Sly & The Family Stone - Best Vinyl / LP Versions?

I'm pretty sure there is a japanese GH, but I'd have to do a little more research.

I've only ever spent as much as $5 on a Sly 45 (no picture sleeve), they're pretty plentiful, especially in relation to some of the harder to find R&B/Soul/Funk 45s I've been known to buy.

 

hi FeelFlows,

thanx for the reply.

i will look for the Sly 45's - do you find that most of them are in good condition?

yeah, i was kinda' thinking along the lines that maybe they pressed a GH in Japan, and just imported the other albums. but, if you do find that the other albums were indeed pressed in Japan, please let me know!

:thanx:

 

I have a recent press of "Life" on Epic 180g vinyl. Sounds pretty good to me, although I've never heard any other version to compare.

 

Well, you're looking in Japan right? From what I've heard on various forums over the years that (generally speaking of course) the avg record owner took better care of the records overall compared to the avg western owner.

I see 3 trashed Thank You singles for each playable one...but everything I've picked up is VG+ to NM. Compared to the trouble I've gone through to get, say all of the James and Bobby Purify, Funkadelic Westbound, and Revilot/Invictus Parliaments 45s It's nothing to find the Sly 45s.

 

hi Feelflows,

thanx for the reply.

yeah, just about every single record i've seen over here has been in NM to MINT condition.

...i will definitely keep an eye open for those Sly 45's. and, those other groups you mentioned, as well.

BTW, i've read a bit on the other Sly thread about the other 45's he either produced or played on - is there a list anywhere out there, and any recommendations?



thanx!

 

Actually, It's pretty safe to say that if you like Sly and the Family Stone, you'd like The Parliaments & Funkadelic quite a bit. James and Bobby Purify are just good ole soul music...most kick-*** renditions of I Take What I Want and Shake a Tail Feather known to man-they're found on Bell Records. They make Sam and Dave seem 2nd rate. Now back to the Sly thread!

You made a good call getting Stand and Riot, I'd recommend getting as many 45s as you can get your hands on and purchasing "Fresh" as your next LP. To be honest...I had the hardest time by far getting my hands on a non-FUBAR copy of Riot in my price range. I paid $20 for a VG+ copy 2 years ago.

 

hi Feelflows,

thanx again, for the reply, and the suggestions of those other artists! i do have Parliament's "One Nation (Under A Groove)", and it kicks.



as for Sly...so far i've found original US pressings of "Stand", "Riot" and "Small Talk" - all were about $15 US, and in NM or MINT condition.

are there any particular stampers / matrix to look for on these records that would indicate a superior sounding pressings?



thanx!

 

Epic follows the general rule of Columbia pressings -- the last two (or three) digits of the stamper indicate which pressing you have. The earliest (typically the "best") is going to end in something like 1A or 1B (perhaps different on each side). But as Columbia/Epic of that era (with the yellow Epic label) typically had very good pressing quality, most any 1# pressing should be decent. My copy of Riot is a 1J (handwritten, as you indicated yours is), and it sounds excellent.

So while a pressing ending in 1A is going to be the most desirable, most any pressing from the initial runs should be fine. The main trick is getting that yellow Epic label.

 

hi bangsezmax,

thanx very much for the reply!

i will check my stampers and report back here! both my "Stand" and "Riot" are on the yellow Epic label - my copy of "Small Talk" is on the orange Epic label.

 

hi all,

ok, here are my particular stampers:

"Stand"

Side 1: ends in 1B (machined stamped)
Side 2: ends in 1B (machined stamped)

"Riot"

Side 1: ends in 1AA (handwritten)
Side 2: ends in 1AB (handwritten)

...so, am i correct in saying that both "Stand" and "Riot" are early pressings, with "Riot" perhaps being the 1st pressing?



also, does this general rule of thumb apply for the orange Epic label?

 

I love Everyday People! One of the greatest songs ever. How does the mono 45 sound?

 

At the time of Stand, all Columbia/Epic lacquers were done in-house (the New York studio was the one with the machine-stamped lacquers in the dead wax), but by the time of Riot they began farming out some of the lacquer work to other studios. I can't vouch for it, but it looks like Sterling Sound may've cut the "handwritten" lacquers of that LP. Certainly looking at some copies of "Family Affair" (5-10805), "Runnin' Away" (5-10829) and "Smilin'" (5-10850), the way each was cut likewise suggests Sterling Sound origin. (Though on my main copy of "Family Affair," the A-side was cut by Columbia in NY with the machine-stamped lacquer numbers.) The reason I can't vouch for it is because the lacquers were unsigned, and the small machine-stamped "STERLING" wasn't on them.

 

I've read that Bob Ludwig had cut a version of "Riot". So you gotta be right about that. I'm not sure how to ID if my copy is one of those.

Jake

 

I may have an answer. If you'd have a copy of the Riot LP with such characteristics, and have in your collection another LP with the "STERLING" and "RL" on the deadwax, that may be a hint. I.I.N.M., Mr. Ludwig's handwriting would be as recognizable as the light of day.

 

Nevermind, answered above while I was typing!

 

BUMP



thanx all!

 

Picked up a mono 45 copy of Everyday People. Definitely a different mix and no reverb. But I'm not sure if it's the vinyl quality or intentionally mixed to sound as if the vocals are screeching to the point of being unbearable. This is not a warm sounding record. The record that I have has been played so I'm not sure if it's just because of a worn record. Can anyone verify this?

 

BUMP



thanx!

 

I've got the "Stand" reissue on Epic that has a sticker saying something like "Limited edition from original analogue master". It sounds great to my ears, but I've got nothing to compare it to. I could do a needledrop one of these days and post a few samples, if you're interested.

 

hi Devotional,

thanx for the reply! i wasn't aware that there was an Epic LP version of "Stand" with the sticker as described in your post above!

please post a sample, i would love to hear how it sounds.



thanx!

 

My original issue mono "Everyday People" 45 sounds awesome and totally blows away the stereo LP version in energy level and everything else. Also have the "Everybody Is a Star"/"Thank You" 45, and that is incredible as well.

Contrary to an earlier post, "Life" - album #3, was also issued as a mono promo (I own a copy) in the U.S.,, in addition to the first two LPs which had regular mono releases. All sound like true mono mixes to me and not folddowns and they all sound great.

 

hi GetRhythm,

yeah, i've heard that the original 45's are the way to go!

 

I pulled out my vinyl today, and it was not in the best of conditions. It's been to some good parties, and especially side 2 has a couple of nasty marks and scratches that really affects the sound.

My current needledrop setup might also not be considered audiophile, (Denon DP-37F (with Ortofon Super OM 10) > M-Audio Firewire 410 > Cool Edit Pro 2.1 (3097.0) > WAV 44100 / 16 bit), but I hope these small clips at least will give you a slight idea.

Here we go:

Stand
I Want To Take You Higher
Sing A Simple Song
Sex Machine
You Can Make It If You Try

The sticker says "Limited Edition High Quality 180 Gram Virgin Vinyl From The Analog Master". It's a black and blue label Epic PE 26456 / XBS 139307 and XBS 139308.

Matrix A: XSB 139307B SS
Matrix B: XSB 139308 2C SS

I bought this album sealed in a local vinyl shop about 4 years ago.

 

Has anybody heard the clips and done a comparison yet? If there is a better sounding "Stand" than this, I'd really like to know.

 

*bump*