snagged recently because I found it for a price I couldn't up; and now, this one, because this is my favorite STP album and I had FOMO.

Spoiler alert, I'm glad I gave into FOMO.

I started by measuring the volume levels. Started with the MOV and dialed it into a comfortable listening volume of about 65db. Then, switched over to the box set, and without changing anything on my system, it came in around 63db. Finally, the MoFi, which came in a bit over 66db. All pretty similar, with the MoFi being the hottest cut.

I then picked three songs to compare - Pop's Love Suicide, Lady Picture Show, and Seven Caged Tigers.

Starting with the MOV as the baseline - I still think that press has a nice sound to it. All the instruments are clearly audible, and there's no distortion or any issues with the pressing. But, there's definite compression in both the high and low ends, most noticeable in the drums / cymbals. In particular, a part I noticed - for the drum fill in the chorus of Lady Picture Show after "She doesn't know her name," the last hit doesn't sustain and slowly decay, it just kind of punches and quickly fades. The MOV press also doesn't have the best soundstage - it's not bad in isolation, but compared to the others, it feels like there's a thin barrier between the speakers and the listener. Two years ago, I wrote a review of the MOV press praising it, and I still think that it sounds great. But, now that I've compared it...

Jumping to the box set - Chris Bellman did a really nice job on this one. Immediately the drums sound fuller, there's more low end, and the soundstage widens up. It has a nicely balanced EQ, without being too bright or bloated. Honestly, I didn't have much to complain about with this press until...

Finally, the MoFi. Immediately was clear that this just has more of everything than the Bellman cut has. Wider soundstage, more clarity in the highs and lows, clearer vocals - just explosion of sound from the speakers. Initially, I thought this might have been a volume thing, since the MoFi is cut hotter than the Bellman cut - but after balancing that, the nod still goes to the MoFi. If I had to criticize one thing about the MoFi, there's a touch of sibilance at times, but you really have to be looking for it.

Comparing this to the AP presses of Core and Purple - this one is definitely a brighter cut. That's partially the nature of the album itself, but I do find that MoFi tends to cut their records on the bright side. But overall, it's on par with those. Also, if you ever compared the Chris Bellman cuts of Core/Purple to the AP presses, the difference here is similar - the Bellman cuts are great, but the AP/MoFi ones are just a little better in every area.

In the end, my conclusion - the MoFi is the definite keeper; I'll probably hang onto the box set as a collector's item; and the MOV is off to be traded into the record store and enjoyed by a fellow STP fan.

#359 here.. I pre-ordered this immediately upon learning it was being released. Glad I did.. Cut nice & hot, and it sounds marvelous! Arrived direct from Mofi in perfect shape, on dead quiet, clean, flat wax. So happy to have this!

I still wish AP would've been the one to do it from the analog tape, rather than Mofi with their DSD256 conversions, but oh well.. this sounds absolutely fantastic nonetheless! No regrets whatsoever. I'm even hearing some new details that I've never really noticed before, so that says a lot right there.. Color me impressed. 😁
I'll definitely be comparing this against my MoV copy soon.

Sounds like this may be the best reissue, but does it top the OG? That's the question... I don't have one, yet, but that's one to beat, or so I hear anyway. Looking forward to to other reviews. ;-)

This pressing holds its own—and maybe even edges out—the excellent A75 pressings of Core and Purple. It’s not a blowout, but there are real, noticeable upgrades. First, the soundstage. It’s wider. Deeper. More dimensional. You get the sense that Tiny Music was built more intentionally in the studio, and this pressing lets that intentionality shine. Where Core and Purple were raw and live-off-the-floor, Tiny Music plays like it was designed—and now you can hear that design in full. This is reference-level work, and it might even push some listeners to revisit this criminally underrated STP album with new ears. All that said — where’s our hype sticker!??! 🫠

As another stated, this is a fabulous done pressing. Sounds crisp and the production sounds much clearer than the steaming version. Which is impressive considering this is a 90’s album produced by Brendan O’Brien. Only thing of note with my copy is that side 2 is mislabeled as side 4. Thankfully it’s just a misprint and the record itself contains the right songs in the right order.

I don’t have sufficient words to describe how good this sounds. If it isn’t already your favorite album by STP, it will be after you spin this. Absolutely stellar.