Colored vinyl - it's limited, but is it worth anything? How does it sound?

Hi everyone,

I remember being about 8 years old back in the early 80's when my old man brought home a promo LP of Purple Rain from the local radio station he used to work for. Inside the jacket was --- you guessed it --- purple vinyl!

From what I can recall, it sounded great through my father's Mitsubishi/Marantz/Klipsch system, but I never heard the otherwise standard LP to compare it to. Aside from the color, is there any significant difference with regards to sound or pricing for these limited, colored runs?

I no longer own a turntable, but I was recently in my local Amoeba and because I'm a HUGE fan of his, I chose to acquire what I consider to be a very, very nice copy of Joe Satriani's Not Of This Earth on blue vinyl from 1988. I did some online research and read somewhere that Relativity Records only pressed about 1,000 of these puppies.

Here are some photos. Those black dots in the middle may or may not affect playback. I wouldn't know. If any of you LP collectors would have an idea of what this might be worth in 2010, I would appreciate the feedback. If it's worth nothing, I'll simply hold onto it.

Dan

 

It's been my experience that most colored vinyl will play fine. It's the picture discs that sound horrible from a sound quality standpoint. I have gotten some newly released vinyl that is colored and sound as good as standard black vinyl. Some Porcupine Tree releases and a purple vinyl release of Liquid Tension Experiment come to mind.

I prefer black vinyl only because it's easier to tell if the disc is clean or has any markings than some colored vinyl. As to what that release is worth, a quick check online shows someone selling a copy for about 30 bucks on musicstack. It's hard to tell the condition of the vinyl from your pictures but since your a Satriani fan (as am I) it's fun just to have it. If you want to send it to someone who loves playing vinyl, and Satriani, I'll take it off your hands for $10. I have this album on vinyl, that blue vinyl is pretty neat and something I was unaware existed until now.

 

My experience of coloured vinyl has been really good to date. I have many records that have been pressed in many different colours and, although I have never done any side-by-side comparisons with corresponding black vinyl pressings, I have never noticed any appreciable difference in sound.

Some of the coloured vinyl that I own includes the original pressing of Rush's 'Hemispheres' on red vinyl, the original pressing of Mandy Morton's 'Magic Lady' on blue vinyl and the original pressing of Kraftwerk's 'Mensch-Maschine' on red vinyl. All of them sound perfect, with no pops, ticks or crackle.

The black dots that you see on your vinyl may just be areas where the colour has concentrated, which I have seen from time-to-time in some of my coloured vinyl, and which does not affect playback. If it's a pressing flaw, on the other hand, then it may well affect playback.

I can't comment specifically on the the value of your 'Not Of This Earth', but generally, anything pressed in limited quantity will have some value.

 

I remember reading somewhere that to make colored vinyl you have to use vigin vinyl. With black you can use "reclaimed" vinyl. If you are so inclined.

 

Make that virgin vinyl!

 

Almost all vinyl records are colored - black is a color. Vinyl of poor enough quality that there is a significant audible effect will be poor no matter what color it is. Good quality, quiet vinyl can come in any color or nor at all (clear).

 

Holy cow! You have original "Magic Lady"? That must be some seriously rare vinyl. Great album, by the way.

Regarding the colored vinyl question, I don't know if it really makes any difference soundwise. Examples I can think of off the top of my head that sound great are the Ryko Bowie clear (or yellow) vinyl LPs - I know there are arguments about whether the mastering is good, but the vinyl is exceptionally quiet and nice regardless of where you fall on the mastering. I think colored vinyl can sound good.

 

Wow, is that true? I have never heard that. Anyone have a noisy Sundazed Dennis Wilson POB on blue vinyl?

 

I have tons of colored vinyl, all of which sound great, unless its a mastering issue, the vinyl is almost always flat and quiet. I have a couple copies on colored and black of the same album, and I hear no difference. If I can get the colored copy for the same price as the black, I usually opt for the colored. The collector in me is a sucker for the limited editions.

 

Yes, it's a static inhibitor.

 

Same here...Nothing like cool-colored vinyl spinning on the 'ol TTable ....

Tim

 

Is that the "Miracle Surface" on the early RCA VICTOR LP's?

 

I don't know.

 

Not to sound rude, but was Steve joking? (I clearly have no pride.) heh.

 

Why can't it be used with colored vinyl?

 

Well...here is what you said: "The black version has some noise reducing stuff in it to make the surface MUCH quieter. That option vanishes when colored vinyl is used."

So to me, from what you're saying, it sounds like one color (black) has magical powers that the other colors do not have. If you would have elaborated (assuming that you are still not joking), I wouldn't have questioned it, but I thought maybe you were making a quick little joke towards the topic.

Do you see what I'm saying?

 

I'll buy that (and was unaware of it). A static inhibitor, though, sounds like it's addressing an environmental problem rather than an inherent characteristic of the medium. As in, in a totally static-free environment, would this advantage still exist? I recognize such an environment does not exist, and would modify what I said to mean that a disc of any color (or none) can play sufficiently quietly so as not to affect the enjoyment of playing the record.

 

So anyone know if that is what RCA was referring to on the "Miracle Surface" albums from the 50's?

 

I think it was just a marketing tool.

Their LP's weren't dead quiet by any stretch.

 

Ahh. Thanks.

 

I'm wondering if this very dark (and somewhat mottled) purple vinyl is normal for this record, or are stock copies (this is one) usually regular black and this one's an oddball?



(Sorry for the fuzzy pic, it's 'Kyrie' by Mr Mister, RCA PB-14258.)

 

Does it make a difference if the vinyl is opaque? i.e., Hounds of Love?