Which labels today put out the best vinyl? (and the worst?)

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

For reissues, Get Back might be favorite label. Everything I've bought from them sounds great and has good packaging. They do the 180 gram thing (sometimes gatefolds, too) and they're pretty affordable.

For new vinyl, Domino out of the UK rocks me the hardest. I've never had even the slightest problem with a Domino record. The sound is top notch (very silky) and, as far as I know, they don't skimp out on the artwork (compared to the CD).

Worst -
I don't buy any new American major label vinyl anymore.

― Ork, Sunday, 14 September 2003 13:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Get Back's the only label I've disliked pressings by, myself.

― Andrew Thames (Andrew Thames), Sunday, 14 September 2003 14:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Which ones?

― Ork, Sunday, 14 September 2003 14:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Sun Ra mostly.

― Andrew Thames (Andrew Thames), Sunday, 14 September 2003 14:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Idea records in Texas puts out amazing vinyl (220g, super heavy & nicely designed packaging.)

― Mark (MarkR), Sunday, 14 September 2003 16:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Get Back!'s early pressings (specifically the ESP-Disk stuff) weren't very good. For the most part they're pretty good, though.

Munster is great too. 220gm vinyl priced cheaper than most label's regular pressings.

Sony (surprisingly) releases good quality vinyl, and still puts out a lot of stuff on the format.

Rhino is pretty hit or miss, and because stuff licensed from WEA labels are done through them, the vinyl is spread across many labels.

― VMP, Sunday, 14 September 2003 16:53 (twenty-two years ago)

There is no inherent value in pressing a record on super-heavy vinyl. In fact, on a finely-calibrated high-end turntable, an LP that is substantially thicker than the norm can sound subtly worse because the vertical tracking angle is thrown off.

― Sean (Sean), Sunday, 14 September 2003 17:41 (twenty-two years ago)

time lag records out of maine are pressing gooorgeous vinyl. they put out the terrastock 5 comp comprised of 6 7"s.

― brock (brock), Sunday, 14 September 2003 20:35 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh yeah the Ra records were early Get Back, and they weren't that bad anyway. Don't want to put anyone off.

― Andrew Thames (Andrew Thames), Sunday, 14 September 2003 21:22 (twenty-two years ago)

I've heard that 4 Men With Beards do a very good job on vinyl. But I don't have a turntable, and don't buy vinyl, so my info is strictly secondhand from those who do.

― Phil Freeman (Phil Freeman), Sunday, 14 September 2003 21:53 (twenty-two years ago)

Sub Pop's vinyl is of excellent quality. the last bunch of singles i got from them were the least noisy, least crackly records i've ever bought. very impressed.

although the quality of Czech records is generally pretty good, you can certainly tell who listens to their test pressings and who doesn't. i've got hundreds and hundreds of GZ vinyl and the quality still depends on the label. and yes as previously stated the thickness counts for squat.

stuff pressed at United sounds good (= mastered well) but the vinyl is crackly as fuck.

― the surface noise (electricsound), Sunday, 14 September 2003 22:42 (twenty-two years ago)

We used to use this Czech pressing plant - superb quality (plus coloured vinyl costs something daft like an extra tenner for 500!).

I remember in the '80s, some Mute records were almost as thin as flexis.

― Jez (Jez), Monday, 15 September 2003 11:16 (twenty-two years ago)

The sole 4 Men w/Beards record I have sounds INCREDIBLE. Should do, it cost enough

― Andrew Thames (Andrew Thames), Monday, 15 September 2003 11:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Does anyone know how good the recent repress of MBV's "Loveless" is? I've wanted to get it for awhile, and would like the big ol' cover art and all, but if the pressing's lousy I'll just stick to cd.

― Brandon Mitchell (A.H.), Monday, 15 September 2003 22:25 (twenty-two years ago)

I have some Hefner 7" that a Spanish label put out, and the thing's like a goddamned hockey puck. It's glorious. But what's with foreign labels that put their records in those plastic/trash bag-gy sleeves that are so hard to work with?

― Ben Boyer (Ben Boyer), Monday, 15 September 2003 23:14 (twenty-two years ago)

you no like the baggy sleeve?

― the surface noise (electricsound), Monday, 15 September 2003 23:17 (twenty-two years ago)

The MBV reissue is fucking yum, I recommend it

― Andrew Thames (Andrew Thames), Monday, 15 September 2003 23:41 (twenty-two years ago)

eight months pass...

what about german pessings? are they the cheapest still, im just after 500

― joe kennedy, Sunday, 6 June 2004 12:41 (twenty-one years ago)

pls give examples

are gigolo 12" pressed there? if so then thumbs up, i've been well pleased with the quality of the vinyl released on Gigolo...

― the surface noise for the sake of noise (electricsound), Sunday, 6 June 2004 12:45 (twenty-one years ago)

QBICO put out some very colourful vinyl, has the whole psych fetish feel, even if the content isn't necessarily that.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Sunday, 6 June 2004 13:13 (twenty-one years ago)

five years pass...

http://www.whitestripes.com/images/newsletter/elettermain.jpg

THIRTEEN INCH VINYL!

if i had the turntable i had when i was about 10 i wouldnt be able to play those as they wouldnt fit. i think itd be ok for my technics though.

― titchy (titchyschneiderMk2), Wednesday, 10 March 2010 10:52 (fifteen years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.