Well my thing is, the Rhinos aren't really around that I can see, the Mofi's are, but in only a couple cases, and the Glasser Rocktobers are available but that's only 4 slightly more fringe albums... And a lot of that stuff is pressed at Optimal... But still...
Vinyl Me Please Anthology
- Thread starter mdmost
- Start date
MikeH
Well-Known Member
I just don’t see how it’s worth the price tag. Unless you really want every single album in the box, are a die-hard fan yet somehow don’t own any of these and even then you can grab MoFis for the studio albums and get some solid other live albums. VMP and the Dead are pushing the completionism aspect for Without A Net but is it worth $400+ for just that?
I know to each their own, but I grabbed the Day of the Dead box which is 10LPs for $100 or so plus a Used MoFi of American Beauty for $35 or so shipped. And I can still add a few other MoFis and still come out $150 ahead.
TenderLovingKiller®
Well-Known Member
I think everyone should buy it if you’re on the fence. I personally can’t justify the cost but what it lacks it thriftiness it makes up in convenience. Go for it if these were albums you were gonna track down anyhow.
This is all true, but once again, not in Canada you can't. Day of The Dead is at least $180 before the crazy shipping cost, Mofi's are 80 before tax. If the Rhinos are around then that's the play for sure up here, but I don't think they are anymore from what I've seen. And on Cogs you'd be paying 65-80 each after shipping and exchange...
TenderLovingKiller®
Well-Known Member
Don’t get me wrong, I am not for this set. It makes no sense to me personally but I liked the Grateful Dead before this set came into being and thusly purchased some of the LPs features here prior to this released. That being said, there apparently are some folks that clearly have the means to to purchase such frivolities and more power to em. My point was more; what is the cost of convenience? If you fit into the very narrow slice as a consumer as someone who likes the Grateful Dead, has not previously purchased any of these records, and can spend $450 on a single record purchase,then by all means. At the very least it is safe to assume these LPs will be pressed well and you won’t have to apply the effort deciding what LPs to purchase.
wmeugene
Well-Known Member
The bigger issue is that all of this stuff (except for Without A Net) was reasonably priced and readily available in 2019. I get the point made by @Mather about availability, Dead vinyl is as sparse as I ever seen it right now based off of Dead.net, Rhino, Amazon and others.
Not to tin foil hat this, but I think everyone knew this set was being released and as such titles have not been restocked. For example, there is no reason for Europe '72 to be out of print and only MoFis (ie outside of Rhino’s control) somewhat available of mainstream titles. Even standards like Workingman's and AB seem out of stock most places. Perhaps this is COVID-19 related, but I think Rhino has intentionally not restocked these. And they know that people intrigued by this set will either pay the price or compile it 2nd hand. I think this is just marketing ploys. I'd bet that by the holiday season this year or 2021, Dead vinyl will be everywhere again.
Tin foil hat off now.
Not to tin foil hat this, but I think everyone knew this set was being released and as such titles have not been restocked. For example, there is no reason for Europe '72 to be out of print and only MoFis (ie outside of Rhino’s control) somewhat available of mainstream titles. Even standards like Workingman's and AB seem out of stock most places. Perhaps this is COVID-19 related, but I think Rhino has intentionally not restocked these. And they know that people intrigued by this set will either pay the price or compile it 2nd hand. I think this is just marketing ploys. I'd bet that by the holiday season this year or 2021, Dead vinyl will be everywhere again.
Tin foil hat off now.
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It's not all that "tin foil hat" as manufactured scarcity is something that labels rely on these days.
Those that bought, how concerned are you about audio quality with this box having all coloured vinyl? The only other VMP "Story Of" box set with colored wax was Ghostly... and that was all digital and pressed at GZ... Every other box was black vinyl...
MikeH
Well-Known Member
I didn’t buy but colored vinyl never bothers me unless it’s glow in the dark. I haven’t had issues with sound quality that I have noticed. And I have been mostly happy with QRP’s pressings. I do think that these will all get repressed on black vinyl though at some point, just like Ghostly box. VMP seemed pretty vague about it when someone asked. Someone asked if Without A Net would get a reissue soon outside of the box set and they said something along the lines of “this color vinyl is only available in this box set”.
@Mather @MikeH I'm in the camp of wait for MoFi represses because they seem to repress MoFi Grateful Dead albums a lot. Elusive Disc and a few other sites are hinting that Workingman's Dead will be repressed by MoFi shortly. I've gotten all my Grateful Dead MoFi presses for about $70 Canadian, they are out there, it may just take time. I remember waiting for about a year to get a copy of Mofi - Skull/Roses for a price around $70. I can't imagine they will ever stop pressing these albums because it's basically like printing money.
Now if only AP would repress Terrapin Station....
wmeugene
Well-Known Member
Agreed.
Also the MoFi From the Mars Hotel and Blues for Allah seem readily available. I have the Blues for Allah and it sounds great - probably my 4th favorite GD studio album (after WD, AB and Anthem). Both have lots of classic tunes and would be good pickups.
wynn72
Well-Known Member
I'm not too worried about it considering it's being pressed at QRP. Maybe I'm just being optimistic but the remastering and pressing quality seems to be one of the selling points for high price, so I'm having faith in that.
The Ghostly definitely was the worst AQ so far by far for the Anthologies. But I've found alot of Ghostly pressings are a bit noisy unfortunately, especially when they're colored. It's why I usually just stick to streaming for them, despite most of their colored variants looking great.
Btsvinylfarm
Active Member
They pop up with fair regularity, though. The last time I was in a record store my local actually had a few rhino copies of American Beauty and Workingman's.
MoFi's Beauty and Workingman's can still be found at list (think Workingman's is actually OOS on MoFi/MD but it's been coming and going for a while, I think they've been keeping these in press).
And, at the end of the day, you can find some really great condition 2nd/3rd generation US pressings out there for cheap. In my post I shared on Reddit, I suggested a 2nd-run Terre Haute 1970 press of Live/Dead. For everything in this anthology set, sans Without A New (not something many were actively seeking anyways - there's less than 1,000 people with any variant in their discogs wantlist), you can find VERY good sounding copies for cheap by going with 2nd or 3rd runs. Yeah you lose some fidelity in theory due to plate degradation, but it's rarely going to be super audible. The hype over original presses, in general, is over blown. There are obviously cases where the original has an advantage over later reissues, but for Grateful Dead there's no much that didn't get numerous runs with same plates/stampers and at the same pressing plant.
I used MoFi/Rhino/AP in my reddit post to highlight that you could buy some very expensive versions of these albums, a few made with higher audiophile standards than VMP's set, and still end up saving money.
If this set was priced about $100 less, I'd be in. But the $50 coupon isn't moving me and I'm figuring VMP might have an inventory overload on their hands.
Btsvinylfarm
Active Member
Yeah, I think the narrative that color vinyl = bad is a bit outdated. When the vinyl boom started in earnest about 10-15 years, color vinyl was definitely still a novelty and the plants producing it simply were not the best at QC. There are different sound results based on compounds used, and when less carbon black is present, but there's nothing inherently worse about color vs black (glow in the dark being an outlier for a few reasons, here). What we have now is that the better plants adapted and have no problem putting out color vinyl with good QC.
And Reckoning.
And I wish someone would revive Audio Fidelity for a reissue of Blues for Allah (want to A/B it to my 45rpm MFSL), Shakedown Street, and Bear's Choice
Jeff Lerner
Well-Known Member
Ugh I totally forgot about Bear's Choice. I would have been more tempted to pick up this box if they swapped out E72 for Bear's Choice and Skull and Roses.
folsom_lives
Well-Known Member
Anybody else notice some pretty gnarly wow on the first side of Witch - Introduction? Just checking to see if it's my setup or my record. I know these recordings are probably pretty rough but it was the first time I've heard it through vocals and guitar passages before.
MikeH
Well-Known Member
gnarly wow?
dhodo
Well-Known Member
Wow is pitch variation.
The only time I've heard this on my system was with a very off centred pressing. Maybe check for that? But yes also I imagine those masters were pretty rough...
jamieanderson1968
Well-Known Member
Is it a tape flutter? I have a couple of reissues made from the best tapes that are still available where there is a bit of wow and flutter because the only tapes were getting a bit stretched. I listened to the WITCH album but didn't notice it