1984

Bruce Springsteen – Born In The U.S.A.

More of the Music of Bruce Springsteen

  • You’ll find solid Double Plus (A++) sound or close to it on both sides of this gazillion-selling 80s classic – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
  • We would be foolish to make claims for “audiophile” sound on Springsteen’s albums – they are what they are, but the better copies are head and shoulders above anything else you’ve heard
  • Some of The Boss’s biggest hits are here, including “Glory Days” and “Dancin’ in the Dark.”
  • 5 stars: “… where Springsteen remembered that he was a rock & roll star, which is how a vastly increased public was happy to treat him.”

It’s tough to find great sounding copies of this album — or any Springsteen album for that matter — but this one is a step up from most of the copies we played, with less distortion and more energy, two qualities that are not easy to come by on Born In The U.S.A.

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Judas Priest – Defenders of the Faith

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  • With solid Double Plus (A++) sound from start to finish, we guarantee you’ve never heard Defenders of the Faith sound this good
  • If you want to hear this music explode out of the speakers and come to life the way the band wanted you to hear it, this record will do the trick
  • These sides are bigger and richer and have more of the rock solid energy that’s missing from the average copy
  • 4 stars: “…there’s a remarkably high percentage of hidden gems waiting to be unearthed, making Defenders possibly the most underrated record in Priest’s catalog.”

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Sade – Diamond Life

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More Titles We Only Offer on Import LP

  • Both sides of this original UK import have stunning sound for Sade’s debut LP, earning Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) grades or close to them – fairly quiet vinyl too
  • Here are just a few of the things we had to say about this killer copy in our notes: “big and rich and breathy”…”silky and focused vox”…”really solid and weighty drums”…”natural and roomy”…”HTF! [hard to fault] (side two)”
  • The key to the best copies is Tubey Magical richness and sweetness, and this vintage analog import has plenty of both
  • 4 1/2 stars: “[Sade] projects a wised-up sensuality, and the record neither creaks with the revivalism of Harry Connick nor the sterility of Simply Red, to name but two of Sade’s neo-cocktail rivals.”

This copy gives you the kind of present, breathy vocals absolutely critical to this music. There’s no denying the power of Sade’s sultry voice when you can actually hear it. All it takes is a top copy such as this to make her talents — and those of her bandmates — abundantly clear. (more…)

Linda Ronstadt – Lush Life

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More Nelson Riddle

  • A vintage copy of Ronstadt’s 1984 release with INCREDIBLE Shootout Winning Plus (A+++) sound or close to it on both sides
  • Here are just a few of the things we had to say about this stunning copy in our notes: “big and weighty”…”huge and rich and dynamic vox”…”3D and jumping out of the speakers”…”big bass”…”silky and huge”
  • Getting the strings to sound sweet and rosiny, not smeary and hard, is no mean feat, but it’s the kind of thing the best Hot Stamper pressings are guaranteed to give you on any of Linda’s American Songbook period albums
  • Marks and problems in the vinyl are sometimes the nature of the beast with these vintage LPs, but once you hear just how killer 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
  • “What’s New illustrated that Linda Ronstadt was no longer interested in contemporary pop, and since it was a surprise success, there was no reason not to repeat the formula on Lush Life. Working again with Nelson Riddle, Ronstadt runs through several pop standards — ‘When I Fall in Love,’ ‘Sophisticated Lady,’ ‘Falling in Love Again,’ ‘It Never Entered My Mind’…”

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Stevie Ray Vaughan – Couldn’t Stand The Weather

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More Electric Blues

  • Boasting two excellent Double Plus (A++) sides, this vintage copy (one of only a handful to hit the site in ten months) is doing just about everything right
  • The bass is big, the overall presentation is huge, and the energy is jumpin’ on this early pressing – this is the right sound for SRV’s hard-chargin’ Electric Blues
  • 4 stars: “Stevie Ray Vaughan’s second album, Couldn’t Stand the Weather, pretty much did everything a second album should do: it confirmed that the acclaimed debut was no fluke, while matching, if not bettering, the sales of its predecessor, thereby cementing Vaughan’s status as a giant of modern blues.”

Superb sound for this Stevie Ray classic! Just picture yourself in a blues club. Now imagine the volume being about ten times as loud. This is the kind of music you would hear and it would tend to sound pretty much like this: a bit messy but also real. If you’re one of those audiophiles who likes pinpoint imaging, forget it. They were going for the “live in the studio” sound with this one, which means it’s a bit of a jumble image-wise. But that’s the way you would hear it in a blues club, so where’s the harm?

This copy has excellent presence to the vocals and guitars, keeping in mind that the vocals are usually well back in the mix compared to the guitars, which for a guitarist of SRV’s skills is probably a good thing.

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Oscar Peterson – A Tribute To My Friends

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Another Top Pablo Recording

  • A superb copy with Double Plus (A++) sound throughout – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
  • Mastered by Joe Gastwirt at the JVC cutting center, this has the punchy, lively sound that some of the better Pablos are known for
  • The piano reproduction is especially clean, clear and lively, with solid weight down low, just the way we like it
  • 4 stars: “With the assistance of guitarist Joe Pass, bassist Niels Pedersen and drummer Martin Drew, Peterson sounds inspired on such themes as “Blueberry Hill,” “Stuffy,” “Cottontail” and even “A Tisket, a Tasket.”
  • More reviews and commentaries for recordings on Pablo
  • More reviews and commentaries for the music of Oscar Peterson

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U2 – The Unforgettable Fire

 

  • “Pride (In the Name of Love)” is the big hit on this one, and the sound is appropriately glorious on this Double Plus side one
  • A tough album to find with that elusive combination of good sonics, quiet sides, and no marks that play – if you’re a fan, grab this one while you can
  • True, side two earned a minimal Hot Stamper grade of 1.5+, but we still guarantee that it will beat the pants off any Heavy Vinyl reissue because every one of those that we played was opaque, muddy and thick enough to have us crying “uncle” after five minutes
  • 4 stars: “U2 took their fondness for sonic bombast as far as it could go on War, so it isn’t a complete surprise that they chose to explore the intricacies of the Edge’s layered, effects-laden guitar on the follow-up. Working with producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, U2 created a dark, near-hallucinatory series of interlocking soundscapes … ranking among U2’s very best music…”

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Prince – Purple Rain

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More 5 Star Albums

  • A stunning 2-pack of one of Prince’s True Classics, with Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sound on side two of disc two and Double Plus (A++) sound on side one of disc one
  • These copies of Prince’s legendary 1984 release are big and rich, with rock solid energy to beat the pants off of any pressings you have ever heard
  • Clean and clear and open are nice qualities to have, but rich and smooth are a lot harder to come by on this record – and here they are!
  • 5 stars: “Purple Rain finds Prince consolidating his funk and R&B roots while moving boldly into pop, rock, and heavy metal with nine superbly crafted songs… a stunning statement of purpose that remains one of the most exciting rock & roll albums ever recorded.”

The better copies, like these two, sound pretty much the way the better copies of most Classic Rock records sound: tonally correct, rich, clear, sweet, smooth, open, present, lively, big, spacious, Tubey Magical, with breathy vocals and little to no spit, grit, grain or grunge.

That’s the sound of ANALOG, and the better copies of Purple Rain have that sound.

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Pat Metheny Group – First Circle

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More Jazz Fusion

  • This early pressing of Pat Metheny Group’s 1984 release boasts solid Double Plus (A++) grades or close to them on both sides – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
  • The sound is huge, spacious, lively, transparent and punchy (particularly on side two) – this is jazz fusion that really rocks
  • 4 stars: “The ever-restless Metheny…mixes up the music, not quite leaving the Brazilian glide behind but coming up with some fascinating permutations always affixed with his personal stamp.”

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David Gilmour – About Face

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More Pink Floyd

  • An outstanding pressing of About Face with Double Plus (A++) sound from the first note to the last – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
  • Here you will find sound quality that is both cleaner and clearer, with much less grit and grain – richness is also key to these better copies
  • We guarantee there is dramatically more space, richness, presence, and performance energy on this copy than others you’ve heard or you get your money back – it’s a simple as that
  • 4 1/2 stars: “About Face is well-honed rock album that is riveting from beginning to end.”

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