Plain Recordings

[turnstiles]

Over all the threads I've read where Plain Recordings come up everyone hates on them. I might sound like a n00b here but why all the hate on plain recordings? I ask because I really want to get into Elliott Smith and some of the Bong Loader LPs are really expensive and I can still buy what I assume to be the Plain Recordings from the Kill Rock Stars store. Any feedback?

[dreamover]

Just a shady label. Somehow associated with an old store, Aural Exploits, that disappeared with a lot of people's money. Some people complain the records aren't mastered well or sound like mp3s. The only Plain records I have are mbv's Isn't Anything and Loveless and the three Mazzy Star reissues. All of which sound really good.

[firefoxUSSR]

Plain Recordings packaging is inconsistent.  Their audio sourcing is also inconsistent. Personally I have these from Plain:

Mr Bungle - Mr Bungle

Mr Bungle - California

Elliott Smith - XO

Elliott Smith - Figure 8

Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine

 

The Fiona Apple & Elliott Smith albums are fantastic.  Great audio quality and equally nice but not outstanding packaging.

 

The Mr. Bungle releases-- Questionable artwork and audio on both (undersized, possibly not-appropriate mastering for vinyl). The self-titled disc shoves over 70 minutes of audio on a single LP (the same was done for Disco Volante by Bungle too).

[youspinmeround]

Primus, Fionna Apple, Mazzy Star, Ween, Ben Folds Five, jesus and Mary Chain

 

My Pulp this is hardcore has a bit of surface noise and one of the sparklehorse I bought sounded bad

 

Otherwise no issues at all

 

Looking into getting the Lips reissues in the next month or so

[timsimmons]

I have the Bong Load XO and the brown vinyl Plain XO, and the Plain sounds like shit compared to the Bong Load pressing. Plain had to have used the CD as the source.

[firefoxUSSR]

I have the Bong Load XO and the brown vinyl Plain XO, and the Plain sounds like shit compared to the Bong Load pressing. Plain had to have used the CD as the source.

 

I can double-blind tell the CD from the Plain pressing every time.... interesting.

[noiseannoys83]

I thought the Pulp "This is Hardcore" sounded like crap myself. Really weak sounding for the most part.

 

The MBV ones are ok, but could be a lot better. I do like the two Breeders reissues, the Primal Scream "Screamadelica" and the Red House Painters "Songs from a Blue Guitar", though. I think those sound okay. This label is basically under the Runt group which comprises of Plain, 4 Men W/Beards, Water Records and I think they acquired Fire records or something (I could be wrong about that one). I've also got the Mazzy Star ones. They don't sound too bad, but they are pretty quiet and lacking, but I seem to remember one of mine has some surface noise, which kind of is a problem given that the music on those records isn't what you'd call loud. A friend of mine and I A/B'd his Rough Trade pressing of "So Tonight That I Might See" and the RT one is quite a bit better, but expensive. 

 

I believe these were ran by one guy with a beard from Italy. I don't believe most of these reissues are what one would call official, but they don't seem to be considered bootlegs either. Oddly enough, I've actually had better luck with the Plain Recordings stuff than the 4MWB stuff. 

 

While we're on the topic, does anyone know if 1972 Records fits into any of this or the origin of that label? I can't find anything on that one. 

[vc2020]

I have Figure 8, XO & Ben Folds Five on Plain. I have nothing to compare then to but I remember they sounded okay. I was lucky enough to get Extraordinary Machine first press.

[timsimmons]

I can double-blind tell the CD from the Plain pressing every time.... interesting.

Maybe they didn't then. The Bong Load pressing is better sounding though.

[synapsistapped]

While we're on the topic, does anyone know if 1972 Records fits into any of this or the origin of that label? I can't find anything on that one. 

 

Not sure how/if they are related, but 1972 is equally bad, digitally sourced crap (I own Jeopardy by The Sound). These labels make me furious simply because most of these are great titles with very expensive originals and now we won't see proper reissues for years.

[Guest]

Not sure how/if they are related, but 1972 is equally bad, digitally sourced crap (I own Jeopardy by The Sound). These labels make me furious simply because most of these are great titles with very expensive originals and now we won't see proper reissues for years.

So glad Warp did proper Aphex Twin pressings.

[firefoxUSSR]

Maybe they didn't then. The Bong Load pressing is better sounding though.

 

Wouldn't doubt it for a second.  I genuinely think Plain copies existing LPs in many cases.  I notice that the first Mr. Bungle, Fiona Apple's Extraordinary, and Elliott Smith's XO and Figure 8 share the same layout (side a,b,c,d etc).  They also do not appear to use a CD master.

 

Then albums that have never been available on LP by the same artist, same label don't show up as a Plain release (e.g. Fiona Apple's first two albums which would probably sell better!).

 

Speculation not fact.

[ntslash]

I have three of the Sparklehorse releases from Plain Recordings. Vivadixie... sounds good, as does Wonderful Life. Haven't listened to Good Morning Spider yet.

[noiseannoys83]

Not sure how/if they are related, but 1972 is equally bad, digitally sourced crap (I own Jeopardy by The Sound). These labels make me furious simply because most of these are great titles with very expensive originals and now we won't see proper reissues for years.

 

If any of you are curious about the Stereolab reissues on the 1972 label, I'd say avoid. I've got Transient Random Noise Bursts from the 1972 label, and it sounds kind of bad. DBK Works is another label they operate under. Their website is pretty terrible too: http://www.runtshop.com/labels.html

[justin8821]

I recently purchased ween "white pepper" and the record has a lot of pops to it. Makes me apprehensive to buy another Plain record.

[AlexH.]

Any consensus on the Low reissues they did? I've been holding off buying any because of Plain's spotty reputation, but OG pressings can be real expensive.

[azvd]

This one's straight from Kevin Shiled's mouth on that 2012 Pitchfork interview:

 

Pitchfork: Is the idea of ownership over this material important to you?

KS: Ownership and control is important, because if you don't own what you do, all sorts of stupid stuff happens to it, and people spend good money on garbage. For example, in America, Warner Bros. licensed Loveless and Isn't Anything to Plain Records, and they basically just ripped [the audio] off the CD and put it on vinyl [in 2003]. They did an awful, terrible job. It was done without my permission, and the sound quality was 100% wrong. It was a rip off to anyone who bought it. But I didn't know anything about it until they were in the shops. We actually got an injunction against it being imported into the UK at the time because it was technically a bootleg but, in America, Warners operate under their own law, so it might have been slightly legal in the United States.

Now not to mention the bad reputation they get from such an influential quote, I guess people don't dig them 'cause they make it feel like you're getting an official release of an album when you're more like getting a bootleg of it. The major label, of course, is the first to be blamed and somehow share the responsability. I own Plain's Loveless and it sounds exactly like my Sony CD. The artwork isn't necessarily bad, it's not, but when you know the whole deal behind it you come to terms that the artist would have done a whole different treatment out of it.

MBV's recent CD reissues are top notch, Kevin did a great job. You can see his participation saved the project from being a regular "major label reissue with two additional tracks". I'll hold for UK vinyl reissues, they'll probably be under his control.

[tonyfranciosa]

I have a few of their releases and they are OK - the Primus and Mazzy Star ones in particular. Oh and the Ween box is really nice. After finally splurging for the originals recently, I can confirm that the MBV releases stink.

[firefoxUSSR]

This one's straight from Kevin Shiled's mouth on that 2012 Pitchfork interview:

and they basically just ripped [the audio] off the CD and put it on vinyl [in 2003]. They did an awful, terrible job. It was done without my permission, and the sound quality was 100% wrong. It was a rip off to anyone who bought it.

---

...., I guess people don't dig them 'cause they make it feel like you're getting an official release of an album when you're more like getting a bootleg of it. ..... I own Plain's Loveless and it sounds exactly like my Sony CD. The artwork isn't necessarily bad,...

 

This is how I feel about Universal Special Market's releases made for Hot Topic.  They're giving Hot Topic and the consumer the shaft.

[kidamnesiac]

Came to post the stuff about Loveless and Isn't Anything. Spiritualized's Ladies And Gentlemen We Ar Now Floating In Space was done poorly, also. I have the Elliot Smith colored stuff and it sounds to me like a legitimately-sourced master. Better-sounding than the digital versions, anyway, and miles ahead of the MBV stuff.

[LIGMA_BALLZ]

I back the crappy quality of the MBV LPs they sucked

[burnthealbum]

Not that the quality of the vinyl itself was bad but the Primus pork soda sounded flat, like there was no life to it. Scored an OG copy and was blown away by how much better it sounded.

[Guest]

I back the crappy quality of the MBV LPs they sucked

I'm glad I only paid like $12 for mine. That was before I knew about Plain. I recently had the first Sparklehorse album and Long Division by Low on Plain and ended up selling them.

[almightyseancore]

the only plain albums i have are:

 

mr bungle - disco volante

elliott smith - figure 8

 

my only complaint is that the artwork doesn't cover the entire package.

 

it's always cropped out with a border, as if they didn't get the proper art source, and didn't want it to look blown out and pixelated.

 

as far as sound quality goes, both sound great in my opinion, but with nothing else to compare them to, who knows.

[esbe]

The only Plain record I have is Loveless, and luckily I too only paid about $12 for it.  Hopefully we'll get a proper reissue sometime soon.