These vintage Paisley Park pressings were doing just about everything right, with all FOUR sides earning solid Double Plus (A++) grades or close to them
The sonics are big, full, lively and spacious with more rock solid energy than most other copies we played (particularly on sides one, two and four)
Problems in the vinyl are sometimes the nature of the beast with these vintage LPs – there simply is no way around them if the superior sound of vintage analog is important to you
5 stars: “Fearless, eclectic, and defiantly messy, Prince’s Sign ‘O’ the Times falls into the tradition of tremendous, chaotic double albums like The Beatles, Exile on Main St., and London Calling — albums that are fantastic because of their overreach, their great sprawl. Prince shows nearly all of his cards here, from bare-bones electro-funk and smooth soul to pseudo-psychedelic pop and crunching hard rock, touching on gospel, blues, and folk along the way.”
Here is an original UK import pressing of Pentangle’s 1970 release (the first copy to ever hit the site) with KILLER Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) grades or close to them on both sides – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
The unprocessed quality found throughout the album has its audiophile credentials fully in order, especially in the area of guitar harmonics, as well as drums that sound like real drums actually sound
The true foundation of the music is provided by two legendary guitar heavyweights, Bert Jansch and John Renbourn, with Jacqui McShee’s almost unbearably sweet vocals soaring above them
4 1/2 stars: “Cruel Sister shows Pentangle at their artistic height, combining all of their skill and inspiration to create a vital and enduring album.”
You’ll find INSANELY GOOD Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) grades throughout this New Jazz recording pressed on fairly quiet OJC vinyl
A tough shootout, as no other copy earned a 3+ grade on either side, which simply means that when you find a top copy, it sets such a high standard that everything else ends up getting marked down
Full, rich, and spacious with an abundance of Tubey Magic and, better yet, never dry, hard or transistory – true Demo Disc quality sound
There’s so much life in these grooves – the sonics jump out of the speakers right into your lap
4 stars: “…this was an impressive beginning to a short but productive career and gives one a strong example of the multi-talented Nelson’s tenor playing.”
Here is a vintage RCA Red Seal import pressing (the first to ever hit the site) with INCREDIBLE Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) grades or close to them from first note to last
A tough shootout, as no other copy earned a 3+ grade on either side, which simply means that when you find a top copy, it sets such a high standard that everything else ends up getting marked down
It’s simply bigger, more transparent, less distorted, more three-dimensional and more real than practically all of what we played
Everything that we listen for in a great classical recording can be heard on this copy – it’s immediate, dynamic, very low distortion, spacious, and alive
Boasting two STUNNING Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sides, this vintage A&M pressing could not be beat
A tough shootout, as no other copy earned a 3+ grade on either side, which simply means that when you find a top copy, it sets such a high standard that everything else ends up getting marked down
The sound is huge – big, wide, deep, and open, with a punchy bottom end and rhythmic energy to spare, as well as cleaner, smoother, sweeter upper mids and a more extended top
Analog at its Tubey Magical finest – you’ll never play a CD (or any other digitally sourced material) that sounds as good as this record as long as you live
4 1/2 stars: “An enjoyable and even infectious collection that, in its sophistication, certainly avoids being just some sort of dry run for [Quincy] Jones … producing Michael Jackson’s wildly successful Off the Wall and Thriller albums…”
Ol’ Blue Eyes Is Back debuts on the site with a KILLER Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) side one mated to a solid Double Plus (A++) side two
On a copy this good, Frank will appear as living, breathing (albeit disembodied) person right in your very own listening room – we call that “the breath of life,” and this record has it in spades
“Frank Sinatra returned from his brief retirement in 1973 with the appropriately titled Ol’ Blue Eyes Is Back. Released amidst a whirlwind of publicity, the album was a commercial success, earning gold status and nearly climbing its way into the Top Ten…. ‘Send in the Clowns’ and the moving ‘There Used to Be a Ballpark,’ both featuring sublime, subtle arrangements from Gordon Jenkins and outstanding singing by Sinatra.”
Into the Hot debuts on the site with INSANELY GOOD Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) grades on both sides of this vintage ABC Impulse pressing
A tough shootout, as no other copy earned a 3+ grade on either side, which simply means that when you find a top copy, it sets such a high standard that everything else ends up getting marked down
These sides are big and rich, with loads of Tubey Magic, wonderful transparency and lots of space around the players
Exceptionally spacious and three-dimensional, as well as relaxed and full-bodied – this pressing was a big step up over every other copy we played
Green’s 1964 release, here with very good Hot Stamper grades on both sides of this vintage Blue Note pressing
It’s richer, fuller and with more presence than the average copy, and that’s especially true for whatever godawful Heavy Vinyl pressing is currently being foisted on an unsuspecting record buying public
This is true of even our lowest-priced, lowest-graded copies – they are guaranteed to sound much better than any pressing you can find on the market today, as well as any pressing you may already own
Feel free to explore whatever reissues might suit your fancy, but one pressing you should probably steer clear of is anything on the Music Matters label — they really made a mess of Grant’s Green Street album, so unless you have return privileges, you are asking for trouble buying any of their records
Rudy Van Gelder was masterful at this kind of spacious, low-distortion, dynamic, energetic sound
This vintage Jazzland recording pressed on remarkably quiet OJC vinyl boasts solid Double Plus (A++) sound or BETTER from first note to last
Both of these sides are remarkably rich, clear and transparent with sound that positively jumps out of the speakers
4 stars: “A stirring set, to be sure, with good solo work all around and a rhythm section that, in addition to its flawless time-keeping, is all spunk and fire” – Down Beat
This original Plum Label Mercury pressing of Starker’s sublime performances boasts two textured, sweet, and natural Double Plus (A++) or BETTER sides
It’s also fairly quiet at Mint Minus Minus, a grade that even our most-well-cared-for vintage classical titles have trouble playing at
The cello is present and immediate, with sound that is wonderfully full and harmonically natural on this copy of SR-90409
This recording is not your typical dry, bright, nasaly, upper-midrangy Merc – the sound is rich and smooth like a good London, with a big stage and lovely transparency
