Laser Rot on some older CD's. Anyone else?

Hi All!

As I am having to sell off my CD collection, I am of course looking at them before sale and have now found several CD's that qualify for the term "Laser Rot" as applied to LaserDiscs.

I've been collecting since the very beginning of CD's, so these are admittedly old, but I've not heard anything widespread about this like I did when collecting Lasers.

Has anyone else come across any?

Thanks!

 

I have a load of UK ACE CD's manufactured by PDO-UK...if you see some bronzing on the printed side, it's started to rot...I have some like this for years, and they still play fine.

 

This isn't bronzing... this is flat out ROT on the outer edges. Black in color, spider-web type encroachments. Ever seen this, or am I the only lucky one?

 

...never! If you can, please post a scan.

 

I have seen this on some of the cd's printed side as well.

 

The cds I have this rot on is definately rot. I guess the gold cds will increase in value even more. Has anyone had rot on a gold cd? I haven't seen any on my old msfl discs.

 

I believe there was a bad batch of ink used on many early Virgin Records CDs that actually attacked the metal causing "rot".

I've never seen it, but I have heard of it.

Please post a scan if you can and list the titles/labels/pressing plant origin if you have the time. I'd be very interested myself. I've actaully offered to buy some of these rotten CDs just to experiment.

Kevin

 

The laser rot on video disks was unique to that technology. I once had a CD that was run over by cars and trucks for a day or so before I rescued it and it suffered from tire rot; yet some tracks still played.

Richard.

 

yeah, the laser rot on laserdiscs was caused by the glue that stuck the two halves together (why they couldn't just manufacture single-sded discs is beyond me). I think the only one I have left that hasn't been reissued on DVD is 'The Best Of Elvis Costello' (almost all the rotted discs were manufactured by 3M, and most of those used glue that leaked out the sides. they got messy.)

I've never got any CDs that had similar problems (maybe the DualDiscs will develop this?). I got plenty of PDOs that are bronzed on the label side. they look awful, but they play just fine. and I had a bunch of discs that had develoiped some kind of weird crystalline substance, pretty much all from digipaks, but they cleaned right off with some polish.

 

Who is that on your avatar?

 

OK, this is the largest file I can attach here, but if someone wants a bigger version, I can email it.

As you can see, on the edges, near the top of the scan, there are spider-web like striations.

In some spots, they are of a larger nature, but the edges are all ragged... typical of a rot situation on optical discs. You can also see the manufacturer clearly. But if you can't, it says:

Made By Discovery Systems An American Company POF 0300B

This particular title is WCKG Classics Vol. 2

It is virtually the same CD sold under different CALL LETTER only designations by various Large Market Radio Stations in conjunction with retailers such as FlipSide, Best Buy, etc.

This one is known to be also KZPS Classics, QFM96 Classics, and several others.

Discovery was a rather well known company and became Metatec, recently defunct, whose founder is also well known:

http://fisher.osu.edu/news/2003/activities_programs/spectacular-wilkinsbio.htm

The others I have with similar problems (so far) are:
45's on CD Vol II from Mercury (Polydor) (Pretty agressive)
45's on CD Vol III from Mercury (Polydor) (Just barely starting)
And I think 1 or 2 OPCD collections from Sessions, but I can't put my hand on them at the moment.

So, what do you think???

 

By the way.. I forgot to add, they all still play perfectly so far... just look terrible.

 

Willow (Alyson Hannigan) from 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer.'

 

single sided ?

no way would i watch a quadruple disc set getting up to change sides every 30 mins!!

hehehe

laser rot sucks...my eddie murphy delierious ld has it...and its such a bummer... cant find a replacement anywhere!! (even ebay)

never seen it on a cd before...

i have however, seen a dvd,that has started to split in half on the inside of the spindle hole
anyone seen this before? one of mine did it..and it no longer plays.. at least rotted ld's played (even if they sound and look horrible!)

 

The DVD is coming out in September.

 

...I have some bootlegs that look like this, they were that way the day I got them...possible manufacturing defect? They still play fine.

 

..the PDO UK CD's are rotting because of the SILVER based reflective material used instead of ALUMINUM!...

 

I just discovered that my 1994 EMI Pink Floyd discs are all suffering from the icicle effect (and started a separate thread about 'em). Uh oh?

 

I have CDs going back to May of '85. All OK.
Compact Command Performances - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - Sanyo Japan
Julian Lennon - Valotte - Polygram W. Germany
James Brown - The CD of JB - Polygram W. Germany
Most of the people who I showed these to had never seen a CD before!

 

Inspired (and alarmed) by this thread, I started a similar one on another board. Some of you might wish to explore the responses here.

 

To me, she will always be the nerdy but sweet girl that Kevin dissed on the Wonder Years. Never watched Buffy. Saw American Pie, though...

Kwad

 

I always thought those Discovery Systems CD's looked cheaply pressed. They did a lot of work for many radio syndicators and small labels including then-indie Rhino (Todd Rundgren reissues), Alligator, and many Christian music labels including Word, Myrrh, Benson, and Diadem. The only disc that has given me problems is The Imperials "This Year's Model" on Myrrh from 1987/8 which started making crackling noises a few years ago.

I only have one ACE PDO-UK CD that has the rot - The Chiffons "Greatest Recordings" CD, that has turned golden brown. That CD has been out of print for years, and I was lucky to get a CD-R backup copy in a trade.

Another problem I have seen with 80's-early 90's era Polygram CD's is if you left one in a CD binder with plastic sleeves inside a hot car during the summer, the label ink could stick to the plastic sleeve and wear off the CD. (I've seen several Bon Jovi, Def Leppard and Scorpions CD's like this - no big loss! )

 

I have plenty of similar vintage EMI singles which exhibit this (great coinage - icicle effect. I would have gone for Jack frost effect myself!)

When I was recently losslessing 'em for iTunes use I decided to try a quite gross method of cleaning them which works really well...spit and polish (gently does it...!)

(makes the spittle reference in your signature seem apt somehow....what does it mean/where does it come from?!)

 

I don't think they'll last forever - I have plenty of these too...

 

Here's the Hothouse Flowers release: 'Easier In The Morning' (UK LONDCD 186), released in '88 and pressed by PDO. This was one of the discs identified when it was realised back in the day that PDO had used an incorrect dye that reacted badly with the metal. PDO promised at the time to offer full refunds on return. I decided to keep mine and I've watched it turn from a subtle red tinge to the deep, ochre you see before you Btw, it doesn't play at all now .. doesn't read the TOC. It was fine when I first got it, but after about a year, it played with massive static in the background. The other side looks fine.

Click the thumbnail to enlarge ..