- You’ll find incredible Nearly Triple Plus (A++ to A+++) sound throughout this vintage import copy of the band’s Prog Rock Masterpiece – just shy of our Shootout Winner
- We had a wide variety of Islands (Pink and Sunray) and UK Polydor pressings, and only two of those labels can have Hot Stampers based on the many shootouts we’ve done over the years
- On a pressing as good as this one, turned up to seriously loud levels, the horns blasting away on “21st Century Schizoid Man” are guaranteed to blow your mind
- Marks 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: “The group’s definitive album, and one of the most daring debut albums ever …. it blew all of the progressive/psychedelic competition out of the running, although it was almost too good for the band’s own good — it took King Crimson nearly four years to come up with a record as strong or concise.”
- We’ve recently compiled a list of records we think every audiophile should get to know better, along the lines of “the 1001 records you need to hear before you die,” but with less of an accent on morbidity and more on the joy these amazing audiophile-quality recordings can bring to your life. In the Court of the Crimson King is a good example of a record many audiophiles may not know well but should get to know better
1969
Traffic – The Best of Traffic
More Music on Island Records
For those who wish to find their own Hot Stamper pressings of the album, we say more power to you. Our helpful advice can be found at the bottom of the listing,
- This original Pink Label Island pressing was doing practically everything right, with both sides earning killer Nearly Triple Plus (A++ to A+++) grades, just shy of our Shootout Winner – fairly quiet vinyl too
- Here are the full-bodied mids, punchy lows and clear, open, extended highs that let this 1969 release come alive
- This amazing compilation boasts superb sound, often dramatically better than the very same tracks on many of the original British releases
- Top 100 and 4 stars: “The entire second side of the LP, comprising ‘Medicated Goo,’ ‘Forty Thousand Headmen,’ ‘Feelin’ Alright,’ ‘Shanghai Noodle Factory,’ and ‘Dear Mr. Fantasy,’ was the kind of progressive rock that would define Traffic and give it its place in the rock pantheon.”
- For our current take on the sound of the various labels and stampers for Mr. Fantasy and The Best of Traffic, please click here.
Taj Mahal – Giant Step / De Ole Folks at Home
More Soul, Blues and R&B
- With roughly Double Plus (A++) grades on all FOUR sides, this copy of Taj Mahal’s third studio album will be very hard to beat
- Side two was sonically very close to our Shootout Winner – you will be shocked at how big and powerful the sound is
- We guarantee there is dramatically more space, richness, vocal presence, and performance energy on this copy than others you’ve heard (particularly on side two, three, and four), and that’s especially true if you made the mistake of buying whatever Heavy Vinyl pressing is currently on the market
- A stunning double album that combines killer electric tracks on the first disc, Giant Step, with more intimate “decidedly rural” acoustic sound on the second, De Ole Folks at Home
- 4 stars: “Parties searching for an apt introduction when discovering Taj Mahal’s voluminous catalogue are encouraged to consider Giant Step as a highly recommended reference point.”
The best copies are not hard to spot. They have the richest, breathiest, most present vocals, surrounded in the most space. The balance between the guitar, bass and drums on the electric side is correct.
On the acoustic side the harmonics of the stringed instruments — banjo and guitar — ring out clearly and naturally.
A sweeter midrange, with less grit and spit on the vocals, was especially welcome. (more…)
Johnny Cash – At San Quentin
More of the Music of Johnny Cash
- Here is an original Columbia 360 pressing of Cash’s legendary live album with solid Double Plus (A++) grades from top to bottom
- What made these sides really stand out from the pack was their combination of richness and clarity – take it from us, it’s not easy to find a pressing that gives you both the way this one does
- Forget the 70s reissues and whatever dead-on-arrival Heavy Vinyl record they’re making these days – if you want to hear the Tubey Magical you-are-there immediacy of Johnny Cash live in concert, this is the only way to do it
- So many great songs: “Wanted Man,” “I Walk the Line,” “San Quentin,” “A Boy Named Sue,” “Folsom Prison Blues” and more
- If you only have one Johnny Cash album, wouldn’t it have to be this one?
- 5 stars: “…listen to ‘A Boy Named Sue,’ … rescued by the wild-eyed, committed performance by Cash, where it sounds like he really was set on murdering that son of a bitch who named him Sue. He sounds that way throughout the record…”
We had a blast listening to this album. Cash’s banter between the songs is practically as good as the music itself!
Blood, Sweat & Tears – Self-Titled
More of the Music of Blood, Sweat and Tears
- Here is a superb copy of BS&T’s self-titled LP with Double Plus (A++) sound or close to it throughout
- The only versions of the album we sell are the 360 originals, but most of the dozen or more stamper numbers we know cannot hold a candle to this pressing
- The sound is huge, rich, dynamic and powerful (particularly on side two) – BS&T is a permanent member of our Top 100 and a Demo Disc par excellence
- This is Roy Halee‘s engineering masterpiece, and here’s the kind of pressing that, given the right equipment, room, and setup, really makes our case (also particularly on side two)
- There are some marks (as is sometimes the nature of the beast with these vintage LPs) on “Variations on a Theme by Erik Satie (1st & 2nd Movements),” but once you hear just how good sounding this copy is, you might be inclined to stop counting ticks and just be swept away by the music
- 4 1/2 stars: “Their finest moment and a testimony to the best of the jazz/rock movement … The album is bold, brassy and adventurous.”
Blind Faith – Self-Titled
More of the Music of Eric Clapton
- The band’s debut LP, here with solid Double Plus (A++) grades throughout this original UK Polydor pressing
- From the moment we dropped the needle and heard all that fluffy, correct-sounding tape hiss, we knew we were in for a treat – the sound on both sides is punchy, open, spacious, big, bold, and alive!
- If you doubt this record can sound as good as you remember from back in the day, assuming you are an old goat like me, this pressing will be a revelation
- There are some bad marks (as is sometimes the nature of the beast with these Classic Rock records) on “Had to Cry Today,” but once you hear just how excellent sounding this copy is, you might be inclined, as we were, to stop counting ticks and just be swept away by the music
- 4 stars: “Blind Faith’s first and last album, more than 30 years old [make that 57 years old] and counting, remains one of the jewels of the Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, and Ginger Baker catalogs. . . it merges the soulful blues of the former with the heavy riffing and outsized song lengths of the latter for a very compelling sound unique to this band.”
- If you’re a Classic Rock fan, this band’s debut from 1969 is an absolute Must Own, especially when it sounds as good as this copy does
Here is the Blind Faith you’ve been waiting for: Tubey Magical, transparent, full of life and energy — dear friends, it’s all here.
Sick of buying one harsh, thin, distorted, veiled, closed-in, smeary LP after another in a vain attempt to find a copy that reminds you of why you loved this record so much when it came out back in 1969?
Neil Young / Self-Titled
More of the Music of Neil Young
- Here is a vintage Reprise pressing of Neil’s solo debut with solid Double Plus (A++) grades from start to finish
- Both sides are rich, full and Tubey Magical with a big bottom end and excellent resolution
- Surely one of Neil’s toughest to find with top quality sonics – and only certain early pressings have the potential to sound as good as this one does, a subject we discuss on the blog in some detail
- “…a flowing tributary from the over-all Springfield river of twangs, breathless vocals and slim yet stout instrumentation. Especially vivid is Young’s sense of melancholy and the ingenious clusters of images he employs in his lyrics (printed in full).” – Rolling Stone
The Rolling Stones – Let It Bleed
More of the Music of The Rolling Stones
- With solid Double Plus (A++) sound on both sides, here is an outstanding All Analog pressing showcasing the Stones at the peak of their rock and roll powers
- “Love In Vain” is one of the best sounding Stones songs ever recorded – the acoustic guitar harmonics and the rich WHOMP of the snare prove indisputably that Glyn Johns is one of the engineering greats
- Marks in the vinyl are sometimes the nature of the beast with these Classic Rock records – there simply is no way around them if the superior sound of vintage analog is important to you
- Top 100, 5 stars – Jason McNeil wrote that Beggars Banquet and Let It Bleed are “the two greatest albums the band’s (or anyone’s) ever made.” [Add Sticky Fingers to complete the ultimate Stones Trilogy.]
- This is a Must Own album from 1969, one that should have a place in any audiophile’s pop and rock section
This is, in our humble opinion, the second or third best record the Stones ever made. (Sticky Fingers is Number One, and either this or Beggar’s Banquet comes in a strong second.) With this wonderful early domestic pressing we can now hear the power and the beauty of the recording itself, a fact that we consider the very definition of a Hot Stamper.
Killer Stones Sound
Both sides have more ambiance, more life, and more presence than you probably dreamed possible. Take the sound of “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” to pick just one example. The breathtaking transparency of this copy allows you to pick out each voice in the intro. The vocals on the other songs are no less present, full-bodied and breathy.
Astrud Gilberto – I Haven’t Got Anything Better To Do
More Bossa Nova
- Astrud’s 1969 release appears on the site for only the second time ever, here with solid Double Plus (A++) sound or close to it from first note to last
- It’s rich, warm and natural with wonderful transparency, loads of ambience and – this is key – plenty of Tubey Magic (particularly on side one)
- There are some bad marks (as is sometimes the nature of the beast with these vintage LPs) on “If (The Biggest Little Word)” 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 stars: “Mistakenly considered a minor entry in the Gilberto canon, I Haven’t Got Anything Better to Do is instead a minor masterpiece.”
The Beatles – Yellow Submarine
- You’ll find stunning Nearly Triple Plus (A++ to A+++) grades on both sides of this vintage UK copy – just shy of our Shootout Winner
- Without a doubt the hardest single side of any Beatles album to find with good sound is side two of Yellow Submarine, and here’s a copy that is practically as good as it gets
- This pressing is clean, clear, solid and energetic – just the right sound for this classic Beatles music
- The only place to find the all-time classic “Hey Bulldog,” as well as “All Together Now” and “It’s All Too Much”
- “All You Need Is Love” debuted in a true stereo mix on LP for this album
- Problems in the vinyl are sometimes the nature of the beast with these vintage LPs – those on “Pepperland” are especially bad – but if you can tough those out, this copy is going to blow your mind
This is a very difficult album to find good sound for; many pressings are almost unbearably gritty and harsh. Fortunately, these two sides have no such problems. The overall tonality is rich and full-bodied, and there’s plenty of presence and energy as well. (more…)