I listened to all of side 2 and was about halfway through side 1 when I posted. I guess I should have finished the second half of Side 1 before posting. I take it back! The Chris Bellman cut sounds great when cranked, but by the end of side 1 (the 30+ minute side), it gets to the point where the static almost overwhelms the music. And this music is pretty loud! So to summarize... looks awesome, the Bellman cut SOUNDS good, but the pressing is not good. I'm sorry... jumped the gun a little, I apologize.
I am sure it was a Walmart decision to keep the cost down. Overall, it sounds good. Near the end of side 1 is a bit wonky. Most will good with not having to flip it after every three song if it were on two LPs. I actually have the Music on Vinyl pressing too, but I have not played it in a while.
I don’t think Walmart has any say in how the albums are pressed. That’s a label decision. Walmart can either accept or pick a different album to bring in. They carry lots of double albums, and a few triples as well. If Wally doesn’t want it, WMG will see if Target, B & N, or the indies will bring it in.
I'm definitely not a WalMart 'advocate' or anything like that, but I do find it interesting this particular retailer tends to get blamed for the quality of their 'exclusive' vinyl pressings, which doesn't seem to happen as much with exclusives from Target, Rough Trade, Urban Outfitters and other retailers. Their dominance in retail (for better or worse) is pretty well-documented, but yeah, I don't think they had any say in how this STP album was sequenced or pressed. And although I can understand people's reluctance to not have to flip the record after a few songs, in the case of this particular record extending to an extra side would have really benefitted the sound, especially since the Chris Bellman cut sounds good for the most part. (Although it can be argued that a nicely mastered record pressed badly is still a lousy pressing, I still think there would have been a better chance of less noise / distortion if this particular LP side had been been a bit shorter.) I think that part of my disappointment comes from the fact that the song 'Creep' (one of my favorites) is at the end of the first side, and it seems to have suffered the most from the 30 minute running time for that side. Unlike JorgeGvb's copy, the vinyl on mine is NOT just 'a bit wonky', sound-wise, by the end of the first side it's really a disaster, comparable to listening to an analog radio station that hasn't been fully tuned in. The static actually overwhelms the music. (The first half of this side of the record sounded pretty good, and for those who are wondering -- YES, I did clean the record on a VPI before playing.) And from the comments on Discogs, others have found this issue as well. In any event, it's really a shame and a missed opportunity, this could have been an awesome disc but unfortunately it's not. The vinyl looks great, but that's about it. It's the vinyl equivalent of seeing a beautiful person from 20 feet away, and as you get closer to them you discover the aroma of sweaty feet getting stronger. It looks good (and some people might find this acceptable), but for most who are into LP listening, the vinyl on my copy really stinks.
How are you sure it was Walmart decision? Isn’t it the same cut as used previously for some non-Walmart exclusive issues? I suspect Walmart generally has a say in the sense they have a budget/contract with a label to procure X number of copies at X price/unit at some level of quality control. But they may spend less time on the lacquer and pressing plant details than the collective posts here.
I ordered Linda Ronstadt’s Greatest Hits Volumes 1&2 on Monday, they arrived on Wednesday, I listened to them yesterday and they are going back today. I am usually all in when it comes to colored vinyl as I feel it adds a little extra fun to the hobby. Normally I don’t feel there is a compromise in sound quality but these two were noticeably noisy. Even the Chris Bellman mastering (which when overpowering the surface noise is great) could not save these. I have preordered the black vinyl editions and even saved a few dollars in the process. This experience will not keep me from buying more colored vinyl in the future. Alan
Sounds like you have a defective LP. My copy never had any static sound like you mentioned. My copy also had other issues with a lot of pops too, so I ordered a second copy. I noticed my first copy did not have CB in the dead wax, but the new copy does. The second one does not have any issue playing and it is very quiet. I sent the first one back for a refund.
Oh yeah, for sure... definitely a defective LP. I was able to get a second copy while it was available at a 'normal' cost, and while it was better (doesn't have the static / distortion of the first copy), it's still not great. Tons of surface noise (clicks / pops) as each side progresses. It just seems to me that when you try to fit 30 minutes of music on an LP side, the chances of a defect-free copy decreases significantly. And of course now the available copies are gone (at a reasonable cost, anyway). It's really a shame, as this could have been done really well, but it just wasn't. The red / black splatter looks really incredible, but it's the best thing about it. It's probably not something I'll listen to a lot when I want to hear this LP. I'm really glad you got a good copy though; I was hoping for one, but unfortunately that wasn't my experience.
@Bingo Bongo if you don't want to contribute to the topic of "walmart color vinyl," there are plenty of other threads to participate in, instead of this one. Or, like Mike Watt says: "Start your own [band]!"
Hank Williams, Jr LP Rich White Honky Blues $24.97 (6/17/22) Robot or human? Judds LP Best of $24.98 (6/3/22) Robot or human? Leanne Rimes LP God's Work $23.98 (9/16/22) Robot or human?
Whitesnake 2LP Greatest Hits $34.98 (5/20/22) Robot or human? Camila Cabello LP Familia $23.98 (7/15/22) Robot or human?
odd. the product page doesn't seem to exist anymore. they don't typically just remove them after a release sells out do they?
I think they do remove the page. I remember seeing Miles Davis pre-order white vinyl. Then it was gone. I wonder if someone buys it up for resale.
Guardians of the Galaxy 2LP $12.70 Robot or human? Elton John LP Madman Across the Water $26.97 (pre-order 6/10/22) Robot or human?
Elton John Madman is up to $40 now. And Guardians is $25. Guess those prices noted a couple of posts above were limited sale prices last week.
