Vinyl quality in 2024/5

[NSNO2021]

Whilst I don't agree with everything in this article (rant) I get the sentiment and totally agree with the author's thoughts on RSD.
To my way of thinking, its moved from being an authentic way of helping small artists and local record shops into a global con job.

https://louderthanwar.com/the-great-vin ... d-version/

[Fretless]

Interesting and some very valid points there.

Around 90% of my vinyl purchases in the last couple of years have been 2nd-hand 70's and 80's pressings. Relatively few modern artists and I personally haven't been very disappointed with newer copies.

A recommendation goes out to reissue label 'Music On Vinyl' who take care off their products and do fine quality releases.

For some strange reason a lot of contemporary (rubbish) artists are getting vinyl releases and you do wonder why? - purely a fashion statement, I suppose.

What also annoys me is that perfectly good single LP's are now being put out as 3 or 4 sided double sets where you have to flip/swap the disc after every 3 tracks.

[NSNO2021]

Tone Poet modern releases are all top notch but they are a bit expensive. I think another factor is the mixing & mastering. With easy access to quite sophisticated software that was previously only available to big studios and their experienced staff nowadays there's no end of would be " Jonny come lately, mastering engineer's'
The majority are learning of the job and we are paying a heavy price to be part of their apprenticeship

[DaveyTed]

I concur with Fretless's point about double albums with minimal tracks per side.
I have a double album where the fourth side is just pressed with autographs of the artists! Three sides of music could surely easily go on one disc. There's only seven tracks in total.

[TheRealAleman]

I concur with Fretless's point about double albums with minimal tracks per side.

Diana Krall's Turn up the quiet is a three sided album ... Like she couldn't have put down a side of Jazz standards??

Edit: Having said that it is bloody good

[TheMarlin]

I ordered the Osees album ‘’Sorcs 80’ on super rare colour pressing blah blah months before release. I’m a big Ossees fan.

On the day of arrival, I popped it on, and got the shock of my life. My first thought was ‘the grandkids have been at my record deck, or wife has tried to dust the turntable, and her dusted has caught the stylus and bent it’.
My (remaining) hair stood on end, I rushed over to the deck, took the vinyl off, checked the stylus, checked all connections, checked the setup (no obvious signs of interference), checked upwards to valves and speaker connections etc.

I went over to my living-room vinyl collection (I keep about 100 albums in the living room, all other in the garage in airtight boxes, and rotate them regularly) and pulled out Madeleine Peyroux ‘Careless Love’, and popped that on, and blissful tones immediately soothed me.

The Osees pressing was that bad, I honestly believed my cartridge had been damaged beyond repair.

I’ve also has other weirdness. For example, Weyes Blood released their last album called ‘And in the darkness hearts aglow’. Again pre ordered some deluxe offering.
It’s started off well, it’s a representative modern pressing, in that it’s sounds good, but not great, but on the second side it gets weirds, like the grooves fall out of alignment with the stylus mid way. Doesn’t do that on the first half, only the second. Needless to say, if we want to hear this album, I stream it and leave the vinyl locked up.

Buying new pressings is hit and miss. Some a really great, most are ok, the rest and offensively bad. That Osees album being the absolute worst waste of cash ever.

I want to support bands I like. I go to see them live, buy a t-shirt (dispute never wearing t-shirts) and buy an LP.

Some of my favourite modern albums to date (some of these are wife’s taste).

Marketa Irgkova - where you belong
BC Camplight- Shortly after takeoff. (Oddly, his next album ‘last rotation of earth’ sounds absolutely crap on vinyl)
Jesca Hoop - Stonechild
Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um (it’s actually a 2012 pressing)
Beck - Sea Change) to be fair to beck, his stuff is consistently good on vinyl, but maybe look for USA pressings.
David Bowie - Ziggy Starsust & spiders etc 40th Anniversary pressing
And I really enjoyed The Damned - The Rockfield files. It’s an EP really, but the best sounding piece of vinyl they’ve ever produced.

There are some gems out there, but a lot of modern vinyl sounds shite. Worst still, most modern albums are mastered to sound better on Bluetooth speakers, and sound staggering bad on vinyl.
Sourcing the old stuff is getting super hard these days.

[TheMarlin]

Come to think of it, there is one album I bought that did disappoint and that is Marillion 'Season's End' in a 2LP remaster. The sound is dull, muted, no sparkle and devoid of life. I paid full price for this and was not impressed.

[Fretless]

Looking back at new-LP purchases over the last year there are a few standouts:

Top of the pile is the Rhino 'Hissing of Summer Lawns' by Joni Mitchell. Absolutely fantastic & wonderful!

Then the current series of ELP albums, pressed on 140g vinyl, and they include an essay explaining why this is superior in SQ to 180g.

Anything from 4AD is excellent: Cocteau Twins, Midlake, Dead Can Dance.

Steve Hackett, Talk Talk, King Crimson, Interpol, New Order - all of these artists have nice vinyl editions.

[CN211276]

Come to think of it, there is one album I bought that did disappoint and that is Marillion 'Season's End' in a 2LP remaster. The sound is dull, muted, no sparkle and devoid of life. I paid full price for this and was not impressed.

Bought the CD of this many years ago and it didn't disappoint, probably better mastering. Have not bought vinyl for going on 40 years. Over this period CD quality has gone down because of the loudness wars. I think vinyl is less affected by this surge.

[kimangelis]

Loudness wars?