1982

Judas Priest – Screaming for Vengeance

More Rock Classics

  • Screaming for Vengeance appears on the site for only the second time ever, here with solid Double Plus (A++) sound or BETTER throughout this vintage Columbia pressing – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
  • Both of these sides are clean, clear, full-bodied and present with an abundance of energy and a much nicer bottom end than most other copies we played
  • 4 stars: “…it ranks as one of the best and most important mainstream metal albums of the 80s.”

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Hall and Oates – H2O

More Hall and Oates

  • A vintage copy of this Hall and Oates classic from 1982 with killer Nearly Triple Plus (A++ to A+++) sound from start to finish – just shy of our Shootout Winner
  • It’s lively, open, present and natural – the soundfield is big and spacious and the bottom end is killer
  • Much more consistent than most of their releases, this one boasts three monster hits including “Maneater,” “Family Man” and my all time favorite by the band, “One on One”
  • 4 stars: “Private Eyes solidified Hall & Oates’ status as one of the most popular acts in America in the early 80s, and…… with 1982’s H2O, they capitalized on its success, delivering an album that turned out to bigger than its predecessor, as it climbed higher on the charts and launched three Top Ten singles…”

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Steve Winwood – Talking Back To The Night

More Rock and Pop

  • Talking Back To The Night makes its Hot Stamper debut with INSANELY GOOD Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sound throughout this original Island pressing
  • Here are just a few of the things we had to say about this amazing copy in our notes: “big and rich and punchy”…”breathy vox”…”jumping out of the speakers”…”full and warm”…”open and solid”
  • Guaranteed to be a huge improvement over anything you’ve heard, this Brit is big, punchy, and full-bodied – Winwood’s leads really soar
  • Forget the dubby domestic pressings and whatever crappy Heavy Vinyl record they’re making these days – the UK LPs are the only way to fly on Talking Back To The Night
  • 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

This vintage UK Island pressing has the kind of Tubey Magical Midrange that modern records can barely BEGIN to reproduce. Folks, that sound is gone and it sure isn’t showing signs of coming back. If you love hearing INTO a recording, actually being able to “see” the performers, and feeling as if you are sitting in the studio with the band, this is the record for you. It’s what vintage all analog recordings are known for — this sound.

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Al Di Meola – Electric Rendezvous

More Jazz Fusion

  • Electric Rendezvous debuts on the site with killer Nearly Triple Plus (A++ to A+++) grades throughout this vintage Columbia pressing, just shy of our Shootout Winner – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
  • Both sides are incredibly lively, full-bodied, open and present – the sound is huge and weighty and it rocks
  • “Al di Meola’s fifth of seven fusion albums as a leader for Columbia is a typically fiery effort…[and] is easily recommended to fans of rock-ish jazz guitar.”

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Rush – Signals

More Rush

  • Both sides of this vintage copy were giving us the big and bold sound we were looking for, earning superb Double Plus (A++) grades or close to them – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
  • Huge synths and prodigious bass have this side two rockin’ like you will not believe, and side one is not far behind in both those areas
  • Individual notes aren’t smeared, they have body and attack, and there’s no shortage of energy to the complex playing (particularly on side two)
  • 4 stars: “Rush didn’t forget how to rock out — ‘The Analog Kid’ and ‘Digital Man’ were some of their most up-tempo compositions in years.”

If you’re a fan of the band, you know what these guys are about — big-time technical prowess, dizzying effects, powerful solos and so forth. Many copies we played didn’t let you hear just how hard these guys are shredding… and then what’s the point? If the musicianship gets lost in the mastering, why bother with this band at all? We were looking for copies that didn’t let us forget who we were listening to.

Only the better pressings like this one give you the sound this music demands: rich and full-bodied with serious punch to the bottom end; an open, extended top; size and space, wonderful clarity and transparency; and most importantly of all, ENERGY. The life of the music is the number one quality we look for in rock, prog rock, art rock, folk rock and every other kind of rock we play. That will never change.

The drums and cymbals sound just right, which is essential on a Rush album — as just about everyone knows, Neil Peart’s drumming is a major highlight of anything the band does. (more…)

Simon and Garfunkel – The Concert in Central Park

More of the Music of Simon and Garfunkel 

  • S&G’s live reunion concert from 1982, here with superb Double Plus (A++) sound or close to it on all FOUR sides – remarkably quiet vinyl too
  • This copy is clean, clear, open and spacious with lovely breathy vocals and plenty of Tubey Magic (particularly on side one)
  • Side one is richer, smoother yet still very clear and highly resolving in precisely the way so few pressings are, and sides two, three and four are not far behind in all those areas
  • 4 1/2 stars: “This two-record set presents some of the duo’s biggest hits in a live context, and also allows listeners a chance to hear what many Simon solo numbers could sound like in S&G mode.”

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Elvis Costello – Imperial Bedroom

More Elvis Costello

More 5 Star Albums

  • Imperial Bedroom is back on the site for only the second time in nearly two years, here with KILLER Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sound or close to it on both sides of this UK pressing
  • These are just a few of the things we had to say about this incredible copy in our notes: “spacious and detailed piano and vox”…”up front and breathy”…”huge, rich bass”…”fully extended from to to bottom”…”can’t complain!” (side two)
  • Geoff Emerick engineered, creating a unique sound – forget the painfully bad domestic pressings, these imports are the only way to go
  • This dense, darkly serious album contains some of the best songs EC ever wrote – the last of his True Classics
  • 5 stars: “Costello’s music is complex and intricate, yet it flows so smoothly, it’s easy to miss the bitter, brutal lyrics…the detail and the ornate arrangements immediately peg Imperial Bedroom as Costello’s most ambitious album.”
  • If you’re an Elvis Costello fan, and what audiophile wouldn’t be?, this title from 1982 is surely a Must Own
  • The complete list of titles from 1982 that we’ve reviewed to date can be found here.

Six of Elvis’s first seven albums received a Five Star rating from Allmusic, the exception being Almost Blue, and we generally would agree with that assessment (although Get Happy should probably also get Four Stars, not Five).

Which is to say that Elvis Costello is a brilliant artist whose albums work as albums, a fact that is in danger of being lost in a world of single-song downloads and greatest hits packages. We record-playing audiophiles are inclined to start at the beginning of a side and let it flow through to the end, and that is clearly the best way to appreciate and enjoy the work of this very gifted man.

Check out the Tracklist below to see a sample of some of the lyrics to a few of the songs on the album.

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Ozzy Osbourne – Speak of the Devil

More Ozzy Osbourne

More Rock and Pop

  • Speak of the Devil returns to the site for only the second time ever with KILLER Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sound on all FOUR sides of these vintage Jet pressings – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
  • We guarantee there is dramatically more space, richness, vocal presence, and performance energy on this copy than others you’ve heard, and that’s especially true if you made the mistake of buying whatever Heavy Vinyl pressing is currently on the market
  • “Speak of the Devil is strengthened by the classic combo of Rudy Sarzo and Tommy Aldridge on bass and drums, undoubtedly one of the best rhythm sections of Ozzy’s solo career.”

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Fleetwood Mac – Mirage

More of the Music of Fleetwood Mac

  • Most copies are washed-out, recessed, and lack weight, but this one will show you just how right this music can sound
  • The producing-engineering team of Ken Caillat and Richard Dashut return to provide top quality Rumours-like production
  • The album spent five weeks at Number One, probably on the strength of the amazingly fun single “Hold Me.”
  • If you’re a fan of the band, a killer copy of their 1982 release might just need a home in your collection, and is the last Fleetwood Mac album that we would recommend to anyone but the most diehard fan
  • The albums to come later — Tango in the Night (1987). Behind the Mask (1990), Time (1995) and Say You Will (2003) — have never been offered as Hot Stamper pressings, a fact that is unlikely to change
  • Like Tusk, this is a Digital Recording that sounds great on vinyl

Mirage is a surprisingly good album if you can find the right copy.

The mids and highs can be really silky and sweet. The whole album has a glossy sound, clearly the influence of Lindsay Buckingham and his production team. The sound of Fleetwood Mac in this period is their doing, and with a phenomenal run of success that’s rarely been seen in pop history, it’s hard to argue with either their approach to the material or the sound. It strikes us that they used every track on the multi-track recorder and then some. (more…)

Talking Heads – The Name of this Band is Talking Heads

More of the Music of The Talking Heads

  • The band’s 1982 double LP live album is back on the site for the first time in years, here with INCREDIBLE Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) grades or close to them on all FOUR sides
  • These are just a few of the things we had to say about this killer copy in our notes: “vox jumping out of the speakers”…”big and rich and punchy”…”fully extended from top to bottom”…”good space and depth”
  • Stunning sound for one of the best live bands of the era – the sonics are lively, incredibly present, rich and full
  • Byrne’s vocals sound just right and the clarity is excellent – when the music is this immediate and three-dimensional, it takes the enjoyment to a whole new level
  • 4 1/2 stars: “The excitement of this material is palpable, and the muscular band rips into these tunes with more power than the originals in most cases… arguably one of their finest releases.”

We recently had a big shootout for this live double album and were very impressed with how good some of this material can sound, particularly on the first side which was recorded before the band got huge and started playing bigger venues. A lot of copies we played were too thick and compressed to break through the challenges that live recordings face, but this one really nailed it. (more…)