The worst lp pressings and reissues

[Jim Pittsburgh]

Yesterday I picked up an RTI  HQ-180 reissue of Janis Joplin's "Pearl" for a whopping $19.99  The album was actually on my Christmas list but Santa decided that I was a bad boy I guess lol .... I was pretty eager to hear it... got it home and immediately spun it up on the ClearAudio table..... and the sound was just terrible.... lots of distortion and a very muddy sound. Sounded like they had flannel and a bit of glass on the press. I put another album on to make sure it wasn't something in my system... ran Pearl through the Spin Clean and tried it again... still exactly the same. I'll be taking it back to HPB.... This is one reissue you will want to avoid at all costs.

Anyone have another brand/copy they would recommend? Clean original for sale?

[Reverend]

The double 180g vinyl remaster of Dark Side of the Moon put out a few years ago is terrible.

[Kingman]

The double 180g vinyl remaster of Dark Side of the Moon put out a few years ago is terrible.

Rev...I have the EMI Harvest 180 gram cut...is this the one you are referring to?

[Sir Thrift-a-Lot]

RTI stuff is usually excellent.   I guess everyone has an occasional clunker.

[RnR]

I bought a New York Dolls s/t 180 gm and it skipped right out of the plastic.  I think with the vinyl resurgence there are cheapo pressing houses popping up that aren't as precise as the 70s and such.. who knows.  But in general I go for used original over new

[schwarcw]

A lot of the new releases suffer from "no fill".  Poor pressings that make a crackling sound in the tracks.

The new Analogue Productions stuff is very good.  RTI, Reference Recordings, most MoFi are good pressings.

[Anders]

I bought the 45 rpm Fleetwood Mac Rumors re-issue and It's amazing how bad a commercial CD sounds in comparison.
I think it was $40 well spent.

[Sir Thrift-a-Lot]

Speakers Corner reissues are excellent as well.

[schwarcw]

Speakers Corner reissues are excellent as well.

YES!  They have some good ones!

Pure Analog, at the the two Mary Black lps that I own have distortion when she sings louder.  Engineer did a poor job on these lps.

[icravcarver]

Pearl Jam Ten reissue.  Not so much the remastered disc, but the original cut.  Has several areas where my needle doesn't track well and distorts to the point it isn't worth breaking out.  Which kind of sucks, because there are some interesting comparisons one can make between the two versions.

[Sir Thrift-a-Lot]

The Rhino Donny Hathaway - At the Bitter End I got for RSD is dead quiet and completely flat.   Nicely done.

[schwarcw]

The classic album by Carol King "Tapestry" is a wonderful album.  I love the songs and the music.  The recording is very mediocre.  All attempts at remastering and re-pressings, hi rez, you name it, have all failed.  This legendary album will never be heard the way it must have sounded when recorded.

[Sir Thrift-a-Lot]

schwarcw, look at my list of drops in the members audio section.   I did a drop of the Columbia "Masterphile" half speed.   It's no sonic miracle, but it sounds better than any other version I have heard.   Some of the "Masterphile" releases really suck, but that one is pretty good.