Yello – Pocket Universe

Is somebody know, what is mean: Limited Edition?? Because of these "Limited Editions" still available in stocks of many sellers...

I just got into Yello less than 2 years ago right before Point was announced, so it has been a whirlwind since then. I just picked up this new vinyl pressing after Yell40 ed on the album tracks and said they did not connect with this album. But I suspected that would mean that it might be great, and it is... it is one of the best 90s techno albums I have heard, maybe the best... but I am just 2 days with it now. The vinyl pressing is excellent in every respect to my ears and eyes. I love it.

Perfectly remastered or whatsoever…it sounds great., here is also the secret behind yello. It sounds great on vinyl!

Yello - “Pocket Universe” (Mercury/Polydor 1997)

One of my few holy grails finally arrived today! Being a huge Yello fan, it was impossible to find any vinyl copies of this album when it was released and originals in decent shape go for around $600. Well it remained elusive to me until now. This year the duo finally reissued many of their later 90’s/early 00’s albums that had never seen a vinyl release at all. These reissues sound just killer! The pressing is pristine and punchy and should give any system a real workout. Very atmospheric with tribal drumming throughout this aural journey. Double vinyl with artwork inner sleeves in a gatefold jacket. I feel like “Solar Driftwood” indeed!

Pocket Universe will always be my favorite Yello album, because it's when I discovered them as a 16 year old kid dropping acid and watching MTV Amp and seeing the video for On Track come on every coupe of weeks :P After becoming a lifelong fan, PU was to me the most creative and inventive Yello record since their earliest days in 1980-1982, and that's saying something. Boris really went to town with the sounds of the era (trance, breaks, techno) and every single track is class, often better than 99% of the "true" tech/trance producers of the era. The flow is SO good throughout, as is always the case with Yello.

In of the vinyl itself, like any recent reissue of albums like these, yes it sounds better than the original (primarily because the wax is brand new and hasn't been destroyed by needles, handling, and aging for 25+ years). That said, I am not super impressed by the bass presence - it doesn't sound like any source remastering was done here, so when those bass drums kick in (i.e. On Track, Magnetic), the impact is far from visceral. Granted, this is what the original master sounded like too (both CD and vinyl), so it is accurate to the sound of that time period, for sure. I was just hoping for something with a bit more thump and drive than what we got. Otherwise, I found the vinyl to be nice and clean, relatively noiseless, decent dynamics (for an all-electronic album with very few live instruments as with most of their other releases), and pretty fun to listen to. While the engineers did a good job plating this onto vinyl, I feel like more could have been done i.e. a digital or analog remaster to bring out some of those low end frequencies more.

My first copy had a huge scratch all over record 1 side B. Returned. Ordered a second copy (from a different retailer), again the same scratch going through the same whole side. Now waiting for my third copy but not having much hope. Seems like a trend.

As someone who has the original vinyl issue of "Pocket Universe" and has listened to it since 1996, I can report that this reissue sounds pretty excellent. I'm surprised at its quality, actually, as Universal certainly does not have a good track record of quality when it comes to reissuing its massive catalogue. The bass tones are meaty, the highs are clear, and the records are clean and flat without annoying streak marks from cheap inner sleeves. Very very pleased with its sound quality, and honestly, it sounds every bit as good as the original press.

The packaging is very nice, too, and different than the original issue. This reissue is presented in a gatefold sleeve unlike the original press, and the inner sleeves are of solid full color stock quality. The inner sleeves on the original press are cool in their own way, which are full color inners with holes cut in the center to display the labels. I wouldn't say either is worse or better than the other, they're just different. If you're a lifelong Yello fan like myself, this is an essential purchase. If you've never had the original vinyl press, you should pick this reissue up without hesitation knowing that you're getting a very worthy replacement in sound quality and design.