Beach Boys Green Label Vinyl question

Hi, I've come across some US green-label vinyl reissues that do not have "mastered by Capitol" in the deadwax. Are these to be avoided? Should I only go for one with a "mastered by capitol" in the deadwax? Thanks.

 

That's a good question. I assume they're US pressed examples?

 

Yes.

 

I don't have any experience with green label reissues that don't have the machine stamped "Mastered By Capitol" in the dead wax, but can't we assume -- as they were budget items anyway -- that they would have been mastered in house at Capitol?

I know there must be experts around here that know the answer to this question...

 

It's funny, I've seen more green label ones with a handwritten deadwax than the machine stamped "mastered by Capitol" ones.

 

That suggests to me, for some reason, that the production line people just slacked off putting the info on the vinyl...like maybe it went handwritten first, then machine stamped, then nothing. Just a guess.

 

Coukd it have been a record club pressing?

 

Hadn't thought of that...

 

Those green-label Beach Boys reissues are generally the bees knees. Most of them are among the best US pressings of those titles. Maybe with the exception of those middle-period jobs like "Dance Dance Dance" (the shortened Beach Boys Today! which I think is fake stereo along with Summer Days and Summer Nights from that series). Otherwise I'd say grab them - especially the later period stuff from Beach Boys Party forward. Can't be beat!
---------- Chris

 

But what about non-"mastered by Capitol" machine stamped green label pressings?

 

One that immediately springs to mind is my green label reissue of the Ringo Starr album "Ringo". My copy has a handwritten matrix in the deadwax - no "mastered by Capitol" stamp either. It sounds great! Of course, there may be a case-by-case way to approach this, but most of the green label reissues from this era are very good sounding cuttings / pressings. Would I pay $50 for one? Maybe not, but they can be had for $20 and less even on ebay. I wouldn't pay more since there were plenty pressed up and still floating around.
---------- Chris

 

When you guys are referring to green-label BB records, are you talking about early '70s lime green Capitol pressings? Or the later dark green budget reissues?

 

Both the early Eighties dark green Capitol budget reissues with a cut track listing and the lime green Capitols of the early Seventies are highly regarded around here as being great sounding (at least for the Beatles, should also be for the BB).

 

I'm referring to the later dark green reissues.

 

FWIW I will say the new mono AP RI of Surfin Safari sounds a lot better than the 80s green Capitol mono RI

 

I have that 80s Capitol Dark Green press of Ringo. Mine was cut at The Mastering Lab, which was who originally cut the LP. They probably used leftover mothers or stampers for the 80s Ringo.

I'm curious about the Beach Boys without Mastered By Capitol. I've got the run from Party until the end and they all have the stamp.

 

I have a few -- most of the Beach Boys (none of the duophonics, though), a Gene Vincent, a reissue of The Sweet's US version of Desolation Boulevard -- and they are all uniformly great sounding. They're all at least as good as originals IMO, and in the case of The Beach Boys, better than original US 60s presses.

 

That's what I'm afraid of. I wouldn't want to buy an unstamped dark green label pressing and it be leftover from the early 70-mid 70s.

 

Which green label? The early light green with the target at the top or the later with the old Capitol in script? I don't remember seeing "Mastered By Capitol" in the dead wax before the red label.

 

This one:

 

I try to stay away from that era of Capitol label. The Beach Boys albums are better on the original rainbow banded record label or the latest remastered on audiophile heavy vinyl.

 

No, not in the case of the Beach Boys. I used to own the green label reissues and they all sounded very good. If you don't want to spend the money on the AP remasters, the budget line reissues are the next best alternative.

 

I don't think I've ever heard anyone say the original rainbow banded Capitol label was the best sounding versions of the Beach Boys' albums.

That's what I thought. Question I have, are the AP vinyl remasters truly better sounding than the green label reissues?

 

In my opinion, yes the new AP remasters are better.

 

I'm trying to stay away from anything from AP or QRP pressed right now due to several horrible pressing errors on the CCR recent re-issues. Anyway, the recent AP re-issues are mono and I prefer the true stereo previous audiophile re-issues.
es, I do not care for those "budget" green label re-issues. I've been converting my vinyl to wav files and have done some Beach Boys transfers today. Most have been the original rainbow band labels, some audiophile reissues and I pulled a couple green label "budget" re-issues and found them lacking by comparison.