Records that blow mind upon first listen- only to realize they're on the wrong speed & therefore aren't as brilliant

there's this amazing song (so i thought) by BOY KILL BOY which was stuck to the front of NME on a cd this month. the song was a 'demo' (which sounded supiciously tight and polished for a demo but anyway) called KILLER. gosh it's a peak-period PLACEBO-esque sprightly, vocally high pitched, *driven* little number i thought until i clocked that i'd nudged the cd deck to about 4.5 by accident as opposed to 0.0. flipped it to normal speed and ho hum, it's just an ordinary mid decade run o' the mill indie thing.

there's this bit in frank n bill's book HOW TO DJ (PROPERLY) wherein the posit the notion that any song sped to over 4.0 sounds terrible.
it's balderdash, as we sem to be proving here.

Now there's (at least) 3:
better at the 'wrong' speed
Vinyl played at the wrong Rpm. C or D

The good thing about the reissue are the extra live tracks and the live pcppep. For me, that stuff outweighs the 1st album, but I can see why they used the classic 1st album cover art.

I've never accidently listened to a whole record at the wrong speed, but there are some individual songs that sound fucked up at either speed so I experimented with going back and forth with them. For example, one was a Butthole Surfers song on Pioughd, and another was a GbV song on Tigerbomb. I'm sure you'd know which ones I mean if you heard them but I can't be arsed to remember the titles at the moment.

I clearly remember being so happy as a 9th grader about to show my Cure-loving girlfriend my brand new "Psychic, Powerless" tape and when I put it in thinking, "What the fuck? This sounds like shit!" We didn't even listen to all of side one because it was just intolerable. I remember just totally not comprehending why anyone would make something so sloppy and horrible. If it was on vinyl, I probably would've tried a different speed. When I listen to it now, I have trouble understanding what seemed so wrong with it back then.

-- jinx hijinks (mikeoptin...) (webmail), Monday 11:28 PM. (sanskrit) (later) (link)

lukeeluke OTM

When I got a copy of First Nation's first 7", I played it at 33. It was okay, but mostly just sounded like a bunch of dudes moaning. Then I read the press kit, saw that the band was all female and switched it to a 45. Much better as intended.

eh?

I've been playing the new EP by Peter Zummo at 33 instead of 45 and wouldn't have noticed it was at the wrong speed if I hadn't seen someone mention it on Twitter :s

It sounds good at both speeds tbh imho

There's a Dropdead album - the one that plays from the center label out - that's way better at 33

Cocteau Twins Victorialand - Played Side 1 at 33, thought it was amazing, went to flip the record and saw "45" on the label, played it at 45, it was still amazing.

The first SYR Records release — the red one; Anagrama I think it was called. Anyway, played it on 33 and was like, "Whoa" then I saw it was supposed to be played at 45. Wasn't as weird or interesting at the right speed for whatever reason.

I've got a friend who had a vinyl copy of Omni Trio's Only Angels Cast Shadows, and he couldn't decide if it sounded better on 33 or 45. I'm sure I could figure it out for him now.

Are friends eligible for this thread?

Had the opposite experience of this with my copy of Sun Ra's Lanquidity, as the repress I have is 45. I just assumed it was a more mellow and 'languid' outing (and that that was the point). I have to admit it's pretty brilliant now that I've finally figured out how to listen to it.

Always listened to, and loved, Completely Dusted by Deathly Fighter at 45. Wanted to play it for a friend once and pulled up the YouTube, which also has it at 45, with the lone comment being from a band member saying it’s a 33. Still better at 45.

http://youtu.be/LAPD4C-GbZI

Yep - I played Victorialand by the Cocteau Twins on 33 for a few weeks in high school when I first picked it up.

I enjoyed slowing down Loop- Guilded Eternity awhile back

I'm not sure if this is well known, but the Severed Heads track 'Dead Eyes Opened' sounds far superior at 33 (and pitched a bit up) instead of its 45 speed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRKHzWFyzAo

Ha yes I've done an instrumental edit of "dead eyes opened" that slows it down like that

First knowingly heard the Germs at much too slow a speed (quickly corrected), at someone's else. Was pretty disappointed with them at normal speed.

I listened to side one of Alice Coltrane's Universal Consciousness on 45 instead of 33 by accident and it was amazing.