1983

AC/DC – Flick of the Switch

More AC/DC

More Rock Classics

  • A Flick of the Switch like you’ve never heard, with very good Hot Stamper sound from start to finish
  • We guarantee there is dramatically more Tubey Magic, size and rock and roll energy on this vintage pressing than others you’ve heard, and that’s especially true of whatever dead-as-a-doornail Heavy Vinyl pressing is currently available
  • 5 stars: “…there is still something perversely reassuring about the brute, Godzilla-like stomp of AC/DC’s rhythm section, the industrial guitar crunch of Angus and Malcolm Young and the macho bark of singer Brian Johnson.”

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On 90125 the German Imports Can Actually Sound Quite Good

More of the Music of Yes

  • An original German Atco import pressing that was doing practically everything right, earning killer Nearly Triple Plus (A++ to A+++) grades from start to finish – just shy of our Shootout Winner
  • Both of these sides are spacious, solid and dynamic with huge bass and analog richness that’s hard to find on this album
  • There’s tons of life and energy here and the vocals sound just right
  • 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
  • 4 1/2 stars: “A stunning self-reinvention by a band that many had given up for dead, 90125 is the album that introduced a whole new generation of listeners to Yes… there’s nary a duff track on the album.”

I’m pleased to report that we can now add 90125 to our small list of 80s albums that can sound excellent on the right pressing. Drop the needle on “Owner Of A Lonely Heart” and we bet you’ll agree.

So many copies we played were full of that digital grit and grain that we hear on so many records from the era. This one is an entirely different story. It has wonderful analog qualities, with more richness and smoothness than most pressings.

The recording itself is outstanding: punchy and lively with an especially beefy bottom end, the kind a good rock record needs. But you would never know it by playing the average pressing you might pick up for five bucks at your local used record store. The typical copy of this record is pretty average sounding. Let’s face it: Every mastering mistake that CAN be made WILL be made sooner or later with mass-produced vinyl like this.

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Lionel Richie – Can’t Slow Down

More Lionel Richie

More Soul, Blues, and Rhythm and Blues

  • An outstanding copy of Richie’s second solo studio album, with very ANALOG sound from start to finish
  • Rich, smooth and natural, the sound here is guaranteed to please – recall that the 12″ of All Night Long was on the TAS List back in the day (and yes, I used to sell it!)
  • 4 1/2 stars: “In 1999, Q magazine included Can’t Slow Down on its list of the best Motown records of all time and stated, “Production values are high, his songwriting craft is at its peak and at least one track – the global smash ‘All Night Long’ – is an anthem to good times that makes the heart sing and feet twitch.””

This vintage Motown pressing has the kind of Tubey Magical Midrange that modern records barely BEGIN to reproduce. Folks, that sound is gone and it sure isn’t showing signs of coming back. (more…)

Huey Lewis & The News – Sports

More Huey Lewis

  • This superb copy of Sports boasts Shootout Winning Triple Plus Triple Plus (A+++) sound on side two married with an outstanding Double Plus (A++) side one – mostly quiet vinyl too
  • The bass is tight, the drum hits are BIG, the guitars are meaty with lots of texture and the energy level is off the charts!
  • We were knocked out at how good this album sounds on a great pressing like this one – one of the more impressive ’80s pop recordings we’ve played in some time
  • 4 1/2 stars: “There’s a reason why well over half of the album… were huge American hit singles — they have instantly memorable hooks, driven home with economical precision by a tight bar band, who are given just enough polish to make them sound like superstars.”

Here’s another great example of an album we had pretty much forgotten about over the years that completely re-earned our respect after hearing it come to life on the good copies. The songs are great, the band is on fire and the sound is wonderful throughout.

Most copies are somewhat flat, dry and grainy, but a pressing like this is an entirely different story. The sound is much more analog — rich, smooth and full — and you get more energy as well as a strong, punchy bottom end. The bass is tight, the drum hits are BIG and the guitars are meaty with lots of texture. (more…)

Duran Duran – Seven and the Ragged Tiger

More Duran Duran

  • An incredible sounding copy with Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sound or close to it on both sides – exceptionally quiet vinyl too 
  • 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 for Duran Duran
  • Exceptionally quiet vinyl throughout, Mint Minus to Mint Minus to Minus – we had to go through about ten copies to find one this quiet
  • “Duran Duran put three of the album’s singles in the Top Ten, taking it to number one in the U.K… it’s bright, energetic, and effectual. Duran Duran’s new direction eventually gave Seven and the Ragged Tiger double platinum status.”

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Bill Evans – The Paris Concert, Edition Two

More Bill Evans

  • A superb original pressing with excellent Double Plus (A++) sound from start to finish and fairly quiet vinyl
  • These sides are doing most everything right – as befits a live concert, there’s an overall unprocessed quality to the sound and superb space around all three players
  • 4 1/2 stars: “[T]his could be considered Bill Evans’ final recording and serves as evidence that, rather than declining, he was showing a renewed vitality and enthusiasm in his last year.”

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John Cougar Mellencamp – Uh-Huh

More John Cougar Mellencamp

  • You’ll find STUNNING Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sound from first note to last on this original pressing of Mellencamp’s 1983 release – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
  • The sound is HUGE – wide, deep, and open, with a solid bottom end and rhythmic energy to spare
  • 4 1/2 stars: “… the first half — with the dynamic rocker ‘Crumblin’ Down,’ his best protest song, ‘Pink Houses,’ the punky ‘Authority Song,’ the melancholy ‘Warmer Place to Sleep,’ and the garage rocker ‘Play Guitar’ — makes the record his first terrific album.”

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Harry Edison – ’S Wonderful

A Top Pablo Recording

This date features a couple of my personal favorite all-stars: Shelly Manne and Zoot Sims.

Together with Edison they whip up quite a storm, ably supported by Monty Budwig on bass and Mike Wofford on piano.  

AMG  Review

This out-of-print Pablo LP (which will certainly be reissued on CD in the future) is from the later days of the label. Trumpeter Harry “Sweets” Edison was just beginning to fade around this period but he still sounds in fine form, teamed up wtih Zoot Sims (who plays tenor on three and soprano on one of the six selections), pianist Mike Wofford, bassist Monty Budwig and drummer Shelly Manne.

They perform the leader’s “Elegante” plus five standards with the highlights including “Centerpiece” (Sweets’ famous blues line) and “Sunday.”

Fine swinging mainstream jazz.

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Was (Not Was) – Born To Laugh At Tornadoes

This is an Original Geffen Promo LP of one of my favorite wacked out records! I’ve never heard anything like it. Every song sports a unique arrangement and almost all of them have different vocalists, including a magical performance by Mel Torme.

If you like offbeat records, this is one you might get a kick out of.

“The Was brothers provide a strange bunch of songs with irresistible dance beats, plus an array of guest singers that is, well, unusual to say the least: Mitch Ryder, Doug Fieger (of The Knack), Ozzy Osbourne, and, on the ballad “Zaz Turned Blue,” Mel Tormé.” — AMG (more…)

Dio – Holy Diver

More Dio

  • Stunning sound throughout for this Warner Brothers pressing with both sides earning Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) grades – the first copy to ever hit the site
  • Both sides here are KILLER — big, rich and full-bodied with a huge punchy bottom end and tons of big rock energy
  • Exceptionally quiet vinyl throughout — Mint Minus to Mint Minus Minus
  • 4 1/2 stars: “… it wasn’t all that surprising — impressive, but not surprising — when he struck gold yet again when launching his solo vehicle, Dio, via 1983’s terrific Holy Diver album… Holy Diver still the undisputed highlight of Dio’s career, and, indeed, one of the finest pure heavy metal albums of the 1980s.”

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