If you haven't figured it out already, I'm not the most proliferate at writing blogs. Hope you had a great summer and managed to find some musical gems.
There seems to be more and more new releases coming out on vinyl and tons of re-issues slated for the fall. Some will be great while others are bound to be duds so I'll throw my 2 cents worth in about what to watch out for.
First, it might be wise to assess the music industry. The major labels are hurting big time. Downloading along with the lack of great full albums have basically killed the cd market. As with any large corporation, it's all about money so they are jumping on the vinyl bandwagon. Back catalogues are being plundered and the re-issues are coming out with catch phrases like "180 gram" or "audiophile quality"
Just because a new lp is on 180 gram vinyl DOES NOT make it audiophile.
So what if it's heavier than the original release, if the masters used are the same then logic predicts that the sound quality will be more or less the same. If the lp has been re-mastered then ask yourself a few questions, namely, by who and what masters were employed? Digital masters for an anologue lp - no thanks.
If the original artist is involved, I'm a little skeptical as well. For example; Who's Next is being re-issued with Pete Townshend involved with the re-mastering. First off, its widly known that he suffered some hearing damage from playing so loud. Secondly, the album is 37 years old, his hearing is 37 years older and I don't care how good his memory is, there is no way he can remember everything from the original sessions and mastering. This not to slam the release but I'll wait till one gets traded in before passing final judgement.
Some re-issues are getting stellar reviews, most notably from MFSL, Cisco, Friday Music, Acoustec and some titles with the RTI pressing sticker. The jury is still out on Speakers Corner with some being great and others ho-hum.
On the new release front, I can personally vouch for Norah Jones "Live in Austin", Eagles "Long Road Out of Eden" Coldplay "Viva la Vida" to name a few. The next release I'm anxiously awaiting is David Gilmour "Live in Gdansk" which is due out in October. It's going to be a 5 lp set with lots of Pink Floyd material.
I'll try to write more often but no guarantees....