Colored Vinyl

[canadiantire]

This LP by Split Enz was released in many countries in many varying sleeve designs, most being 'laser etched' as far as I know. ... :icon_biggrin:

Thank you all for the inputs.

The small world of vinyl manufacturing is yet an obscure subject that always fascinates me.

- Marcus

[STEPHEN L FREEMAN]

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.

And yet another variation is like my "Heart" picture disc. Where the picture is 7" in diameter, but bordered in black, to reach 12". If you look closely, you can see the very edge of the disc is clear, where it extends beyond the black paper.

And one last variation that throws all the rules out-the-window, is the composition of the vinyl, itself.:icon_eek: It's likely the "GRID" 12" vinyl was too "soft". (for lack of a better word)

Also... Notice how some records develop mold spots over time, while others don't?
In my experience, it's been mostly Italo 12"s that do this.

HEY! Anyone else remember RCA's "DynaFlex"???:icon_mrgreen: When you could (slowly) bend a record all the way, until the edges touched. And it wouldn't break.

[STEPHEN L FREEMAN]

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

YES! Very valuable! But not for the colours.
The RCA/Canada pressings contain the original A-side mixes. The entire A-side was remixed for US and foreign release. Most notably, "Hold On To Love" was originally a duet, "featuring J.P. Vignon" (as the cover states...). The remixed LP version replaces Vignon's vocals with another female from the group. Though, sadly, the remix fades-out sooner. Cutting the beautiful sax solo in half.

Overall, the original mixes featured the horns, over the strings. The remixes feature the strings, over the horns.

[BrunoRepublic]

YES! Very valuable! But not for the colours.
The RCA/Canada pressings contain the original A-side mixes. The entire A-side was remixed for US and foreign release.

Damn, I never knew that! I usually seek out US copies when I can find them; they usually have better mastering.

As it turns out, I bought this one on CD first. More shopping to do...

[Cdnbob]

YES! Very valuable! But not for the colours. The RCA/Canada pressings contain the original A-side mixes. The entire A-side was remixed for US and foreign release. Most notably, "Hold On To Love" was originally a duet, "featuring J.P. Vignon" (as the cover states...). The remixed LP version replaces Vignon's vocals with another female from the group. Though, sadly, the remix fades-out sooner. Cutting the beautiful sax solo in half. Overall, the original mixes featured the horns, over the strings. The remixes feature the strings, over the horns.

Wow! That's cool. :icon_biggrin: I'm always excited to hear stuff I have in my collection has some sort of value whether from a production or monetary standpoint. Thanks for pointing that out Stephen.

[STEPHEN L FREEMAN]

Damn, I never knew that! I usually seek out US copies when I can find them; they usually have better mastering.
As it turns out, I bought this one on CD first. More shopping to do...

That's funny, because I'll always favour a Canadian copy, over an American. It's almost a guaranteed that I'll hear instruments and pieces of the arrangement, that I'd never heard before.
For example: My Canadian copy of "Trocadero Suite" is so much better than my US pressing, that I was almost convinced that it was a remix.

The order of my preference for purchasing vinyl is:
Japanese
Italian
German
UK
French
Canadian
Dutch
US
Mexico

I didn't know about the St. Tropez remixes (outside of "One More Minute", until I was in Niagra Falls, Canada. And found this record store that was a full-sized warehouse. I was in HEAVEN!!!! I got that St. Tropez pressing, Cerrone's 2nd "Vice Squad" soundtrack, the French versions of "Trocadero Lemon Blue", "Love Christmas Love" by Cold Magic, on September Records (aka The Christmas version of "Love Diso Style", by The Erotic Drum Band.) There were a whole bunch of others, but I think you get the point. I must have spent 5 hours, on the floor, pulling out boxes and flipping through them all.

[Westwood]

That's funny, because I'll always favour a Canadian copy, over an American. It's almost a guaranteed that I'll hear instruments and pieces of the arrangement, that I'd never heard before.
For example: My Canadian copy of "Trocadero Suite" is so much better than my US pressing, that I was almost convinced that it was a remix.

The order of my preference for purchasing vinyl is:
Japanese
Italian
German
UK
French
Canadian
Dutch
US
Mexico

I didn't know about the St. Tropez remixes (outside of "One More Minute", until I was in Niagra Falls, Canada. And found this record store that was a full-sized warehouse. I was in HEAVEN!!!! I got that St. Tropez pressing, Cerrone's 2nd "Vice Squad" soundtrack, the French versions of "Trocadero Lemon Blue", "Love Christmas Love" by Cold Magic, on September Records (aka The Christmas version of "Love Diso Style", by The Erotic Drum Band.) There were a whole bunch of others, but I think you get the point. I must have spent 5 hours, on the floor, pulling out boxes and flipping through them all.

I'm a big fan of Claudja Barry. In a great vinyl store in Geneva I saw several copies of I Wanna Be Loved By You and I could not remember what kind of copies I had at home, so i didn't buy any, but the ones they had were all from different countries and most were red vinyl. With the exception of the Salsoul licensed and remixed albums of hers, is it a good guess that the best quality was the Canadian pressings, seeing as she's Canadian? However doesn't it matter where the masters are, if in Canada they pressed using a second-generation master etc etc etc that kind of story...?

Thank you for whoever mentioned the Donna Summer Live & More picture disc, because that one actually mentions on the jacket that the quality of the sound is going to be inferior than the normal black vinyl.

Here's the links to the two-part video of how vinyl records are made. Although I guess there can be more than one of these videos:

YouTube - How Vinyl Records Are Made PART 1 OF 2

YouTube - How Vinyl Records Are Made PART 2 OF 2


As for Madonna colored vinyls, Confessions On A Dancefloor was indeed pressed on two pink-colored vinyls, as well as limited dj copies of her 1994 album Bedtime Stories (there's also some white vinyls of True Blue and Like A Virgin :))
Her new album Hard Candy has been released on a triple vinyl set. While the third vinyl is just an extra 12" of mixes, the album has been pressed on two white vinyls "swirled" blue and red. However I saw on a site that a simply pink and blue set has also been printed.
Does anyone know where to get the simply colored ones?
I have bought them from both amazon.com and amazon.de, but they are both US-made copies, and sealsed, so I guess they are both swirled.

[BrunoRepublic]

That's funny, because I'll always favour a Canadian copy, over an American. It's almost a guaranteed that I'll hear instruments and pieces of the arrangement, that I'd never heard before.

Thing is, American releases were usually cut by a top-name mastering engineer like José Rodriguez or Allen Zentz and tested to ensure that they got the sound they wanted, whereas Canadian ones were cut by... whoever. I can't think of many cases where the Canadian LP was mastered better than the US equivalent (THP's Two Hot For Love is one, seems Butterfly had a bad tape), but I can name countless ones where the American is clearly superior. A lot of Canadian disco was distributed here by Polydor/PolyGram or London (which was later taken over by PolyGram) and the mastering houses they used were pretty dire (SNB = the suck!). GRT was the worst (Canadian copies of Martin Circus' "Shine Baby Shine" are unlistenable!) but I think they were defunct by 1980 or so. CBS, WEA, and A&M usually had better standards, but these labels didn't put out as much disco.

THP #2: Tender Is The Night -- Canadian copies have the stereo image narrowed, making it seem like a different mix
Paris Connection -- Canadian copies have less bass, down 3dB or more
Ritchie Family: American Generation -- Canadian copies have NO BASS at all
Cerrone 2: NO BASS on Canadian copies

[STEPHEN L FREEMAN]

With the exception of the Salsoul licensed and remixed albums of hers, is it a good guess that the best quality was the Canadian pressings, seeing as she's Canadian? However doesn't it matter where the masters are, if in Canada they pressed using a second-generation master etc etc etc that kind of story...?

Actually, each Record company cuts their own Master Discs for pressing. And multiple Master plates are made for pressing. Otherwise it would take forever to get that initial 25 - 50,000 copies pressed.

So, there are a slew of variables, every time a recording is Mastered for pressing. How good are the ears of the Engineer? How close was the inspection of the original lacquer disc? Does the company cut time by reducing the time in the press? And, as mentioned before, what's the quality of vinyl being used?

European and Canadian standards are set higher than US. Canadians, because of the European influence on quality, in the marketplace. European, because the vinyl and Recording Industry (in general) is more important to the overall economy, than it is in the US. Etc... Japan is the leader in technology, which is why their pressings always have an advantage over other countries'.

There's many more reasons, but I think you get the idea....

[Westwood]

I guess in the end, seeing as there are so many variable factors, you should get a listen when possible and trust your ears, or lacking actual expertise, use your ears and pick what you prefer.
And never trust the look of the actual disc. Play it. Right'

[BrunoRepublic]

The order of my preference for purchasing vinyl is:
Japanese
Italian
German
UK
French
Canadian
Dutch
US
Mexico

Mine would be:
Japan
Germany
Netherlands
UK (varies greatly by label: EMI, Polydor = top class, Pye = suck)
US
French
Italian
Canadian
Have only one Mexican 12" in my collection and nothing to compare it to.

[remicks]

*****

never knew this was on blue clear colored vinyl:




*****

[VINYLLIFE]

:icon_eek::icon_eek::icon_eek::icon_eek::icon_eek: :icon_eek::icon_eek::icon_eek::icon_eek::icon_eek: :icon_eek:
When you comming over next?:icon_biggrin:

[kdavid13]

*****


never knew this was on blue clear colored vinyl:









*****

Never seen this either...but how fitting is that ??? OMG the perfect shade of blue to match the actual jacket. Plus the album is my all-time top 10.

[Old Disco DeeJay]

S Express Laser Etched 12" Megamix from 1989, currently available on Ebay........

S'EXPRESS MEGAMIX RARE LASER ETCHED 12" SINGLE on eBay (end time 19-Jan-10 10:15:50 GMT)

[Jay Negron]

Totally interesting stuff in this thread.
Didn't know much of the info you guys shared!!

I only have some WHITE 12"; one by Karen White and another by Buffalo Smoke.
I have a red Faith Hope & Charity debut LP.

But that's it. Everything else is BLACK!!

[VINYLLIFE]

*****

never knew this was on blue clear colored vinyl:




*****

Hey Remicks..........
Thanks for the heads up on this lead.....my buddy who adores colored vinyl ended up with this copy...........I/we owe you!!!!

[canadiantire]

This particular one of my collection gives me the nausea.




...And it gets worse when it spins.

The moving magma style of that spinning vinyl somehow reminds me the opening credits of the “Family affair” TV show.






Burp!

[remicks]

Hey Remicks..........
Thanks for the heads up on this lead.....my buddy who adores colored vinyl ended up with this copy...........I/we owe you!!!!

:icon_cool: :icon_cool:


does he have this 45 ?





Canadiantire;

here's a similar one from
Depeche Mode:

Please

Splatter vinyl

*****

[VINYLLIFE]

:icon_cool: :icon_cool:


does he have this 45 ?




Canadiantire;

here's a similar one from
Depeche Mode:

Please

Splatter vinyl

*****

:icon_cool: :icon_cool: :icon_cool: :icon_cool: :icon_cool: :icon_cool: :icon_cool: :icon_cool: :icon_cool:

No he does not..........but I do!!!!! AND IT IS AUTOGRAPHED!!! MaryHelen (my wife) caught the show at the Roxy on Sunset when Sylvester was there in 1978. It is autographed to her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:icon_cool: :icon_cool: :icon_cool: :icon_cool: :icon_cool: :icon_cool: :icon_cool:

[drlove]

and for those RSO label or "Brothers Gibb" fanatics .....picked up this in the UK last spring:

[PierreConstantin]

This style of coloured vinyl was quite popular in Colombia but I don't know if they were released in other countries.

--

Mexican 12"s were frequently issued in various colours: I have five different coloured 12"s of Bonnie Pointer's "Heaven must have sent you" for instance.

[DJRAZ]

I Have a red vinyl copy of Givin Up Givin In by The Three Degrees. Also The Jonzun Crew lp was white.