Rock, Punk & New Wave

Punk Rock and New Wave Music

The Jam – Sound Affects

More New Wave

  • A Sound Affects like you’ve never heard, with excellent Double Plus (A++) grades throughout this vintage Polydor domestic pressing
  • Yes, you read that right – the early and later imports we played were by far the worst sounding pressings in our shootout
  • Both of these sides have energy and presence that positively jumps out of the speakers, two of the qualities that we prize most highly in our Hot Stampers, and two of things among many that Heavy Vinyl does so poorly
  • 5 stars: “From beginning to end, the songs are pure, clever, infectious pop – probably their catchiest – with ‘That’s Entertainment’ and the should-have-been-a-single ‘Man in the Corner Shop’ standing out.

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The Police – Outlandos d’Amour

More of The Police

  • This copy was giving us the sound we were looking for on the band’s debut album, with both sides earning very good Hot Stamper grades – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
  • Few audiophiles (I’m guessing) know how well recorded this album is – you need just the right UK pressing to show you what’s really on the tape
  • “Roxanne,” “So Lonely,” “Can’t Stand Losing You” all sound quite good on these two sides
  • 4 1/2 stars: “Although Sting, Andy Summers, and Stewart Copeland were all superb instrumentalists with jazz backgrounds, it was much easier to get a record contract in late-70s England if you were a punk/new wave artist, so the band decided to mask their instrumental prowess with a set of strong, adrenaline-charged rock, albeit with a reggae tinge.”

What’s amazing about this copy? There are sweet highs and ambience that we didn’t think were possible — and it rocks! Whatever it’s doing, it sure doesn’t take a pair of golden ears to hear it.

Not only does the high end exist, but it sounds sweet and doesn’t rip your ears out of your earsockets (trust me, I’m a doctor). This is vitally important in songs like “Roxanne,” where Andy Summers’ reggae influenced guitar can sound squawky and brittle if there is too much compression.

Sting’s vocals are detailed, present, and you can really hear his background vocals separate themselves away from the lead, obvious on this copy in a denser track like “So Lonely.”

There’s a ton of punchy bass which actually equates to a ton of life and energy on this album. If Stewart Copeland’s kick drum isn’t punching you in the chest, then you’re missing out on some of the fun. We even heard ambience around the cymbals, and that is information most copies of the album simply cannot resolve.

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The Clash – London Calling

More of The Clash

  • A vintage UK import with incredible Nearly Triple Plus (A++ to A+++) sound on all FOUR sides – just shy of our Shootout Winner (side four actually won the shootout) – fairly quiet vinyl too
  • Guaranteed to be a huge improvement over anything you’ve heard, this Brit is big, punchy, and full-bodied with excellent presence
  • A shockingly well-recorded album that comes to life with the combo of a great copy and a hi-res, full-range system
  • 5 stars: “A stunning statement of purpose and one of the greatest rock & roll albums ever recorded.”

Audiophile sound for this punk rock classic?! You better believe it, baby! The sound here is superb for all four sides.

What really sets this album apart sonically is The Clash’s use of reggae and dub influences. You can really hear it when you tune in to the bottom end; your average late 70s punk record won’t have this kind of rich and meaty bass, that’s for sure. Drop the needle on “The Guns Of Brixton” (last track on side two) to hear exactly what I’m talking about. On a Hot Stamper copy played at the correct levels (read: quite loud!) the effect is positively HYPNOTIC.

Bill Price engineered and as we like to say, he knocked this one out of the park. The best sounding record from 1979? I have the feeling it just might be.

Nobody would have accused The Clash of being an audiophile-friendly band, but a copy like this might make you think twice about that! We had a blast doing this shootout and we hope whoever takes this home has just as much fun with it.

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Duran Duran – Rio

More Duran Duran

  • Here is a superb British EMI import pressing (one of only a handful of copies to hit the site in sixteen months) with two solid Double Plus (A++) sides
  • Forget the dubby domestic LPs with their boosted mids – this is the way the album is supposed to sound, and the difference is not a small one
  • This kind of record often shows up from overseas in beat-to-death shape – few survived, and that reality is compounded by the fact that even fewer record dealers know how to properly grade their records (hence our prices)
  • 4 1/2 stars: “The original Duran Duran’s high point, and just as likely the band’s as a whole, its fusion of style and substance ensures that even two decades after its release it remains as listenable and danceable as ever… From start to finish, a great album that has outlasted its era.”

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Squeeze – East Side Story

More Squeeze

  • With solid Double Plus (A++) grades or close to them throughout, this original British A&M pressing is guaranteed to handily beat any other East Side Story you’ve heard – fairly quiet vinyl too
  • The sound on side two of this superb import is rich, full-bodied, lively, and warm, with solid bass and breathy, clear vocals, and side one is not far behind in all those areas
  • Don’t waste your money on whatever dead-as-a-doornail Heavy Vinyl record they’re making these days – if you want to hear the Tubey Magic, size and energy of Squeeze’s fourth studio album, a vintage 80s pressing like this one is the only way to go (particularly on this side two)
  • 5 stars: “…it stands as Squeeze’s tour de force, the best pop band of their time stretching every one of its muscles.”

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Talking Heads / Speaking in Tongues

More Talking Heads

  • Both sides of this vintage Sire pressing were giving us the big and bold sound we were looking for, earning solid Double Plus (A++ ) grades
  • “Burning Down the House” – our favorite track on the album and one of the band’s best – is really rockin’ right out of the gate!
  • The sound opens up nicely, allowing you to hear into the music and appreciate the more subtle details, details that more often than not get lost on other pressings
  • 4 stars: “… their most popular album yet…” – it also was #54 on Rolling Stone’s list of the “100 best albums of the 1980s”

We recently finished a shootout for Speaking In Tongues, the band’s 1983 release, the last great Talking Heads album, and were pleased as punch to hear a copy or two deliver the kind of magic that we’ve been getting on Little Creatures.

Most copies of Speaking In Tongues are too flat, dry and veiled to get worked up about, but this one will show you that excellent sound for this album is indeed possible, albeit awfully difficult to find.

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Eurythmics – Touch

More of the Music of The Eurythmics

  • The Eurythmics’ third studio album was their breakthrough, and here it is with solid Double Plus (A++) sound throughout – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
  • Both of these sides are surprisingly rich, smooth and analog-sounding, with an especially nice weighty quality to Lennox’s alluring vocals
  • Forget the domestic pressings; forget whatever lame reissues have come or will come down the pike – if you want to hear this album right, a Hot Stamper British pressing is the only way to go
  • Includes some of the most memorable synth-pop anthems of the era – “Here Comes The Rain Again,” “Who’s That Girl?” and more
  • 4 1/2 stars: “The cool, sophisticated musical experimentalism all over Touch cemented Eurythmics’ reputation as one of the most innovative duos of their time… Touch is a testament to what Eurythmics were at the height of their electronic-techno phase and, without doubt, is a milestone in 1980s pop music.”
  • If you’re a Eurythmics fan, this title from 1983 is surely a Must Own

We’ve tried a fair number of this band’s albums and to be honest, every one but this one has had horribly bright, overly-processed, distorted sound, even on import vinyl.

Until we run across something a lot better than what we have been auditioning, this will be the only title we can offer as a Hot Stamper from Eurythmics. (more…)

Devo – New Traditionalists

More New Wave

  • The Hot Stamper debut of Devo’s 1981 release, here with KILLER Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sound from start to finish – fairly quiet vinyl too
  • We guarantee there is dramatically more space, richness, presence, and performance energy on this copy than others you’ve heard or you get your money back – it’s as simple as that
  • “Apparently deciding – admittedly, not without reason – that America’s comprehension of irony was sorely lacking, Devo largely abandons its sense of absurdity on New Traditionalists, explicitly stating their cultural views… The opener “Through Being Cool” actually benefits from the new outlook, making for a clear and effective statement of purpose. It sets the stage for some of Devo’s angriest, most embittered songs, which often function as connections between new wave and the punk attitudes that were so crucial in its creation.”

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Patti Smith Group – Easter

More New Wave

More Women Who Rock

  • Here is an outstanding copy of Easter (one of only a handful to hit the site in three years) with solid Double Plus (A++) grades or BETTER from top to bottom
  • Side two was sonically very close to our Shootout Winner – you will be shocked at how big and powerful the sound is
  • Forget whatever dead-as-a-doornail Heavy Vinyl record they’re making these days – if you want to hear the Tubey Magic, size and energy of Smith’s breakthrough from 1978, this is the way to go
  • 4 1/2 stars: “Easter, produced by Bruce Springsteen associate Jimmy Iovine, was Smith’s most commercial-sounding effort yet and, due to the inclusion of Springsteen’s ‘Because the Night’ (with Smith’s revised lyrics), a Top Ten hit, it became her biggest seller, staying in the charts more than five months and getting into the Top 20 LPs. But Smith hadn’t so much sold out as she had learned to use her poetic gifts within an album rock context.”

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Talking Heads – True Stories

More Talking Heads

  • With two solid Double Plus (A++) sides or close to them, this copy is guaranteed to handily beat any True Stories you’ve heard – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
  • Here’s the Midrange Magic (particularly on side one) that’s surely missing from whatever 180g reissue has been made from the tapes (or, to be clear, a modern digital master copied from who-knows-what-tapes)
  • “…True Stories is not without its charms… ‘Dream Operator’ is one of the most affecting tunes Talking Heads ever recorded; the closing-credits theme ‘City of Dreams’ is similarly touching.”

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