Vinyl

[Bogeywon 2,519]

Now spinning, loving this recommendation for a U-Turn audio turntable! and lately the pic I took of the jungle room in November 2022

[BoomMF 1,399]

Badass. Being able to see the the second most famous room in Graceland should be on every music lover's bucket list. (Since the public isn't allowed to see the first...)

It's been a few hauls since my last post, but to catch up a bit, here's some from the past few weeks.

Keeping with the Elvis theme, From Elvis in Memphis One Step hit. I hope to see more audiophile Elvis releases because there are quite a few more deserving of the treatment. (I still need to pick up MoFi's Blue Hawaii, speaking of.)

That's the limited to 500 edition of Eat a Peach by the Allman Brothers. The last album to feature Duanne Allman. RiP, Skydog.

Polyphia's latest, Remember That You Will Die, in LE Oxblood Vinyl. Ego Death, with Steve Vai, is enough to warrant the price of admission, but the album is stacked with single-worthy tracks.

OG George is still country music the way God intended.

Acoustic Sounds recently repressed Boss Tenor by Gene Ammons. If it's still in stock, brother, you could do worse. Jug is a top 5 all-time tenor saxophonist and here he is at some of his best.

Speaking of re-releases, this is the first time since 1982 that A Flock of Seagull's debut album has been available in the US. Space Age Love Song is a track that helps define an entire decade, to say nothing of I Ran, obv.

And finally, an American 1st pressing of LED Zeppelin II with the Ludwig hot master. Definitive, nuff said.

In related news, I upgraded my sonic cleaner with the spin-drying attachment and in-tank filter. Now I can clean 10(!) Records at a time and dry them without touching them. Here it is cleaning Zeppelin II by itself since the filter keeps the water usable after use, I can store the "used" water, which means I don't have to wait to have 30 records or so to justify the water consumption. Looking at the filter after a few runs is eye-opening. This also means I don't have to go through so many Kimtech wipes. The whole process is MUCH less wasteful now.

And SIAP, how was this year's Austin Record Convention? I wish I could've made it.

[Anton Chigurh 3,319]

Badass. Being able to see the the second most famous room in Graceland should be on every music lover's bucket list. (Since the public isn't allowed to see the first...)
It's been a few hauls since my last post, but to catch up a bit, here's some from the past few weeks.

Keeping with the Elvis theme, From Elvis in Memphis One Step hit. I hope to see more audiophile Elvis releases because there are quite a few more deserving of the treatment. (I still need to pick up MoFi's Blue Hawaii, speaking of.)
That's the limited to 500 edition of Eat a Peach by the Allman Brothers. The last album to feature Duanne Allman. RiP, Skydog.
Polyphia's latest, Remember That You Will Die, in LE Oxblood Vinyl. Ego Death, with Steve Vai, is enough to warrant the price of admission, but the album is stacked with single-worthy tracks.
OG George is still country music the way God intended.
Acoustic Sounds recently repressed Boss Tenor by Gene Ammons. If it's still in stock, brother, you could do worse. Jug is a top 5 all-time tenor saxophonist and here he is at some of his best.
Speaking of re-releases, this is the first time since 1982 that A Flock of Seagull's debut album has been available in the US. Space Age Love Song is a track that helps define an entire decade, to say nothing of I Ran, obv.
And finally, an American 1st pressing of LED Zeppelin II with the Ludwig hot master. Definitive, nuff said.

In related news, I upgraded my sonic cleaner with the spin-drying attachment and in-tank filter. Now I can clean 10(!) Records at a time and dry them without touching them. Here it is cleaning Zeppelin II by itself since the filter keeps the water usable after use, I can store the "used" water, which means I don't have to wait to have 30 records or so to justify the water consumption. Looking at the filter after a few runs is eye-opening. This also means I don't have to go through so many Kimtech wipes. The whole process is MUCH less wasteful now.
And SIAP, how was this year's Austin Record Convention? I wish I could've made it.

Sick. Which pressing plant is your RL?

[BoomMF 1,399]

17 minutes ago, Anton Chigurh said:

Sick. Which pressing plant is your RL?

It's an RL 2-sided Monarch with one very faint, non-affecting scratch. About as mint as I've ever seen.

Edited June 6, 2023 by BoomMF

[Anton Chigurh 3,319]

It's an RL 2-sided Monarch with one very faint, non-affecting scratch. About as mint as I've ever seen.

Hell yeah.

I have:

A G+ ish 2 sided Monarch
A VG ish 2 sided Presswell
A VG+ ish RL/LH Terre Haute. And really the LH sides are still RLs, they just don’t say RL, so they can be had for cheaper (until recently, but still cheaper than a true double RL).

Also previously had 3 beater copies (1 double sided Monarch and 2 RL/LH Terre Haute) that I found in the wild, but sold.

The first Japanese press actually rips pretty hard, too. Not like an RL, but damn good.

[Bogeywon 2,519]

New Noel Gallagher High Flying birds. Council sky

[UTCzech III 2,907]

Grabbed a bunch of LPs in an online auction the other night, run by an antique place three blocks from my house so went and picked them up this morning.  Except for the Monkees (expected) everything else was VG to Mint, just a few light scuffs on a couple.  $52 including auction fee and sales tax, not bad.  Got most for $1, I think the highest was the McCartney Russian album, paid $6 for that.  Got into a bidding war for a copy of the Xanadu soundtrack (don't @me, I'm a huge ELO fan...), price got up to $10 so I bailed.  Got outbid on lots of others but nothing I couldn't live without...

The John Denver and Manilow are for my wife, btw

 

[Rip76 4,963]

1 hour ago, UTCzech III said:

Grabbed a bunch of LPs in an online auction the other night, run by an antique place three blocks from my house so went and picked them up this morning.  Except for the Monkees (expected) everything else was VG to Mint, just a few light scuffs on a couple.  $52 including auction fee and sales tax, not bad.  Got most for $1, I think the highest was the McCartney Russian album, paid $6 for that.  Got into a bidding war for a copy of the Xanadu soundtrack (don't @me, I'm a huge ELO fan...), price got up to $10 so I bailed.  Got outbid on lots of others but nothing I couldn't live without...

The John Denver and Manilow are for my wife, btw

 

 

Hell, “I’m Alive” and “All Over the World” are great songs.

[tokamak 6,443]

Found a used copy of At Fillmore East at Half Price Books yesterday. Major score. Damn it is amazing. 

[GenXer 3,032]

On 2/2/2023 at 1:55 PM, GenXer said:

Any Tripping Daisy fans here? Bill being released on vinyl in April. Pre-ordered a copy last Sept along with I am an Elastic Firecracker.

 

 

 

My copy of Bill was shipped last week.

 

[dcbc 14,531]

The Stop Making Sense vinyl reissue (whole show) is supposed to ship this month.  I'm reasonably concerned that it's going to melt in transit.

[stc 1,466]

yeah, i've stopped ordering vinyl during the summer for that reason. 

[dcbc 14,531]

7 hours ago, stc said:

yeah, i've stopped ordering vinyl during the summer for that reason. 

In my defense, I ordered (preordered) it in April.

[Bogeywon 2,519]

Very excited for this one! Thing is loaded!!!!

[dcbc 14,531]

On 8/4/2023 at 4:18 PM, dcbc said:

In my defense, I ordered (preordered) it in April.

Stop Making Sense (Full Show) showed up on Sunday, and I got it off the front porch within 6 minutes of its being left there.  It appears to have survived.  Looking forward to spinning it soon.

[Rip76 4,963]

A little gift from the lady.

So far “Airbag,” and “Paranoid Android,” sound bad ass.

[Luv2win 27]

Remember when psychedelic rock was cool? These are still in great shape.....

 

[stc 1,466]

Doc's records in ft worth is great. Huge, well-organized store that still has cheap used vinyl. Lots of places these days only stocking new stuff or putting the used records in unorganized boxes on the floor.

[Anton Chigurh 3,319]

Love Doc’s. They undergrade, too, in my experience.

[Rip76 4,963]

Nice little haul from Sundance Record Lagoon in San Marcos back in July.

 

[dcbc 14,531]

12 hours ago, Rip76 said:

Nice little haul from Sundance Record Lagoon in San Marcos back in July.

 

 

I've got the Paul's Boutique vinyl.  It sounds amazingly great!

[Rip76 4,963]

9 minutes ago, dcbc said:

 

I've got the Paul's Boutique vinyl.  It sounds amazingly great!

Fully agree.

[Teebox 89]

Okay, so my vinyl collection that I've been working on for 4-5 years now has grown to the point where I need a hi-fi upgrade.  Right now I have a Audio Technica turntable and powered Audio Engine A5 speakers.   It's a nice setup, and I like that it is compact, but it doesn't have a range and sound stage that I know I would appreciate.  

I made a visit to Audio Concepts in Dallas, which was probably a mistake as it exposed me to a whole other world.  Before that I was pretty ignorant on all things phono/amp etc.  But that place is far from a value proposition, so I thought I would inquire on this thread - does anybody have any strong recommendations as far as upgrading to a more complete system with better components and speakers?  

I don't really have a budget in mind, but I don't want to upgrade twice and would rather get a setup that I will be happy with for a long time.  Any thoughts? Outside of Audio Concepts (which I liked but crazy expensive), Starpower (which I have had bad experiences with) and Best Buy (which I guess carries equipment similar to what I already have), I'm not really aware of any resources.

 

[Rip76 4,963]

On 9/26/2023 at 6:03 PM, Teebox said:

Okay, so my vinyl collection that I've been working on for 4-5 years now has grown to the point where I need a hi-fi upgrade.  Right now I have a Audio Technica turntable and powered Audio Engine A5 speakers.   It's a nice setup, and I like that it is compact, but it doesn't have a range and sound stage that I know I would appreciate.  

I made a visit to Audio Concepts in Dallas, which was probably a mistake as it exposed me to a whole other world.  Before that I was pretty ignorant on all things phono/amp etc.  But that place is far from a value proposition, so I thought I would inquire on this thread - does anybody have any strong recommendations as far as upgrading to a more complete system with better components and speakers?  

I don't really have a budget in mind, but I don't want to upgrade twice and would rather get a setup that I will be happy with for a long time.  Any thoughts? Outside of Audio Concepts (which I liked but crazy expensive), Starpower (which I have had bad experiences with) and Best Buy (which I guess carries equipment similar to what I already have), I'm not really aware of any resources.

 

I really think a budget is important if you are looking for advice.

[stc 1,466]

austin record convention is this weekend. swear i'm out of town every damn time. 

[Teebox 89]

3 hours ago, Rip76 said:

I really think a budget is important if you are looking for advice.

I'd guess around $5k or so, if that gets me significantly upgraded 

[Anton Chigurh 3,319]

I'd guess around $5k or so, if that gets me significantly upgraded 

The new MOFI Sourcepoint 8/10 are reviewing incredibly well but are pricey at $3/4k.

KEF R3 or LS50 are cheaper, well-liked, and have a smaller footprint, but you may want a subwoofer with them.

Turntable wise I’d just get a Technics SL1200GR (the GR2 was also just announced), or an SL-1500C (wish they came with a better cart though, I’d recommend a Nagaoka MP-150 or above).

Amplifier wise I’m not really up to speed on newer stuff, but there’s plenty of integrated amps out there. Maybe a Peachtree or Schiit.

[Stringer 1,439]

I have a Peachtree (Anton’s suggestion) and I love it. It looks and sounds terrific.

[Deej 76,949]

On 9/21/2023 at 9:46 PM, Rip76 said:

Fully agree.

Top 5 all-time great albums I never tire of. 

The remaster is fantastic. 

[oSuJeff97 3,435]

Fun little haul from Josey today. This is the “C” version of the No Code remaster from 2016. I’ve been on the lookout for this for a while and they had this pristine copy at my local store for $40. Couldn’t pass it up. 

[MAUFRAIS 6,642]

Did that copy of No Code come with all the Polaroids?

I remember thinking that was cool when I bought the cd at Waterloo in 1996.

[oSuJeff97 3,435]

5 minutes ago, MAUFRAIS said:

Did that copy of No Code come with all the Polaroids?

I remember thinking that was cool when I bought the cd at Waterloo in 1996.

Yep! Had to go find an obscure post from PearlJam.com to figure out which version I got.

I guess all of them had the 9 Polaroids, but depending on which song was listed on the back of each one determined which “Version” you got… I guess there were 6 different “versions”: N-O-C-O-D-E.  Apparently I got the “C” version. 

[Rip76 4,963]

Score!

 

[alincoln 2,385]

All vinyl is 30% off on Blue Note's site today.  The Classic and Tone Poet series sound incredible.

https://store.bluenote.com/

I picked up 9 titles for $200 (including shipping).  Fantastic value.

[Rip76 4,963]

Also, I believe that Walmart is doing the albums for $15 dollars Black Friday sale again this year.

[stc 1,466]

basically every record label in existence is doing at least 25% off. i've already ordered way too much stuff. 

[Rip76 4,963]

My favorite wintertime album.

[dcbc 14,531]

I know there's not a lot of Phish love on here, but I just completed a (what I wanted of it) collection after a long wait.  

[stc 1,466]

the blue note vinyl i ordered during their sale on november 21 still hasn't shipped. fuckers. 

[horn4life 3,784]

One of the best spontaneous Album covers ever.  I'm sure everyone knows this, but the group is laughing because Duane is hiding the bag of weed he was just handed in his crotch. Just makes the album that much better!

Just got a phono and amp set up yesterday.  Prior to a couple months ago the last record I bought was at Asylum records... Probably after eating an Austin's Favorite at Mad Dog and Beans.  So I have been out of this Record deal a while.  But I started to buy some albums of bands I see, and am going to start accumulating here and there.  I used to have a pretty nice selection including a true original pressing of Aerosmith's debut... But alas the rent house I lived in on Parker lane had the AC overflow and my collection was turned into a large brick. 

So I am not going nuts like I used to (at least yet) but wife got me a decent Fluance turntable and I got a combination tube amp for the warmer sound and quite frankly for the look next to my whiskey bar.  I am going to occasionally splurge, and will probably do a Friday in Llano to see if the RATS place has anything of interest as my wife has to make a trip out there quarterly.  I figured I would start stopping at every garage sale I see, watch craigslist, and mostly buy stuff from the artists themselves if they have vinyl at SXSW and on smaller tours.  Fun to have the albums signed even if it may decrease the value.

ONE QUESTION - What is a good newbie cleaning system?  I picked up some albums from my BIL and most are in decent shape but were dusty, and some heavily fingerprinted. I saw some shit on Amazon, but what is a good system for a getting back into things? I'm thinking some of my finds my not end up being the cleanest.

 

[CooterBrown 18,032]

ONE QUESTION - What is a good newbie cleaning system?  I picked up some albums from my BIL and most are in decent shape but were dusty, and some heavily fingerprinted. I saw some shit on Amazon, but what is a good system for a getting back into things? I'm thinking some of my finds my not end up being the cleanest.

 

I just got this one for Xmas. It’s works well from the what I’ve seen on the half dozen records I’ve cleaned so far.

Knox Gear Record Cleaner Kit - Vinyl Record Cleaning Kit to Reduce Static & Skips - Vinyl Cleaning Kit to Clean Dust and Fingerprints - Includes Vinyl Record Cleaner Fluid, 2X Disc Spin Record Brush https://a.co/d/2LruEI5

[GenXer 3,032]

51 minutes ago, horn4life said:

So I am not going nuts like I used to

 

Good luck with that. Just wait til you discover discogs.

[horn4life 3,784]

59 minutes ago, GenXer said:

Good luck with that. Just wait til you discover discogs.

haha - https://www.discogs.com/release/4276720-Aerosmith-Aerosmith  had a lot of sort of first pressings but not the one I will look for.  

 

I may go nuts, but it will be a more gradual process, and more of a "deal search."  I got a few records that look great but are warped like something was under an edge when they were stored flat?  I actually have a heat press that would fit the album size I thought about trying to flatten them with.  They were freebies from my BIL, that don's suck, like the original cars... but that bounce in the warp...  I will definitely find some of the shit we listened to when I was a teen.

My Daughter and SIL got me 128g Stones, Let it Bleed and Amy Winehouse. So decent quality on the new stuff.  

[wild_turkey 3,185]

I’ve been interested in vinyl for ~10 years but I always thought it was too big of a commitment or I’m not enough of an audiophile to justify jumping in. My music tastes are highly varied, basically anything except modern country or heavy rap, but I’m a child of the mp3 and Spotify generation and I have a short attention span that makes it hard for me to play entire albums straight through. I also struggle a little bit with the idea of paying $20-35 for albums that I can already listen to through a service I pay $15 monthly to use. It’s a character flaw that I’m not proud of, but I’m still a tiny bit envious when I go to someone’s house and see their vinyl collection, or see it featured in a TV show or movie.

My mom needed a Christmas gift for me and I honestly couldn’t come up with anything so I finally decided a turntable might be nice. I did some limited internet research and found the Fluance RT-82 was commonly recommended as a starter turntable. I was originally attracted to the Audio-Technica AT-LPW40WN because I wanted a lighter woodgrain style, but the internet pointed me towards the Fluance model. Santa was nice as always and fulfilled my Christmas wishes.

When my uncle died about 10 years ago, I acquired a few records from him. They’ve been in my closet ever since because I had no way to use them, but I got them out and was pleasantly surprised to find some gems:
The Beatles - Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
The Beatles - Hey Jude
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
Eagles - Desperado
Beethoven - Symphony No. 5

Not knowing I already possessed it, Sgt Pepper was going to be one of my first purchases, so that was a great discovery. Tonight, I set up my new turntable, which will be playing through my Denon AVR-x1400h receiver and Bowers & Wilkins 606 bookshelf speakers.



It was all quite exciting and I thought it was really cool to be able to listen to “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” playing from the same record that my late uncle once listened to. I liked him but don’t have much left to remember him by, so this is kind of special.

Whatever reluctance I had to get into vinyl, a switch flipped and I’m eager to start adding to my collection. I don’t expect this to replace Spotify in my life, but they can complement each other, much like paper books can coexist with Audible and podcasts. I live in Fort Worth and I see Doc’s Records mentioned in this thread, which is about 2 miles from me, so I’ll be checking that out as soon as I get back from New Orleans.

[MAUFRAIS 6,642]

Probably a cool record store in New Orleans. There are probably several. I usually track down a store and go buy something random on trips, then keep the receipt with it. Good memory jogger souvenir.

[Stringer 1,439]

Probably a cool record store in New Orleans. There are probably several. I usually track down a store and go buy something random on trips, then keep the receipt with it. Good memory jogger souvenir.

This is true. We were walking to Domilise’s to get a po-boy in March and I randomly wandered into Sisters in Christ record store. I picked up some Euro bootleg recording of the Stone Temple Pilots MTV Unplugged. Sounds great and not something I have ever seen before.

I told the guy I was in from out of town and he gave me a record shipment package so I could get it back safely in my luggage.

[Anton Chigurh 3,319]

Euclid Records in New Orleans is supposed to be very good.

[stc 1,466]

On 12/20/2023 at 1:35 PM, stc said:

the blue note vinyl i ordered during their sale on november 21 still hasn't shipped. fuckers. 

they ended up refunding the order but still sending the records. apparently a lot of people were pissed that they ordered during black friday and didn't get the order by christmas. 

[Luv2win 27]

Anyone ever visited Forever Young Records in Grand Prairie? Good or decent selections? Thought about stopping in on my way to East Dallas.....thanks

[Anton Chigurh 3,319]

Anyone ever visited Forever Young Records in Grand Prairie? Good or decent selections? Thought about stopping in on my way to East Dallas.....thanks

It’s a cool place to visit and they have an awesome selection, but their used prices are generally insane. The new arrivals section has some reasonably priced stuff, but it isn’t sorted at all so it’s really a slog to dig through.

Their new stock is also very good though and they have a lot, so it’s worth it for that.