5 Reasons Why 45's are the Best (in my opinion)

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by gpg6212, Aug 28, 2016.

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  1. kyletx500

    kyletx500 Forum Resident

    I have a love/hate relationship with 45's. On one hand they're super cheap and very party-friendly, but on the other hand, the sound quality is usually garbage. I picked up a seemingly near mint copy of "Love You Inside Out" a few weeks ago and listened to it a few times. Last night I gave it a spin again and noticed the sound felt a little muffled. Then I put my copy of Spirits Having Flown on the table (which is in okay shape, probably pretty well played at this point) and the difference was like night and day. The full album version just opened the track up. The vocals especially just sounded so much clearer. I don't know if it's just a more compressed mix or the 45 was abused by a previous owner with a bad stylus, but it was much worse.
     
  2. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me!

    You do understand that not everyone was a radio DJ...
     
  3. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me!

    That's not what I have been made to understand by various pros.
     
  4. lukpac

    lukpac Senior Member

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    There's no change in frequency response.
     
  5. Your point? I didn't say everyone had ever been a radio DJ. But, most everybody did listen to listen to the radio in the 60's and 70's.
     
  6. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me!

    My point is about styrene pressings being bad for radio DJs, and that they wore out faster. I don't have that particular experience with styrene because I was never a radio DJ. I don't have to worry about things like cue burn.

    Besides, I thought most radio stations transferred their records to carts in the 70s.
     
  7. There definitely is a change in frequency response, especially when a stereo track is folded down to mono. Some of the instruments almost disappear in a fold down.
    Mono was the intended primary medium for groups like The Beach Boys. Brian Wilson didn't do fold downs but mixed the multi-tracks to mono. Doing it this way, Brian could balance the instrumentation, what he wanted to be heard and put the vocals up front.
     
  8. lukpac

    lukpac Senior Member

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    There is no change in frequency response when folding to mono.

    Instruments won't disappear until they are already very low in level or are mixed out of phase.
     
  9. Yes, by the mid-70's, the stations who could afford to began transferring the recordings to tape carts. One of the reasons for this was that records tended to wear out faster in that era.
    Most of the radio station records ended up on the used record market. I do collect these promo records. A person could buy one and it may look perfect, but when they play it, they hear that nasty scraping sound at the beginning of the record, especially with styrene records.
    Even with normal play at home the styrene records would get noticeable wear, compared to vinyl.
     
  10. Holerbot6000

    Holerbot6000 Forum Resident

    Location:
    California
    For Christmas I bought myself an Electrohome Signature cabinet record player - yes it sounds like shyte and the record player itself is pretty cheap but it sure looks cool and I just use it to listen to 45's in my room when I don't have access to the big stereo.

    Last night I was listening to a new batch of singles I had acquired whilst imbibing on some of my favorite intoxicants, when it occurred to me that I have come full circle - 50 years ago, I was 5 years old, spinning 45's on a cheap cabinet stereo that my mom had gotten me. I didn't imbibe in those days but not much else has really changed. There is something about playing singles that forces you to focus on that one song - it just seems to intensify the listening experience for me. Throw in the cool 45 covers and all the colored vinyl and other doodads and you've got just about the best musical artifact going as far as I am concerned.

    I figure it's time for me to mutate into that final stage of old fart collector mindset. 45's seemed like the best way to go in this regard, though I notice this record player does have a 78 switch too...

    [​IMG]

    Just a few recent acquisitions:
    [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG]
     
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  11. Jamey K

    Jamey K Internet Sensation

    Location:
    Amarillo,Texas
    45s are little miracles. They sound great, they can go on high school football trips, and if you're lucky, you can get 2 great songs.
    45s were my gateway drug to music.
     
  12. Bob J

    Bob J Forum Resident

    What a great post! Little miracles, indeed!!
     
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  13. WillieDaPimp

    WillieDaPimp Good bad, not evil

    Location:
    Columbus, OH
    [​IMG] Glad to finally scratch this one off my list!
     
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  14. BradOlson

    BradOlson Country/Christian Music Maven

    Another great 45, both A and B side is Gordon Lightfoot's Black Day In July b/w Pussywillows, Cat-Tails.
     
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  15. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    What album is that taken from Brad? I have quite a few Gordon lp's, but apparently not that one, great song
     
  16. BradOlson

    BradOlson Country/Christian Music Maven

    Did She Mention My Name - This album is also included on the United Artists CD collections that contain his entire UA album catalog.

    Gordon Lightfoot - The United Artists Collection - Amazon.com Music and Gordon Lightfoot - Sunday Concert: Live - Amazon.com Music or Gordon Lightfoot - Original Lightfoot: United Art - Amazon.com Music or the Bear Family CDs are the CD issues to get The Bear Family CDs are listed at Gordon Lightfoot on CD, Vinyl and DVD at Bear-Family.com

    For vinyl, look for Did She Mention My Name as mentioned above (both songs are on this album)
     
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  17. Holerbot6000

    Holerbot6000 Forum Resident

    Location:
    California
    Recent ephemeral favorites. The fact that I am the proud owner of a Jean Paul Sartre single makes me a litte giddy. No idea what he is talking about of course, and he is a little synth-heavy, but still tres cool!

    [​IMG] [​IMG]
    [​IMG] [​IMG]
     
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  18. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    Excellent, thanks for the links and insight Brad!
     
  19. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    For the promo mixes :)
    [​IMG]
     
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  20. If I Can Dream_23

    If I Can Dream_23 Forum Resident

    Location:
    United States
    Another random five reasons, in my opinion, why 45's are the best:

    From the double-sided hits file:

    Laughing / Undun (The Guess Who) 1969
    Travelin Man / Hello Mary Lou (Ricky Nelson) 1961
    Dance, Dance, Dance / The Warmth Of The Sun (The Beach Boys) 1964
    Paperback Writer / Rain (The Beatles) 1966
    Jumpin Jack Flash / Child Of The Moon (The Rolling Stones) 1968
     
  21. If I Can Dream_23

    If I Can Dream_23 Forum Resident

    Location:
    United States
    I've always felt that 45's were the "black and white cinema" of the pop music world, so to speak. Film critic / historian Roger Ebert once said that "you really can't begin to fully love film until you understand how black and white can add more, not less". I feel similarly about 45's. I love albums as much as anybody and both formats are equally capable of providing great works (and, most importantly, great listening enjoyment). Yet I feel that 45's are really the "original art form", at least from the approximate close of World War II up through the mid 60's. There is every bit as much magic (and thought) put into putting "Don't Be Cruel" alongside "Hound Dog" as there is in sequencing any full-length album. And, in the best instances, the single actually has more streamlined impact or focused brevity in its vision.
     
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  22. troggy

    troggy Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow

    Location:
    Benton, Illinois
    45s are the best because this still happens. I found this 45 recently at a church rummage sale. Great record and not even listed in either of the USA label discographies that I found online. Cost: 50 cents.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jun 30, 2017
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