1969

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.”

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The Beatles – Yellow Submarine

Hot Stamper Pressings of The Beatles Available Now

  • 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…)

Frank Zappa / Hot Rats

More of the Music of Frank Zappa


  • Here is a vintage Bizarre pressing with two solid Double Plus (A++) sides
  • The overall sound here is musical, natural and balanced with an abundance of Tubey Magic that only the better early pressings can offer
  • If you know the album well – and I know it very well, having played it literally hundreds of times – the Classic Records reissue is positively unlistenable and will never come close to the big, rich analog sonics of the real deal we’re offering here
  • 4 1/2 stars: “Hot Rats still sizzles; few albums originating on the rock side of jazz-rock fusion flowed so freely between both sides of the equation, or achieved such unwavering excitement and energy.”
  • This is a Must Own album from 1969, one that should have a place in any audiophile’s collection

It takes us years to find copies that sound like this one. Bernie’s version for Classic beats a lot of copies out there, but it can’t hold a candle to this one.

I’ve been listening to Hot Rats since I was in high school. It’s still remarkably fresh and original, even now. This is not music for the faint of heart. Audiophiles who prefer a steady diet of Patricia Barber and her like will find little of interest here. But for those of you who want to explore something completely original and a bit “out there,” this should be right up your alley — and be sure to check out Waka Jawaka, too.

Reading in the liner notes today, I see that one of the engineers on this album is Jack Hunt, the famous half-speed mastering engineer who cut records for Mobile Fidelity and Direct Disc Labs. Oh how the mighty have fallen.

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Roland Kirk – Left & Right

More Jazz Recordings of Interest

  • Left & Right appears on the site for only the second time ever, here with an INCREDIBLE Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) side one mated to a solid Double Plus (A++) side two – fairly quiet vinyl too
  • Rich, solid bass; you-are-there immediacy; energy and drive; instruments that are positively jumping out of the speakers – add it all up and you can see that this copy had the sound we were looking for
  • 4 1/2 stars: “…extremely brilliant and thoroughly accessible.”

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Buffalo Springfield – Retrospective

More of the Music of Buffalo Springfield

  • With solid Double Plus (A++) grades or close to them on both sides, this original Atco pressing will be very hard to beat
  • Big, full-bodied, clear and present, the Tubey Magical richness of the better pressings is a joy to hear on modern high resolution equipment (particularly on this side two)
  • “Kind Woman” and “I Am A Child” are just two of the best sounding songs – listen to all that space around the voices and instruments (particularly “I Am A Child” on this side two)
  • And the Pysch stuff – “On the Way Home,” “Broken Arrow” and “Expecting to Fly” – is guaranteed to be more three-dimensional than you’ve ever heard it
  • 5 stars on AllMusic – this is Must Own Music from one of the most groundbreaking and accomplished groups of the late-60s (even though they never cracked the Top 40 Album chart)

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Neil Young / Self-Titled

More of the Music of Neil Young

  • Neil’s solo debut returns to the site for the first time in years, here with KILLER Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sound or close to it throughout this early pressing
  • Impossibly quiet vinyl for any early Neil Young album, especially this one – it’s rare to find his first release with the original cover in such lovely audiophile playing condition
  • 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 sound – and only these early pressings have the potential to sound as good as this one does
  • “…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

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Frank Zappa and The Mothers – Uncle Meat

More of the Music of Frank Zappa

  • Uncle Meat appears on the site for only the second time ever, here with roughly Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sound or close to it on all FOUR sides of this original copy – fairly quiet vinyl too
  • Rich, warm and full-bodied, yet still highly resolving, spacious and dynamic – and the energy level is off the charts
  • Most pressings of this double album are just awful, if you can even find one that’s clean enough to bother playing
  • Much like Just Another Band From L.A, we suspect this album will hold more appeal for Zappa fans rather than audiophiles in general
  • 4 1/2 stars: “Though some might miss the gleeful satire of Zappa’s previous work with the Mothers, Uncle Meat’s continued abundance of musical ideas places it among his most intriguing works.”

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The Rolling Stones – Let It Bleed

More of the Music of The Rolling Stones

  • With solid Double Plus (A++) sound or close to it 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 and problems in the vinyl are sometimes the nature of the beast with these Classic Rock records, but once you hear just how superb sounding this copy is, you might be inclined, as we were, to stop counting ticks and pops and just be swept away by the music
  • 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.

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Creedence Clearwater Revival – Bayou Country

More of the Music of Creedence Clearwater Revival

  • A Bayou Country like you’ve never heard, with INCREDIBLE Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sound or close to it on both sides
  • “Proud Mary” and “Good Golly Miss Molly” are two of the better sounding tracks found on the album, and you can be sure this amazing side two has them swamp rockin’ like crazy
  • Our pick for the best sounding CCR record – but only if you have a copy with sonics like these
  • 4 1/2 stars: “All the songs add up to a superb statement of purpose, a record that captures Creedence Clearwater Revival’s muscular, spare, deceptively simple sound as an evocative portrait of America.”
  • This is arguably CCR’s best sounding album. Roughly 150 other listings for the best sounding album by an artist or group can be found here.
  • 4 1/2 stars: “All the songs add up to a superb statement of purpose, a record that captures Creedence Clearwater Revival’s muscular, spare, deceptively simple sound as an evocative portrait of America.”

The sound is big and open with real weight to the bottom. The top end has a much more natural extension than most, and much less of the harshly brightened-up upper midrange you might be familiar with. On side two you can even pick out the piano in “Good Golly Miss Molly,” which is barely audible on most pressings.

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Al Green – Green Is Blues

More Soul, Blues, and R&B

  • Green Is Blues returns to the site for only the second time in nearly four years, here with solid Double Plus (A++) sound from first note to last
  • A tough title to find in audiophile playing condition – good luck finding one any quieter
  • Remarkably spacious and three-dimensional on both sides, as well as relaxed and full-bodied – this pressing was one of the better we played in our most recent shootout
  • A superb collaboration between Al and Willie Mitchell, whose brilliant and skillful production elevated Al’s music to new heights
  • “[Green] sang with the conviction and talent that provided the final component in an artistically and commercially satisfying union.”

What an album! For soul-infused vocals we know of nobody who did it better than Al Green recording for Hi Records.

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