180g … It’s All Hype !


I seem to have had an issue with just about every 180g record I’ve purchased… Either warped, surface scuffs or just plan ole doesn’t sound as good as the original.

I’ve noticed on re-masters / re-mixes many times it’s just somebody else’s idea of how the music should sound, adding in a few leads or something and certainly not what I expect or want. 

I actually have one I swear they just took the CD as the master and pressed it on to vinyl… Seriously I’ll stick to a decent cartridge, my ultrasonic record cleaner and the bargain bins for my vinyl purchases and listening. I’ve been able to build quite a substantial collection, granted the outer covers may show some wear, but being I’ve been in this for sometime I know by looking at a used record weather it will clean up or not and after cleaning I always replace the inner sleeves with static free high quality sleeves. As for the outer covers… I buy records to listen to so as long as the cover is in tact I’m ok with that. 

I’d rather see ‘em re-release stuff if they do on un doctored up original weight vinyl with the same quality control they had back in the day… 

Heck, stuff in the dollar bins, after having been played over and over through many a folks’ adolescence then stored for years in basements and attics, then sold at garage sales, flea markets or ending up in bargain bins seem to have made the journey just fine… 

I’m tried of the hype and seriously, 180g is nothing but marketing BS to part you with your money.

Need proof of how good older records from the back in the day can sound?….. Check out any of these….

WAR - The World Is A Ghetto

King Curtis & Champion Dupree - Blues At Montreux

John Mayall - Blues Jazz Fusion

Led Zeppelin- Led Zep II

Any LP from James Cotton 

Any LP from The Alan Parsons Project

Any LP from Steely Dan

Any LP The Yellowjackets 

Most LP’s from Savoy Brown

Most LP’s on The Blue Note Label

just to name a few…

I’ve got of tons of ‘em and if you have any Artists or specific Titles you’d like to suggest feel free to respond

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Excellent post @big_greg!

I too have no use for or interest in colored vinyl LP's. Seems like something made for girls, or little kids The first ones I had were in the mid-50's---translucent red kiddie records, 10" iirc, or maybe the more common 7" (my memory has been affected by all the LSD I smoked ;-). Vinyl Me Please does a lot of their issues in color, for no good reason I am aware of. At least they have most of their LP's now made at QRP. Black may not be a color, but black is beautiful, baby!

@bdp24  I actually like some of the colored vinyl. It often doesn't sound as good as black, but it is kind of cool and fun to watch on the turntable. Some of the more limited versions like some of the RSD releases can go up in value pretty quickly too. Not for any good reason but I don't mind seeing something I purchased go up in value instead of down, LOL

I'll second or third the posts praising the quality of records coming from Analog Productions and other labels that are pressed at QRP as I have not been disappointed at all. I am in a number of cases partial to the SQ on some of my original pressings from the 60's and 70's but I have also many times found recent reissues or remasters to be equally enjoying. 

I recently replaced my original Byrds Columbia Mono copies of Tamborine Man and 5th Dimension that sounded great but had seen better days. I found near mint Sundazed  2013 reissues on Discogs at a reasonable price and am happy so say they sounded great and as it turns out they were pressed at QRP. 

I've also had good luck with Friday Music and Columbia Legacy.

@big_greg: The first Rock 'n' Roll colored vinyl album I saw and bought (in 1970!) was Dave Mason's great debut album, Alone Together (recorded by the legendary Al Schmitt.). Accompanying Dave are the all-star cast of Leon Russell, Chris Ethridge of The Flying Burrito Brothers,, Carl Radle of Derek & The Dominos, L.A. studio pianist Larry Knechtel, John Simon---here he is again!, Delaney & Bonnie, Rita Coolidge and Claudia Lennear, and the killer drummer-quartet of Jim Capaldi of Traffic, Johnny Barbata of The Turtles and soon-to-be Jefferson Starship, and Jims Gordon & Keltner. Wow! .

The Alone Together PVC is of the "marble swirl" variety (which looks like Silly Putty does after you have copied some comic strips ;-), which does look cool spinning. The sound quality is good, too. I have augmented a couple of albums I have on black vinyl with the one colored vinyl variant I love the look of, that being Coke bottle green: the new Los Lobos and Rodney Crowell albums. The B-side of the second disc in the Los Lobos album is blank, the space taken up with a cool-looking etching. Had to have it!

@tgilb: QRP presses LP's for some of the majors, too. They did The Band boxset that contains all their studio albums, for instance. Lots of companies got rid of their presses in the 90's, thinking LP's were gone and never coming back. Bet they now wish they hadn't!

Very cool story bdp24. I saw Dave Mason at a small local venue 3 or 4 years ago. He was very entertaining. I have a few etched records like you described.