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Traffic – John Barleycorn Must Die (Pink Island)

More British Folk Rock

An original British Island Pink Label pressing with INCREDIBLE Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) grades or close to them from start to finish
These sides have the vintage analog sound we love – they’re full-bodied and smooth, with plenty of Tubey Magic, gobs of studio space, and the right balance of richness and the clarity that is the key to getting top quality sound for John Barleycorn
Arguably the band’s best album, certainly their most groundbreaking, original and involving – Low Spark would rank a not-especially-close second
“…the band sounds utterly grounded. As the grooves percolate effortlessly along, it becomes clear that unity, not any technical skill, is what makes the music levitate.”

Harry Belafonte – Belafonte Returns to Carnegie Hall

More Pop and Jazz Vocal Recordings

Belafonte Returns to Carnegie Hall, here with superb Double Plus (A++) Living Stereo sound or BETTER on all FOUR sides
So hugely spacious and three-dimensional, yet with a tonally correct and natural sounding Harry, this is the way to hear it
Compared to most other copies we played — on all four sides, mind you — these sides are richer, fuller, and livelier. They’re also more open and transparent, with notably improved clarity, less smear, and better bass
4 1/2 stars: “Highlights include Odetta’s powerhouse medley of the work songs ‘I’ve Been Driving on Bald Mountain’ and ‘Water Boy,’ the Folk Singers’ exciting ‘Ox Drivers Song,’ Makeba and Belafonte’s charming duet on ‘One More Dance,’ and the Mitchell Trio’s exuberant Israeli song ‘Vaichazkem.'”

Herold-Lanchbery – La Fille Mal Gardee (Excerpts) / Lanchbery

More Classical and Orchestral Recordings

This early London pressing (only the second copy to ever hit the site) of Lanchbery’s sparkling orchestral arrangement of Herold’s 1828 score boasts incredible Nearly Triple Plus (A++ to A+++) grades from start to finish – just shy of our Shootout Winner
It’s also remarkably quiet at the high end of Mint Minus Minus, a grade that even our most well-cared-for vintage classical titles have trouble playing at
So transparent, dynamic and real, this copy raises the bar for the sound of ballet music on vinyl
A record like this lets you get lost in the world of its music, and what could be more important in a recording than that?

The best sounding quiet copy we have ever heard!

If you are looking for quiet vinyl, you will have a hard time finding it on this title.

Robin Trower – Long Misty Days

More Rock and Pop

Trower’s fourth solo studio album debuts on the site with STUNNING Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sound from first note to last – remarkably quiet vinyl too
This glorious early UK pressing is huge, rich and powerful, with guitar solos that soar like few others you’ve heard
If you want to make your speakers disappear, this is the album that can do it
Brilliant engineering by Geoff Emerick at George Martin’s AIR studios – it’s shocking to contemplate the idea that he became an even better recording engineer in the 70s, post-Abbey Road (for which he won a Grammy!)

Terry Gibbs and Bill Harris – Woodchoppers’ Ball

More Jazz Recordings of Interest

Woodchoppers’ Ball makes its Hot Stamper debut on this rare Premier stereo pressing that boasts an INCREDIBLE Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) side one mated to a solid Double Plus (A++) side two
Full-bodied, warm and natural with plenty of space around all of the players, this is the sound of vintage analog – accept no substitutes
The sonics here are rich and Tubey Magical, which is the only way this music makes any sense on record
Problems in the vinyl are sometimes the nature of the beast with these early pressings, 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

Rachmaninoff / Dohnanyi – Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini / Variations On A Nursery Tune / Katchen

More Classical and Orchestral Recordings

This early London pressing (the first to ever hit the site) of Katchen and the London Phil’s performance boasts lush and tubey Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sound or close to it from first note to last
It’s also impossibly quiet at Mint Minus to Mint Minus Minus, a grade that practically none of our vintage classical titles – even the most well-cared-for ones – ever play at
The piano is huge and weighty, the strings rich and highly resolving, and the overall presentation is powerful, balanced, dynamic and exciting
These sides are doing practically everything right – they’re rich, clear, undistorted, open, spacious, and have depth and transparency to rival the best recordings you may have heard

Chet Atkins – Hometown Guitar

More of the Music of Chet Atkins

Hometown Guitar makes its Hot Stamper debut with INSANELY GOOD Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) grades throughout this original RCA pressing
Both of these sides are sweet and rich with plenty of Tubey Magic, wonderfully breathy vocals, deep punchy bass, and a super extended top end
Full-bodied and warm, exactly the way you want your vintage analog to sound – the guitar is surprisingly real here

Pentangle – Reflection

More British Folk Rock

Reflection debuts on the site with a KILLER Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) side two mated to a solid Double Plus (A++) side one of this original UK Transatlantic pressing
We shot out a number of other imports and the midrange presence, bass, and dynamics on this outstanding copy placed it head and shoulders above most others we played
Exceptionally present, real and resolving, this pressing is guaranteed to murder any remastering undertaken by anyone – past, present and future
“Pentangle were always great at creating musical fusions, and on this album, they once again came through. The opening song, Wedding Dress,is a fabulous meeting of Celtic, country, and, believe it or not, funk. It’s one of the few songs of theirs that actually rocks. The rest of the record is classic Pentangle, with Bert Jansch’s and John Renbourn’s acoustic guitars intermingling so well that it would make even Neil Young and Stephen Stills a little envious.”

Cannonball Adderley Quintet – In Chicago

More of the Music of Cannonball Adderley

Cannonball’s final Mercury label release, here with very good Hot Stamper grades on both sides of this original pressing
It’s richer and fuller than the average copy, with notably more presence, and that will be especially true when you compare it to whatever godawful Heavy Vinyl pressing may be currently available
This is true of even our lowest-priced, lowest-graded copies – they are guaranteed to sound much better than any pressing you can find on the market today, as well as any pressing you may already own
There are some bad marks (as is sometimes the nature of the beast with these early pressings) on “Stars Fell On Alabama,” but once you hear the sound of this copy, you might be inclined, as we were, to stop counting ticks and just be swept away by the music
4 1/2 stars: “Altoist Cannonball Adderley and tenor saxophonist John Coltrane really push each other on these six selections… With pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Jimmy Cobb playing up to their usual level, this gem is highly recommended.”

Suzanne Vega – Self-Titled

More Rock and Pop

Suzanne’s debut LP appears on the site for the first time ever, here with solid Double Plus (A++) grades from start to finish
Both sides are big, rich and sweet with wonderfully present and breathy vocals, excellent clarity and a plenty of bottom end weight
Remarkably present, real and resolving, this pressing is guaranteed to murder any remastering undertaken by anyone – past, present and future
4 stars: “Though early comparisons were made to Joni Mitchell, Suzanne Vega’s true antecedents were Janis Ian and Leonard Cohen. Like Ian, she sings with a precise, frequently half-spoken phrasing that gives her lyrics an intensity that seems to suggest an unsteady control consciously held over emotional chaos. Like Cohen, Vega observes the world in poetic metaphor, her cold urban landscapes reflecting a troubled sense of love and loss.”