The Vinyl Thread

[alucard]

These days I can find some records cheaper on vinyl then on cd. In France most big retailers have a 10 Euro shelf (15 for doubles) and I bought quite a lot in the last months , mostly for the cover art, but so far I wasn't audio wise disappointed by new pressings.
Cream : Disraeli Gears
Clash : London Calling
Magma : Live
Tangerine Dream : Phaedra
Bob Dylan : Blood On The Tracks
Oscar Brown Junior : Sin and Soul (looked a but dirty with a kind of non brillant traces but no problem while playing)
Bruce Springsteen : Born To Run
Beatles : Abbey Road & Revolver
I also bought on sale (new) otherwise quute expensive records
Mothers of Invention : Ruben and the Jets
Atoll : Araignée du mal
JM Jarre : Magnetic Fields
btw the only one directly cut from the analog master is the Zappa one, all others I suppose high res files, but the overall sound is really good

[ronmac]

The vinyl resurgence is exaggerated by how low sales previously were. They're certainly going up for a number of reasons. But the numbers aren't anywhere near the other formats.

[nosebone]

I even have a personal story how this is done by the press itself: two years ago, on the day that it was decided that the main downtown boulevard of Brussels was going pedestrian-onmly, there was a journalist that was interviewing downtown customers and shop owners... I had just bought three CDs at Caroline Music and the dude insisted in taking of picture of me holding my errants (three CDs).... He had to convince me a fair bit, because I was reluctant to have my picture in some newspaper (national distribution too), but I finally let him do so. Next day, I open the newspaper and on page 3,the journalist speaks about me (mentionning my name) and my pedestrian street reactions (quoting me relatively faithfully, i'll give him that) but he wrote that I bought three vinyls.... Of course, the picture he had insisted so much on taking) showing the opposite of his satement was not present, for obvious reasons.

WTF does this have to do with anything?

[alucard]

Most big retailers in Paris overexpose vinyl , but I have the impression that the hype is ebbing slowly. The good thing you can still find a certain number of classic vinyl records for a bargain price while the price for used rarer records ( often in bad shape) goes up.
Yesterday I bought Electric Warrior by T-Rex, Back to black licence with a download voucher. Even so it remains an industrial product I appreciate the craftsmanship side of the vinyl production. One good thing with the reprints you have 180g as a standard and the carton used for rhe covers is often thick and good quality .The great Hipgnosis cover for EW is very well reproduced and one of these covers where you realize how cover art is/was linked to the LP format. A strange inner sleeve with elfish like drawings of Bolan and Finn in contrast with the outer cover.
Bobby Womack , 110 Street , Original soundtrack, Charly licence from United Artists. The cover art is not very good reproduced ,the colours are fainted and the photo is not very clear, but the record sounds good and again very cheap

[alucard]

I found the Weather Report live in Tokyo 1972 as audiophile vinyl Columbia/ Friday Music in a sales bin for a bargain price. Translucent red vinyl and great spatious sound. Even Zawinuls quite abrasive Rhodes sounds good. Only downside the edges are not polished and the colours of the artwork are faded.

And another bargain:
Zappa MOI : Weasels Ripped My Flesh.Zappa Records/ Universal (analog master) I spoke with the vendor and he told me that Universal France will put every 5 months another Zappa record on promo. Cheap way to complete my Zappa collection. The used Zappa records have reached ridiculous prices even for records/ covers in a bad shape

[progmatist]

^^ It would seem everything is more expensive in the Puget Sound area. Here, a great selection of great condition vinyls can be had for as little as $1. When I was in Seattle in the fall of '86, when my carrier battle group pulled in, I walked into a guitar shop in the downtown area. I was shocked at the exorbitant prices on all the guitars. The only comparable place I've been was Memphis TN.

[Fracktured]

We have a farmers market near me that has a record cd store in it. They have thousands of records which are obviously in all kinds of shape. Some are separated into artists but most are just separated into categories but not alphabetical. So how many hours does a person have to spare to root through lps? I spent some time a few weeks ago and found 3 lps that are hard to find on cd for $2 each.

[Trane]

Most big retailers in Paris overexpose vinyl , but I have the impression that the hype is ebbing slowly.

That's what I used to predict five years ago, but I guess that I underestimated that trend... Not so sure it will die out anymore. It will return to the 90/00's levels, perhaps a bit above.
What I'm finding of late (I bitched enough about it to everyone concerned) is that the anti-CD snobbery is ebbing away slowly.

When I was in high school that was how I spent every weekend.

Most of my daytime Saturdays anyways , but I did peruse thru' my buddies' shelves as soon as I had to an occasion to do so.

But I simply don't have the time and patience anymore.

[Fracktured]

But I simply don't have the time and patience anymore.

Not that I have a lot of time to spend but I think with me it’s more no patience myself

Rick

[alucard]

I rebought Blonde on Blonde /Columbia/ Europe 2015/ In the 70s you could buy both BOB records on its own and I had the upper half so to speak and then never bought the second record, bought the CD and forgot about the second record. Apart from being the first 2LP its a fantastic record and the sound is great.
I saw that a lot of the European reprints date from 2014/15 during the beginning of the vinyl "renaissance" and they must sit on a big stock which is now available on nice price.
I found also Craig Leon : Bach To Moog/ Sony Classical /Audiophile vinyl 2016, in a sales bin, an hommage to W.Carlos and B. Moog, quite different from rhe original Switched on Bach, Leon mixes the moog sounds with a string section including a solo violinist. The overall sound is more organic and the Moog is not so much in the foreground but blends with the other instruments. Great vinyl and nice cover art.

[nosebone]

Not that I have a lot of time to spend but I think with me it’s more no patience myself

Rick

You have to be in the right head on the right day.

[3LockBox]

^^ It would seem everything is more expensive in the Puget Sound area. Here, a great selection of great condition vinyls can be had for as little as $1. When I was in Seattle in the fall of '86, when my carrier battle group pulled in, I walked into a guitar shop in the downtown area. I was shocked at the exorbitant prices on all the guitars. The only comparable place I've been was Memphis TN.

prices for everything in and around college towns, particularly major universities, are always gouged. That being said the Pacific Northwest has always carry with it a premium surcharge on everything since the 1800s and it carried over well into the 21st century. Everything here is needlessly more expensive than it is in any other part of the country. It's a holdover from the days when Goods had to travel in covered wagon over the old Oregon Trail. And the people who live here don't know any better and have just always accepted it.

When I started dating someone in the Navy who lived locally she was a member of a store that rented videos. She had to pay a yearly membership on top of the sky high rental prices. In Oak Harbor (NAS Whidbey) all I needed was my ID. At the video store, I believe it was called Video Depot, it was like taking out a loan or asking for an extension of credit. People in the Pacific Northwest were also gouged when it came to cable TV and telephone, paying three or four times as much as the rest of the country for a tenth of the features. It started to level out with the advent of the internet, but automobiles still cost more here than most everywhere else.

[Fracktured]

You have to be in the right head on the right day.

What motivates me at all to root through multiple bins of records is seeing something I like early on.

[progmatist]

prices for everything in and around college towns, particularly major universities, are always gouged. That being said the Pacific Northwest has always carry with it a premium surcharge on everything since the 1800s and it carried over well into the 21st century. Everything here is needlessly more expensive than it is in any other part of the country. It's a holdover from the days when Goods had to travel in covered wagon over the old Oregon Trail. And the people who live here don't know any better and have just always accepted it.

When I started dating someone in the Navy who lived locally she was a member of a store that rented videos. She had to pay a yearly membership on top of the sky high rental prices. In Oak Harbor (NAS Whidbey) all I needed was my ID. At the video store, I believe it was called Video Depot, it was like taking out a loan or asking for an extension of credit. People in the Pacific Northwest were also gouged when it came to cable TV and telephone, paying three or four times as much as the rest of the country for a tenth of the features. It started to level out with the advent of the internet, but automobiles still cost more here than most everywhere else.

My town borders a college town: Tempe AZ, home of Arizona State Unviersity. Then again, the Greater Phoenix area is so large (the 6th largest city in the US), one isolated area will have little to no impact on pricing. Being a Navy vet, I'm intimately familiar with NAS Whidbey, or Whidbey Island as we called it in the 80s.

[alucard]

Went yesterday to a vinyl convention in a Paris suburb. Tendency : on one side the prices for original 60/70s records that are Out Of Print , often in bad shape reach ridiculous prices. On the other hand you can find near mint records for nearly nothing. I was tempted by two Zappa (Just another band & Joe's Garage) records with a correct price, but Joes Garage cover and records were in a bad shape and Another band had a VG+ cover but the record was just Good. So finally I bought a couple of records in perfect shape (Cover and records) for a few bucks:
Catherine Ribeiro & The Alpes : La Déboussole 1980/ Phillips, the last interesting one
Stevie Wonder : Musicquarium 1, 2LP, Motown/ Vogue, 1982French Pressing, compilation, nice cover with embossed fish and 4 unreleased tracks
Frank Sinatra , 2LP compilation 1963-1976, Reprise 1977/ German Pressing
Manhattan Transfer, Les Meilleurs Chansons, Atlantic/ WEA France, German Pressing

[alucard]

Not to be confused with a latex convention.

No, not the same, unless for certain types of music you can find a combination. :-)

[progmatist]

It's the price we pay for living in paradise:

• No wildfires (or lately, few)
• No floods
• Rare snow
• No hurricanes
• No tornados
• Mild temps 12 mo./yr
• Green all year long
• Mountains 1/2 hour away
• Ocean 2 hours away
• Few bugs
• Few snakes
• No tarantulas or scorpions or fire ants
• Progressive government

Of course traffic has become a nightmare from hell.

But there is Mt. St. Helens, who can blow her top at any moment.

Speaking of scorpions: One time, my mom got out of the shower and saw some kind of bug on the bathroom floor. She wasn't wearing her glasses, so couldn't see what it was. She just kind of flicked it away. Then it raised it's tail and started coming toward her. At that moment, she realized what it was and called out for my dad. He came in and killed it.

[progmatist]

Mount Rainier is the one that is overdue and the effects would be thousands of times more catastrophic.

Tell all your friends.

I wasn't sure if Rainier was still active.

[Fracktured]

Mount Rainier is the one that is overdue and the effects would be thousands of times more catastrophic.

Tell all your friends.

I guess I should keep my vinyl at a safe distance then?

[alucard]

Good Saturday shopping,
John Renbourn 2LP Reprise US (1972) very cheap, cover VG , records near mint, no single crackle on both records. I realized only after checking out , that it was a 72 reprint of Rebourne's first two Transatlantic records from 65 & 66 ( Same & Another Day) great records, they will remain near the turntable.
Nino Rota : Best Of Polydor 75, cover and record VG +, nice cover and great music.
Mississippi John Hurt : The 1928 recordings Yazoo/ CBS ( 2015) New, reprint from the early 70s Yazoo record, this one was a bit expensive but MJH records are not easy to find and the cover is sublime and the record sounds good for a 1928 recording.
Serge Gainsbourg : L'histoire de Melody Nelson, Phillips / Mercury 2012, New, reprint , one of my favorite French records. It was the last nice price record left in the shop, there were a couple of prints on blue vinyl trice the price.
Funny side note, I noticed that the used vinyl shelf dwellers are either middle aged men or young kids who often don't even pull the records out to verify if they are in good shape.

[nosebone]

My son got me the Koenjihyakkei ‎– Dhorimviskha 2LP color vinyl for my birthday.


Everything about this thing is great - the music, the audio, and the beautiful artwork!

[3LockBox]

It's the price we pay for living in paradise:

• No wildfires (or lately, few)
• No floods
• Rare snow
• No hurricanes
• No tornados
• Mild temps 12 mo./yr
• Green all year long
• Mountains 1/2 hour away
• Ocean 2 hours away
• Few bugs
• Few snakes
• *No tarantulas or scorpions or fire ants
• **Progressive government

Of course traffic has become a nightmare from hell.

Yes, Seattle has the worst traffic but not the worst drivers. The southeastern US holds that distinction IMO.

*but there is a certain type of spider that lives in utility vaults that get decent size and live a couple years and are relatively active even in winter.

**are you referencing state or local government?

And don't forget about the growing tweaker population

[ronmac]

Why is that a "funny side note"? It makes perfect sense to me.

I might venture to guess that, unless it's a super-rare album, when a person doesn't even evaluate the condition of the disc before buying, it could be a sign that the're more concerned with the experience of owning it than they are about the experience of listening to it. One could then further suggest that doing so would be an act of vanity or status and not necessarily one of art appreciation.

Either that, or they just like the cover.

[progmatist]

Yes, Seattle has the worst traffic but not the worst drivers. The southeastern US holds that distinction IMO.

Drivers are terrible in the Phoenix area. Even when I'm on the city bus, some of the bus drivers will drive aggressively, run red lights, et cetera, et cetera. When my family first moved to Phoenix from Denver in 1971, my uncle came down for a visit. My older brother and I were riding with him in the back seat. He finally turned around and said, "You kids put on your seat belts! I'm going to start driving like everyone else!!" That of course was at a time when wearing a seat belt was a novelty.

[aith01]

My son got me the Koenjihyakkei ‎– Dhorimviskha 2LP color vinyl for my birthday.


Everything about this thing is great - the music, the audio, and the beautiful artwork!

Nice! It's a great one for sure.