When Vinyl Disappoints...

[Reverend Johnny Heathen]

Polly Jean; one of my all time favorites ever since I saw her live as a young wasted punk rocker... She makes me sweat and one of my favorites of hers would have to be the album 'To Bring You My Love'. Naturally then, when I saw it released on vinyl, I had to have it. In store it was pushing $70, being 'Ltd Edition' (what does that even mean anymore?), so I snapped up a copy on Wow for $30 and change.

Upon delivery, I looked upon it lovingly but set it aside for a moment when I could give it my full attention and was sure I had things set up just-so in my new room...

Expectations were high as I gently laid the needle on the run in and sat back in my listening chair with no small feeling of excitement - did I mention expectation?? ... Well, wouldn't you know it? Like the gods reaching down from the heavens to smite me personally - the title track (and one of the highlights of the album) is scarred beyond redemption by a nasty, sharp crackling sound not unlike a popped tweeter...every fucking rotation - it grated on me so that a third of the way through the track I couldnt take any more and had to stop it and cue the next track.

Flood was at the helm on this one and the production is sublime (isn't all his work?) every instrument is miked precisely; every nuance, every resonance, every whisper - perfectly captured with that artful ear you wish was applied to every album you owned (so why isn't it!?) and though no other track is so unforgivably blighted as the first, the album is punctuated by pops and clicks in such a way that it honestly sounds better relegated to being played on the old Akai table/rega cart I save for junker punk albums and the like... How can they get it so right and yet, so wrong - and why can't they apply the same precision to the pressing process that you hope they apply to the writing/recording process? (completely separate processes, I am aware) Was I the artist in this case, I'd take this complete affront to my artistry rather personally - its just unlistenable. Such a damn shame. I'm sure it happens to us all - but this one has really stuck in my craw. Aint nothing like a little pride in your work, huh? ... Rant over... :rolleyes:

[Luis1553552738]

Send it back and get a new one.

[StanleyB]

I have had that problem with girlfriends, wines, holidays etc. The marketing people are there to snare you with high expectations, but the actual goods are mainly a method to make a quick profit. New vinyl pressings are mainly done with equipment designed by modern day engineers. So they have zero knowledge on what the old masters had to do to produce a high quality finished product.

[Owen Y]

The 'vinylite' material used for records, can be poor quality sometimes.

[dexterg]

there are plenty of the original copies on eBay, non 'ltd ed' pick up one of those...sensational

[Cooksferry]

Bad pressings aren't new. I can still remember my copy of Surrealistic Pillow, purchased new in Queenstown Christmas '67. Watching the arm on my little portable record player struggle up the warps then rush down the curve was entertainment in its self.

I've been pretty lucky the last couple of years and haven't had too many clunkers, bigger problem with split seams in jackets .

Personally I would return the item.

http://www.wowhd.co.nz/info/CustomerService/Returns

[Guest itwasonly$60luv]

Me too - hunted for a copy of Silver Machine by Hawkwind, finally tracked one down in mint condition and it played like crap. Found another recently and it played the same - real bad recording.

[Guest]

I just got stung too.

 

Another "limited edition" - this time a numbered red vinyl copy of Vangelis' Blade Runner soundtrack from Amazon.

 

The carton was bent like the stylised Amazon arrow.

 

Inside the disc was mega-warped.

 

 

Time to use Amazon's liberal replacement policy again.

[Reverend Johnny Heathen]

It bites when it's one you're really looking forward to and you'd like to think that if they're going to all the trouble of the Ltd Ed schtick, they might pull out a few stops in the quality control dept.

Nice to see from Cooksferrys above comment that it's not necessarily the new phenomenon many seem to think it...

[Reverend Johnny Heathen]

Situation rectified courtesy of Maxgate. Sitting listening to a near perfect pressing of this right now and enjoying every note. What a treasure... The albums not too bad either... :rolleyes:

[guitardude]

Yeah, thought of you when I saw that album listed. Good score !!