I have to admit that I could be tempted if a.) The general opinion is that they sound utterly amazing b.) They release an album that I love I'm not rich but I'm certainly not part of the "I never have and never will pay more than $10.00 for an album" crowd (whom I sometimes suspect of exaggerating or having really sad record collections).
Well the recent Abraxas sacd from mofi was freaking amazing sonically. I wouldn't be surprised if this is even more so, but I will pass. Sometimes freaking amazing is good enough.
The critical question is the condition of the tape. It matters not to have a low noise floor if the tape has deteriorated. If the tape is in great shape then why not? Only major fans are going to buy it and if they don't spend it on this, it will be spent on something else Santana.
I still have Cat Stevens and Sgt. Pepper. I still remember I was at Revord Surplus 25 or so years ago when they were still on Pico near the 405 Freeway (I sound like the SNL "Californians"). The Pepper was $50 used, but in great shape. Those were the days . . . I bought a lot of those Classic Records 45 rpm pressings, but those were $50 pressed on four single-sided disks. And now that I think of it, I did pay $100 each for 45 rpm test pressings of Hoffman's unreleased Sweet Baby James and Rickie Lee Jones albums, but those are two of my favorite albums of all time. I would basically pass at $100, but there are a few that I would spring for - let's see, Who's Next . . . .
Reading the plug, they are selling a museum piece: "It is a curatorial artifact meant to be preserved, poured over, touched, and examined. Intended to be passed on to passed on to future generations..." Obviously the target market is not strictly for music aficionados, but baby boomers with plenty of disposable excess income burning holes in their (French?) designer pockets. I'm surprised they haven't partnered with a distinguished winery to include a yet-to-be vintage bottle to insure further appreciation of collector value. "With careful deliberation, we've also determined the finest available selection from the world's best wineries, to enhance your ultimate enjoyment if this classic music."
Hey, US$100 spends now like what $20 or $25 did back in the day, so it's priced just right if you ask me. Yeah, it's spendy for under-and-unemployed people, but I hear there are food bargains aplenty in your mom's kitchen so just put it on the card.
The other thing worth mentioning is that if you take good care of your records and CD, the audiophile titles can often be sold for around what you paid for them (sometimes even more), so you get your money back after listening to it for years. Regular records and CD's become close to worthless. No guarantees, of course, but that's often been the case in the past.
Were people mad about UHQRs when they came out? I can't think of it is gouging, per se, because there are many other ways to get Abraxas, including a perfectly good CD for $7 new from Amazon. At least it's a competently-made LP, from people who actually give a damn. In a world of $35 single LPs with little-to-no information on mastering/pressing chain being more or less the new normal, how is this even that bad of a deal?
I say absolutely, unequivocally, NO. I guess I just won't be hearing albums re-pressed for the 100th time in spectacularific fidelity. Ed
Looks like they've gone up in price a tad... but if money is no object, and you only need to own a handful of albums...
Dentists probably would not know the difference, their ears are usually shot. They could probably afford it though...
I'd like to say the same, but I've definitely spent $100+ on single LPs before. Sometimes the rare OOP stuff doesn't come cheap. Now, $100 on a brand new LP? No.
Seems like the packaging and print are a big reason for the high price. I'm not a vinyl buyer, but this doesn't seem that outrageous to me all things considered.
Well clearly these are something you would only generally buy when using one of the frequent coupons on MD which range from 10-20%. This makes it $80-$90 with free shipping (and remember no tax) which is more in line with the old UHQR pressings from the original Mofi releases. AS far as resale down the road? How about looking up an old thread from the Classic Records LZ 45 RPM set with 44 single sided LP's. There was lots of talk about how ridiculous $699 was for that set. I kinda wish I had bought several sets when it was available. Will these Ultra Discs escalate in value like that? No way to know but as previously mentioned you are generally safe at least getting what you paid down the road after you have enjoyed owning it for several years. The folks that these pressings are likely to appeal too probably have TT's retailing in the 5 figure range and $100 is pocket change. Me? I have a tough time with the increase to $34.99 for a single LP from them so I most certainly am a 'coupon' guy...
Don't ask me why this particular post is the one that "got through," after no less than at least two months of discussion of it, but I tracked down the lowest price for this SACD last night ( $28.09 ), and can't wait to hear for myself ( not to mention my son, who loves Samba Pa Ti ). I guess freaking amazing is enough for me too.
Even Thriller was / is / always will be produced in finite batches. It looks like a fair amount of one's $99 goes to pay for the fancy packaging this sucker comes in. Can any mastering process / stamping process / vinyl weight make up for the fact that the master tape is 46 years old?
As a dentist, I'm holding out for Christopher Cross and Air Supply before I'll spend that kind of money.
