Were they black vinyl or the 'limited edition' gold?
Have just received on of the latter and it's really noisy; the music is good though.
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I always find it harder to see what sort of condition coloured vinyl is in too, I have a few marbled effect records and they are impossible to look at in any detail.
The only clear vinyl I ever remember owning was Paranoid by the Dickies on 7", that was a long time ago and can't recall at all how it sounded. I have no idea as to why I even bought it. Jean Michele Jarre is definitely something you would want to have sounding as quiet and crisp as possible.
Ive lots of coloured Vinyl; clear being the best on all counts, bar Black of course.
I would never choose coloured vinyl over black, but sometimes you don't really get the choice and gold was what was in stock. I will return it and wait for black ...
The addition of carbon black to PVC helps discharge the build up of static during record replay. Originally it was added to shellac of the old '78s' to add strength, and (some say) to disguise blemishes and flaws during pressing.
IMO it is much easier to cue a record if it is black coloured; and despite their, rarity would never consider seeking out an LP that was not black.