Early 80's UK vinyl re-issues - awesome!

Wondering if anyone else is in agreement with me that the early 80's were indeed a golden time for classic vinyl re-issues from the U.K.? Not only did we get great sounding pressings of the entire original Beatles catalog on Parlophone, but I also have pressings of the Rolling Stone's 1st LP on Decca, The Who's 1st LP "My Generation" on Virgin, and the Kink's "Face to Face" on Pye from this time period that all sound spectacular. In fact, for my money, all of these surpass the original pressings that I've heard in terms of sound quality.

Anyone else find any gems from this era?

 

The Beatles' mono album reissues are rather spiffing. Saves me playing the originals.

 

In the early '80's, I did experience quite a few defective UK pressings though. A couple of titles had to be returned more than once. Maybe it was just my luck.

 

100% correct sire. The pale blue Decca label Zombies "Begin Here" LP I got for about $25.00 some years ago is indeed better than the $200.00 I popped on a red Decca mono UK original. Such is life. Same for Stones. I strongly recommend ANY UK 1981 issue Decca Stones LP's.

Same for Kinks, Beatles, etc.

 

Clever me, in the 80s I thought The Stones were old hat, so I didn't bother! Ah well!

JG

 

A number of hard to find titles from island records artists can be found from the '80s period: like Free and Traffic. Some of these use early '70s 'Porky' prime cuts that sound super, and are sometimes a bit better than the first or original. They're usually NM condition too...

 

Pressing quality, apart from some CBS titles, was keeping up even if the vinyl itself was a little thin.
I remember buying 'Piper at the Gates of Dawn' back in 81. It had lost the glossy cover to a matt finish but it sounded rather good as did the Music For Pleasure issue of Relics by done at the Emi Hayes, Middlesex plant.

 

Yup.

 

does this greatness extend to 1978 UK Decca Stones mono? (the inner says '78), Red label, Boxed Decca

I saw their self titled lp today for $25, on hold if this holds true. NM.

if not, a picture of a '81 label would be nice

thanks

 

The 1978 should be the same as the 1982 as that title was always in mono. With regard to the label what it is a red coloured boxed Decca design with the word 'Mono' above the spindle hole.
For the most part UK pressings through the 70's well into the 80's were fine just getting a little thinner later on.

 

Isn't this meant to be a needledrop?

Tim

 

Candy is correct, although I would add that where I have had the opportunity to do a comparison (i.e., the first 2 UK Stones albums), the 1981 pressings beat even my UK open Decca originals.

1981 copies can be identified by:

1. Thin vinyl
2. Non glossy non laminated cover
3. Blue/silve Decca label which are almost purply in color and blurry
4. White non poly lined inner sleeve, with a hole on one side for the label to show through, curver corners and PRINTED IN WESTERN GERMANY printed on the lower corner of the sleeve.

 

thanks for the info...this vinyl is QUIET x2....and plays easily NM and the cover is the same


and yes, Red label, with "mono" at the middle


did they put out "Live, if You Want it" at the same time? the store had a Blue boxed Decca of it

is $25 too much for each?

I thought they might have come out of a box set they were so nice looking

 

Got Live If You Want It was a UK export album, as was Flowers. Pressed in the UK but sold elsewhere, Scandanavia predominantly. There might very well be a UK 1981 export version of "Got Live" but I have never seen it. Be careful you are not looking at a 12" version of the UK EP. The EP, released in 1965, as a 7" EP, was released as a 12" EP in 1981/2 or so.

$25.00 is nowhere near too much for nice minty 1981 Stones UK LP's.

 

There is also an 80/81 UK pressing which is spectacular Peter. Same MO with thickness of vinyl and non-laminated sleeve but it has a red boxed label but 'big' as opposed to the classic 'small' 70s Decca labels. Both the first 2 albums were available then just before they went to the silver label and then the MOFI digital remasterings for the CD era. The first album has a -6A/-12A stamper and sounds very very good. Against my very clean original open box Decca it wins!

 

William, I'd love to see a scan of that label.

 

well, here's mine

the inner dates it to 10/1978..made in England....straight, sharp-corner square, no curves

-6A/-12A stampers

front laminated but not the back


it plays easily NM with no VPI cleaning....QUIET...no groove grunge, here


the only thing that is quiet on this record, performance all raw and snarly (LISB)

 

I would post a scan but the forum has changed its settings in some way because I can't seem to post pictures anymore..the 'attach files' button is inactive! I'm using internet explorer..an old version though.
I'll see if I can fiddle about with the settings....

 

I disagree in terms on The White Album (only got the first disc of the mono original and it sounds significantly better to me than the 80s repress IMHO.)

 

Here's a label photo of my copy of The Rolling Stones with an inner sleeve dated 6/83. I was really surprised at how good it sounds (especially for $12)!

 

I have "With The Beatles" which according to info on inner sleeve pressed in 1981 and it sounds spectacular!
matrix # yex 110-5
yex 111-5
There's no HTM anywhere. I never heard an original, but the others, that i have is 1982 mono, 1986 (from the "Blue box") and early two-box with "THE GRAMOPHONE" on the rim. It seems strange, but 1981 press beats all of them.

 

As others have said, these are terrific pressings. I have a late 70's Stones "No. 2" with the red Decca label which sounds great, plus "Aftermath", Let It Bleed" & "Beggars Banquet" from the early 80's reissues with the silver and blue Decca label. These truly are every bit as good as the originals, plus the vinyl is quieter. All worth seeking out.

 

I have silver label pressings of the first Small Faces album and Caravan's In the Land of Grey and Pink. Both sound excellent. The only fault that I can find is that the Caravan is not a gatefold like the original.

Cheers,
Chris

 

There are hundreds of fantastic early and mid-60s gems that were reissued in the UK during the early 80s. I was such an idiot to get rid of most of them during my late 80s vinyl purge, but fortunately, as they aren't originals and are usually on thin vinyl, there isn't a lot of demand for them and prices are still generally low, though you sometimes see these escalating in prices as people discover how good some of these sound. I've picked up several once again in recent years.

A few I remember as standouts...

Manfred Mann "The Five Faces Of Manfred Mann/Mann Made" ... I have originals of both of these so I've resisted getting this circa 1985 vinyl two-fer, but I remember loving it and playing it all the time. "...Five Faces..." was in original mono, "Mann Made" in stereo. I may pick it up once again just to see how it compares to the originals.

Tremeloes "Twist And Shout" -- this is a circa 1982 Decca silver/blue label issue and it just sounds tremendous in clean, clear mono. It's not a reissue of the Trems original Twist & Shout Lp, but rather a comp with a number of hard to find 45 single releases from the period '62-'65, including their definitive cover of "I Want Candy".

The Zombies "Begin Here" -- I'm sure Peter and others have mentioned this one. Sounds great.

The Graham Bond Organization "The Sound of '65"/"There's A Bond Between Us" -- another two-fer like the Manfred Mann above. Great, straight mono reissue of these two seminal beat era Lps from 1965. Very good sound as I recall. I have originals of these, so like the MM above I've resisted picking this up again, but if I see one in nice shape I might.

The Fourmost "First And Fourmost" -- This See For Miles issue is a comp, not a straight reissue of the band's only LP orginally issued in 1965, though it has most of the tracks from that album, many in stereo found only here. Great sound.

Sixties Lost And Found -- 6 or 8 volumes of rare Decca 45 tracks released '62-'68. Mostly mono and some great, overlooked songs can be found on these, my favorite being Denny Laine's great 1967 tune "Say You Don't Mind" found on Volume 4 IIRC.

A Decade of Instrumentals -- this is an incredible album. If you love the twangy, reverbed sound of late 50s early 60s instros, you'll love this. Really nothing in the way of hits, but lots of seminal UK beat from '59 through '64, with one later track from '67.

Dale

 

It predates the 80's by a few years but it's of earlier MONO material and sounds great.
(4/77 inner sleeve) Decca pressing of The Small Faces "The Singles Album".