Crate Diggers (What are you listening to now vinyl edition)

Discussion in 'Music and Recordings (vinyl , 8-track, etc.)' started by OJneg, Sep 25, 2015.

  1. Vansen

    Vansen Gear Master (retiring)

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    I Robot from The Alan Parsons Project is one of my all time favorite albums. I own the recent MoFi 45 RPM of the album. However, I stumbled upon an old Japan pressing of the record at my local record store. I wasn't looking for another copy of the album, but the pressing looked immaculate and the vinyl was beautiful. I snagged it on the basis that a 33 would be nice and would get fair use...

    I got home, cleaned the record, and spun it up. This Japanese pressing of I Robot blows away the MoFi copy to the point that I don't want to listen to the MoFi copy anymore. It's the best I've heard the album. The MoFi copy has a very apparent tape hiss to it, of which I've noticed on other recent MoFi records. My MoFi copy of Priscilla Ahn is practically unlistenable to because of this tape hiss. Going forward, I'll be skeptical of any MFSL record after these last two of mine. Kind of Blue lulled me into a false sense of security and I've been bitten because of it.

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  2. drfindley

    drfindley Secretly lives in the Analog Room - Friend

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    MoFi stuff is real hit or miss. One thing the sometimes struggle with is capturing the emotion of the artwork. And while Kind of Blue is probably some of their best work, I love the 1970s remaster even more. I have yet to compare it against my 6-eye mono :)

    Don't buy the MFSL Abby Road, you'll regret it later.
     
  3. insidious meme

    insidious meme Ambivalent Kumquat

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  4. JayC

    JayC Resident Crash Test Dummy

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    I got mine a couple weeks ago too! Unfortunately one of my disks have an issue - side B has what looks like a manufacturing defect towards the end and in the runoff area (check picture)
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    There's a ton of distortion in the last minute or so and I was worried about the needle in that area so I dont play it.. Waiting for a replacement from burning shed, hopefully all will be well again soon!
     
  5. pedalhead

    pedalhead Friend

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    Bummer. I haven't played mine yet, better check it out & see if it's a widespread issue.
     
  6. insidious meme

    insidious meme Ambivalent Kumquat

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    I only played the first platter (your pic is side b of that one) and just looked at the second platter. Neither have the issue on your picture. Hope you get that replacement.
     
  7. JayC

    JayC Resident Crash Test Dummy

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    well, i just did. and guess what?
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    It turns up damaged, and the culprit is the rigid piece of cardboard/packing they put in with the single replacement record. There was some free space for the record to slide out from the sleeve and rub against this board
    *sigh*
     
  8. Pyruvate

    Pyruvate Friend

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    A lot of good buys as of late. Always great to concentrate on music while taking a break from upgrading.

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  9. pedalhead

    pedalhead Friend

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    A few recent pickups. Pretty excited about a couple of these...the Massive Attack "Ritual Spirit" is excellent, hopefully a sign of an album to come. The Kamasi Washington album was my favourite of 2015, looking forward to hearing it on vinyl.

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  10. pedalhead

    pedalhead Friend

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    Passing through a market today I spied this & thought why not. Sleeve is a bit tatty but it's an original pressing & the LP is in great condition. I figured it was a nice guilty pleasure for £4. However, I'm pretty sure the seller hadn't had a proper look at it because inside was stashed a pretty rare 1982 Duran Duran tour brochure, signed by Andy and Roger Taylor. Score! :)


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  11. pedalhead

    pedalhead Friend

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    lol @sfoclt not a fan of Duran Duran eh :)
     
  12. bxh

    bxh Friend

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    Inadvertently went with a kind of weird theme this weekend, can you guess?

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  13. insidious meme

    insidious meme Ambivalent Kumquat

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  14. Vansen

    Vansen Gear Master (retiring)

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    This might not be the best place to voice these thoughts, but right now I'm listening to Pink Floyd's Meddle off their new Pink Floyd Records label....

    I grew up listening to Pink Floyd with my father, mostly on a pair of Pioneer CS-99A speakers fed by a Marantz 4270 with a BSR 810 turntable. My father bought this in 1976 and it's still his setup today. He's done several repairs along the way, with a cap and transistor here and there. This guided me to the audio world that I'm in today.

    From this, I started down my own vinyl path. When I started, my parents were 3000 miles away: Cali to New York. They have about three original (and mostly neglected) pressings of Dark Side of the Moon, along with plenty of other vinyl. So, I started from scratch and Pink Floyd hit the top of the list to fill out...

    In today's world, purchasing the new stuff from Pink Floyd's 'Pink Floyd Records' is the most financially feasible route to take. I bought Meddle from this label and was impressed. I still am as I'm listening to it right now. I followed that up with A Momentary Lapse of Reason from the same label. Again, this was a pretty decent release. Following that, I picked up The Wall. This let me down. There's a bit of distortion and it doesn't sound nearly as good as any of my digital copies. I then picked up Dark Side of the Moon, which is the worst of the bunch. This pressing sounds overly compressed. I snagged a copy of Wish You Were Here at the same time and am pleased with it, but I do feel as if it has potential to be better. At this point, I'm skeptical of grabbing Animals or the Division Bell from this label.

    This new label seems to be hit or miss, but Meddle is solid, and A Momentary Lapse of Reason is worth acquiring, too.

    Edit: A friend of mine had bought a couple of these records recently, too. His impressions are in line with mine. Main takeaway: stay away from that Dark Side of the Moon. We both feel robbed!
     
    Last edited: May 11, 2017
  15. pedalhead

    pedalhead Friend

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    This thread's gone a bit quiet so lets perk it up with some recent happy consumerism....

    I visited HMV Oxford Street on Saturday & picked up a few of their exclusives... Suede/Suede (my main reason for being there), Porcupine Tree/Up The Downstair, and Iggy Pop/Lust For Life. I've seen a few vocal people online accusing HMV of cashing in with their own mini version of RSD, but honestly bollocks to them because:
    a) vinyl in big retailers is imho a good thing for the format
    b) the prices were in line with normal releases <£20. Can't always say the same thing about RSD
    c) HMV actually had some bloody good titles that people want (Suede being a perfect example)
    d) If people want to whine about big retailers selling vinyl, go talk to Amazon, not HMV who have a dwindling bricks & mortar presence

    Anyway, I was also one of the many people who joined VinylMePlease for the Fiona Apple/Tidal release. Glad I did too. International shipping is quite pricey though so I may cancel after my 3rd & final contracted month. I switched my second month's record to one from their back catalogue (Fugees). It arrived in pretty crappy condition so I sent them pics and they've sent out a new one, no further questions asked. Top service.

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    This made me laugh/rage...this is what passes for safe vinyl shipping from Amazon. Needless to say, it has some dinks...

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    Finally, check out what HMV gave the first few people in line for their vinyl week. Nice! Also, were already priced quite high on discogs...

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    Last edited: Jun 19, 2017
  16. Chris F

    Chris F Boyz 4 Now Fanatic - Friend

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    Arrived today... I think I'm gonna crack this one open unlike the Santana which is still unopened.

    Update: Opened it up, gave it a wash on the VPI (will ultrasonic it later) and so far it's living up to expectations.... sonics are seriously spectacular. On par or even better than some of the best D2D records I own like 'For Duke'. Great late night or afternoon chill album.

    Pressing is almost perfect.. mine has a few almost inaudible clicks in the first minute or two of first track in the right channel; I see some almost invisible marks on the record which is probably causing it. Normally I wouldn't even mention this as it's well within tolerances for any normal new record however I mention it because this is supposed to be the pinnacle of modern vinyl pressing so I am evaluating it with the almost unrealistic expectation that it's perfectly quiet at all times. The rest of the sides were sonically flawless and perfectly flat.

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    Last edited: Jun 19, 2017
  17. pedalhead

    pedalhead Friend

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    I'm so jealous of that Bill Evans Ultradisc, enjoy! I probably spent about half as much on my latest discogs jazz haul :) . I'm particularly excited about getting the MOFI pressing of A Tribute to Jack Johnson as it reportedly sounds incredible. Also got a near mint original pressing of Love, Devotion, Surrender for peanuts. I guess it's not in demand much...surprising considering it's a superb album. Also, a clean 1979 repress of Benny Carter's Jazz Giant. Love this album. Worth a look if you like to swing (oo-err)...

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  18. pedalhead

    pedalhead Friend

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    I wish this thread was busier, I really enjoy seeing what LPs people are playing. Oh well, here's a great find from my visit to Cosmos Records in London yesterday. Early '70s jazzy funk "A-nal-y-sis" by The Nite-lites...

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    The back cover is a bit of a laugh....

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    Last edited: Aug 3, 2017
  19. Daveheart

    Daveheart Friend

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    I'll help you out and try to be more active here. There's a used records and book store on my way home now. I decided to step out and try some country music. This Sturgill Simpson record is a bit of a departure from the current formula of beer and pickup trucks that apparently has been playing recent country music. Not a bad album even if the genre isn't really my bag.
    [​IMG]
     
  20. pedalhead

    pedalhead Friend

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    Nice, bit deadly having a shop on the way home :). I'm also totally not usually into country, but his "A Sailor's Guide to Earth" was one I could enjoy.
     

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