just an observation for comment

The LP collector rule of thumb is to seek the original LP from the first stampers from the country of the recording's origin. Its rare that any reissue will sound better.

Totally agree with those reissue findings. But in the 70s and 80s very often there were British bands who's LP was pressed and released in both the UK and US. I would always look to see where the album was recorded. I think in this case the UK pressing sounded better due to the smaller production run and higher quality control. Case in point; Kate Bush, pressed in UK, US and Canada and then released.

My 2 cents:

Purchased King Crimson album at T.H.E. show last Jan.

It sounds like someone sneezed on it and let it dry.

Just the worst record ever.

I can't remember the table where purchased (NOT Music Direct or Acoustic Sounds).

If I can find the receipt, will try to get satisfaction this Jan.

Beware of strangers with candy...

For what it's worth......
Just finished comparing "new 45 RPM super duper brand new 200 gram pressings" of the Dead's American Beauty and the Allman Brothers' Idelwild South. My mint condition original LP's from my mid 1970's high school days, lovingly played over and over and over again for the past 38 or so years (and simply cleaned with an AQ carbon fiber brush for about 10 seconds per side prior to each playing), sound WAY better.

alot of folks making great points. i too have had the occasional new record or reissue sound great, but as much bad as good, and at thirty to forty dollars a pop , with better tech. and materials at forty bucks i should be impressed more than 50% of the time. dont they listen before they sell? an example a recent purchase of a queen reissue was so bad i only listened once then filed it away.but my neil young after the gold rush,fantastic. mostly just venting , as i love this hobby and love listening to music.

Vinyl is OLD tech, not new.

It has some unique advantages in some cases, but marketing hype obscures the reality, making people expect better results always under the false pretense that vinyl is inherently better in all or most cases.

The reality is it can indeed be better, but only in certain cases, and getting to that state is not trivial.

So it still makes for a nice new hobby if one is up for it, but just don't expect a new panacea in all cases.

For older folks like me that have had records for years, its a no brainer to invest in what is needed to be able to preserve the investment in records over the years, many of which offer outstanding sound quality.

Used records in good shape for reasonable price is the way to go in most cases IMHO.

The packaging and artwork inhernet with lp format is another feature of vinyl that can help justify the investment for many, including me. But nowadays, digital has the most to offer for most.