Colored Vinyl

[Cdnbob]

I've often wondered what was the reason record companies issued records in colored vinyl. Was this limited to 12 inch singles or done to both singles and albums? I've seen red, yellow, blue, rose, and rose with kind of a beige swirls in it.

[KEN]

Record companies issued special color and picture vinyl 12 inch and LPs as a promotional gimmick. In their thinking, a DJ might be more likely to play and promote a new dance song if it was a pretty color or contained a picture of some sort. The record companies also issued a limited number of color and picture vinyl to the retail market. The color and picture vinyl did not alter the sound quality when compared to a normal color vinyl record. Some collectors believe that a color or picture vinyl release is worth a slight premium over a normal colored vinyl record. I personally didn't care. It was and still is always about the music, not the phycial appearance of the recorded medium.

[drlove]

regarding Ken's statement of:

It was and still is always about the music, not the phycial appearance of the recorded medium.

* * * * * * * * * *

I wholeheartedly agree, though record pricers may often feel the novelty value of colored vinyl requires a higher premium, but I agree the music contained therein should be the determining factor as to price. Let's face it, just because Dolly Parton's and Charo's had 12-inchers issued in pink vinyl doesn't necessarily translate to superior quality of disco . . . though I would have to admit that a rainbow of colored vinyl on a shelf would look pretty damn cool !!!

[Dayna]

pink vinyl

Oh My..It's like Crack if you were a crack addict"of which I NEVA was" just the sound of it ...PINK VINYL..sigh..

[BrunoRepublic]

As KEN says, it was a marketing gimmick. Butterfly released a lot of their records on coloured vinyl... many sellers charge a premium for these, but they really aren't very rare. There are a few singles out there that have only been released on coloured vinyl.

As for sound quality, I find most are as good as regular, with the exception of clear vinyl, which is obviously used for picture discs. Some clear vinyl seems very brittle and has more surface noise. I have a 12" by The Grid on clear vinyl and it sounds worse every time I play it.

[shives]

I prefer black vinyl over colored when mixing -- it's just easier to see and work with for me. Opaque colored vinyl isn't so bad, but transparent is not so good if you're trying to see the grooves.

[Disco Funk]

I prefer basic black. I really hate the transparent kind. I have the 12" for U2's Lemon, which was a clear yellow colour, and you can barely make out where the tracks of the various mixes begin.

I have a few coloured opaque vinyl records, and I haven't noticed them sound any worse than the black. Ole Ole by Charo is pink. And I think my copy of one of the Eastside Connection 12"s looks like someone grabbed some random colours of plasticine and pressed it into a record. I can't remember what other coloured 12"s I have.

Disco Funk

[STEPHEN L FREEMAN]

With regard to colored vs. picture-disc v. black vinyl...

Back in '91, when I produced my first record for Vicki Shepard, I took the first couple mixes to a Mastering / Pressing plant in Miami, to have acetates cut for testing-out in the clubs. While we were walking back to the Disc-Cutting room I asked the engineer about the buckets we passed, that were full of little plastic beads. One bucket filled with blue, one with yellow, one with red, and the biggest was black. Here's how it was explained to me...

The beads are the vinyl, before melting and feeding into the press. Recording vinyl starts out as clear and the color is added to it. Clear, or Custom-colored vinyl is preferable because it's guaranteed pure. Black vinyl can be (and often was...) used for "re-press", without anyone knowing. You can tell when you hold it up to light. (Even black vinyl should be slightly transparent, and without much swirling.) Or by the amount of surface flaws. (Pitting, warps, hairline cracks that show-up on the dead-wax under halogen lights.)

The most blatant example would be any of the US Polydor labels, in the 70's. (Casablanca included.) Polygram/US would take the returned, or defective LPs and melt them down to make new, black beads. Then press new LPs with the recycled vinyl. Smaller labels, as well, could buy the recycled black vinyl beads, for less than virgin vinyl. Problem being though... The recycled vinyl contained ash, was more brittle and cooled differently in the press, which caused the warping, cracking and pitting of the vinyl. (My copy of Carol Lloyd's 1979 "Score" LP, on EarMarc, is horribly pitted and, when held up to light, and has no opaque quality.)

This is also why the 'RCA-RED SEAL" and COLUMBIA-MASTERWORKS" pressings were such a big deal in the 60's, 70's and 80's. They were guaranteed virgin vinyl. (It's also why they cost more.)

If you hold up those 1990's Unidisc pressings, you'll see the clarity of the vinyl and a slight, but even, transparency to the vinyl. They went through a period, for the SPEC Series, where they only used virgin vinyl. And the surface noise on those pressings is reduced to next-to nothing. The same with DiscoNet's label, "IMPORTE/12". Only virgin vinyl used. And of course, the Remix Services. (It's no accident that Razor Maid was always on colored vinyl. I believe Joseph Watt wouldn't have EVER pressed a record on anything but the best vinyl he could get!) So, if you've got a crap sounding colored, or clear vinyl, it's because the Master plate was crap. Or it wasn't EQ' properly, in the mix. Not because of the vinyl, itself.

Finally, pictured-discs are typically the worst pressings because the amount of solid vinyl on a record, after you've cut your grooves into both sides, isn't much at all. And the paper, for the picture disc, sometimes takes-up more space than the press will allow. The grooves are cut more shallow and the surface noise increases. I have the Butterfly In-Store Promo Disc, and the grooves cut through the vinyl, and into the paper of the picture, on the end of the first side. It sounds like a nasty abrasion on the record But it's actually, the sound of the groove passing though the paper. One of my Donna Summer "Live & More" picture discs is, virtually unplayable, because of this. The needle barely has any groove to hold onto and the surface noise is like a train running through the studio!

My Non-US picture discs are infinitely better, because UK, Euro and Japanese companies press with a higher amount of vinyl. Thicker records have deeper grooves, less surface noise and can handle losing some space to a piece of paper. For example, have you ever noticed that your Italian pressings can look like someone roller-skated over them, but they still sound great, once the music kicks-in? The grooves are so deep, and the vinyl's not brittle, so the playback easily drowns-out the flaws.

[BrunoRepublic]

So, if you've got a crap sounding colored, or clear vinyl, it's because the Master plate was crap. Or it wasn't EQ' properly, in the mix. Not because of the vinyl, itself.

I have at least one exception to that. The Grid 12" I mentioned has excellent mastering, but the vinyl is so brittle that there's a steady hiss that gets louder with every play. When I take off the tonearm, I can see a clump of ultra-fine clear vinyl shreddings on the stylus. I've played it about six times, and it's almost unlistenable now.

Did I mention I use cartridges that track at under a gram and a half?

[Disco Funk]

Thanks for that very informative reply, Stephen!! I had no idea that records were made using recycled pieces, and the purity of the vinyl could determine whether the pressing was better than a less pure version.

Disco Funk

[Teddybear]

In Discogs.com you can find a brief discussion with some opposing opinions: Discogs General / Colored Vinyl vs. Black Vinyl

For me, the difference lies in the sentimental value, coz when I see or think of the colored ones, it immediatly brings me back to those glory days: friends, parties and that precious feeling of youth and freedom... Similar memories fill me when I look at the label Casablanca or T.K. on a black vinyl.

In either case, I feel cool/chévere .

[Mixmachine]

there was a Youtube video posted here that details the process of vinyl pressing.

Maybe VideoS can find it again?

[STEPHEN L FREEMAN]

When I take off the tonearm, I can see a clump of ultra-fine clear vinyl shreddings on the stylus. I've played it about six times, and it's almost unlistenable now.

That's wild! What company is the recording from?

[BrunoRepublic]

That's wild! What company is the recording from?

Virgin, shortly after the EMI buyout. The Grid: Crystal Clear, The Orb remixes VSTX 1442. The a-side tracks were released on CD single, but the b-side tracks are exclusive to this release.

[STEPHEN L FREEMAN]

Virgin, shortly after the EMI buyout. The Grid: Crystal Clear, The Orb remixes VSTX 1442. The a-side tracks were released on CD single, but the b-side tracks are exclusive to this release.

So you really have to baby this piece, huh?
Can't hear the b-side mixes if you don't play it.
Can't play it cause it self-destructs.

Dance version of a Catch-22!

[canadiantire]

I've often wondered what was the reason record companies issued records in colored vinyl. Was this limited to 12 inch singles or done to both singles and albums? I've seen red, yellow, blue, rose, and rose with kind of a beige swirls in it.

Just to put my grain of salt into your topic, none of the LPs that I own are in color.

I do have quite a large quantity of 7" 45 RPMs in color.


But what really impressed me about a vinyl record appeared on the Split Enz LP True Colors.

It has a big laser etched logo as seen on the jacket, engraved all through the grooves.



This is something I haven't seen nowhere else.

Are there any other one like this?


- Marcus

[STEPHEN L FREEMAN]

But what really impressed me about a vinyl record appeared on the Split Enz LP True Colors.

It has a big laser etched logo as seen on the jacket, engraved all through the grooves.

Thanks for posting the pics! I was hoping you would. That's so cool!
I'd heard of that record, but have never seen one.

I recall one of the Casablanca "One Sided Record" b-sides being (as I was told) "etched". It's wild because the grooves appear to go in both directions at once. Visually forming a series of <><><><> instead of the single, continuous line. And when you play it, it's a perfectly silent groove, that runs the entire length of the side.
(I'm not home this weekend, but when I am I'll attach a pic.)

[BrunoRepublic]

Thanks for posting the pics! I was hoping you would. That's so cool!
I'd heard of that record, but have never seen one.

I have that one as well. I've come across one-sided records that had etched designs on the grooveless sides, but I've never seen anything like it that was playable. I remember it was being promoted that you could see "True Colours" on the record itself.

It sounds fine. I guess it must have been expensive to produce, because out of all the novelty/gimmick records I've come across, I've never seen anything else like it.

I recall one of the Casablanca "One Sided Record" b-sides being (as I was told) "etched". It's wild because the grooves appear to go in both directions at once. Visually forming a series of <><><><> instead of the single, continuous line. And when you play it, it's a perfectly silent groove, that runs the entire length of the side.

I have one of these too (not sure which one) but I remember that the groove that runs inside-out seemed to be deeper than the one that runs outside-in, so any attempt to play it results in the tonearm flying off the record.

Then there are records with two different grooves that run parallel, like De La Soul's "3 sided" 12" single. Whatever song you get depends where the needle lands. Must have been an absolute nightmare to cut!

[BrunoRepublic]

So you really have to baby this piece, huh?
Can't hear the b-side mixes if you don't play it.
Can't play it cause it self-destructs.

Dance version of a Catch-22!

Well, I suppose it's not much different from most AVI pressings, although at least this single sounded good the first time I heard it. :)

Even more annoying is that I quite like it, much more than the a-side. Once I discovered the problem, I have only played it to tape/MD/digitally capture it. I've toyed with buying another copy online and hoping for the best, but it's usually not cheap and it's hard to find. Mine is the only copy I ever saw locally back when it came out, and back then I was hitting every music store in the city once a week. The thought of spending $30 to get a copy that might only sound worse is rather discouraging.

[Videoskooter]

Then there are records with two different grooves that run parallel, like De La Soul's "3 sided" 12" single. Whatever song you get depends where the needle lands. Must have been an absolute nightmare to cut!

Don't forget this classic release:

M Pop Muzik (Dutch Double Groove 12") Disco Music.com

[canadiantire]

Don't forget this classic release:

M Pop Muzik (Dutch Double Groove 12") Disco Music.com

That particular one made me swear more than once.

When I was mixing with this one, the chances to hit the right track drastically diminished as the break in the played song approached...

[Cdnbob]

Don't know if this is a big deal or not, but here are two albums I recently picked up which both are colored vinyl...

1) Belle de Jour by Saint Tropez


2) I Wanna Be Loved By You by Claudja Barry


Thought it was bit unique to see color vinyl albums as I had always thought this was limited to just 12 inch singles.

[BrunoRepublic]

Thought it was bit unique to see color vinyl albums as I had always thought this was limited to just 12 inch singles.

I have LPs, 7", 10", and 12" singles on coloured vinyl. Madonna's Confessions On A Dance Floor album came out on coloured vinyl.

I think all Canadian copies of I Wanna Be Loved By You are on red vinyl... I've never seen a copy on black.

[Broomfield1965]

This is something I haven't seen nowhere else.

Are there any other one like this?


- Marcus

This LP by Split Enz was released in many countries in many varying sleeve designs, most being 'laser etched' as far as I know. There have been many, many released since that time which claim to be 'laser etched' but invariably, it's usually just a blank 'b' side that has been pressed with a design on the pressing plate. Some are black vinyl (I have examples of 12"s by Heart, Bryan Adams and Climie Fisher like this) and some are also coloured vinyl (Pink Floyd's "High hopes" is blue) but unlike the Split Enz example, none of these etched sides could actually be played. Another variant is to have the outer 2" of a 12" vinyl disc etched and the inner 8 or so inches pressed with grooves. Examples of this being the Japanese "Hymn" 12" by Ultravox and Duran Duran's "Strange behaviour" mini lp.

Truly 'laser etched' discs (having designs/graphics on the vinyl sides that can be played), seemed to be very short lived and confined (at least in the UK) to A+M label releases. Aside from their lp, Split Enz released two singles in the UK with etched vinyl ("One step ahead" and "History never repeats"). Styx also released their "Paradise theatre" lp as an etched disc in many parts of the world (I have seen US, Canadian, UK and Japanse examples). Their single "Best of times" claimed on the sleeve sticker to be the "world's first laser etched single" and sported the same design on this 7" disc that the lp did (on both sides of the disc). These discs were playable with no obvious sound defect. I have no definitive explanation for how these were made. However, due to the fact that the labels of the Split Enz lp are also 'etched', I would assume that the records were pressed in the conventional way and then exposed to the laser (which can cut to mere microns in thickness). Hence, the surface of the disc could theoretically be abraded by the laser on only the very top surface of the vinyl, so producing the desired effect but leaving the grooves free from any noise producing defects. Maybe! I dunno for sure, but perhaps someone involved in the actual manfacturing process of these discs will read this and enlighten me?

Does anyone else know of any true laser cut discs (with playable surfaces) that exist beyond those mentioned?

I myself do prefer to have the coloured vinyl/picture disc version of a release if it's available and I collect such. Many of the UK coloured examples in the 'disco era' were pressed as limited editions on the first runs only, with the later editions being black (the early pressings usually sported picture bags too). A 'hit' would rarely continue to be pressed on coloured vinyl once the initial run was over (Donna Summer's "Hot stuff" 12" being an example that was initially red vinyl, then went to black as it rose up the chart). The PYE label was a good example of this (though interestingly, PYE's black vinyl discs also appear to be red vinyl when held up to a light source, just like the Canadian Unidisc ones are). In the 1980's, the German Teldec (Telefunken Decca) label pressed a lot of their disco and Italo 12" singles on coloured vinyl, sometimes two different runs of different colours of the same release (Fun Fun's "Living in Japan" and "Give me your love" were both on red as well as yellow and green - the red being the easiest to find; so 'yes' there are limited editions within limited editions!). The UK, Germany and the US were all prime movers in coloured vinyl releases, though of course, these discs appear in many parts of the world.

Although it's true that most coloured vinyl will be 'virgin' i.e. not recycled vinyl (though multicoloued vinyls can be made up of the recycled coloured vinyl from 'one colour' returns of course) it is also reported that the higher carbon content of black vinyl leads to better sound quality and a more durable vinyl (perhaps that's why labels who specialise in classical music tend not to produce a lot of coloured vinyls or picture discs, though these do exist). This may also explain why, as has been reported earlier in this topic, that the clear vinyl of that Grid 12" has begun to audibly and visibly show distinct signs of wear?

The clear vinyl that is used in the manufacture of picture discs can definitely degrade with playing, but that may be due to the fact (as mentioned in another reply to this post) that the clear vinyl top layer tends to be quite thin. Some companies produced the same picture disc release in two differing manufacturing processes, the 'clear rim' and the 'black rim' methods (possibly different pressing plants??). The 'black rim' versions consist of a black vinyl disc (with paper pictures in situ) covered with a thin layer of clear vinyl, onto which the grooves are then (quite shallowly) pressed. The 'clear rim' versions are usually (but not always) merely made up of paper pictures compressed within thick clear vinyl. The grooves pressed into such discs can be cut deeper (as there needs to be no thin clear vinyl covering as in the 'black rim' version because the picture is deeper within the disc itself) and so the sound quality can be much better than the 'black rim' pressings (Blondie's "Parallel lines" and Madonna's "Papa don't preach" were pressed using both 'clear rim and 'black rim' methods at the same time). In general, a 'clear rim' picture disc may well sound better and survive better than a 'black rim' one, but of course that all depends on the original quality of the clear vinyl used. The US company Han-O-Disc manufactured picture discs in a fairly unique way. They pressed both halves of the discs separately. The two halves of clear vinyl would then have the design/picture placed onto them and the the two halves were glued together! They claimed that the discs that they produced with this method were of superior sound quality to even conventional black vinyl discs. Again, Split Enz were an example of a Han-O-Disc release. This disc does indeed sound very good, but in general, picture discs aren't really meant to be played and to be honest, audiophiles should stay clear of spinning them regretably.

Some coloured vinyl and picture discs of the disco era are certainly highly prized and ebay proves again and again that people do seek them out and can pay high prices.

My own 'disco era' faves from my own collection?

Coloured vinyl: Dan Hartman "Countdown/This is it/Instant replay" Canadian 12" of yellow and black 'smokey' effect vinyl.

Picture disc: Various artists (Diana, Stevie, Marvin, Tata Vega, High Inergy etc.) "Motown disco album", a French picture disc that's seemimgly quite hard to track down. AMAZING pictures on the disc!

What're yours? :icon_biggrin:

[SandraDee]

I recently bought the 'Gaz' LP on green vinyl from Brazil (via e-bay!) & I have to say I was amazed at the brilliant sound quality as I have black vinyl Brazilian records that aren't very good sound quality. So remember, if you're buying Brazilian records try to go for coloured vinyl!:icon_mrgreen:
(BTW, that Gaz LP is brilliant - someone on this site recommended it -thanks whoever it was!:icon_smile:)