Domestic=Best

The right domestic pressings of these albums have the potential to sound better than even the best imports.

This may strike you as contrary to the received wisdom of most record collectors, but we have the superior sounding copies of these titles to back up everything we say.

Isaac Hayes – Shaft

More Soul, Blues, and R&B

  • Seriously good Double Plus (A++) grades or close to them bring Hayes’s 2-LP soundtrack album to life on these vintage pressings
  • It took us close to two years to find enough copies with good sound and decent vinyl to do a shootout, and these outstanding pressings are the result of all that digging, cleaning and evaluating
  • There are some bad marks (as is sometimes the nature of the beast with these vintage LPs) on “Cafe Regio’s,” but once you hear just how superb sounding this copy is, you might be inclined, as we were, to stop counting ticks and just be swept away by the music
  • 4 1/2 stars: “Isaac Hayes was undoubtedly one of the era’s most accomplished soul artists, having helped elevate Stax to its esteemed status… And with ‘Theme from Shaft,’ he delivered an anthem just as ambitious and revered as the film itself, a song that has only grown more treasured over the years, after having been an enormously popular hit at the time of its release.”

This copy of the Shaft Soundtrack has wonderful sound throughout, and that ain’t no jive talkin’! We collected a bunch of these and after putting them through the shootout process we were delighted to find out that some of the material on here can sound amazingly good on the best pressings. What earned these four sides such good grades? They’re simply richer, fuller and livelier than most. They’re also more open and transparent, with notably improved clarity, much less smear, and tighter, more note-like bass.

Find your favorite song on here, drop the needle, and see if the dramatically improved sound doesn’t bring back some special memories, and maybe even inspire you to bust a move. (more…)

Beethoven / “Kreutzer” Sonata & Bach / Concerto For Two Violins / Heifetz

Hot Stamper Pressings with Jascha Heifetz Performing

  • An original Shaded Dog pressing of these classical violin performances with two stunning Nearly Triple Plus (A++ to A+++) Living Stereo sides – just shy of our Shootout Winner
  • 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
  • This copy had the balance of clarity and sweetness we were looking for in the tone of the violin, and the orchestra sounds amazing – so rich and full-bodied
  • These sides are doing practically everything right – they’re rich, clear, undistorted, open, spacious, and have depth and transparency to rival the best recordings you may have heard
  • Although the Shaded Dog originals, now that we know which stampers are the best, will always win our shootouts, the White Dog reissues still sound quite good to us, just not as good
  • There are about 150 orchestral recordings we think offer the best performance coupled with the highest quality sound. This record has earned a place on that list, beating out Heifetz’s other performance for RCA, LSC 2377

If you want a recording that is going to put your system to the test,this is that record!

The violin is real. The piano is also very well recorded, and the balance between those two instruments on this recording is perfection.

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Dave Mason – Headkeeper

More of the Music of Dave Mason

  • An early Blue Thumb pressing with solid Double Plus (A++) grades on both sides – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
  • Some of the best sound Dave Mason ever managed, so let’s give credit where credit is due: to the amazing engineer Al Schmitt
  • If you’re a Dave Mason fan, this is one of the better albums he’s put out and it deserves a place in your collection
  • “The spare, acoustic solo performance of ‘Can’t Stop Worrying, Can’t Stop Loving’ heard here, for example, makes the undistinguished full-band studio version instantly obsolete. And the live version of ‘World In Changes’ is one of the best pieces of early 70s rock, period.”

This is some of the best sound Dave Mason ever managed, so let’s give credit where credit is due, to the amazing Al Schmitt. He recorded and mixed this album and he sure knocked it out of the park.

We know his work well; he happens to have engineered many albums with superb sound: Aja, Hatari, Breezin’, Late for the Sky, Toto IV – the guy’s won 13 Grammies, which ought to tell you something.

Side one of the album is recorded in the studio, side two live from the Troubador. Many of the songs on side one would be recorded again by Mason, and not as well in most cases. Mastered at Artisan (where Kevin Gray got his start, what the hell happened to that guy?) by none other than the owner, Bob MacLeod, this record got the A Team treatment from start to finish. (more…)

Neil Young – American Stars ‘N’ Bars

More of the Music of Neil Young

  • Boasting KILLER Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) grades or close to them from top to bottom, we guarantee you’ve never heard Neil’s 1977 release sound this good
  • Side one of this album was recorded just before Comes A Time and it clearly shows – the music is country-flavored and relaxed
  • Side two’s material was recorded throughout the 70s and has more of the dark, heavy sound that we know and love from albums such as Zuma and Tonight’s The Night
  • Incredible sound for some really great songs, including “Like A Hurricane” and “Star Of Bethlehem”
  • 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
  • If you’re a Neil Young fan, this 1977 album should fit nicely in your collection

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Chet Baker / Plays The Best Of Lerner And Loewe

More of the Music of Chet Baker

  • This Riverside stereo recording pressed on OJC vinyl boasts solid Double Plus (A++) sound from first note to last
  • Big, rich, smooth, open, natural, with plenty of note-like bass – what’s not to like? This copy is doing most everything right
  • Some of the best jazz guys of the day back up Chet on this one: Zoot Sims, Pepper Adams, Bill Evans, Herbie Mann and more
  • “…the timelessness of the melodies, coupled with the assembled backing aggregate, make Chet Baker Plays the Best of Lerner and Loewe (1959) a memorable concept album.”

This is a wonderful Chet Baker record that doesn’t seem to be getting the respect it deserves in the wider jazz world. You may just like it every bit as much as the Chet album, and that is one helluva record to compare any album to. In our estimation it’s about as good as it get. (more…)

Little Feat / Feats Don’t Fail Me Now

More of the Music of Little Feat 

  • Feats Don’t Fail Me Now returns to the site for only the second time in years, here with solid Double Plus (A++) grades or close to them on both sides of this vintage Warner Bros. pressing
  • Huge, spacious and three-dimensional with plenty of rich Tubey Magic (particularly on side two) – who knew it could sound this good?
  • Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt and Fran Tate (the future Mrs. Billy Payne) contribute the lovely background vocals
  • 4 1/2 stars: “If Dixie Chicken represented a pinnacle of Lowell George as a songwriter and band leader, its sequel Feats Don’t Fail Me Now is the pinnacle of Little Feat as a group, showcasing each member at their finest.”

It’s getting mighty hard to find clean copies of practically all the pre-Waiting For Columbus titles.

The good news we have to offer this time as opposed to last is that we can now clearly say that Feats Don’t Fail Me Now is the best sounding album of the first four the band recorded. We think the songs are great too; we would hope that goes without saying. Waiting For Columbus — their live masterpiece and inarguably the definitive recording statement by the band — has at least one song from this album on each of its four sides. That ought to tell you something. If only we could find good sounding copies! But enough about that album. Let’s talk about this one. (more…)

Stanley Turrentine – The Sugar Man

More of the Music of Stanley Turrentine

  • The Sugar Man appears on the site for only the second time ever, here with a STUNNING Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) side two mated to a solid Double Plus (A++) side one
  • Rudy Van Gelder really knocked this one out of the park – the sound here is solid, punchy and present, just the way we like it
  • If you prefer a recessed, vague, washed-out presentation, may we recommend you find whatever Heavy Vinyl reissue pressing is currently available – it will surely be more to your taste than this one
  • Thanks to RVG and Creed Taylor, this is some very well recorded funky Jazz Fusion that we enjoyed the hell out of in our shootout
  • “…Turrentine’s playing is excellent, and the overall results certainly top most of the tenor’s upcoming Fantasy releases.”

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Seals & Crofts – Summer Breeze

More Folk Rock


  • A superb copy of Summer Breeze with solid Double Plus (A++) sound or BETTER from start to finish – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
  • With an abundance of Tubey Magical richness in the midrange – the kind that was still abundant on analog tape in 1972 – this is a wonderful sounding album of folk pop
  • It has taken us years to find the right stampers for this album, and now here they are on the Green Label original in all their glory
  • 4 1/2 stars: “Summer Breeze offered an unusually ambitious array of music within a soft rock context – most artists tried to avoid weighty subjects in such surroundings… the most highly regarded of all of Seals & Crofts’ albums.” (more…)

The Band– Cahoots

More of the Music of The Band

  • The group’s fourth studio album debuts on the site with INSANELY GOOD Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) grades from top to bottom
  • These sides are rich, dynamic and natural sounding with low end weight, midrange smoothness and powerful, punchy bass
  • Forget all those vague, veiled, lifeless, ambience-free Heavy Vinyl pressings – this is the Cahoots that The Band recorded!
  • For those who need more convincing that the best copies sound amazing, here are our notes for this very copy. Hope you can read them!

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Jeff Beck – Blow by Blow

More Jazz Fusion

  • Beck’s 1975 release, here with a KILLER Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) side two mated to a solid Double Plus (A++) side one
  • These sides are doing practically everything right — they’re clean, clear and open with lots of space around the players, and plenty of rich, bottom end weight
  • 4 1/2 stars: “Blow by Blow signaled a new creative peak for Beck, and it proved to be a difficult act to follow. It is a testament to the power of effective collaboration and, given the circumstances, Beck clearly rose to the occasion. In addition to being a personal milestone, Blow by Blow ranks as one of the premiere recordings in the canon of instrumental rock music.”

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