And Sometimes Quality Vinyl Playback Lets Those Commercial Albums Shine

M

Mister Pig

Pigamus Maximus
This afternoon I decided to listen to Duran Duran Rio while doing some things this afternoon. Have not played it yet on this new table before. So I give it a spin, and I start to notice that the vocals sound significantly better, that the album has a different presentation than the commercial MTV sound I am often used to hearing from various Duran Duran songs. Then New Religion comes on, and I think this is mighty fine sounding, best I have ever heard a Duran Duran song. Good tone, nice detail, nice layering and shading, depth and a well formed sound stage. It appears that there can be more quality in a commercial top 40 record than I have given it credit for in the past.

Regards
Mister Pig
 
Mister Pig said:
This afternoon I decided to listen to Duran Duran Rio while doing some things this afternoon. Have not played it yet on this new table before. So I give it a spin, and I start to notice that the vocals sound significantly better, that the album has a different presentation than the commercial MTV sound I am often used to hearing from various Duran Duran songs. Then New Religion comes on, and I think this is mighty fine sounding, best I have ever heard a Duran Duran song. Good tone, nice detail, nice layering and shading, depth and a well formed sound stage. It appears that there can be more quality in a commercial top 40 record than I have given it credit for in the past.

Regards
Mister Pig
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That incredible setup you have helps a little in making those 80's tunes come alive as well ;)
 
You probably have a Harvest ST-12211? Mastered at Doug Sax's The Mastering Lab.
 
Brings back memories, I have that record but have not listened to it in a long time. I really liked that group back in the 80's. Not sure what pressing I have though.
 
There are some old pressed records that will leave you gasping for air as the dynamics overtake your senses. When I remember back to this time we thought it was fantastic because older records where a lot flatter and less dynamic. These records are digitally mastered and many also recored digitally by the late 70s and we where entering the 80s. This was a really good time for records, mastering and the quality of the vinyl and pressing work. Old recordings by major artist started to jump on the digitally remastered band wagon. We where seeing Supper Vinyl, Performance Vinyl and Quiex by Classics Records was getting contracted to produce hot presses for promos, Telarc was mastering Audiophile records digitally.

A lot of bands and artist took off at this time because of the end result they could deliver to the listener. Mastering done by Robert Ludwig, Doug Sax, Stan Ricker with better new tools to work with and use their golden ears doing the best artist of the time.

Digital incorporated in the recording and mastering industry wasn't all bad, it's just they got lazy with it and thought it can do everything.
 
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4-2-7 said:
There are some old pressed records that will leave you gasping for air as the dynamics overtake your senses. When I remember back to this time we thought it was fantastic because older records where a lot flatter and less dynamic. These records are digitally mastered and many also recored digitally by the late 70s and we where entering the 80s. This was a really good time for records, mastering and the quality of the vinyl and pressing work. Old recordings by major artist started to jump on the digitally remastered band wagon. We where seeing Supper Vinyl, Performance Vinyl and Quiex by Classics Records was getting contracted to produce hot presses for promos, Telarc was mastering Audiophile records digitally.

A lot of bands and artist took off at this time because of the end result they could deliver to the listener. Mastering done by Robert Ludwig, Doug Sax, Stan Ricker with better new tools to work with and use their golden ears doing the best artist of the time.

Digital incorporated in the recording and mastering industry wasn't all bad, it's just they got lazy with it and thought it can do everything.
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My original vinyl copy of Pet Shop Boys - Please (digital source) sounds amazing. Very dynamic and involving.
 
I recently picked up Suzanne Vega's second album along with Billy Ocean's Sudddenly and Love Zone from the used discount bin. All three are jaw-droppingly dynamic and layered, they made the whole shopping trip worthwhile.
 
Getting into 80s music through vinyl I was surprised a lot of it sounded so damn good. Some of that same stuff on CD sounds really nasty and induces pretty serious listening fatique for me. Maybe it was because the vinyl masters were probably done by old farts who weren't that much into the "80s sound", or in general had a better clue than the people who were doing early digital masters? :) Obviously the unmistakable 80s production values are still there, but somehow in the context of the vinyl pressings it all actually makes sense sonically, which can't always be said for the CDs of the same music.
 
Mister Pig said:
Duran Duran Rio[/QUOT
I/QUOTE]

If 80's new wave is your thing, you may like Talk Talk's "It's My Life" and "The Colour Of Spring". Both are nice sounding without having to go to expensive pressings. Their later releases "Spirit Of Eden" and "Laughing Stock" took a turn into the post-rock genre, not for everybody but interesting. The Parlophone re-issues are relatively inexpensive but my copies were noisy, which is unnerving during quiet passages.[
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Sorry I got my response mixed up with your quote
 
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I can think of far more killer sounding 80s records then bad. The CD's are what sounded the worst back then, hard to brickwall a record as you would end up with what happened with the RL mastered Zep II with the stylus jumping out of the groove or get the fizzy topend through your tweeters
 
I would be a liar if I didn't admit that having the capability for quality reproduction has allowed me to gain appreciation for some albums that I might have otherwise dismissed.

Is it solely the sound I find appealing, or am I also able to get better insight into the music? I dunno, probably some of both. Bad music is bad music no matter how well it is produced.
 
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beatcomber said:
I would be a liar if I didn't admit that have the capability for quality reproduction has allowed me to gain appreciation for some albums that I might have otherwise dismissed.

Is it solely the sound I find appealing, or am I also able to get better insight into the music? I dunno, probably some of both. Bad music is bad music no matter how well it is produced.
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Somewhere on the road up the audio ladder the lyrics (words) become clearer and quite frankly better understandable - then one goes 'Oh! that is what she is saying.'
 
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