📣 News Carpenters: "The Vinyl Collection"

[Cuppadan]

As I promised, here is a picture of the specks in the pressings I received. This is not dust, it's a clean LP. I could feel them with my fingernail and they do not come off.

 

[Rudy]

When I get around to opening the Tan album I'm going to try and takes some really close up shots of the vinyl grooves before ever cleaning it to see what I find.

I am hoping to do the same with a USB microscope once Horizon shows up here.

And I also wonder if the sets overseas are pressed at the same place, or at pressing plants in the EU. The stereo Beatles box, remember, was poorly pressed at Rainbo here in the US (I have two of them here--they truly are bad), and the UK discs were flawless.

As I promised, here is a picture of the specks in the pressings I received. This is not dust, it's a clean LP. I could feel them with my fingernail and they do not come off.

Not good at all! If you can feel them, they are definitely raised spots. I wonder if an additional few cleanings might have helped get those off. I plan on hitting Horizon with the ultrasonic cleaner, but only after I've inspected how it shows up here, fresh out of the jacket.

 

[Rudy]

Oh, and I do want to thank everyone here for the initial feedback! New vinyl in the 2010s is not supposed to be like this--the condition of the records in this set so far is definitely not the norm for new vinyl. Properly pressed and handled 180 gram vinyl plays back very silently, and looks like a brand new record. This is not the case here.

There is definitely a problem with this set, and I can only hope that UMe discovers this and uses it as feedback for improving the product.

 

[theninjarabbit]

And I also wonder if the sets overseas are pressed at the same place, or at pressing plants in the EU. The stereo Beatles box, remember, was poorly pressed at Rainbo here in the US (I have two of them here--they truly are bad), and the UK discs were flawless.

Hopefully some of our friends "across the pond" can shed some light soon.

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

So I opened the Tan album tonight and I wanted it to be good news but unfortunately it isn't.....more on that tomorrow night after cleaning it and playing to see where I am but from the looks only not good.

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Given all the problems with Vinyl, it makes you wonder if the manufacturers really think they'll be played, or if they think most people just buy'em for collector value and never open them.

Agreed with Rood, it'll be interesting to find out what Richard has to say about this situation.

 

[Rudy]

Given all the problems with Vinyl, it makes you wonder if the manufacturers really think they'll be played, or if they think most people just buy'em for collector value and never open them.

Or do they think everyone plays these on those plastic Crosley record players, and won't notice?

I want to believe that UMe doesn't want this type of product out there. Yet if they are sending vinyl pressing out to the lowest bidder, well...this is a typical result of having a project done on the cheap.

 

[Vinylalbumcovers]

On top of all the issues that accompany UMe vinyl, we're also decades away from the master tapes (if they were even used; do we know?). The original batch are closer to those tapes and should sound better. All of mine sound very good - even my "Offering".

Ed

 

[Toolman]

As I promised, here is a picture of the specks in the pressings I received. This is not dust, it's a clean LP.]

Wow, that photo is shocking. My copy of the tan album has none of those issues. I opened several more last night out of growing concern but still, not seeing any flaws as dramatic as this. The outer rim of "Now and Then" is not cut cleanly -- in fact, I can very easily see myself cutting my fingers on its edges if I'm not careful -- but the playing surface looks good. Minor cosmetic issues with the "Hush" inner sleeve but again, the disk looks fine. I don't understand why there would be such a variance in pressing quality, but I'm sorry so many of you have received poor quality sets.

 

[Song4uman]

I feel fortunate. While a couple songs have surface noise and there are a few pops, overall my set is wonderful. I have cleaned each album one time and will probably clean each again. I am so glad I purchased.
Jonathan

 

[Toolman]

Further update. Gritted my teeth and unwrapped "Horizon" a few moments ago. Nice pressing, no visible blemishes....but the disk inside the sleeve was NOT "Horizon". It's something called "Calvin Harris Funk Way Bounces Vol. 1", on the Columbia label. Best I not comment further on this particular development.

 

[newvillefan]

I wasn't going to buy the set anyway as I already have the original vinyl albums, but with such uneven, poor feedback I wouldn't buy it now anyway if I'd come here looking for reviews on whether it was worth it.

 

[tomswift2002]

Further update. Gritted my teeth and unwrapped "Horizon" a few moments ago. Nice pressing, no visible blemishes....but the disk inside the sleeve was NOT "Horizon". It's something called "Calvin Harris Funk Way Bounces Vol. 1", on the Columbia label. Best I not comment further on this particular development.

Are you sure that it wasn’t a mislabel? I have a CD from Sony (“Santa’s Biggest Hits” on their Christmas Classics label) where the actual disc label says “Shawn Colvin” (Christmas Classics), but the actual songs are the ones listed for Santa.

 

[Toolman]

Are you sure that it wasn’t a mislabel? I have a CD from Sony (“Santa’s Biggest Hits” on their Christmas Classics label) where the actual disc label says “Shawn Colvin” (Christmas Classics), but the actual songs are the ones listed for Santa.

No, unfortunately the bands are clearly different (only two per side on the Calvin Harris thing). They screwed up.

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

Further update. Gritted my teeth and unwrapped "Horizon" a few moments ago. Nice pressing, no visible blemishes....but the disk inside the sleeve was NOT "Horizon". It's something called "Calvin Harris Funk Way Bounces Vol. 1", on the Columbia label. Best I not comment further on this particular development.

What?? The LP inside was not Horizon? It looks like after what I saw last night on my tan album that I'm going to have to open all my albums and inspect instead of waiting between albums and review. This is not how I wanted this all to go.....

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

All I can say is if I open Horizon and the LP inside is not Horizon I'm hoping at least it might be some Olivia.

 

[Toolman]

All I can say is if I open Horizon and the LP inside is not Horizon I'm hoping at least it might be some Olivia.

Yeah, I'd have preferred that too. In 40+ years of record buying, this is a first. How...

 

[Cuppadan]

I feel fortunate. While a couple songs have surface noise and there are a few pops, overall my set is wonderful. I have cleaned each album one time and will probably clean each again. I am so glad I purchased.
Jonathan

SO glad you got a good set.

 

[Cuppadan]

Or do they think everyone plays these on those plastic Crosley record players, and won't notice?

I want to believe that UMe doesn't want this type of product out there. Yet if they are sending vinyl pressing out to the lowest bidder, well...this is a typical result of having a project done on the cheap.

I sometimes wonder if they think the more crappy vinyl they put out, the less people will want to buy vinyl and go back to digital downloads where the profit margins are higher.

 

[Cuppadan]

Further update. Gritted my teeth and unwrapped "Horizon" a few moments ago. Nice pressing, no visible blemishes....but the disk inside the sleeve was NOT "Horizon". It's something called "Calvin Harris Funk Way Bounces Vol. 1", on the Columbia label. Best I not comment further on this particular development.

OMG

 

[theninjarabbit]

 

[Harry]

Well it's good to hear that someone has gotten a decent set, but the other stories are certainly not encouraging. I've been a little leery about this set from the beginning, having that "It's-Carpenters-have-to-buy-it" mentality but not really wanting or needing vinyl at this point.

I've stated before that for my needs, all of my old original vinyl is good enough for me, so the idea of spending reasonably big bucks for a set like this just wasn't getting me to click [BUY].

I also have had reservations about modern vinyl, hearing some horror stories over the past number of years, along with the praise that some of it is exemplary. There was always the question in my mind, should I? Shouldn't I? And it's been agonizing seeing the great early pictures and Richard's interview on the subject, and then seeing some of the appalling photos of the new vinyl.

And for the past two weeks I've been viewing all of this from afar as we took a road trip up north encompassing Thanksgiving. So for now, I'm still in a holding pattern, leaning strongly toward not getting this vinyl set. If I see or hear praise or learn of a different source for great vinyl, then-and only then-maybe.

I do feel compassion for some of you who've been disappointed and hope that you can all reconcile the situation with your suppliers, and I'm following the story very closely, so keep the information coming.

 

[Rudy]

On top of all the issues that accompany UMe vinyl, we're also decades away from the master tapes (if they were even used; do we know?). The original batch are closer to those tapes and should sound better. All of mine sound very good - even my "Offering".

Definitely! And promo copies, coming first off the stampers, can sound the best. What we all wouldn't give to time warp back to the 70s and get these when they were new!

 

[newvillefan]

Further update. Gritted my teeth and unwrapped "Horizon" a few moments ago. Nice pressing, no visible blemishes....but the disk inside the sleeve was NOT "Horizon". It's something called "Calvin Harris Funk Way Bounces Vol. 1", on the Columbia label. Best I not comment further on this particular development.

This is the culprit...

 

[Rudy]

Who knows--it could actually be a good record.