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Best sounding VINYL labels?

The only time I've been stunned, speechless and just plain freaked out by reproduced music was listening to Louis Armstrong's "Saint James Infirmary" Classic Records 45speed release at a high-end shop.* This led me to assumed Classic Records was THE standard for audiophile re-releases. Now I've been reading that their offerings are hit and miss.

With the understanding that no label is going to be 100% successful, what labels are the best bet for truly outstanding re-issues?

And it would be helpful to know which labels are best to avoid?

*Just FYI, the shop was in Santa Monica and I went with some fellow goners (such as Dekay...great guy) and others. The setup wasn't in any especially interestingly arranged acoustic room. The amps were two Audio Research VT200s, an Audio Research Ref phonostage, an Oracle MK5 with a Graham (2.2 I think but I don't know the cart) and since it was when I was just getting into all this that's about all I can remember (it was 7 years ago!) Dekay, you there? What were the speakers?? Since then I've heard systems costing several hundred thousand dollars (many just sounded like crap, frankly) but I've never heard anything close to that Satchmo session. The man was in the room. It's what we all dream about. (OK, I usually dream about Ashley Judd being in the room with me but that's a post for another time and another site.)
kublakhan
rushton's avatar
rushton
2,445 posts
 
Classic Records has a pretty good track record with their jazz reissues. Their 33 rpm classical reissues of the RCA and Mercury classical LPs were very inconsistent (from downright horrible to okay), but their 45 rpm reissues of of those same LPs are consistently superior across the board (from very very good to superb).

I've had excellent experience with the following reissue labels on a very consistent basis (in alphabetical order):

> Analogue Productions (particularly the Fantasy Jazz 45 rpm series which has been uniformly superb)

> Cisco

> Pure Pleasure

> S&P Records

> Speakers Corner (particularly their Mercury classical reissues, but any of their work is very well done)

.
photon46
1,086 posts
 
I see you mention in your "system" you like jazz. I've yet to find a release on the ECM label that disappoints. It's a pity they no longer release vinyl. Any time I go into a used record store, their offerings are one the primary things I look for. Their surfaces are very quiet, never encountered "snap, crackle, & pop" syndrome with ECM.
rushton's avatar
rushton
2,445 posts
 
I see now that you also asked about labels to avoid. One label I now avoid is the "Get Back" reissue label from Italy. Everything I've heard on this label sounds coarse and grainy, and the pressing quality is indifferent.

As Photon46 notes, there are many good original issue labels. I've kept my response to just reissue labels since that is my understanding of your question.

Cheers,
johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 
+1 on ECM! What makes it even better is that I've picked up a bunch of Ex+ cond. ECMs from the dollar bin--Pat Metheny, Gary Burton, and Keith Jarrett. All uniformly yummy.
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