Are original pressings worth the money/trouble?

ha ha I was only click baiting on the 24 hour care comment! I am sure you all have 30-40 good years ahead....

 

I do think buying as an investment is a bit mad. But I do love pre bar code vinyl the best!

 

maybe, but think about it this way...it's a numbers game. those 70s pressing were done in the thousands/hundreds of thousands/even millions. reiussue are done on a much smaller scale. it is very possible that, in 30 years, there will still be more "original" pressings in vg condition than reissues.

 

I'd recommend a NM+ In N Out burger if you're ever out west.

 

It was my unhappiness with the LZ reissues a few years ago that sent me off in search of "originals." I settled on the mid-70s GP reissues of I and II, a SF of III, a German IV (every US Porky I found was beat up - understandably!), an RL HOTH, a PR PG, a German Presence, and original US for the rest. I paid $25 for I and II, $40 for PG, and less than $20 each for the rest, all are in EX condition. This took some time to assemble but it's a satisfying AAA LZ collection for about the price of the reissues. And so it goes for other bands. I live in a city with about a dozen good record stores, and I've brought home hundreds of records from trips (thank you Record Friend in Amsterdam and Monkey Music Emporium in Brighton!) and obviously I'm lucky for both.

 

Led Zep vinyl favs:
LZ I- AT/GP also like my early Broadway
LZ II- double RL (quite a bit of sn) also like
1974 reissue
LZ III- 2014 reissue (still looking)
LZ IV- Porky
Houses- early Broadway RL
PG- US Monarch
TSRTS- Original US PR
Presence- Original US PR
Out Door- 2015 reissue
Coda- Original US
The recent reissues cost the most. Most were bought for under $10.

 

Thanks, I will check out that thread. Yeah, right now I am just focused on the first four Zeppelin albums. I think I do need some patience, every ebay auction I see I worry that I need to get it because what if there isn't another but there almost always is. I've bought mulitple copies of all four albums already but no good quality first pressings. The only first pressing I managed to get was III and that one turned out to be so beat up, I'm afraid to even try and play it.

 

I wish I could get these that cheap. Ebay is basically the only source I have and they get expensive. I worry they will only get more expensive as time goes on.

 

Relax and make it fun. Thats what you got into the hobby for right?

 

I think you have to hear clean copies over your own system to make that decision, something that is difficult unless you have friends willing to loan you copies. (Something I'm not usually willing to do for others despite my otherwise generous nature).
Regarding Zep:
1. forum fav Piros Monarch CC remaster done in the mid-'70s and an early Japanese pressing (I forget the catalog number, I think it is in the 8000 series) are standouts among those I've heard. I prefer the sound of these to an early UK plum (not a Turquoise, for which you'll pay astronomical money, largely for the cover), the Classic 33 and 45 (the latter being a scarce, expensive pressing which has audiophile attributes but lacks the overall cohesiveness of the early copies) and the early U.S. pressings, which I found somewhat lackluster.
II. I like the RL a lot. I also like the UK plum. a lot. The Canadian red label TG is very good, cheaper than either, but probably harder to find than both.
III. First press UK plum is killer. But, so is Canadian red label TG. And the Classic ain't too shabby. I gather than some of the US Mastercrafts are good as well.
IV. I've got an early Monarch, I can't remember if it is a Piros, a Porker or something else. The Classic 45 is pretty good, but stupid money. The plum is good and wasn't crazy money. I don't know how many other copies of this I have---
I bought the first three of the recent reissues, just out of curiosity. Good bass, more clarity, but sounded a little 'too precise' - i'd normally say that about a digital master that sounded flat or one dimensional, but in my estimation, much as I love Zep, none of their recordings have great sound quality, so I can understand why someone who likes Zep but doesn't want to track down unmolested "collector" copies of these records would be very happy.
More generally, I'm of the 'only rule is there are no rules' view-- I've had first or early pressings put to shame by a ubiquitous reissue by the label (in other words, nothing special); I've usually found audiophile remasters to sound more modern and tending toward a brighter, more detailed sound (perhaps better equipment was used to cut or press, I don't know), sometimes at the expense of overall cohesiveness or tonal balance, but there have been exceptions to that; and in some cases, where I'm not willing to hunt for the first pressing of some valuable jazz record, I'm more than happy with a high quality remaster ("Way Out West" or "Hoodoo Man Blues" cut at 45).
As a few others have said, it partly depends on pocketbook as well as your willingness to be disappointed and soldier on through the noisy, the defective, and just plain bad sounding old copies. What I wind up with is 10 or 12 different copies of a record I like. In some cases, it makes little difference- I can be very happy with the standard issue mass production label version of the RLJ first album or Janis Ian's Between the Lines. Somehow, they couldn't mess those up, they are cheap and very efficacious.

 

You might want to try Canadian pressings. I have never owned one but I have heard good things.

 

Yeah, Ebay can be a little sketchy when it comes to LZ vinyl. The same with Discogs. I've bought several NM- that turned out to be VG at best. This forum is a great place to buy LZ vinyl. Fair prices, and graded accurately.

 

Agreed on the ebay thing, that's why I only buy from buyers who have 100% , you are better off getting a more accurate rating from those sellers.. Its really Russian roulette,, I got a copy of ambrosia S/T/ from a used record store for 5$ and its in mint condition,, then I got records from ebay that are rated NM and are really VG, Also, be careful with sealed copies, they may be never played or opened, but can be severely warped due to being in different weather conditions..

 

Currently trying to decide if I want to get an A2/B3 Porky/Pecko ItCotCK. I have the 200g reissue and it's fine but this forum in particular swears by the UK originals and 2nds. I understand the "non-Us" are going to be noisier, they also happen to be pricey as heck too

 

Discogs trumps ebay.

 

Kevin, good point. 100000 of something vs 10000 of something will make a difference. If thats the case. then numbers and supply and demand will be important...... But there is just something about a original 1970 record, the cover, the vinyl everything was made in 1970. and condition will be a factor.

I think with the reissues with the resurgence and everything 30 years from now all of them will be near mint in condition because everybody knows you have to take care of your records.

It's just like in the early 90's... all the aports cards are near mint because they were told to look after them, so everybody put them in holders, but cards from the 50's and 60's were more condition sensitive.

I know it's like apples to oranges, but I think it's more fun to have "older" records. Mind you, I was not around when these old records were released. I imagine for the people that were, they might think it's no big deal.

Interesting thread we have here.

 

I do agree with that.

 

Its funny I paid a lot of money for albums on ebay. I sold for less than 10 bucks. one mans junk is another mans treasure..

 

Nice to have an "original", but frankly with all of the other "variables" involved in playing records (cart, set up properly? pre-amp, good match for cart? etc. etc.)
You might as well save time (and maybe money) and just get the latest reissues. Or, if you want to spend some bucks, get the Classic Records pressings.

 

Yeah, you don't want to damage your investment. If you like your cart., maybe just a new stylus will do. Something fun about getting a new cart.
is that you "rediscover" your record collection all over again.

 

I tend to get first pressings on artists I love, Bowie being the main one, those RCA latter albums seem to be going up and up! There's a few others I have such as Pink Floyd, Rollings Stones, Ry Cooder, Talking Heads, The Smiths, Blur, not so fussed on The Beatles. Have a few jazz first pressings but let's be honest, I'm never gonna own a first press of Blue Train.

I do read about sound quality on reissues, mostly on this forum, and if a reissue has the thumbs up and a good price it's no bad thing. One example is the recent double vinyl edition of De La Soul's 3 Feet High and Rising, the original to me was always a little compressed and thin, the 2013 reissue sounds great. So there's good and bad in all this.

Prices are increasing but some of these things are rare...are 22 year old's interested in original presses?

 

Type O Negative-October Rust 1996, 2006 2x12 probably one of the nicest re-issues I have. Surprisingly an analog cut as well

 

Are original pressings worth the money/trouble?

Are original pressings worth the money trouble?

Either way, I offer a resounding "yes" when talking CDs.

 

I whole heartily agree with your semi-threadcrap Keith

 

Yeah, I have to pick up the PF Animals - I can NEVER find a half-way decent pressing of this in the used bins, it's usually completely trashed.
I have LS Second Helping from Acoustic Sounds, and I have the PIXIES Surfa Rosa MFSL, which is truly astonishing.