Rock, Punk & New Wave

Punk Rock and New Wave Music

The Cars – Panorama

More of The Cars

Panorama makes its Hot Stamper debut here with outstanding Double Plus (A++) sound from start to finish
The sound here is rich and full-bodied with much less grain and much more Tubey Magic than most of the other copies we played
A tough title to find these days — it took us years to get this shootout going
“While it’s true that Panorama may be the work of a band in transition, taking baby steps in new directions, it’s also the work of a band that couldn’t help but make great music regardless. . . The production, too, is just as striking as it is on previous efforts, as are the performances.”

The Clash – Combat Rock

More of The Clash

Both the two big jammers are on this killer side one: Should I Stay or Should I Go and Rock the Casbah – you’ve never heard them sound like this!
Glyn Johns produced and mixed Combat Rock, so its sonic credentials are certainly in order
If you’re a fan of meaty bass, grungy guitars and punchy drums, this is the copy for you
…its finest moments — “Should I Stay or Should I Go,” “Rock the Casbah,” “Straight to Hell” — illustrate why the Clash were able to reach a larger audience than ever before with the record.”

Full and natural, energetic and high-res, no other copy came close. A stunning copy, absolutely as good as it gets for this punk classic.

Most of the other copies we played failed in one of two ways: if they weren’t too bright, they were dead as a doornail. But this copy knocked them all out with correct tonal balance and tons of energy. (more…)

The B-52s / Wild Planet

This recording, like the band’s first album, reminded me of a really good Don Landee / Ted Templeman production, the kind you hear on JT or Simple Dreams or the better Doobie Brothers albums — with a difference.

Like the abovementioned albums, everything is laid out clearly: there’s a space created for every part of the frequency spectrum from the lowest lows to the highest highs, with nothing crowding or interfering with anything else. The production is professional, clean, clear and REAL sounding everywhere you look.

But…

It’s rare for those albums to sound as PUNCHY and LIVELY as the best copies of Wild Planet do. The B-52’s first album has that sound in spades. The producers and engineers apparently knew a good thing when they found it and succeeded in leaving well enough alone here (at least on the better copies; the mediocre copies are always going to be missing some of the life of the music).

Chris Blackwell of Island Records produced the album, taking the band down to Nassau to record it, with one of our favorite knob-twirlers, none other than Rhett Davies, on board as engineer.

The result is one of the Best Sounding Albums of 1980.

Rich, smooth, natural sound in the ’80s? Not many have managed to pull it off, but these guys did.

What to Listen For

A big, solid, punchy kick drum. It’s prominent in the mix on the best copies and really drives the music. (more…)

My Aim Is True – More Heavy Vinyl Trash from Rhino

Hot Stamper Pressings of Elvis’s Albums Available Now

I’m embarrassed to say we used to like the Rhino Heavy Vinyl version, and in our defense let me tell you why: it was (for the most part) tonally correct, fairly low distortion, and had tight punchy bass.

Boy, Was We Ever Wrong.

Now it sounds positively CRUDE and UNPLEASANT next to the real thing — if by “the real thing” you mean an honest to goodness properly-mastered, properly-pressed copy (also known as a Hot Stamper).

Kevin Gray’s transistory, opaque, airless, low-resolution cutting system did this album no favors.

The average copy of this record is aggressive and unpleasant.

The British pressings are mud.

You either have to work very hard to find a good domestic pressing (which means buying, cleaning and playing lots and lots of them), or you have to luck into a good one by accident.

Or just buy one from us and save yourself all the trouble.

Devo – Duty Now For The Future

More Devo

Stunning Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sound from start to finish, making this the best copy to hit the site in years!
The energy and presence here are off the charts, the bottom end is super solid and punchy, and there’s tons of space around all of the instruments
“Devo and their ilk were serious and heartfelt about their goofy sound. They were weird, but weird on their terms. Duty Now for the Future is the perfect example of that. It earns its strangeness with sharp, compelling, and infectiously energetic songs. It crafts a world to travel and never misses a step. And, perhaps most impressively, it sounds just as fresh over 30 [now 40!] years after its original release.” – Pop Matters

GET DEVOLVED! This copy gives you amazing sound for both sides of this fun — and very well-recorded — album. The average copy of this record barely hints at the sound that Ken Scott was clearly able to get on the tape. This one tells a different story, with serious weight down low, a ton of energy, loads of texture to the synths, and wonderful clarity. The lucky man (or woman) who takes this home is sure to get a thrill from it.

The soundfield on these killer sides has a three-dimensional quality that allows all the instruments to be identified and followed with ease. They just don’t get any punchier or livelier, and with music like this, all those elements combine to make this music a FUN listen. (more…)

My Aim Is True – Our Off the Charts Shootout Winner from 2016

Hot Stamper Pressings of Elvis’s Albums Available Now

Letters and Commentaries for My Aim Is True

This insanely good pressing earned the rare FOUR PLUS (A++++) grade on side one — it’s OFF THE CHARTS!

We no longer give Four Pluses out as a matter of policy, but that doesn’t mean we don’t come across records that deserve them from time to time.

Our lengthy commentary entitled Outliers & Out-of-This-World Sound talks about how rare these kinds of pressings are and how to go about finding them.

We award this copy’s side one our very special Four Plus A++++ grade, which is strictly limited to pressings (really, individual sides of pressings) that take a recording to a level never experienced by us before, a level we had no idea could even exist. We estimate that less than one per cent of the Hot Stamper pressings we come across in our shootouts earn this grade. You can’t get much more rare than that.

This is an amazing album, but a pressing like this takes it to a whole new level! The average copy of this record is aggressive and unpleasant. You either have to work very hard to find a good one (which means buying, cleaning and playing lots and lots of them), or you have to luck into a good one by accident.

Elvis Is Still The King

Remember, we’re talking about one of the best records in the history of rock and roll. It will never sound dated. It will never go out of style. It will reward repeated listenings from now until you lose your hearing. In that respect, it’s like all the best records you and I own: they are priceless treasures.

Further Reading

Ramping Up the Horsepower of The Cars Like Crazy

More of the Music of The Cars

The best copies must have one key ingredient that we’ve discovered is absolutely essential if this groundbreaking New Wave album is to come to life — a huge, spacious soundstage.

Some copies are huge; others, not so much. The effect of these size differentials is ENORMOUS. The power of the music ramps up like crazy — how could this recording possibly be this BIG and POWERFUL? How did it achieve this kind of scale? You may need twenty copies to find one like this, which begs the question: why don’t the other 19 sound the way this one does? The sound we heard has to be on the master tape in some sense, doesn’t it? Mastering clearly contributes to the sound, but can it really be a factor of this magnitude?
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R.E.M. – Lifes Rich Pageant

This outstanding copy of the band’s fourth studio album boasts solid Double Plus (A++) sound on both sides – fairly quiet too
You’ll hear more energy and more immediacy, plus an extra shot of analog richness that really ties the sound together
4 1/2 stars: “Where previous records kept the rhythm section in the background, Pageant emphasizes the beat, and the band turns in its hardest rockers to date… the band sound more contemporary both musically and lyrically than they did on either Fables or Murmur, which helps give the record an extra kick.”

(more…)

Jules and the Polar Bears / Fenetiks – A Great Album (That You’ve Probably Never Heard Of)

Desert Island Discs Available Now

Desert Island Discs – The Complete List

This is a real Desert Island Disc for me. I’m a giant fan of this band, which never got the acclaim they deserved from the public, although they were critics’ darlings from day one. If you like adventurous pop this should be right up your alley. If you’re the kind of person that was into the Talking Heads in the ’70s, this band is every bit as original and compelling.

“Shear’s songwriting is top-notch ranging from the pure pop of ‘Good Reason’ to the beautiful ballad ‘Real Enough to Love.'” — AMG

R.E.M. – Document

More R.E.M.

This original I.R.S. pressing has insanely good Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sound or close to it from start to finish – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
You will not believe how punchy, lively, dynamic, and exciting these sides are
Clean and clear and open are nice qualities to have, but rich and smooth are harder to come by on this record – yet here they are!
4 1/2 stars: “Document is a fiery statement, and its memorable melodies and riffs are made all the more indelible by its righteous anger. In other words, it’s not only a commercial breakthrough, but a creative breakthrough as well, offering evidence of R.E.M.’s growing depth and maturity…”