On listening to the Dinosaur Jr. album Farm, I became convinced that the CD was merely the latest casualty in the loudness war, and had been excessively limited on purpose. Instead, the band's label PIAS has claimed that there was a mistake at the duplication plant in Europe, and has offered a free replacement CD to anyone who sends back the original disc. If only the duplication plant had used Jamin (covered in chapter 10 of Crafting Digital Media) to check the master, a lot of trouble could have been avoided. I now have the second pressing of the disc, which is 3dB quieter but sounds a lot, lot better.

Still, PIAS should be commended for offering a refund once the mistake was discovered. This is in stark contrast to Metallica's refusal to remaster their album Death Magnetic, despite a petition from over 21,000 fans of the band.