Hot Stamper Pressings of the Music of Joan Baez Available Now
Here is how we described the sound of one of the better stereo pressings we played recently:
Both sides of this early Stereo Vanguard pressing (one of only a handful of copies to hit the site in years) were doing just about everything right, earning superb grades on both sides.
You get pure, rich, sweet, Tubey Magical analog sound from first note to last, with Baez’s remarkably present and breathy vocals front and center where they should be.
The monos we played, however, just sounded like old records, and not very good ones at that.
Thin and edgy vocals? On a Joan Baez record? What could be worse?
When the voice is wrong on a Joan Baez record, you have yourself a completely worthless piece of vinyl. (Other titles that get the voice wrong and therefore should be avoided by audiophiles of all stripes can be found here.)
We also noted that the sound may be weighty, but it’s not rich. That lack of richness is what is causing Joan’s voice to sound thin and edgy.
Full of Them
Most record collections are full of these kinds of records. They just sit on shelves, never getting played because the sound is not good enough to make the music interesting.
Only an old school audio system can hide the faults of a pressing such as this one. The world is full of those too, even though they might comprise all the latest and most expensive components.
The mono pressings of this title are hopeless. For other albums that don’t sound good in mono, click here.
If you see this album in mono at a garage sale, don’t even waste a buck on it. Not even a quarter. It’s just not worth the vinyl it’s pressed on.
More on the subject of mono versus stereo.
Further Reading