Nice one @TheKevster ! Ordered mine. Thanks for the tip
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Hi Yeti,
Aladdin Sane & Low are the best RCA Internationals, the others are ok (I’m sure there wasn’t a YA).
Good luck!
Ian
Do you find dust really stands out on white vinyl?
I’d left a white vinyl LP accidentally spinning for past few days and can see black specks all over it. One of those days where the sun is low and sunlight entering the house really shows up the dust!
Agree about “obsessing” yes, but imo it is important to do a bit of homework to source a good pressing/mastering. Just taking pot luck can result in ending up with an inferior/poor sounding record that can put you off further exploring what might otherwise be some very fine music (I’m not talking Bowie, any genre)
2 x black vinyl LP. Never really listened to this through before.
For non-Nightwish folk try track 4: Slow, Love, Slow for a completely different sound.
Side A sounds excellent so far, may be the light but looking form record level the grooves look incredibly fine and smooth, not seen an album look so ‘silky’ in a long time.
Nice lined inners with this for a change. Lots of scuffs on the vinyl surface - seems to be common with Nuclear Blast pressings - my copy of Human. :II: Nature. was very badly scuffed but played ok, several parallel ‘roller marks’ each side of the central label.
Warning for anyone who gets Human. :II: Nature. on vinyl, one of the sides of the coloured pressings is a big logo - did not realise it was non-playable and groveless until the arm skated rapidly across the record 
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Omar Khorshid - Giant + Guitar (We Want Sounds/Voice Of Lebanon 1974 re issue)
Just landed and spinning right now.
A week or two back on a drive over to see John at Audio-t Brighton I heard Gilles Peterson playing this and I was really taken with it. I mentioned to John and he similarly had just been getting into it. One of those uncanny coincidental new discoveries.
Egyptian guitarist fusing with the sounds of the “orient” to my ears hints of D*ck Dale surf guitar melded with Lebanese dance music, psych and a trance like groove.
Good sound on a decent flat and quiet pressing
Really well worth checking out imo
Interesting review from Norman Records;
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Mathew Halsall - Salute to the Sun Live, Gondwana Records (2021)
Absolutely beautiful live set, beautiful cover, beautiful inners and beautiful pressing.
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A rather nice surprise of a gift arrived this morning from DC. The cover photo I shot at the Hacienda 1st birthday party in '83 and inside there’s a little pic from a few years ago when I caught Vini smiling
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I can’t say I’ve noticed dirt more on a white record, but there again, it’s on the platter and then straight in a Nagoaka. White vinyl is difficult to see surface flaws though, when a new lp arrives.
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Thanks for the feedback on which Bowie vinyl’s to buy. I’m a novice so thought this was expensive at £40 but took a punt. It was from a market seller at Frome market.
It’s a Orange label, Canadian which I presume was a 1st pressing.
Looks like it’s had a few plays but plays without any scratches or noise, so very please as it’s a good open sound.
Also bought what I believe is a 1st or early pressing of Joan Armatrading (Joan Armatrading) for £10 and plays flawlessly.
Took her card so will check her site on discoqs.
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Just pulled out my copy of “Ziggy” absolutely minty, haven’t played it in decades, bought new somewhere near release time has no “Mainman” credit anywhere, picture inner sleeve, a “Gem” production. Will check matrix info.
My copy arrived today. It’s a really nice album.
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Gerry Mulligan - Night Lights
My copy was delivery on Friday “handed to resident” too apparently.
But it didn’t happen here at my house, i’ve even asked the cats and they all shock their heads and shrugged their shoulders.
Anyway, it arrived to me today via a nice neighbour who had just got home after a weekend away, and found my Amazon box leaning against their front door.
Incredibly i was outside washing the car when the Amazon driver called on Friday, i watched him deliver to two of my neighbours, and actually asked if he had what was tracked and due to arrive for me on that day, and he said he had nothing for me, and drove off. Wot a plonker.
Anyway, all’s well than ends well 
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Nina Simone - Nina Simone and Her Friends, Bethlehem (2021)
Firstly this a very nicely presented and well pressed record despite the green vinyl it has a nice thick quality cover and a nice full size clear anti static inner. Kevin Gray has done a very good remastering and the pressing is dead flat which bodes well for the other Bethlehem releases I’ve pre ordered from this series.
On to the music I’ve never really been a massive fan of Nina’s singing voice apart from on Little Girl Blue which I love so I’ve not listened to a huge amount of her stuff but there is no doubting her amazing talent and musicianship and her playing on African Mailman is exemplary which is worth the price of the record alone.
I’d honestly never heard of Chris Connor before but she’s got a nice singing voice and her four tracks are all enjoyable as are Carmen McRae’s. On the whole musically I’ll probably only ever listen to African Mailman again but Bethlehem have done a nice job and I really look forward to Little Girl Blue and the other releases they have coming out.
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A local holiday gift brought me this wonderful RSD release of very well remastered (Bernie Grundman) recordings of days spent by Bill Evans, Marty Morell & Eddie Gomez in The Netherlands in 1969. Some recorded in the studio, some on stage with the Metropole Orchestra, including Evan’s only recording of Ellington’s “I let a song go out of my heart”.
Music, recording & remastering puts this on top of my favorite Evans albums together with his Japanese concert much later. As an Evans fan: trying to obtain a copy will not disappoint!
Cover: wow, a very nice three fold with good pictures and even a very informative booklet containing a copy of an original studio recording voucher, all very very nice to read and have in your hands.
Pressing: mmm…this clearly had to suffer from RSD lead times and quality control was very below par. The pressing itself is luckily clean and very quiet (phew). The three (!!) records are supposed to be 180 grams, the 2nd one is not, it’s 150. Doesn’t bother me but still. The 2nd record sleeve also is a bit cheaper a differs from the other two. The numbering on the records does not match the numbering on the sleeve.
All in all: highly highly recommended, but it might be good to check the 2nd record weight and quality when buying a copy.
Rex’ vinyl #58
Bill Evans - Behind The Dikes
1969
Pressing 2021 / Limited Release RSD, Elemental Music, 5990539, 3 records
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Although two LP’s from the first box set had defects, one severe crackling on the right hand channel and the second sounded like ‘no fill’ in the middle of the track.
Replacement sent and all good now!!
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For Any Marley fans the two below Abbey Rd Half Speed Remasters are on offer for £14.99 each get them delivered to a collection point and postage is fee.
First up is Uprising I have a UK first press so it will be an interesting play off.
This will be my fourth copy of Kaya alongside UK first press, reissue from 2015 (I think) the 40th Anniversary and this. Do I need a forth copy ? Probably not though it is one of my favourite Island releases very, very underrated in my opinion and not just the left overs from the Exodus sessions.
So it will be interesting to compare I really like Stephen Marley’s 40th Anniversary mix which is quite different from the original.
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