Disco Records - Better Quality Pressings From Countries Of Origin?

[Disco Funk]

Has anyone noticed if a 12", 7" or LP pressed in one country sounds better than that of another country?

I noticed for example that Faith Hope & Charity's US pressing sounded much thicker and richer than the Canadian pressing.

Now, I'm wondering if it's better to get these records from their country of origin to get a better quality pressing. For example, a US artist's album will sound better if it's a US pressing than a UK or Canadian pressing?

And overall, has anyone noticed if UK 12" pressings (which I think run at 45 rpms) are better sounding than their US counterparts? And tracks that were never released on US 12", but released in the UK as 12" (for example, an extended re-edit of Enjoy Yourself by The Jacksons), are they done well, or do they sound tinny and flat, no better than a 7"?

Disco Funk

[BrunoRepublic]

Has anyone noticed if a 12", 7" or LP pressed in one country sounds better than that of another country?

I noticed for example that Faith Hope & Charity's US pressing sounded much thicker and richer than the Canadian pressing.

Now, I'm wondering if it's better to get these records from their country of origin to get a better quality pressing. For example, a US artist's album will sound better if it's a US pressing than a UK or Canadian pressing?

And overall, has anyone noticed if UK 12" pressings (which I think run at 45 rpms) are better sounding than their US counterparts? And tracks that were never released on US 12", but released in the UK as 12" (for example, an extended re-edit of Enjoy Yourself by The Jacksons), are they done well, or do they sound tinny and flat, no better than a 7"?

Disco Funk

It all depends. Generally, the "country of origin" rule is best, but there are exceptions. Canadian record pressing and mastering wasn't the best, so often Canadian copies of Canadian acts aren't as good as US or UK.

UK copies are usually pretty good, but there are exceptions. Pye (who also pressed AVI and Casablanca) used far too much dynamic compression at the mastering stage.

[kdavid13]

Yes given the choice ; I'd always go with the country of origin.

I used to often buy Casablanca imports because the sound and also the colour on the actual label were better looking than on the Canadian pressings.

For a while ; the Casablanca logo was so small in Canada while the US ones were still the same size.

I also think that most of the UK pressings were superior although there were exceptions.

I also remember buying CAROLINE BERNIER's OUT OF THE SHADOWS album on LONDON Records and the sound on the album was horrible.All muddy and too much bass ; you could barely hear any percussions and any hi-hat.But when a friend gave me some disco records he didn't like , I found his copy of OUT OF THE SHADOWS and it sounded perfect.

[KEN]

I found Japanese, British, French, German, Holland and Italian pressings to be far superior in sound quality and fidelity than many U.S. pressings. There was definitely a superior sound improvement with pressings that were 45 rpm versus 33 1/3 rpm.

Regarding Canadian pressings, I found most of them to be of very high quality, especially Unidisc (Lime, Peter Batah, etc.), Mantra (Carol Jiani), Epic Canada (The Jacksons - Blame it on the Boogie), RCA Canada (Taco - Puttin' on the Ritz) just to name a few.

[JussiK]

Strange as it may sound, the Melodiya pressings from the former Soviet Union are by far the best ever I've ever heard. I've got the first Space album on that label, minus "Carry On Turn Me On" as it was apparently considered pornographic by them back then, and the rumble of the bass and the depth of the sound is mindblowing. Others: the Diana Ross lp with "Your Love Is So Good For Me", and the "Sphinx" album by Amanda Lear, both with equally amazing sound quality. The Swedish pressings like that of Sir Alec R's "Romeo and Juliet" aren't too bad either, often far superior to the US or French ones.

[canadiantire]

I agree with what is said here but I think there is no fixed rule when it comes to pressing quality.

Unfortunately, there are very bad recordings made on very good pressing and very good recording made on very bad pressing.

Not to mention that the raw material quality also comes into play. The vinyl composition determines the quality and the durability of the finished product.

You can sometimes find the best of all these criteria in a vinyl record.

A good example of this are the German pressing of Boney M., made by RCA Germany.

They use a special technology called «SUPER SOUND SINGLE».

To my opinion, nothing comes close to the sound quality of that vinyl technology (12 inch wise at least).

I can say that these are some of the highest quality recordings that I’ve heard so far. The pressing and the recording are to me, simply perfect.

Anyone who owns a 12 Inch made from that principle knows what I am talking about.


- Marcus

[Disco Funk]

Very interesting, guys. I guess the important thing is to stay clear of Canadian pressings.

Disco Funk

[BrunoRepublic]

Very interesting, guys. I guess the important thing is to stay clear of Canadian pressings.

Disco Funk

They're not all bad. If it was pressed by WEA, A&M, or CBS, it's probably quite decent. London (which pressed the aforementioned Caroline Bernier LP) was horrible though, and often Polydor/Polygram was too. Capitol, RCA and Quality (who pressed a lot of disco) were so-so.