An interesting thread for sure and always a subject of much debate. If you want a good laugh, look at the discogs community forum called marketplace. They have a great thread where people post the most ridiculously graded items. Some of the things people describe and call NM is just crazy, I would never buy from them.
I recently bought a 2nd hand copy of John Coltrane Quartet : Crescent and it had some of the typical production scuffs but they were happy to let me bring it back if it didn’t play Ok for a full refund. Luckily it was just fine.
On the other hand, a brand new version of Johnny Cash American Recordings was awful, with loads of surface noise.
I’m familiar with Grammar School Records, good shop.
The Record Album has been in Brighton for longer than my memory serves (actually 1948). It used to be owned by the lovely affable George Ginn who travelled the world in the RAF collecting records. He started The Record Album way back, specialising in Classical & Soundtracks and his customers even included the BBC, he also stocked a great range of other genres and I used to regularly visit Geoerge who was a well known and loved character. He later moved the shop to it’s current location on Terminus Road by the rail station, a small place but stacked to the rafters. His window display reflected the soundtracks of films etc that had just been showing on the TV, you could have watched a great film the night before and the next day the soundtrack album would be in his window.
Sadly George was terribly attacked in the shop by some thugs years ago and George retired soon after. The shop is still operating but I dont know who’s running it now, I’ve not been there myself since so not sure if it’s still the same.
If anyones interested my above post reminiscing about George and The Record Album has prompted me to start a new thread Special Independant Record Shops
If you’re in the shop, and can physically inspect it, maybe even play it on their TT, and the proprietor has no grading in place, I would say buy only if you are entirely happy.
I’m with @BigAl though, I wouldn’t buy from this particular vendor on principle.
For £35 I would expect most records to be in very nice condition, obviously hugely rare items might be an exception to that… Discogs has several copies of Bringing It All Back Home graded as mint for that price right now, from UK sellers.
I have all the JC American recordings on vinyl bought new, one volume (I dont recall which offhand) was a poor pressing with lots of non-fill, probably the same volume you have.
I was discussing with another member on the vinyl thread recently how older, pre 1970’s vinyl records seem much more durable. We both had original 1st press Beatles albums that looked totally knackered. My copy of With The Beatles is covered in scratches, scuffs and what looks like groove damage on one track.
After a scrub up on the RCM it plays perfectly, like mint, no exaggeration, totally silent not a single click/pop from start to finish, quite amazing.
Agreed. There’s more to it than whether you can see or even hear scratches and marks. The reason I like second hand Vinyl is that by and large the originals just sound better than represses which may be silent, but are too often dull and uninvolving. If that means I have to listen to surface noises then I’ll put up with it if the music is vivid and involving which it usually is with originals.
Of course, as you’ve alluded and perhaps contrary to what some might believe, the higher quality ones TT the better the ability to push the music forward and draw less attention to unwanted “noise”
I have been very lucky with second-hand records from my local record shop, perhaps this is down to my choice in vinyl in that they never seem to have been played!
Come to think of it, most of my original vinyl is pristine because I rarely played much of it. I would copy it to cassette and play that in my car/walkman.
I have been less lucky with new pressings, perhaps my expectations are higher, but one album pressing, in particular, was dire.
Yes! And no. In some cases historically records had to have some limiting applied when cutting as the replay equipment of the day wasnt capable of reproducing the full range captured on the master tape.
For example, The Beatles original Mono 1st Press I mentioned earlier which although sounding superb is surprisingly (given the age of the masters) bettered imo by the AAA Mono cut from the Mono box set a few years back.
Kevin Gray was able to cut without the limiting and the result is definitely a fuller sound and stronger Bass. Ironically in comparison to my ears the original sounds just a tad squashed and CD like.
Controversial!
Similarly with the Music Matters (forerunner to Tone Poet) Blue Note re - issues where Kevin Gray I read cut them “hot” and what was on the tape is what was cut warts n all. I’m not fortunate to own any original 50’s 60’s BN’s to compare although I have read some say they beat originals. They do sound mostly fantastic.
Where an original analogue master in good condition is available it is at least theoretically possible to make a record that sounds better than an original when mastered without the limitations of the time.
I don’t think you are unlucky I’m afraid. Poor new pressings seem rather common in my experience, to the extent I’ve stopped buying them unless I know it’s from an impeccable source or there are positive online reviews.
It was brutal, so much surface noise it just spoilt the enjoyment for me. Bizarrely I was able to sell it on Discogs and I was very upfront about how poor a pressing it was. If I want to hear it again I guess it will be via streaming
