Abbey Road Half Speed Remasters. A slew of classic albums are reissued on 180g vinyl, with replica first-pressing packaging and stunning half-speed remastering, undertaken at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London. Bona fide rock classics such as The Rolling Stones’ Exile On Main St, Cream’s Disraeli Gears and Free’s Fire And Water are being re-pressed alongside The Police’s iconic Ghost In The Machine, John Martyn’s folk-rock masterpiece Solid Air, and Simple Minds’ evergreen New Gold Dream.

Arguably the finest vinyl pressings that these albums have ever received, the half-speed remastering, cut from the original master tapes, has resulted in “superior high frequency response (treble) and very solid and stable stereo images”, ensuring the best-quality sound available. Further care has been taken to create packaging that adheres to the same high standards, from giving each album its own individual obi strip, down to creating detailed artwork reproduction. Additionally, Exile On Main St comes with 12 original postcard inserts taken by Norman Seef, art director for the original 1972 pressing of the album, while The Police’s Ghost In The Machine features a replica of the original vinyl’s colour inner sleeve.

The Rolling Stones’ tenth studio album, ‘Exile On Main Street’, is widely regarded as one of their best records, and frequently ranks highly on ‘greatest albums’ lists. Recorded in the south of France and Los Angeles, the sessions were one of the more tumultuous periods in the band’s history, with drug abuse and rifts between band members reaching a peak. ‘Exile On Main Street’ is also considered to be Keith Richard’s finest moment, and the epitome of their raw ‘rootsy’ rock ‘n’ roll sound.