Better Records vs MoFi

Record prices, even without Better Records or MoFi, are inflated. To me, those enterprises are two different things.

I never doubted that sample to sample variations, even with the same dead wax inscriptions, could sound different.

I was a MoFi customer in the original era. Today, not so much simply b/c I have good pressings of all the warhorses (or at least those I care about).

I’ve done shoot-outs --sometimes, 12 different copies.

I did buy one record from Tom Port- Tons of Sobs, "Free"’s first album which is a favorite in the electric blues genre. His copy does sound better than two others I own with the same dead wax. (One is a pink label, 3rd pressing not the bulls-eye, and a pink rim label). His was a UK pink rim label, super hot white ultra stamper whatever, in mint- condition. I liked the record enough to buy it from him, but I don’t think that’s his usual fare.

The price of standard vinyl from the old days has gone up in price by multiples, and early pressings simply aren’t available easily in M- condition. Look up a relatively rare copy and see the condition rating.

I’m usually chasing small/private label stuff that isn’t on anybodies’ radar. That stuff is not reissued by MoFi and usually not Tom Port’s fare.

I just got an email for Horace Tapscott’s Live at the IUCC. I have an OG, an original, that didn’t cost crazy money 5 years ago. Side 3 is amazing.

hi Bill…. a voice of experience and reason….

I’ll let everyone in another secret, if one doesn’t know already. CDs don’t all sound alike, even though they could be from the same master digital copy. Especially from different pressing plants. I’ve been through sometimes six copies of a favorite CD and three or four will sound quite different, generally the dynamics and body of the sound. I use the same Furutech D-Stat III gun. Prior to that I used a Kilowat destat gun. I tried the Audiodesk audio lathe (trimmer) for a few months. Differences remain between stamped CDs. Tom Port pointed that out back then as well but he doesn’t care about CDs and we had a shoot out of some Capitol pop CD.

Most of my records were purchased used (maybe once played). Probably 8,000 were given to me free. Most were purchased between $1 and $5 from the 1960s. My $10 to $25 records are rarer stuff. My best friend only collected Jazz LPs from the 50’s to 70’s and his collection of 3,000 LPs has mostly $50 to $500 LPs. He stopped purchasing LPs for more than $35 a couple of years ago and purchases only CD reissues now. So do I.

Most of my LPs are worth under $2. About 1,000 are worth more than $50 each, up to $500 (mostly classical). My typical classical and opera LP is not worth much anymore (about 20,000 LPs worth). My pop and jazz LPs are worth more. My ethnic music LPs are worth $5 to $10 each generally with some titles exceedingly rare in mint condition-basically priceless to me (100 to 500 pressed per title in the 50s and 60s) with few collectors for them.

I just don’t purchase LPs for high amounts despite being capable of doing so. The music I listen to often is rare and unavailable and the reissued LPs often don’t sound as good on more common pressings. I find that MOST high value LPs may have the distinction of being a first stamper, early pressing, or other attribute but the variability is sufficiently great that the particular LP being sold may not be a "hot stamper" quality. At least at Better Records, he listens to them and informs on what he hears. It is a crapshoot to purchase used older LPs otherwise for high prices. Of course, they could also be just bad reissued LPs like the MOFI Respighi.

Most of the old LP’s I’m looking for these days have not been reissued by any audiophile company, and aren’t likely to be. And the ones I’m looking for can sometimes be found for peanuts, sometimes not.

I went into one of my used records stores last week, and was surprised to see a Mint copy (still in shrink wrap!) of Church Street Blues by Tony Rice (Art Dudley’s favorite guitarist, an opinion shared by many pro players) on the collectibles wall, priced at $75 (Tony’s records have gone up in value since his passing in 2020). And two more of his albums (also still in shrink) in the small (about a hundred LP’s) Bluegrass section for half that.

I have a Mint copy (played only once. It’s not very good ;-) UK 1st pressing of The Sex Pistols only "real" studio album (with the blank rear cover), which I recently learned has become worth some serious money (over $300). I had been considering selling it, but thought the store owner (we’re on a first name basis) might be interested in doing a trade (I am leery of dealing with buyers of rare collectible LP’s ;-). He looks up everything on Discogs, and if he knows you are aware of the value of any particular LP will tell you what he’s going to price it at, and how much he’ll give you for it in cash or trade (more in trade of course). If he knows you are not aware he will of course take advantage of your ignorance ;-) .

Sure enough, I guess he realized he’d resell The Pistols album far quicker than he would the three Tony Rice albums. I walked out of the shop the next day with the three Rice LP’s and a few more: a Clarence White & The Kentucky Colonels album (Clarence was Tony Rice’s favorite guitarist), the 2-LP live album by Ry Cooder, Best Of Hank Thompson Vol. 2 in mono, Cheap Trick’s s/t debut, and Feelin’ Groovy by Harper’s Bizarre.

Feelin’ Groovy was produced by Lenny Waronker, engineered by Lee Herschberg, with musical arrangements by Leon Russell and Randy Newman. Randy and Van Dyke Parks play piano on one song each. That’s a lotta talent on one album! Harper’s Bizarre were originally an instrumental Surf Band outta Santa Cruz (the Central California beach community named in "Surfin’ U.S.A.") named The Tikis, and were the very first band I saw and heard live when they opened for The Beach Boys at The San Jose Civic Auditorium in the Summer of ’64. They wore matching black suits, the pants of which were cut off at the knee! Harper’s Bizarre drummer John Petersen had earlier been in The Beau Brummels. Also a member of The Tikis/Harper’s Bizarre was Ted Templeman, later of course gaining renown as a record producer (Van Morrison,The Doobie Brothers, Van Halen).

At the other end of the scale, at my local Antiques Mall I just yesterday found a Mint mono 1st pressing (with the beautiful gold Warner Brothers center paper label) of the Harper’s Bizarre album for $12 (the stereo one above was only $4.99). And for $10 a Mint mono pressing of Just Like Us! by Paul Revere & The Raiders (Columbia "2-eye" label). The song "Just Like Me" contains one of my favorite guitar solos, double-tracked by Drake Levin. Other songs include great versions of "I’m Cryin’" (the equal imo of the version by The Animals), the instrumental "Night Train" (every USA Garage Band played that song in 1962-5), "Baby Please Don’t Go" (not as good as the version by Them---featuring Van Morrison of course, but that’s an awfully high bar to reach), and the other hit single on the album, "Steppin’ Out".

So many records, so little time (left ;-) .