Tripe LP Re-issues

[Rare Bird]

Hey got a Brain Salad Surgery which is thirteen years old and still sealed. I shall open it and play it at some point but, like a thirty year old Ardbeg, I intend to pick my moment.

Shaun:
Ger it played man, that LP aint worth nowt & never will be imho..

[Thing Fish]

Can I also throw 'Music Matters' into the mix. Expensive but absolutely beautifully made reissue covers. The vinyl is top notch also...

[Rare Bird]

Recieved another two Re-Issues today, absolutly crap. Thats it from today ive pulled the plug on Re-Issues, i'll have to put up with battered second hand record covers.I'll just have to chop Three quarters of my list away as i'll never be able to afford them on old vinyl. It will save me loads of dosh i suppose..I can honestly say that out of the 200 or so vinyl re-issues ive bought this year only around 25 im happy with, that is totally discraceful imho

[Thing Fish]

Most of the battered covers I have don't look half bad when I slip them into a nice clear plastic cover.

I will aways look for originals before buying re-issues...

[Rare Bird]

Your right Dave I just, ten mins ago swapped mi mate my brand new 40th Anniversary 'Dark Side Of The Moon' LP for his 2nd Issue which i thought looked a bit rough, but looks ok in a plastic slip.

[Audioman]

Actually I think the 40th Anniversary runs this remarkably close. Picked up a second issue from a Cardiff retailer on Ebay about 3 or 4 yrs ago for only £20 as for some reason nobody else bid. Near as mint as poss with all inserts.

[Oldpinkman]

Have an original dsotm. Just received a reissue selling england by the pound. Superb. At least as good as the original.

[Audioman]

Recieved another two Re-Issues today, absolutly crap. Thats it from today ive pulled the plug on Re-Issues, i'll have to put up with battered second hand record covers.I'll just have to chop Three quarters of my list away as i'll never be able to afford them on old vinyl. It will save me loads of dosh i suppose..I can honestly say that out of the 200 or so vinyl re-issues ive bought this year only around 25 im happy with, that is totally discraceful imho

How many of those are 'official' reissues? There are good reissues out there but you have to be selective and research the net for comments. The problem you have is that you are after ultra rare prog which is unlikely to get an 'official' vinyl reissue. Also as far as sleeves are concerned the old printing techniques were replaced by digital years ago - though this doesn't mean you can't do it well (Stoughton in USA). Result exact replication and quality is difficult to impossible though some don't even try. Worst thing is lazy photoshopping where image fuzzy or colours way out - no excuse as can be done very close with digital.

Nothing like a pristine original. I can tolerate moderate cover wear but tatty is out especially as that usually reflects the condition of the LP inside. People who abuse sleeves invariably show little respect for the vinyl. More often a nice sleeve and knackered vinyl though - even vinyl that looks fine can be unplayable. Unfortunately acceptable copies of anything are becoming increasingly difficult to source due to ignorance or dishonesty of sellers - goes for Ebay, Discogs and Amazon in equal measures now. I now expect anything to be a grade lower than claimed at least so almost essential to stick to EX+ or near mint to stand any chance of satisfaction.

Universal are running a new service (at least they are putting feelers out), whereby they will issue limited runs of albums requested by customers (with download). I suspect they will need a lot of arm twisting to use original tapes rather than send a file over to GZ to press them. Worth a try for anything that is in their now vast catalogue having swallowed so many labels.

Paul.

[Rare Bird]

I've drastically changed my tune of late regarding buying only Re-Issues, i won't buy them now, infact im presently replacing all those new ones for 2nd hand ones. Ive learned to tolorate cover ware..

The thing with me is i've owned everything im wanting years ago on original 1st issues, so when i get a Re-Issue i can see & hear that is just not the same.However i will totally steer clear of 1980's issues

I'm not going to totally single Re-Issues out as some of those Unofficial Re-Issues of rare prog actually sound good & look ok & i think i would be mad to omit some of them basically cutting my nose off in the process as i could never afford to buy a 1st issue. I would never pay more than £40 for a second hand Record..

[Audioman]

Andre.

Yes I agree there are some 'unofficial' reissues that sound good. I have quite a few on the Tapestry and Timeless labels that do a nice job including more than acceptable sleeve and pressing quality. Certainly £40-£50 is a sensible limit for used vinyl since it is below the cost of a new 45 rpm Audiophile double LP. I've only ever exceeded £40 on 2 or 3 occasions (incl a couple for Yes plum labels).

3 reissues that equal or exceed the originals in SQ and do more than a reasonable job in sleeve design - Ziggy Stardust (EMI), Fog On The Tyne (Virgin), and Bandstand (Snapper). The later reproduces the die cut window sleeve with great accuracy. FOTT far exceeds the pressing quality of any Charisma original while preserving the lovely dynamic recording.

I had quite a number of 80's represses until a few years ago and replaced them with original or early pressings due to their poor mastering quality. I think the popularity of the LP12 in the 80's may have something to do with it's ability to gloss over the shortcomings of such pressings as much as the hype.

Please report back on condition of your purchases as I find reliable grading of vinyl condition an increasing problem.

BTW Diverse have Family's Entertainment on Tapestry for £15. (Repros the original insert/poster).

Paul.