Oblivions

The old Insound gave me a free Kimbra test pressing as part of a contest like 6+ years ago and then I've gotten maybe 4-5 more test pressings from Topshelf as freebies for their label sub. The Native Sound sent me a few 7" test pressings as part of the box deals they were doing recently. Only test presses I've actually paid direct money for are the ETR Ozma test pressing bundles and only cause I love Ozma and I dig the alternate covers that were included. Otherwise, I'd never spend $60+ on a test pressing as part of a label vault sale or whatever.

If we begin to allow innocent and sincere posts like this, eventually the entire VC facade will crumble and we'll all end up on the floor sobbing and feeling our emotions.

Weekly Deal (ends 9/18 at midnight): DEAL ENDED

I dig those YouTube streams of the songs. Not enough to buy the 7" but enough to leave a comment giving a thumbs up to my DIIV man.

Are there any reading materials that show how much of this goes to charity? I'm like 60% sold on picking this up and knowing a decent chunk goes to a good cause might push me to a qualifying percentage.

Heads up: I'm trying to trim my collection by about 20%, so I'll be listing even more records over the next few weeks. First mini-round of additions includes LPs from Radiator Hospital, Tegan and Sara, Kurt Vile, John Vanderslice, The Ophelias, and more. Most of them are new/sealed. List link in first post. PM me to order. Thanks!

I'm glad the Kickstarter 2.0 is working out better for them. There was a time when I would have auto-bought an Aquabats LP for over $25 without having heard a single song but, unfortunately, that time is not now. I'll keep tabs on it though, as I'm curious to find out what kind of music they're putting on it.

The new Songs for Christmas box set is now on Amazon for $79.98. I imagine Asthmatic Kitty will probably announce their version (if they do have a different version) soon.

I remember streaming Silver and Gold when the box was out and not really digging it but I'm digging this 1-5 set. Are they that different that I'd have two separate reactions or am I just in more of a Sufjan Christmas mood right now?

I own both but I've barely used my LP-120 since I got it mostly as a 2nd table to record albums for future play testing while I simultaneously play test records on my Orbit. If you flat out want an Orbit, I say go for it but if you're expecting a big bump up and want to pay for a big bump up, maybe get some advice on some non-Orbit options. If you do want an Orbit, I recommend looking into a Grado Black 2 cartridge. I got one for my first generation Orbit and I had no hum or trouble getting it working and I like the less bright sound more than the AT cartridges. Not sure how it compares to the Red but still gonna throw that rec out there.

I don't want to steal two fires with one post here but I just sold my warped copy of Macintosh Plus for $25. Someone already took it from me.

Thanks for the quick deets. Much appreciated.

If you order a brand new item from their online store, you are more likely to get something straight from their warehouse that has been packed decently. If you order something older, you might end up getting beat up stock from a physical shop that was hastily thrown in a thin plastic bag and handed to the mail carrier. Exceptions in both cases but that's been my experience over the years.

This is a separate series/comp than Silver and Gold, yeah? Is there some overlap?

I have all the albums on vinyl but a post-Berry albums box set with some kind of bonus records might pique my interest.

They have tracklists on their site store now: https://store.remhq.com/products/bbc-2-lp https://store.remhq.com/products/bbc-cd-dvd-box-set Also the CD box set is $20+ cheaper on Amazon FYI. Vinyl is same price as Amazon, although, if you're super thrifty and don't mind waiting a few extra days for it to arrive, you can get it for $30 shipped from Amazon.co.uk. Also here's a teaser video:

I never thought I'd buy another CD again, let alone a $50+ CD box set, but I have to get this one. I can't tell whether R.E.M. are actually being smart by making the vinyl a smaller tracklist and the CD the 'complete' tracklist. I ordered both, whereas I would have only ordered 1 complete vinyl box set, BUT the vinyl box set would have been quite a bit more overall $$$ BUT the profit margins (I imagine) are much higher for CDs. However that shakes out, they got at least $100 from me on this day.

I'd check back later in the day or tomorrow, as I think they just made the image update. I was tipped off in a roundabout way because I pre-ordered the vinyl on Amazon.co.uk and I got an email saying the release date was just updated so I clicked the product page and saw the changes so far. If you find it elsewhere online, bump this thread!

They just revealed the vinyl artwork and details on Amazon: R.E.M. - Best Of R.E.M. At The BBC (2xLP) And the same for the CD complete version: R.E.M. - Best Of R.E.M. At The BBC (8 CDs)

I echo all above. I'll also add that, unless you yourself can hear a noticeable difference between an album with a digital source and an 'audiophile' all analogue etc etc album, I wouldn't stress and worry about those designations. It's possible that your set up and/or your own ear and preference will not notice enough difference to justify fretting over it. I've heard pressings that others have labeled as "unlistenable" or "terrible!" and they sounded fine/average to me. Very rarely have I heard an album that was pressed so poorly that it was actually unlistenable on my system which is a practical low/medium end setup.

The shipments and communication have gotten way better since the end of 2017/beginning of 2018 period. It's been really nice to see things shift back to being great. They sent that long email update which mentioned having to let an employee go and I wonder if there were some balls dropped or some delays incurred because of that. Whatever it was, glad things are back on track.

Weekly Deal (ends 9/11 at midnight): DEAL ENDED

I mean, even it was cut by Bernie Bergman at Mobile Audio Experts Lab and receive an AAA accredited Hoffman star, no Dashboard album is really 'worth' $30. But, if you like the album and you are already voluntarily part of a hobby where albums cost $28, it is fine. If you have the album on CD and want something way better in order to justify buying a copy in another medium, then I think you should hold off because this isn't a special vinyl album at all, packaging or sound wise.

Word. Then we are all caught up now I think. It's been way too hot in Southern California to wear that crewneck but I'm ready to throw it on for our 5 days of winter coming up.

This was my same experience about A Mark. It was a pretty ho hum average 2018 vinyl release. The only thing I can confirm is that, volume-wise, it is pretty low and I had to crank up the dial. As far as the Discogs complaints about it sounding like it was dragged across pavement or it being the worst record one has ever heard or that it was so CD sourced that it ruined the entire experience, I didn't have those thoughts while listening. My system is medium/high low end, as well. Uturn Orbit, Grado Black 2 cartridge, cheap pre-amp, Schitt Mani 2 headphone amp, Sennheiser 498 headphones. Nothing too fancy and not Crosley.