50 years ago, we were looking the 60s in the rear-view
mirror; the British Invasion, the Summer of Love and Psychedelia were all
behind us. Acts like Donovan, Jefferson Airplane and Country Joe and the Fish
were at their pinnacle but fading. The Byrds had found new life in country and
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young had left their 60s counterparts to find each
other. But it was the birth of something new as well, and so as
The Beatles gave us Let It Be and Abbey Road, the Stones Let It Bleed and The Moody Blues shed their
skin with LPs like On the Threshold of a Dream, so many new artists were on the
horizon: Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, Yes, Cat Stevens, Chicago, the
Allman Brothers, Rush, King Crimson, Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper – a new powerful force in
rock was upon us, the 70s.
And now, particularly with the downfall of iTunes and the
50th anniversary of so many incredible LPs, what a great time for
the resurgence of vinyl. Indeed, the sector grew nearly 12% in 2018 with 9.7 million albums sold, making
2018 the biggest selling year for LPs since 1993.
People often ask when they restart their record
collection if they should collect new vinyl releases or seek out the original
pressings. This is a great detractor when starting out. New LPs and reissues
have questionable quality, something you should think about before you plunk down 30 bucks. Some, as in the case of Sgt. Pepper for the 50th Anniversary and the boxed sets are releases that may indeed exceed what they
were originally. The sound quality is among the best on vinyl. On the other hand, the latest pressing of Sgt. Pepper is a remix of the original enhancing the stereo and giving a bit more of
a modern vibe – I'd go so far as to say it sounds a bit digital. Don't get
me wrong, it's a feast for the ears, but as a collector, you may also want to
go out and get yourself an original copy for its historic significance and for
comparison. And don't forget the mono version, which is what the original mix
was and is the ultimate listening experience if you're looking to capture the
original sound. See, it's complicated.
On the other, other hand, much of what is released isn't
any good at all. Packaging tends to improve, but, for instance, in the case of the 50th-anniversary edition of The Velvet Underground and
Nico, this is among the worst vinyl pressings I've heard. The packaging is
quite good, and the banana peel is there tempting you to "Peel Here," but if
you're seeking the musical experience of one of the great LPs of the 60s,
you won't find it here. Buy this one now at the sticker price – less than 25
bucks – and save it for its value as a collectible. A few years from now it
will command a hundred dollars, then if you can't come up with the big bucks for a decent copy, stick to Spotify.
For new music, of course, you have no choice but to buy
new vinyl, and yet the quality of the pressing still comes into question. And
don't be fooled by the myriad of 12-inch 45 rpm pressings that promise, based
on the increase in revolutions, to enhance the experience. It may be your only
choice, but I don't buy into the increase in quality, particularly when the 45 is
pressed on colored vinyl. For the most part, colored vinyl, while cool, just
plain sucks. If you're looking for quality sound, stick to basic black. Not to
mention how annoying the format is with three songs per side. It's a bit of a
sticking point in the vinyl trend: buyers want to buy the LP on vinyl but the
quality may be, often is, inferior to the CD pressing or the original. As time goes by, and as vinyl gets more popular, we will
have to readdress this.
But I'd be remiss if I left you hanging. And so, I'd like
to share five new pressings that are a must have in your collection: No. 1. Jimi Hendrix' Electric Ladyland, a gorgeous package
that includes three LPs and video footage, most importantly the beautifully
remastered LPs by Bernie Grundman with Linda McCartney's original cover
concept. Hendrix' masterpiece, Electric Ladyland is every bit as important
as Sgt. Pepper or Pet Sounds. This is the album you get for friends
who say, "I’m not that into Hendrix." They soon will be. Aside from Noel
Redding and Mitch Mitchell, the other two members of the Jimi Hendrix
Experience, guest artists include Dave Mason, Al Kooper, Buddy Miles and Brian
Jones of the Rolling Stones, who acted as percussionist for Dylan's "All Along
the Watchtower."
Nos. 2 and 3 are Pink Floyd's The Piper at the Gates
of Dawn and A Saucerful of Secrets – the first and second LPs from
the band while still with Syd Barrett. The Record Store Day Pressings are amazingly
high-quality reissues, both, by the way, in mono. That's a key ingredient here,
the quality of the vinyl itself is incomparable and the packaging follows suit.
For Piper, a great Hipgnosis outer cover has the instantly recognizable prism
photo by photographer Vic Sign within. One would think the photo was edited in
the studio, instead, Sign used a Zeiss lens through a prism given to him by
George Harrison. For me, the psychedelic era was so underrated with standouts
like Surrealistic Pillow by the Jefferson Airplane, Love’s Forever Changes and more obscure works like Of Cabbages and Kings by Chad and Jeremy or Mrs.
Butter by The Family Tree, but Pink Floyd, of Course, transcends the genre. And don't
think you’re getting anything second best with the mono pressings; Dark Side,
Meddle and the rest need stereo and Wish You Were Here nearly demands
quadrophonic sound, but Piper and Saucerful are wall of sound giants
that don't require any trickery.
No. 4 is Music From Big Pink by the Band. Here
is something distinctive with a high-quality mix that is anything but the
original. It's a whole different LP that purists may not admire, but
audiophiles will. You'll need both versions to make your analysis. As
everyone knows, The Beatles paid their dues in the seedy underbelly of Hamburg
Germany; The Band, on the other hand, had ten years back up experience before
they hooked up with Dylan for the electric tour in 1965 and 6. By the time The
Band recorded their first studio album, they had perfected a unique playing
style - no one instrument dominating the others; instead there's a sense of impeccable
communication that blends the deep groove of blues and soul with honky-tonk
piano, rockabilly, loping carnival lines and an amazing blend of voices. The
new mix allows the listener a sonic experience that the original pressing wasn't
about. For me, a new mix and a new pressing are a hard sell, but Big Pink
is a must.
Finally, DeadHeads, anyone, actually, should have a
listen to American Beauty, an older re-release that some find issue with;
the mix for "Box of Rain" for instance is a bit odd and off-putting at first,
but other than that, Bernie Grundman’s remastered American Beauty is that
perfect Sunday afternoon lazin’ around LP and the reissue somehow highlights
the sunshine. Sit down, light up and enjoy the day. I'm a bit torn, here. That said, part of me wants to say, get the original and wait a couple years; pretty sure there will be a 50th re-release of the Dead's pinnacle studio LP.
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