Vinyl Junkies …

I was moving from house to boat recently, and was never going to get round to selling the old vinyl I couldn't store, so loaded it all up and gave it to Record Rescue in Camden, as they give the proceeds to good women's, animal and homeless charities. Saw the guy who works there the other day, turns out my useless pile of old crap (mainly 80s-90s metal/indie) was going for £30-40 a disc. I was cluelessly sat on a small fortune, and gave it all away. Really wish he hadn't told me that. Still, at least the dogs and homelesses will be happy.

Thank GOD you didn't sell it to a normal 2nd hand record shop for 50p a record or whatever they would've offered ... that would've really stung.

It might have taken you quite some time and effort to get that much for your records, mind.

I've got a 90s Siberian prog LP which is supposedly worth £60-70. I've been trying to shift if for quite some time now :-)

David Bowie did the original and then Iggy did the remastered version. They both sound great but the original has a certain charm about it.

This is something I really need to check out. (The Saints are awesome btw - Eternally Yours gets a regular outing in my house.)

Ooh. This is great.
on to my list it goes.

Prepare for your mind to be blown... This is a dub I made a few years back for the guys at Uncut, I was doing some shifts there and they wouldn't believe me when I told them... Dickheads... :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYvFwj8Mfvo

EDIT: 0.00> Bowie mix on original Dutch pressing, 0.58> Original first press UK mix

Yeah - they told me they have to be really careful on their pricing as the second hand shops send guys round to try to pick up their stuff for next to nothing and sell on at a profit. It still flew off the shelves - the only thing that really stung was that I went in there last week and no-one had bought the first couple of Royal Trux albums - what is wrong with people?

I need to get this.
How do I find it?
https://www.discogs.com/The-Wanton-Bishops-Sleep-With-The-Lights-On/release/6699218

I made this. :)

1 Attachment

The kid?

Yes, and the record.

Click on the number next to Have and you'll get the statistics, it shows everyone who has it. Hit them up by PM and ask if they want to part with it. You'll probably get someone to part with it for a reasonable price. I've had people ask me before and I've always done the deal, there's only a percentage of pieces in my collection I wouldn't sell.

What's the story with your record? Cat. No. ?

Cool, thanks.

King Gizzard released their latest album online with some sort of do-whatever-you-want license. A small local pressing plant then invited people to come and press their own copy so I did. It was fun!

Not sure of cat. Nr, but it’s #49/75

Thay had about all colours in pellets so we just went “little of this, some of that. With those on the top, thank you.”
Weird process.

Sounds like my kind of fun. Is this in the UK?

Sorry, Copenhagen.

That kind of thing would be mobbed in London. Sadly I don't think there's much left here in terms of record pressing.

Okay herberts <3 help me understand the mythical world of 'pressings'.

Background: I am in my late thirties so not really born and bred vinyl era but still listened to records all my life, many handed down, and am, how to put it, an audiophile (excuse the twatty phrase), rather than a DJ or whatever. I have about 300 LPs, very few 7". I generally listen to a full album in one go, in my armchair or chopping onions, with a glass of something good. Cunt profile complete.

Of course I get the general concept that records are pressed in different places in varying qualities. So when I buy a new record how do I discern the best quality pressing? I am not interested in rarity or collectability at all*, just sound quality. Are there any guiding principles (like, for instance, first pressing is best?), or is it just a case of nerding out on discogs, getting super confused and parting with shitloads of cash?

Take this album, only released last year, which I wish to buy: https://www.discogs.com/sell/list?master_id=1084896&ev=mb&page=3

Why are some versions €200 but some £25?

Feel free to strike at my soft, yielding underbelly.

*except Neil Young. I would buy a spit-soaked plectrum if you told me it belonged to him.

In that particular example, one is cd and one is vinyl?

As for pressings, wait for tonslain to tell you about the requirement for search and destroy.

People that did vinyl - there are always differences in machinery and technician. There's one guy in London who was well loved for being loud and clear. I can't remember who. Await dubtap to drop knowledge bombs.

Then the other side, ha, is something trax in Chicago that press this shiftily, quickly and badly (reused vinyl?) But the tracks were so raw and in demand that it was just part of the noise.

My bad, the link goes to the last 2 of 52 items.... see the previous pages.. point being some vinyl are tenfold the cost.

I've seen TS gimping out about Search and Destroy and I know there are other infamous historic (burn) examples of bad and good album pressings, all fascinating but I am mainly talking about if I want to buy a contemporary record.

Why not go to Amazon or Ebay and buy the first/cheapest one (obvs condition aside)?

Rarity.
Not the my.little pony.

Try the Steve Hoffman forum for detailed and excruciating detail on pressings. If you're looking for the best version of Aja for example be prepared for a mindfuck of epic proportions, if you just want to know which version of Astral Weeks you should buy, be prepared for a mindfuck of epic proportions.

You can evaluate every purchase case by case and unless you have very deep pockets there will always be another pressing more rare and valuable that you've yet to listen to.

Never buy the cheapest version on Ebay/Amazon.

You need to avoid the rarity trap and just find the best version in the best condition for the least money.

e.g.

Kate Bush - The Kick Inside / Japanese CD TOCP 3005 / I know, it's not vinyl!
Love - Forever Changes MFSL2-402 or Rhino 8122797115 / MFSL is better but Rhino is good enough.
Layla - never recorded well enough for any version to improve it.

etc. etc. ad infinitum.

Like @Airhead says, it's trial and error unless you get into forums keep an eye on reviews when these things come out... Oldest isn't always best either, I rescued a couple of 45s from work the other day, Whole Lotta Love and I Can See Music... Led Zep was fucked but after a thorough clean it sounds pretty great now, the unplayed Beach Boys 45 sounds like it came off a 5th generation cassette... Both Aussie pressings from around that time... I'm currently listening to a first pressing of Third Eye by Redd Kross and it sounds bloody great!!

Thanks all. As I suspected/feared then, another epic rabbit-hole of a hobby requiring lifelong accumulation of otherwise useless knowledge and the perpetual hunt for black swans and unicorn poop. I'm in.

Regarding the album you initially linked to, that's still on my distributors stock list so rrp would be around £16 for a mint copy, they may not still be available from the distributor but chances are it's still being pressed.

The discogs price range reflects the spread over countries depending on availability and the fact that you have dealers who want to shift them close to the dealer price through to people prepared to wait for supply to dry up and prices to rise. It's clearly a popular record with 2000+ people owning it and 1500 wanting it. The lowest price it's available for is only a tiny bit above the dealer price. I'm listening to it now and I'll probably order a copy.

In this case you can pick a cheap one if you find a seller you trust.