Dan

From the research I did a few years ago, laser turntables seemed neat but ultimately a gimmick that wasn’t worth the extra effort required to get the best results; in particular, lasers need records to be in pristine condition, otherwise the dirt gets interpreted as sound, and unlike a standard stylus, a laser can’t push dirt particles out of the way, so when a record already sounds bad, it sounds even worse with a laser.

X

That makes a lot of sense. Maybe in the future AI will be able to distinguish dirt from sound. I’m sure it could do it for short disruptions. I’ve seen expensive outboard real-time click/pop suppressors that can do it.

joeblow69

New Wolves in the Throne Room EP, on sexy milky blue vinyl




Kind of annoying though ... it's a 4 track, 21 min EP. I would have thought they'd just put all 4 songs on both sides, so you don't have to flip it. But no, it's got 2 on one side, 2 on the other. LAME.
I kind of get it, since the first 2 songs have a different vibe than the second 2, but I'm too lazy to flip an album after only 10 mins, so I don't know if I'll ever spin this one again, just stick with the mp3s. My fault, should have inspected this closer before I bought.

Trout

100% agreed. It’s a killer album, but everything should have been on one side. Too bad they didn’t release a full length album.

X

Great deal on the Fluance RT84 right now. $383

https://www.fluance.com/rt84w-refere...natural-walnut
or

Paff

To you folks with Ortofon Reds:

I just went to Amazon and they've got the Blue stylus for $159, normally $209. That's a great deal, but they were down to like 20 left, and I don't know if it's a Black Friday/Cyber Monday deal, I'd suggest jumping on it ASAP.

Paff

So I've been trying the new Blue with Al Stewart's Year of the Cat, and yeah, wow, it does pick up a lot.

FYI, Year of the Cat is considered a "demonstration disc" at a lot of high-end hi-fi stores. Never much cared for the title track (the only one I've heard from the record), but found it in a dollar bin in remarkably good shape, and it does have excellent stereo separation. Various instruments come from different areas of the soundstage, all crisp and easily identifiable.

cultshock

Just ordered this new Rhino High Fidelity release of Television's Marquee Moon. It wasn't cheap, but I love this album so I couldn't resist.

Paff

I've tried, but I just can't get into Television. Despite being one of, if not THE first band of the CBGB scene, their music is clearly (and paradoxically) post-punk, and I'm hit-or-miss in that genre.

I had a thought today. With the vinyl resurgence, does anyone think there will be a return of the corporate chain record store? Again, I happen to live in an area with at least a dozen brick-and-mortar stores in a 50-mile radius, and nearly every one I go to is busy every time I'm there. Never less than 10-20 people inside the store. Record Store Day brings out lines a city block long. There's executives out there who see money going to these independents and it's gotta be grinding their gears. Will there be another Tower? (likely in a different context; the "music superstores" won't come back, but I can see smaller, Starbucks-styled corporate record stores returning)

Josh-da-man

Not a chance.

Almost all of the indie stores supplement their income with used sales (vinyl, CD, and cassettes) so I don't think there's enough actual money in vinyl to support a new chain like Camelot or Musicland.

Even though vinyl is having a resurgence, the distribution and availability is still spotty, and even catalog titles that would normally be evergreen tend have such small print runs that they're essentially limited editions. (And, depending on your tastes, what titles should be evergreen will vary.)

Vinyl is still a niche or a niche, probably more akin to comic books, where each store is able to build itself around the local tastes.

cultshock

I get it, a lot of people can't get into them, a sticking point for many are the vocals of Tom Verlaine, which are definitely an acquired taste. But man, the first time I heard the guitar work on the title track of Marquee Moon, I was hooked! It's cool that they stumbled on what would eventually be considered a post-punk sound, when punk was just starting to ramp up itself. You could almost call them "proto-post-punk". As a fan of a lot of post-punk, that's probably another reason why I love this album.
We still have a chain of music stores in Canada, Sunrise Records (there's a location at my local mall). Of course they also sell movies, t-shirts, collectables, etc. but they have a pretty good vinyl selection, including some used.

Paff

You make good points. Specifically about the used record sales. I remember one RSD I picked up two of the so sought-after exclusives at that $30 range each, and one $6 used record. Not sure how the conversation came up, but the owner told me he'd see more profit on the $6 record I bought than the two $30 discs.

And also comics, which indeed have become quite popular too, but most comics are still sold in independent stores. Barnes and Noble has the graphic novels and the manga, but individual comics still seem to be mostly in the mom-and-pop stores. Which is a good thing, by the way. It's good to know that there is a commodity you can still open up a store and sell, and make a profit. Can't have the neighborhood hardware store anymore, not with Home Depot and Lowe's down the street. Can't open a little cafe when there's a Starbucks on both sides.

But it's that mentality which prompted my question in the first place; when there's money going to independent shop owners, someone wants a piece of it. And by piece, I mean all of it.

Rival11

Been playing this non-stop:



Pulp Fiction vinyl is on its way.

I figured out why I love listening to records so much as well.......First, it's "Functional Artwork" and second, it makes you SLOW....THE.....F....DOWN and just chill out. It was a problem for me at first, I would skip to songs I like, and now, I just let it play.....

cultshock

Great soundtrack, I need to pick up this one.

Paff

That's a good point. There songs I don't dig from a band, but I also play albums all the way through and sometimes those songs I don't like start to grow on me.

I do need Once Upon a Time in Hollywood on vinyl. I got Pulp last year used for just $15.

Nesbit

Need to pick that one up too. Eventually want to get all the Tarantino soundtracks on vinyl. Currently have Jackie Brown, Pulp Fiction, and True Romance (for those that count it).

Rival11

Target is weird. I walk into the one in my area one week and there's no vinyl - I think, "Well, they said they were going to stop selling physical media". Only to go today and they have an entire section back up that included their own version of Pearl Jam's vs. album lol (I bought it).

The Cow

One of the Walmarts around here recently started putting the vinyl behind a locked glass.

Rival11

Doesn't surprise me. Retail theft is insane these days.

The Cow

Yeah, I get that (they have LEGO behind glass too), but you can't thumb through the merch to see what all they have anymore.

Rival11

Yep, It sucks, but what can they do?

emanon

Totally OT here, but we made a rare trip to Walmart just before Christmas, as my wife wanted to get some socks for our son. Of course, they were locked up in a case, and we needed to get someone to unlock it for us. She let us have the merchandise, but informed us that normally, they'd have to walk it up front for us.

I got to thinking about this later, and was confused -what would she do, walk it up front, and watch me self check-out? Or am I expected to wait in the one long line that they typically have open?

cultshock

Stores are locking up socks now? Things are getting pretty dystopian down there in the US. Can you still buy gum and candy without asking someone to unlock a cabinet first?

Yeah, like I want to keep bugging store staff to unlock multiple cases so I can flip through records to even see if there is anything I want. Fuck that.

Toby Dramit

Picked up a copy of U2's Another Time Another Place, a double live album on 10" vinyl recorded at The Marquee in London back in 1980, from one of our local record shops here the other day. This was originally available for U2.com subscribers only. Great sound quality and an excellent companion piece to Under A Blood Red Sky for fans of early U2. My only nitpick here is that the fourth side is just Bono talking about those early days ... would have preferred to have more songs instead. Still a nice little gem to have in the collection.

Rival11

Not sure if it's already been mentioned yet or not but another great site to buy vinyl:

www.experiencevinyl.com

my clear Zeppelin 4 album arrived today from them....from what I saw while browsing their site....the prices are really good.