What does it mean if there is more than one LP issue in a year in a country?

[Diskos]

I wonder what I am to take from that in terms of "original", "official" and "best" version of an album. And how safe is it to assume the sound quality of a foreign pressing is on par with the original issue?

[Turboellis]

And how safe is it to assume the sound quality of a foreign pressing is on par with the original issue?

Not at all.

[Paul-K]

first pressing might not always be the best pressing. the recent Jex Thoth album was pressed terribly.

[Turboellis]

Almost all parameters could be different: Raw materials, basic manufacturing methods, etc etc

An original press is not guaranteed to be the best, though it often can be.

[bongolia]

not even just the pressing, different releases can have different mastering, so a release in one country can sound very different to a release in another country. Or even the source material could be different (different take, different mix, etc).

The mono and stereo mixes of records can sound very different too, and there's also other stuff to watch out for like "fake stereo", where a mono record was processed to give a fake stereo effect (normally a slight delay added to the high frequencies in one channel) or various short-lived technical improvements, like attempts to make records compatible with both mono and stereo equipment, which are regarded now as having worse sound.

there is no guarantee on anything in the world of vinyl. The Steve Hoffman forum can sometimes be useful to find conversations with people discussing different pressings. This page might be an interesting read on stereo/mono etc if you are interested in older stuff http://www.rarerecords.net/stereo-re...ch-one-to-buy/

[Paul-K]

The mono and stereo mixes of records can sound very different too, and there's also other stuff to watch out for like "fake stereo", where a mono record was processed to give a fake stereo effect (normally a slight delay added to the high frequencies in one channel) or various short-lived technical improvements, like attempts to make records compatible with both mono and stereo equipment, which are regarded now as having worse sound.

this is why i have started buying the very recent remastered re issues of classic rock stuff. i just want a clear, clean, loud pressing of basic rock like floyd, zeppelin. not bothered about originals for that kind of stuff. also they are only about £14, so cheaper as well and i can get rid of my old boot sale finds. lees is more at the moment for me.

[eclipsechaser]

and hence people spend their entire lives on boards like these gradually gleaning the information they require from other collectors.

[Diskos]

I was also asking because as a European, it's naturally more expensive (shipping fees) and potentially bothersome (customs) to concentrate on original US pressings.

Also, how do you know which is the original pressing? I assumed it's the one on top of the list on Discogs, but apparently not necessarily?

And why is there sometimes a Stereo mix of a US album in the UK or elsewhere, but not in the country of origin..? Beats me.

And how do I avoid buying fake Stereos?

[Turboellis]

I was also asking because as a European, it's naturally more expensive (shipping fees) and potentially bothersome (customs) to concentrate on original US pressings.

Also, how do you know which is the original pressing? I assumed it's the one on top of the list on Discogs, but apparently not necessarily?

And why is there sometimes a Stereo mix of a US album in the UK or elsewhere, but not in the country of origin..? Beats me.

And how do I avoid buying fake Stereos?

So many questions, so little time ...

Original pressing: Obviously look for the earliest date, choose the artist's home country, then hope for the best ... or consult Dr Google until you're sure ... entries on Discogs are not always in any useful order and the original pressing might not even be on there ...

As for the stereo mix, it might have been deemed to be desirable in one country but not in the original country ... whims of each country's record company etc

Never presume that Discogs has all the information ...

[RockerFrank]

I was also asking because as a European, it's naturally more expensive (shipping fees) and potentially bothersome (customs) to concentrate on original US pressings.

Also, how do you know which is the original pressing? I assumed it's the one on top of the list on Discogs, but apparently not necessarily?

And why is there sometimes a Stereo mix of a US album in the UK or elsewhere, but not in the country of origin..? Beats me.

And how do I avoid buying fake Stereos?

I wouldn't worry about the US pressings, since the European pressings are often better and more consistent in quality, especially the UK, Germany, the Netherlands.

Fake stereo is usually noted in the sleeve somehow. Something like "electronically enhanced" or "stereo enhanced mono". And of course if the recording was made before the late fifties and the sleeve reads stereo, it has to be fake.

[amidar]

I think in terms of buying reissues of some of the more classic recordings as Paul discusses is fine but as Bongo mentions as much as I hate reading all that nerding out on the Hoffman site it has some value information especially in regards to represses of classic material.

The only reason I mention it is that I bought the repress/remastered version of 'Thick as a Brick' which was the Steven Wilson mix which was originally released alongside a 5.1 mix in a box set. I already have an albeit battered original but I thought why not and I trust the guys skills when it comes to respecting and mixing prog. Anyway shove it on the deck and thought this sounds trebly as f...! Against my battered copy the difference is night and day. So I goes to the web and find a thread on the Hoffman site which tells me they ballsed it up when it came to making a master of the remaster for release.

All this of course annoyed fans, annoyed Steven Wilson and they did offer refunds at the time on the box set from memory. The shameful thing is the copy I bought is not part of the boxset and had just been reissued a year or more after this has happened so even though they know it needs re-doing they just shove the same version out again. Major labels are still absolute twonks of the highest order.

[mantis]

I'll generally choose a promo over a retail pressing if the condition is the same, based on the assumption that promos are among the first copies of an album pressed on a new stamper. Not sure if it actually makes a material difference in sound quality, though!

[Paul-K]

i generally choose the first version i find cheap, and then listen to nicked mp3s on my ipod.

[Cacapo]

Discogs is annoying if you really care about first pressings. I chose to ignore all the identifiers on my Todd Rundgrens. Had them for years and had not a doubt in my mind that they were originals. Turns out a little square in the label turned them all into represses. Meh.

[Paul-K]

same kind of thing with Electric Ladyland. same cat number but very first press had blue text inside the sleeve... does it change the music. nope.