I have to reiterate Tony Rice Church St Blues sounds so good! I cleaned and listened to Blake & Rice I last night. Would love to see VMP take on more acoustic music in this genre.
That Earth Day sale went quickly. 20min in and hardly anything left. Still interesting to know that they seem to be keeping cosmetically damaged goods in storage.
Just FYI for anyone not familiar with the s/t T.Rex album… it is not very similar to “Electric Warrior” (in my humble opinion). Not a lot of distorted overdriven guitars like on Electric Warrior… check it out online if you haven’t heard it.
Just got Nilsson’s Pu$$y Cats today and put it on. Been a minute since I’ve listened to it, and that opening Many Rivers To Cross cover is so slow and thick and syrupy that I thought for a second it must be 45rpm and I forgot to set the speed! record sounds lovely and warm and dead quiet
I'm on the Rock track and am looking forward to getting the T Rex album in June. However, I'd also really to get a copy of Black Moses. Presumably, I'd have to wait until the next month to try to do a swap or purchase of Black Moses? Assuming that it hasn't sold out of course.
After swaps have closed for April (on April 30), you can login to your membership page and add the essentials "track", you'll be charged $36 on May 1 and receive both records in May. You'll have to remove the additional track otherwise they'll keep sending you Essentials records.
Question: I am thinking of joining this club subscription. I bought in the past through discogs/ebay John Mayer's Continuum and Sublime's self titled as well as 40 oz to Freedom ... but wondering if is really worth suncribing because: a) I live in the UK. b) I am wondering if Analogue Productions has better mastering/pressing quality. c) I don't wanna have to return LPs due to poor Quality Control. I do, looking at videos online as well as my current LPs from them, like their editions so far. But I've heard they can be a mixed bag. Would you recommend it overall? Never subscribed to one of these LP clubs before... Thank you for your input in advance!
I live in Italy and I am happy to be a member from December 2023. You don’t have to return the defective records, just send a video showing the defects to VMP e they will replace the records I do recommend VMP. If you want a discount to subscribe here’s my code Join the Club
I think quality has become more consistent in the past year or two regarding production issues. Also like that they cut things typically in similar format to original, i.e. 33 rpm often. If you run into issues they always fix it, at least with me.
Here’s another referral code if anyone is looking to start or renew a membership & wants to save some dough…
I've been a member for a few months, and it's been a mixed bag. I do not yet know if I will renew. You can see a number of my posts upthread. One thing though that is really not open for debate is Analogue Productions. AP has far better mastering and pressing quality. Of course, that comes at a price. But if you had to pick just one company for the best rock, jazz, blues vinyl; it would really have to be AP. Their Atlantic 75 series is awesome, their UHQRs are over the top.
I mean, when it comes to comparing apples to apples, aren't they both using RKS a lot for mastering? Not really clear to me why AP's mastering is so much better or how that is not open to debate. Of course, QRP is a better plant than GZ. No argument there. We'll see what happens when the new plant opens.
I have had plenty of bad discs from QRP, including UHQRs. Also, isn’t it the case that not all VMP releases are GZ? I’m not a member right now, but was a year or two ago. My stacks are stuffed.
The VMP SRV Couldn’t Stand the Weather is on par with the AP In Step I also have. Both mastered by the same mastering engineer. Most of VMP’s AAA selections are really really good.
You have to do the math on the extra cost to see if it's worth it for you. I am in Canada so also International, and for me it was worth it. A lot of titles are done by Ryan K Smith who also does a lot of work for Analogue Productions (including UHQRs). Pressing quality is about the same for me. I have had some faulty VMP pressings, but also the same with QRP and RTI. Plus VMP has a new pressing plant that will be supervised by the person (Gary Salstrom) who previously managed the QRP plant. You never have to return faulty product. They just mail you a new copy. They have the best customer service. So much better than dealing with Acoustic Sounds for anyone outside the US. I am happy with my subscription and recommend them.
VMP mastering quality is just as good as AP’s especially on the stuff they cut AAA by Ryan Smith , their pressings are done at GZ though now so the vinyl isn’t as good, usually noisier with more warps, but the mastering and jackets/packaging are top notch. Their new plant should be comparable though hopefully. AP cuts at 45 rpm a lot which I admit usually is harder to beat, but most prefer the convenience of 33 anyway even if it’s not quite as big of a sound
