Big Pink Music, Korea

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by walkabout, Jul 17, 2013.

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  1. walkabout

    walkabout Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Russia
    Folks,

    Anyone familiar with the Korean Big Pink Music label? How's about the remastering and overall quality of their CDs? I've found some CDs they released that are unavailable elsewhere and wonder if they are worth checking.

    Thanks.
    Vlad.
     
  2. atl1

    atl1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Jersey
    music from big pink is a good album

    that's all i know
     
  3. elgreco

    elgreco Groove Meister

    I'm re-opening this thread, because I, too, stumbled upon the Big Pink label while searching for some rare discs. It seems they are part of the Clear Spot company and Big Pink appears to be one of their labels. Their output looks nice enough, but just like the OP, I'd like to see some 'thumbs-up' before I bite.

    Any recommendations about the SQ and/or the shipping and packaging? And maybe some comments on Korean pressings in general? I think I have a few, and though they definitely look cheaper than their Japanese counterparts (even the album or song titles have quite a lot of spelling mistakes, if they revert to English at all), but the discs look and sound OK.

    BTW This is their web site:
    http://www.clear-spot.nl/catalog/search2.php?label=BIG+PINK+MUSIC
     
    walkabout likes this.
  4. walkabout

    walkabout Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Russia
    elgreco, thanks for your comment... I recently received two CDs by The Cates Gang (predecessor name for the Cate Brothes): Wanted and Come Back Home. SQ is good to my ears. CD packaging and design (mini LP replica) is very good and very similar to Japanese Cds. I did not notice any mistyping or spelling mistake on the inlay. I bought them on a japaneese web auction and finally they cost me too much as I used a mail-forwarding company.
     
  5. Bob M

    Bob M Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Canada
    I recently went through Amazon US to get a copy of the first Glencoe album on CD, something I've been waiting for since CDs were pups. It cost me $34 dollars (US) but I felt it would be worth it. What a disaster. Yes, it came in a replica LP sleeve, but it was not really a replica - I have the vinyl copy so I know. The Epic label is missing. Then to the music. The first track, Airport, is a live in the studio first take, and at the end, the engineer comes on mic and comments about the band not having to do another one - a small but important exchange that sets the tone of the entire record. On this release, that ending is edited out - sacrilege! Now to the audio - it is horrible. The bass is boomy and overpowering, the highs are tinny and hissy, and it sure hasn't come from any original master. So I will not try that label again, but obviously some people have had better luck than me.
     
  6. elgreco

    elgreco Groove Meister

    Hmm, Bob M's post is not too encouraging...

    I ordered the CD version of John Parr s/t album a few weeks ago. It appears to be a 2012/2013 reissue on the Big Pink label from Korea. I've always wanted to own this album on CD, but original Mercury copies from the 80s and even the One Way reissue from 2001 are way too expensive nowadays. This specific order set me back for about 20 dollars, shipping included. That's not too bad, but I just hope it sounds OK.

    A Dutch online vendor offered it, but stated that it might take 8 or 9 weeks to deliver. If that happens at all, for it seems to me that it's hard to come by elsewehere. Actually, from what I gather on the internet I think this album is already OOP. We'll see - and I will comment about the sound and looks if the item arrives.

    Re: spelling mistakes on the inlays of CD's - I was referring to some Korean CDs in general, not specifically to the Big Pink reissues.
     
  7. JPhil

    JPhil New Member

    Hi,

    I've purchased two rare Canadian reprints from Big Pink over the last two years and have found the sound quality to be excellent. I have no idea if they really have the rights to this music but I doubt if there is any other way to obtain it. They came in digipac cd sleeves and the artwork from the original lp was used. (I know because I did the photography for one of them). The cost including shipping was $25 CAD and the cd's took about 10 days to arrive. Other than wait for hell to freeze over in order to get the original labels to reissue this kind of music I would say that Big Pink is doing a public service to the music buying community. What I'm looking for now is a web address for the company so I could search their catalogue. I was given an address by a Dutch distributor who dealt with them but it turned out to be a Korean soft porn site. Does anyone have a link for them?

    Cheers.
     
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  8. smiths

    smiths New Member

  9. mrzee

    mrzee New Member

    Location:
    Canada
    Try this site http://www.shinybeast.nl/
     
  10. zongo

    zongo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Davis, CA
    I'm actually thinking they are probably legitimately released albums. At least one of the albums (Hunt and Turner) they acquired 24/96 transfers from the original reels to master the CD with, and I believe they got permission from the band; I also think they got permission from Steve Tilston for the release of his album. Furthermore, some of these albums have bonus tracks that appear to come from the band themselves (for example "Country Funk"). I don't really know for sure, but my impression is that these are actually the real deal.
     
  11. smiths

    smiths New Member

    The prices on that dutch website are much more expensive than catchopcd.net.
    Furthermore, looks like they only have a few of Big Pink albums in stock.
     
  12. I mostly look for private press reissues now. I "acquired" the Major Arcana CD online and it sounded terrible, digital distortion on the highs which sounds like a crap dither or audio conversion. The original LP is fairly expensive, but in hopes of having a cheaper option on vinyl I bought the "Barnyard" label LP from Amazon.com at a reasonable price (http://www.clear-spot.nl/item/407684/major_arcana_major_arcana.html) and it's the same version as the Big Pink CD, ABSOLUTELY terrible! I say avoid them!

    I wanted to order the two hard to find Jim Spencer albums from them (as he is the guy behind Major Arcana) and the "Spanky Lee & Johnny Lee" CD but now that I have heard the Arcana releases I am too scared to order anything else.

    Slightly off topic, but for example not all South Korean Mini-LP's are bad, I must mention the Riverman South Korean label (http://www.forcedexposure.com/Labels/RIVERMAN.MUSIC.KOREA.html) stuff sounds great and I picked up the Justen O'Brien CD from them and was quite happy with the sound even though it was EQ'd and I don't quite like vinyl-to-digital stuff with any EQ'ing done but unfortunately don't have the bucks to shell out (let alone find) originals of a lot of private press things.
     
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  13. Boaz

    Boaz Forum Resident

    Location:
    Israel.
    Si Wan records were from Korea, and they were very good with great selection and good sound quality. Don't think they are still active thou.
     
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  14. kyodo_dom

    kyodo_dom Forum Resident

    This doesn't really answer the OP as it's about Big Pink vinyl, but I thought I'd throw it into the mix anyway. I recently bought here in Tokyo Big Pink's 2013/2014 [both years mentioned!] vinyl reissue of Sam Parry's "If Sadness Could Sing", originally an obscure 1972 acid-folk album on Argo. (Big Pink apparently released a CD version in 2010 prior to the 2013 LP pressing.) Packaging is great - made to look a bit like a Light In The Attic reissue for those familiar with that label's vinyl releases - and it sounds okay to me though likely sourced from vinyl. Still, as the original is as rare as hen's teeth, I cannot say how this vinyl reissue compares to the original pressing.
    As for the legitimacy of Big Pink reissues, well, here are two things:
    1) When I was back in the UK a few months back, a record dealer I know told me a story of a Japanese dealer (as he put it, though he may well have been mistaken) who was known to collectors in the UK and who had some years ago been in the UK buying up "all the copies of a rare acid-folk album from the early 70s on Argo" and who had then gone on to release what he said was a non-legit version on his own label. The dealer wouldn't give me any names, but it seems to be me that Sam Parry's "If Sadness Could Sing" on Big Pink is a very strong contender. Which seems to be confirmed by what is written in the rather lengthy comments here:
    2) https://folkcatalogue.wordpress.com/2010/04/22/1972-sam-parry-if-sadness-could-sing/
    I guess the truth is out there somewhere...maybe the issues were resolved and although the 2010 CD was not legit, the 2013/4 LP pressing is, but my hunch is that the vinyl pressing is no more legit than the earlier CD and was simply released to cash in on the resurgent vinyl boom. Fortunately I scored mine pretty cheap...
     
  15. Dok

    Dok Senior Member

    Anyone else have some recent experience with Big Pink? I see that they have released the first 3 Hudson Ford albums that have never been reissued legitimately and am trying to find out what I can about the label before biting the bullet. So far it sounds like it's a pretty mixed bag and leaning more to the negative.
     
  16. bibijeebies

    bibijeebies vinyl hairline spotter

    Location:
    Amstelveen (NL)
    The packaging is great, really well done.
     
  17. Rieuwke

    Rieuwke New Member

    Location:
    Burnaby, B.C.
    I just got Starting a New Day - Mother Tuckers Yellow Duck on Big Pink Music. I haven't listened to the whole CD, but I did audition parts of some tracks because I was worried that they might be bootlegged from vinyl and they sounded like master tape quality. The inside info package also stated that the recordings were licensed.
     
  18. Rieuwke

    Rieuwke New Member

    Location:
    Burnaby, B.C.
    I have now listened to the CD and can confirm that the sound is excellent.
     
  19. RoyalScam

    RoyalScam Luckless Pedestrian

    Just bought Bill LaBounty’s debut album Promised Love on CD from Big Pink. Nice packaging - mini LP style with sleeve and pseudo-OBI. Sound ain’t bad...but it is a needle drop. A decent one, but I was really hoping for tape.
     
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  20. ispace

    ispace Senior Member

    Location:
    Sydney Australia
    Is it a needle drop? I listened briefly tonight (admittedly not using headphones) & didn't notice it. Unfortunately it has been compressed (I added the DR values here), which I've noticed on some other Big Pink CD reissues mastered by Joohyung Lee. It is really a shame as they have reissued some great albums unavailable on CD elsewhere.
     
  21. RoyalScam

    RoyalScam Luckless Pedestrian

    I'm hearing needle drop. Very good, cleaned up, but definitely a vinyl sound to my ears.
     
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  22. mattiwbln

    mattiwbln New Member

    Location:
    Berlin
    Hi All,
    just bought two re-issues of No Dice (english band from 1977/78)... Very good quality, packaging like mini-lp, even have an "inner sleeve" with lyrics, which i don't remember being with the 12'' from way back then.
    Big Pink seems to be sold now by LP and CD reissues | LPCDreissues , located in Kifissia/Greece. Looking at their catalog, i'd say RECOMMENDED!!!
    Have a good time
    Matthias
     
  23. rocknrollroy

    rocknrollroy Active Member

    Location:
    Lakewood, WA
    I have a CD on the Big Pink label, titled "Boz" by William R. Scaggs (Boz Scaggs). It is a re-issue of an LP that was released in 1965 and was only available on Polydor International (Sweden). The mastering and the sound quality is excellent overall. I have seen a NM original LP copy going for over $1,000 on Discogs. I scored the Big Pink CD for about $40. The CD was well worth the money. [​IMG]
     
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