C'mon vinyl fans, let's gloat...what are your out of print favorites?

[nobody]

OK, I posted this in the Analog forum because I kinda figured that while CDs do go out-of-print, vinyl is much more susceptible. The last couple evenings I’ve been spinning a few records that I realized were all out of print, some never available on CD and some were on CD briefly but went out of print there as well. Here’s a sample of what I’ve been hearing:

The Flesheaters: Tomorrow Comes Today
80s LA Roots punk outfit that featured members of both the Blasters and X over the years. This one is the follow-up to their biggest album, A Minute To Pray, A Second To Die, which I believe has been reissued on CD. Rough edged stuff that probably would have been more popular if not for Chris D.’s unusual vocal style.

Tex & The Horseheads
A self-titled debut from guys who shared the scene with the Flesheaters. They got a bit more exposure on their next release, but the follow-up lacked the bite of this one. Great cover art as well. I think this was available on cassette, but never made it to CD.

The Fleshtones: Hexbreaker
Here’s one that I would think someone would eventually reissue, but has somehow slipped through the cracks. The most popular album by 80s garage rock kingpins is a fun-filled mish mash of garage, punk, psychedelia and more.

Sam Cooke: My Kind of Blues
How everything Sam Cooke recorded is not still in print is a mystery to me. The guy’s a legend and this album presents him in a somewhat different light from most of his stuff. I have to think someone is working on getting this out eventually. But, so far, if you don’t have an old vinyl copy, you’re out of luck.

OK…there’s a few I’ve heard in the last couple days. I’m sure there’s much more. Especially when you get into jazz or reggae and such, I don’t really have a good track on what is still in print and what is not. But, the above I know have disappeared. What are some of the things you regularly get to spin on vinyl that the people sticking to readily available shiny new CDs are missing out on?

[Luvin Da Blues]

Sam Cooke: My Kind of Blues
How everything Sam Cooke recorded is not still in print is a mystery to me. The guy’s a legend and this album presents him in a somewhat different light from most of his stuff. I have to think someone is working on getting this out eventually. But, so far, if you don’t have an old vinyl copy, you’re out of luck.

Now I'm depressed.

[jim goulding]

Mobile Fidelity reissued many classic pop records quite a few years ago and have begun to do it again recently. But there is one recording that they released originally that was engineered by Keith Johnson called "Listen" performed by the L.A. Jazz Choir. It sounds just like it was recorded at the front of a stage with the chorus set back in an empty auditorium. Just like it was. It's perspective is perfect not only of the chorus but of the accompanying trio, too. And it's a lot of fun. Of the Bis, Telarc, and Nonesuch releases of choral music I own, it is the finest. Mark Levinson made some excellent recordings also of which I own two. I believe that they are out of print, as well.

[Glen B]

Cold Blood's first album, on the San Francisco label has been one of my all-time favorites. I own two copies.

[jrhymeammo]

Nina Simone - Come Together. Interview tracks with a manuscript to be used by DJs. Live tracks are nice too.

Jedi Mind Tricks - Amber Probe (2 copies)

Lee Morgan - The Cooker. CD versions and $30 repress versions of A Night in Tunisia is horrible. Not just how the track ends, but the group is totally out of sync. And all the BNs on original 767 Lexington Ave and 43 West 61st. Liberty pressings are incredible as well.

I appreciate all the efforts and attempts by $30 Classic Records, but they just dont sound as fullness of originals.

JRA

[Woochifer]

For years, I would have said Genesis Three Sides Live, the UK pressing with the 4th live side. For years, the CD version both in the U.S. and Britain used the song selection from the American LP, which had new studio songs on the 4th side rather than the additional live tracks included with the British pressing.

But, then they reissued the CD with the live tracks from the British 4th side, and deleted the studio songs that were included on the American 4th side! These studio songs were originally issued separately in Britain as the 3x3 EP. Now, it's those studio songs from the American live album and British EP that are the rarities, given that they are not currently available on CD either stateside or in Britain.

Fortunately, I've got both the U.S. and U.K. versions on LP, so I'm covered!

I appreciate all the efforts and attempts by $30 Classic Records, but they just dont sound as fullness of originals.

Keep in mind that Classic Records, wherever possible, uses a 1st generation vault copy as their playback/mastering reference. During the mastering process, they set their equipment to emulate the 1st generation LP as closely as possible.

If the Classic LPs lack fullness, it might actually be some of the other LP versions getting mastered with higher midrange and bass settings than were used with the original release. Unless you know for sure that you have an original issue pressed from the first master disk (as opposed to a remastered or otherwise reissued LP version), it's definitely possible that Classic's pressings are closer to how they were intended to sound. I'm not saying that they necessarily sound better, but possibly just closer to the actual original.

[JohnMichael]

I've Got the Music in Me
Thelma Houston & Pressure Cooker

Growing up in Hollywood Town
Lincoln Mayorga & Amanda McBroom

Both on Sheffield Lab direct to disc. Purchased in the days when I thought I needed audiophile recordings. I heard at one point the Thelma Houston was worth some money.

[jim goulding]

I got those two bad boys. Can't say that I've listened to them recently. I hate to tell you how long. Don't even think I even could but I believe that I'll tune em up. I remember the TH one has cookin arrangements but is a rather bright sounding recording but that was on a different rig from now. The other one has just one tune on it that I would call memorable but in it's day it was a highly regarded vocal album. Good piano tone, too, if I remember.

I don't know how many if any Chesky LP's are available anymore but I have a couple and the sonics are wonderful! Tchaikovsky's Francesca de Rimini with a Bizet symphony on the flip side and Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2. The string tone is to die for on the latter especially given the pretty close perspective. I love em both. Warm sound with rich texture, and balls, too.

[Woochifer]

I've Got the Music in Me
Thelma Houston & Pressure Cooker

Growing up in Hollywood Town
Lincoln Mayorga & Amanda McBroom

Both on Sheffield Lab direct to disc. Purchased in the days when I thought I needed audiophile recordings. I heard at one point the Thelma Houston was worth some money.

I got the James Newton Howard & Friends Sheffield D-to-D LP -- phenomenal recording and a very tight session with some great studio musicians like Jeff Porcaro and David Paich. Interestingly, the music was originally written by Howard for demonstrating the then-cutting-edge Yamaha DX-7 and DX-9 synthesizers at pro audio trade shows. Doug Sax apparently stumbled onto one of these demos, and immediately approached them to do a D-to-D session.

Also got a couple of other more obscure Sheffield releases that I found factory sealed in a used LP bin for ~$5 each (this was back when stores and collectors alike were dumping vinyl, and the used LP vendors couldn't mark their new arrivals down fast enough).

I still occasionally see Sheffield LPs as demo material at high end stores. They were pretty much required listening at the high end shows I used to attend -- I couldn't get away from hearing Amanda McBroom no matter how hard I tried!

[hifitommy]

"osamu" by osamu kitajima. this is a great recording with highly innovative music that i call japanese fusion. also, there are some natural sounds recorded outside such as a flowing brook, a campfire, and a 2 cycle motorcycle in the distance. osamu can also be heard on the cut 'jazmine breeze' from the stix hooper album-the world within.

primal roots by sergio mendes. not a typically pop sound like some of them, this is more like real brazilian jazz.

"L.A.4" on concord. a real audiophile recording on a standard release. most concord records are of that recording quality but the LA4 was a GREAT quartet (ray brown, shelley manne, bud shank, and laurindo almeida) and their eponymous album is representative of their best work.

[hifitommy]

the old DTD recordings such as the sheffields are great to have.

the three harry james discs shouldnt be missed

dave grusin-discovered again (early matrix) was a definitive perf and recording

the thelma houston was remarkably energetic and likewise a great performance

the james newton howard was a surprise, i only recently snagged it.

on other labels DTD:

woody herman-road father-tremendous, his 'baby i got news for you' is at least as good as ray charles' version.

buddy rich and the class of '78

as for the amanda record, i listened to ti once and the music didnt do a thing for me no matter HOW good the recording was. it fits in with some of hp's other top recommendations. the hearts of space music ferinstance-what a waste.

[dean_martin]

This album jump started the space age bachelor pad/exotica genre. Although several of the tracks show up on lounge comps and Les Baxter "best of" cds, I don't think the album itself is available on cd.

[jim goulding]

but what they hey. I got a couple of Tommy's hits. The Buddy Rich and, oh s***, I forgot already. It's my third glass of red . . wadda ya gonna do? Maybe the best out of print I got, the most I treasure, anyway, is an Athena record label of Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances by the Dallas Symphony. It's a big, rich and sumptuous affair with wonderful bass transients. I bought it on a reissue CD. Fuggetaboutit! It's the epitome of bad digital vs vinyl. Damn, somebody outta reissue this as it is.

Dean- I remember this in my best friend's older sister's collection, who we both worshipped, she was so worldly and sophisticated, but I don't remember much else about it. She turned me on to Anita O'Day and Chet Baker and June Christy, all of whom are available and timeless. And, this, we were teenagers. We had keys made to her boyfriend's 427 two 4-barrel Corvette. Know what I mean?


(correction) Naw. That weren't no 427. It was a small block number. But I did get the carbs right.