Better Records: Hot Stamper LPs -- 100% Guaranteed Great Sound.

[ LOGIN/REGISTER ] [ MY ACCOUNT ]

Items in the shopping cart: 0 Current total: $0.00

SIGN UP FOR SPECIAL OFFERS

READ MORE CUSTOMER TESTIMONIALS

30 DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE

Advanced Products Search


Keywords	:	Product Name Description Detail Item Number
Price Range	:	$ ~ $
Manufacturer	:
Category	:

Found : 277 Display : 1-100

Page :

<< · < Prev · Next > · >>

Sort by:


				The Fleetwood Mac You Don't Know Kiln House (Item #: fleetkilnh_know) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock Hall of Fame, a Forgotten Classic, and another in the long list of recordings that really comes alive when you Turn Up Your Volume. Kiln House is one of the all-time great Fleetwood Mac albums. It’s the first they recorded after Peter Green left. With Green gone Jeremy Spencer’s influence came to the fore. He was apparently quite a fan of Buddy Holly. His songs are straightforward and consummately melodic. More Fleetwood Mac more Info


				After the Gold Rush Hot Stampers People Just Love 'Em (Item #: youngafter_letters) From time to time our customers like to tell us just how much they are enjoying our Hot Stamper pressings, and we here at Better Records love to read the LETTERS they write. We've reprinted a few below. An excerpt: "I don't always agree with everyone else on which record pressings sound best, but this record knocked my socks off." After the Gold Rush more Info


				Ambrosia - Ambrosia An Album We Are Clearly Obsessed With (Item #: ambroambro_obsess) AMBROSIA is an album we admit to being obsessed with -- just look at the number of commentaries we've written about it. It's also part of our extensive Listening in Depth series. There is no question that this band, their producers and their engineers sweated every detail of this remarkable recording. They went the distance. In the end they brought in Alan Parsons to mix it, and Doug Sax to master it. The result is a masterpiece, an album that stands above all others. More Ambrosia more Info


				Ambrosia - Ambrosia Our Shootout Winner from 2010 (Item #: ambroambro_2010) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock Hall of Fame and another in the long list of recordings that really comes alive when you Turn Up Your Volume. Here's another INSANELY GOOD pressing of my all-time favorite album, which is every bit as good sonically as it is musically! Side two in particular (A+++, As Good As It Gets!) has DEMO DISC quality sound with the kind of SONIC ENERGY that not one out of a hundred titles can lay claim to. More Ambrosia more Info


				America - America Listening for Harmonically Correct Acoustic Guitars (Item #: ameriameri_listen) Another in our series of Home Audio Exercises. The guitars on this record are a true test of stereo fidelity. As it says below, most of the pressings of this record do not get the guitars to sound right. They often sound veiled and dull, and on a copy with a bit too much top end they will have an unnatural hi-fi-ish sparkle. This kind of sparkle can be heard on practically every record Mobile Fidelity made in the ’70s and ’80s. More America / More Hippie Folk Rock more Info


				America - Homecoming Our Shootout Winner from 2009 (Item #: amerihomec_2009) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock and Pop Hall of Fame. This Warner Bros. Green Label Pressing is THE NEW HOMECOMING KING! The tubey analog magic of this recording is ABSOLUTELY OFF THE CHARTS. The mindblowing presence and immediacy of this copy will put the lovely voices and sweetly strummed guitars of this band right in front of you. They don't make records that sound like this anymore. More America more Info


				Andrew Gold - What's Wrong With This Picture? Our Shootout Winner from 2015 (Item #: gold_whats_2015) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The best copies of Gold's sophomore release are incredibly rich, sweet and Tubey Magical. They also have tons of deep punchy bass and wonderfully breathy vocals. If you own many Asylum records, you know this title is yet another example of classic Asylum Analog. Think of the sound of the Eagles first album and you won't be far off. More Andrew Gold more Info


				Art Pepper + Eleven - Modern Jazz Classics Our Shootout Winner from 2008 (Item #: peppemoder_yellow_2008) A distinguished member of the Better Records Jazz Hall of Fame. Oh Yeah! This Contemporary Yellow Label LP DESTROYED the competition in our big shootout this week, rating ABOVE A++ on BOTH SIDES. We didn’t hear better sound for either side on any other copy we played. Drop the needle on any track and prepare yourself to be BLOWN AWAY! The sound is full-bodied and energetic with tight bass, breathy brass, and lots of ambience. More Art Pepper more Info


				Arthur Lyman - Bwana A Our Shootout Winner from 2011 (Item #: lymanbwana_2011) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock and Pop Hall of Fame. White Hot Stamper sound, with a big stage, Tubey Magic and correct tonality from top to bottom. There's plenty going on at the extreme top - the rare copy that has it all! Everywhere else the sound is tonally and timbrally Right On The Money. It's very lively, with tight, clear bass. Listen to how open the sound is. That sound is just not to be found on popular albums anymore. More Exotica more Info


				Arthur Lyman - Taboo: The Exotic Sounds of Arthur Lyman Our Shootout Winner from 2013 (Item #: lymantaboo_2013) This out-of-this-world WHITE HOT Stamper side two of Taboo blew our minds with its uncanny three-dimensional recreation of space. It's so transparent and boundless you'll feel like you are standing right on the stage with these guys and their birds! If you're an audiophile, both the sound and the music are crazy fun. If you want to demonstrate just how good 1959 All Tube Analog sound can be, this is the record that can do it, maybe better than any other. More Exotica more Info


				Be-Bop Deluxe - Axe Victim Our Shootout Winner from 2013 (Item #: bebopaxevi_2013) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock Hall of Fame. If you love the British Tubey Magical, rich (some might even call it overly rich) sound of Ziggy Stardust-era Bowie crossed with Mott the Hoople, Axe Victim just might make a wonderful addition to your collection. We would love to find you some Hot Stampers of Ziggy and All the Young Dudes, but they simply aren't findable at the prices we can afford to pay, so until then, here is that sound in spades. And the music is good too: clever, well-produced, full of rock and roll energy and guitar pyrotechnics. more Info


				Big Brother & The Holding Company Our Shootout Winner from 2016 (Item #: bigbrbigbr_2016) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock and Pop Hall of Fame. This album has got that trippy '60s San Francisco sound, no doubt about it. Those of you who are familiar with Jefferson Airplane's Surrealistic Pillow or the early Grateful Dead albums know what I'm talking about. Like you might expect from this mixture of blues and psychedelic rock, the sound can be a bit raw. That's surely the way the band wanted you to hear it, and this copy gives you, more than anything else, the right sound for this music. More Janis Joplin more Info


				Black, Green, Yellow... Which Color Sounds the Best? (Item #: contemporary) Our Hot Stamper commentary from a recent shootout we did for the wonderful Helen Humes album Songs I Like to Sing discusses the sonic characteristics we find most commonly associated with the various Contemporary. This Contemporary Black Label Original LP has that classic tube-mastered sound -- warmer, smoother, and sweeter than the later pressings, with more breath of life. Overall the sound is well-balanced and tonally correct from top to bottom, which is rare for a black label Contemporary, as they are usually dull and bass-heavy. More Contemporary jazz more Info


				Bob and Ray - Throw a Stereo Spectacular Our Shootout Winner from 2010 (Item #: bobanthrow_2010) A distinguished member of the Better Records Jazz Hall of Fame. It's been nearly two years but the waiting is over -- we've found another copy of the famous Bob and Ray on Living Stereo with DEMONSTRATION QUALITY SOUND! Without a doubt this is the best sound I have ever heard for side one of this album. The sound here is so amazing I'm willing to go out on a limb and make the following recklessly bold statement. Buck Dance on this pressing has the most extended, natural and harmonically correct high frequencies I have ever heard from my speakers (or anyone else's for that matter). More Living Stereo more Info


				Boston - Boston Our Shootout Winner from 2010 (Item #: bostobosto_2010) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock Hall of Fame and another in the long list of recordings that really comes alive when you Turn Up Your Volume. MASTER TAPE SOUND! We just finished another big Boston shootout; stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but most copies are pretty darn mediocre. If you want to deal with grainy highs, hooded mids, leaned-out bass and on overall lack of enthusiasm on the part of the band, I suppose that’s your prerogative, but this music is a heckuva lot more fun when it sounds like it does on this White Hot Stamper! More Boston more Info


				Boz Scaggs What to Listen For (Item #: scaggbozsc_wtlf) Another in our series of Home Audio Exercises with specific advice on What to Listen For (WTLF) as you critically evaluate your copy of the album. This original (SD-8239) pressing has two excellent sides, which is two more than the typical cardboardy, flat, thin, lifeless copy has. If you like your music dry and clean, try the remixed version (SD-19166), the CD, or perhaps there is a heavy vinyl version out there (at one tenth the price). That's not our sound here at Better Records. More Boz Scaggs more Info


				Bread - Baby I'm-A Want You Check Out Those Tubey Magical Acoustic Guitars (Item #: breadbabyi_2011) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock and Pop Hall of Fame. Bread's fourth album has wonderfully sweet and rich 1972 ANALOG sound. The acoustic guitars are to die for on the title track. Talk about Tubey Magic, this copy has got bucketfuls of it on the voices and guitars. Whatever happened to that sound I wonder? Listen for the delicate space up high above the music on the title track. This copy has the extended top end that opens up the sound and lets the music breathe. See more recordings with especially Tubey Magical Acoustic Guitars more Info


				Bread - Bread Our Shootout Winner from 2012 (Item #: breadbread_2012) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock and Pop Hall of Fame. Side two of Bread's debut here -- the one that shows the heaviest influence of The Beatles, this being 1969 -- is smoother, silkier, and sweeter than any copy we've EVER played. There's TONS of life and energy and the clarity and resolution are nothing short of superb. The sound is clean and clear without losing any of the Tubey Magical Warmth we prize so highly here at Better Records. The bottom end here is deep and punchy with stellar definition. Side two rates an A++ to A+++, the best we've heard. (It may not get any better.) Bruce Botnick only recorded one album with Bread but it's clearly one of the best sounding in their catalog, no surprise there. More Bread more Info


				Bread - Manna Our Shootout Winner from 2013 (Item #: breadmanna_2013) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock and Pop Hall of Fame. Presented for your listening pleasure, an original pressing of Manna, Bread's third album, with Super Hot Stamper sound on BOTH sides. Side one rocks with the best of them -- yes, Bread can rock; just play Let Your Love Go to see what I mean. Side two boasts sweet and rich 1971 ANALOG sound, a credit to engineer ARMIN STEINER (who was also one of the engineers on Spirit's first album, assisted on Ram and has more than a hundred other engineering credits). More Bread more Info


				Bread - On The Waters Our Shootout Winner from 2012 (Item #: breadonthe_2012) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock and Pop Hall of Fame. Hot Stampers have finally been discovered for the most consistent and BEST SOUNDING of the Bread albums (not counting the Best of Bread compilation, one of our long time favorites here at Better Records, but a compilation nevertheless). This is the record that put their heavily Beatles-inflected Pure Pop on the map, and at the top of the charts with their Number One hit single Make It With You. More Pure Pop for Now People more Info


				Brewer & Shipley - Tarkio Listening in Depth (Item #: brewetarki_depth) Presenting another entry in our extensive Listening in Depth series with advice on what to listen for as you critically evaluate your copy of Tarkio. This Bay Area Hippie Folk Rock has a lot in common with The Grateful Dead circa Workingman's Dead and American Beauty (the latter recorded by the same engineer, Stephen Barncard), and like those superbly well-recorded albums, it lives or dies by the reproduction of its acoustic guitars and vocal harmonies. More Brewer and Shipley more Info


				Brewer & Shipley - Weeds Our Shootout Winner from 2017 (Item #: breweweeds_2017) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock and Pop Hall of Fame. It took two copies on two different labels to give you BETTER than Triple Plus (A+++) sound on the two sides of this 2-pack. These sides were beyond anything we had ever heard, with weight and Tubey Magic to put other records to shame. On the best copies the midrange is amazingly relaxed and natural, yet completely clear and present. This Bay Area Hippie Folk Rock has much in common with classic albums like Workingman's Dead and CSN's first. See all of our Brewer & Shipley albums in stock more Info


				Buffalo Springfield - Again Extracting the Midrange Magic (Item #: buffaagain_wtlf) Another in our ongoing series of Random Thoughts concerning music and recordings. So many copies of this album sound so bad and play so poorly that most audiophiles have by now written it off as a lost cause. But we didn't. We kept at it, and our main motivation was the music. Extracting the midrange magic from a album like this should be the goal of every right-thinking audiophile. Who cares what's on the TAS Super Disc List? I want to play the music that I love, not because it sounds good, but because I love it. And if the only way to find good sounding copies of typically poorly-mastered, beat-to-death records such as this one is to go through a big pile of them, well then, I guess that's what we'll have to do. More Buffalo Springfield more Info


				Buffalo Springfield - Last Time Around Listening for Tubey Magic Down Low (Item #: buffalastt_wtlf) On even the best copies there's a bit too much Tubey Magic in the bass I regret to say. Tubbiness and bloat were par for the course. This may explain why so many copies have rolled off bass; the engineer cut the bass because he heard how tubby it was and figured no bass is better than bad bass. Which is just not true. Cutting the bass leans out and "modernizes" the sound, making the voices sound thin and dry. This pretty much ruins everything on this album just the way it ruins everything in practically every modern recording I hear. Having your bass under control on the playback side isn't easy -- in fact it's probably the hardest thing to achieve in audio -- but it can be done, and with good bass control the slightly wooly bass is just part of the sound you learn to accept. More Buffalo Springfield more Info


				Burt Bacharach - Reach Out What to Listen For (Item #: bachareach_wtlf) Another in our series of Home Audio Exercises with advice on What to Listen For (WTLF) as you critically evaluate your copy of Reach Out. What to listen for? Brightness, Blare, Lifelessness, Smear. We played a good-sized stack of these recently, but not many of them sounded like this one. The majority of copies had a tendency to be bright, which is MURDER when the horns start blaring at the levels we like to play our records at. In addition there are plenty of copies out there that lack energy, while others suffer from transient smearing, clearly audible on the brass. More Burt Bacharach more Info


				Carly Simon - Another Passenger Our Shootout Winner from 2010 (Item #: simonanoth_2010) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock and Pop Hall of Fame. A TOP PRESSING of what we consider to be the best -- and best-sounding -- Carly Simon album! I’ve been telling people for years how amazing this album can sound, but we almost never hear it sound quite like this! Side one rates A++, side two rates A+++ and both sides play quietly. Most copies are gritty and edgy, but this one is smoother, sweeter and much more musical. More Carly Simon more Info


				Carly Simon - Another Passenger What to Listen For (Item #: simonanoth_wtlf) Another in our series of Home Audio Exercises with advice on What to Listen For (WTLF) as you critically evaluate your copy of the album. There's one quality in particular that added immensely to our enjoyment of the music -- gobs and gobs of Tubey Magic. The copies that were opaque, dry, flat and "modern" sounding -- which pretty much describes practically every Heavy Vinyl record we've played in the last five years -- bored us to tears, not surprisingly in the very same way that most Heavy Vinyl does. More Carly Simon more Info


				Cat Stevens - Catch Bull At Four Our Shootout Winner from 2016 (Item #: stevecatch_2016) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock and Pop Hall of Fame. If you're familiar with what the best Hot Stamper pressings of Tea for the Tillerman, Teaser and the Firecat or Mona Bone Jakon can sound like -- amazing is the word that comes to mind -- then you should easily be able to imagine how good this killer copy of Catch Bull at Four sounds. All the ingredients for a Classic Cat Stevens album were in place for this release which came out in 1972, about a year after Teaser and the Firecat. His brilliant guitar player Alun Davies is still in the band, and Paul Samwell-Smith is still producing as brilliantly as ever. More Catch Bull at Four more Info


				Cat Stevens - Mona Bone Jakon Listening in Depth (Item #: stevemonab_depth) Another in our series of Home Audio Exercises with advice on What to Listen For (WTLF) as you critically evaluate your copy of Mona Bone Jakon. When you hear I Wish I Wish and I Think I See The Light on a Hot Stamper copy you will be convinced, as I am, that this is one of the greatest popular recordings in the history of the world. I don't know of ANY other album that has more LIFE and MUSICAL ENERGY than this one. More Mona Bone Jakon more Info


				Cat Stevens - Tea for the Tillerman An Album We Are Clearly Obsessed With (Item #: steveteafo_overview) TEA FOR THE TILLERMAN is an album we admit to being obsessed with -- just look at the number of commentaries we've written about it. We love the album and we hope you do too. If you have some time on your hands -- maybe a bit too much time on your hands -- please feel free to check out our commentaries. This link will take you to all of our other CAT STEVENS albums. more Info


				Cat Stevens - Tea for the Tillerman Making Progress in Audio (Item #: steveteafo_progress) The following comments were written in 2004. Hard Headed Woman is a song that has evolved dramatically over the last 20 years. If you've been making regular upgrades to your equipment and taking advantage of all the new technologies available at the front end, such as: vibration control, electromagnetic stabilization, better arms, better cartridges, better phono stages, better motors, fly wheels, Synchronous Drive Systems, better power cords, better power conditioning, to name just a few, you are no doubt able to reproduce this song much better than you were in the old days. More Cat Stevens more Info


				Cat Stevens - Teaser & The Firecat One of Our Very First Hot Stampers - 2006 (Item #: stevetease_2006) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock Hall of Fame. Before we start discussing this record, let’s talk about the price for a moment. I have never put a used rock record on this site at this price. I’ve sold other records directly to my best customers for this kind of money, but this is the first $500 rock record of its kind to go on this website. This is the result of three factors. First, it's the best sounding copy of this record I have ever heard (on side two anyway). Second, this is Teaser and the Firecat, one of the most important recordings in the history of popular music. Third, it's amazingly quiet. The confluence of these three factors makes this copy practically unique. More Cat Stevens more Info


				Cat Stevens Catch Bull at Four Congestion? What Congestion? (Item #: stevecatch_progress) The story of our latest shootout is what real Progress in Audio is all about. Many copies were gritty, some were congested in the louder sections, some never got big, some were thin and lacking the lovely analog richness of the best -- we heard plenty of copies whose faults were obvious when played against two top sides such as these. Speaking of congestion, it had previously been our experience that every copy of the record had at least some congestion in the loudest parts, typically the later parts of songs where Cat is singing at the top of his lungs, the acoustic guitars are strumming like crazy, and big drums are pounding away are jumping out of both speakers. More Catch Bull at Four more Info


				Cat Stevens Catch Bull at Four Listening in Depth (Item #: stevecatch_depth) Presenting another entry in our extensive Listening in Depth series. If you're familiar with what the best Hot Stamper pressings of Tea for the Tillerman, Teaser and the Firecat or Mona Bone Jakon can sound like -- amazing is the word that comes to mind -- then you should easily be able to imagine how good this killer copy of Catch Bull at Four sounds. All the ingredients for a Classic Cat Stevens album were in place for this release which came out in 1972, about a year after Teaser and the Firecat. His amazing guitar player Alun Davies is still in the band, and Paul Samwell-Smith is still producing as brilliantly as ever. More Catch Bull at Four more Info


				Chet Atkins - Chet Atkins In Hollywood Our Shootout Winner from 2007 (Item #: atkininhol_2007) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock and Pop Hall of Fame. This Minty looking RCA Victor LP has an AMAZING SIDE TWO backed with a great side one. Side two is full of the tubey magic that’s missing from the Classic Records version and it has a wonderfully extended top end. Side one lacks some of the top end extension found on side two but the first track has that tubey Nashville sound that we love here at Better Records. The rest of the side is pretty damn good as well. Harry Pearson put this record on his TAS List of Super Discs. More Chet Atkins more Info


				Chet Atkins - Christmas with Chet Atkins Our Shootout Winner from 2006 (Item #: atkinchris_2006) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock and Jazz Hall of Fame. This is a very nice looking RCA reissue LP with DEMONSTRATION QUALITY SOUND! I can’t believe how good this late reissue sounds! It may not have all of the tubey magic of the best originals, but it does have the tubey magic that Bill Porter recorded and that the RCA engineers managed to transfer accurately to this LP. I can tell you I'll never pass up another one of these. Without a doubt this has to be the best sounding Christmas record we have for sale. More Chet Atkins more Info


				Chet Atkins - Mister Guitar Our Shootout Winner from 2009 (Item #: atkinmiste_2009) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock and Jazz Hall of Fame. This RCA Living Stereo LP is as TUBEY MAGICAL as it gets. It seems as though Bill Porter just doesn't know how to not make a Living Stereo record with shockingly good sound. Practically anything the guy touches is GOLD! More Chet Atkins more Info


				Chet Atkins - Mister Guitar Our Shootout Winner from 2011 (Item #: atkinmiste_2011) This RARE Minty looking RCA Living Stereo LP is as TUBEY MAGICAL AS IT GETS. It seems like Bill Porter just doesn’t know how not to make an amazing sounding Living Stereo recording. Everything the guy touches is GOLD! Rich, smooth, sweet, full of ambience, dead on correct tonality -- everything that we listen for in a great record is here. Note how the record has that Bill Porter extra dB or two of bottom end -- his signature sound. More Chet Atkins more Info


				Chet Atkins - The Other Chet Atkins Our Shootout Winner from 2015 (Item #: atkinother_2015) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock and Pop Hall of Fame. A stunning Double Plus (A++) side one backed with a Triple Plus (A+++) side two. Rich and tubey with clarity and punch. Chet plays all acoustic on this amazing Living Stereo recording from 1960. Bill Porter All Tube engineering and a TAS Super Disc. More Chet Atkins more Info


				Chet Atkins - Workshop Our Shootout Winner from 2010 (Item #: atkinworks_2010) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock and Jazz Hall of Fame. DEMO QUALITY SOUND! That is, if what you're demonstrating is Living Stereo magic at its best. Certainly this is no sonic blockbuster. It's not trying to be. It's just more of that rich, sweet Bill Porter tubey magic from Nashville. Has there ever been a CD that sounds like this? If there is, I sure haven't heard it. More Chet Atkins more Info


				Chet Atkins / Chet Atkins in Hollywood Our Shootout Winner from 2008 (Item #: atkininhol_2008) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock and Jazz Hall of Fame. DEMO DISC SOUND! Exceptionally quiet and ususually clean for a record of its age! TAS List of course, and full of Living Stereo Magic. You can feel the cool air of the studio the minute the needle hits the groove! More Chet Atkins more Info


				Chopin and Delibes / Les Sylphides / Maag / PCO Reviewed in 2005 (Item #: chopilessy_2005) A distinguished member of the Better Records Orchestral Music Hall of Fame. A dynamic and excellent pressing. This record has lovely string tone. Lots of tubey magic. Not one of the rarest Londons, but certainly one of the most enjoyable. [This is a very old commentary so take it for what it's worth.] More of the music of Frederic Chopin more Info


				Christopher Cross - Christopher Cross Our Shootout Winner from 2019 (Item #: crosschris_2019) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock and Pop Hall of Fame. A KILLER Shootout Winning copy! A+++ on both sides - this is As Good As It Gets for this Monster Album from 1979. This pressing is clearly fuller, bigger, more lively and more Tubey Magical than any other copy we played, and squarely in the best tradition of late-'70s pop productions. This one swept the Grammy awards, with great songs including Sailing, Ride Like The Wind and Never Be The Same - Michael McDonald's gorgeous harmonies are the icing on the cake. More Christopher Cross more Info


				Christopher Cross - Christopher Cross Ride Like the Wind (Item #: crosschris_wtlf) Another in our series of Home Audio Exercises with advice on What to Listen For (WTLF) as you critically evaluate your copy of the album. There's one test on side two that few copies do well on. The mostly instrumental section in the middle of Ride Like the Wind has a huge chorus singing in a wonderfully reverberant studio. Only the most transparent, most distortion-free copies let you clearly hear all their voices bouncing off the walls. See all of our Christopher Cross albums in stock more Info


				Crosby Stills & Nash - Crosby Stills & Nash Listening in Depth (Item #: crosbcrosb_depth) Another in our series of Home Audio Exercises with advice on What to Listen For (WTLF) as you critically evaluate your copy of Crosby, Stills & Nash's first album. Although millions of copies of this album were sold, so few were mastered and pressed well, and so many mastered and pressed poorly, that few copies actually make it to the site as Hot Stampers. We wish that were not the case -- we love the album -- but the copies we know to have the potential for Hot Stamper sound are just not sitting around in the record bins these days. More Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young more Info


				Crosby Stills & Nash - Suite: Judy Blue Eyes Critical Listening Exercise (WTLF) (Item #: crosbcrosb_test) This commentary from an older Hot Stamper listing for CSN’s debut makes note of some specific qualities in the recording that are a good test for midrange transparency and naturalness. What’s magical about Crosby, Stills, Nash (& Young)? Their voices of course. It’s not a trick question. They revolutionized rock music with their genius for harmony. Any good pressing must sound correct on their voices or it has no value whatsoever. A CSN record with bad midrange -- like most of them -- is a worthless record. More Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young more Info


				Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Deja Vu Latest Developments (Item #: crosbdejav_wrong_2016) There are two areas in which we would like to amend some of the previous comments we've made about Deja Vu. The first has to do with early pressings. Many years ago we wrote the following: As we noted in previous commentary, the originals are uniformly awful. Want some inside info on stampers to avoid, free of charge? C and D are pretty bad news most of the time. Although that's still true -- Deja Vu is a very difficult album to find with good sound no matter what stampers you have -- we now know that there are very good sounding copies, Shootout Winning copies in fact, with early stampers. More on Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young's 1970 Masterpiece, Deja Vu more Info


				Dave Brubeck - Bossa Nova USA Our Shootout Winner from 2015 (Item #: brubebossa_2015) A distinguished member of the Better Records Jazz Hall of Fame. Who knew? Not us and not anybody else it seems. We are not aware that any of the audiophile cognoscenti have ever taken this recording seriously, but that just goes to show how uninformed -- or perhaps more likely underinformed -- they've always been. Gems such as this sit undiscovered even after thousands of pages of audiophile record reviews have been written. Then, along come a handful of guys in Thousand Oaks, California many years later, 52 to be exact, and reveal to the world a heretofore all but unknown yet nonetheless amazing Brubeck record. See all of our Dave Brubeck albums in stock more Info


				Dave Brubeck - Countdown - Time In Outer Space Our Shootout Winner from 2016 (Item #: brubecount_2016) A distinguished member of the Better Records Jazz Hall of Fame. Clean and Clear, Yet Rich and Sweet. This copy managed to find the perfect balance of these attributes. You want that rare copy that keeps what is good about a Tubey Magical analog recording from The Golden Age of Jazz while managing to avoid the pitfalls so common to them: smear, lack of top end extension, opacity and blubber. To be sure, the fault is not with the recording (I guess; again, not having heard the master tape) but with the typically mediocre pressing. More Dave Brubeck more Info


				Dave Brubeck - Time Further Out Our Stereo Shootout Winner from 2011 (Item #: brubetimef_2011) A distinguished member of the Better Records Jazz Hall of Fame. This Columbia Original Six-Eye Label Stereo pressing is the new ALL TIME CHAMPION for this album, with two INCREDIBLE A+++ sides and surprisingly quiet vinyl for a record this old! We just finished a big shootout for Time Further Out and this copy was the best BY FAR. It gives you big drums, incredible spaciousness, tight bass, extended highs and wonderful clarity. I don't think you could find a better sounding copy no matter what you did! More Dave Brubeck more Info


				Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Further Out's Engineering When Less Is More (Item #: brubetimef_engineering) FRED PLAUT is one of our favorite recording and mixing engineers. His work on Time Further Out speaks for itself -- we think it's the best sounding Brubeck recording of them all. We could find no information about the venue for this recording. It might be the Columbia Studios known as "The Church" -- that would explain the amazing sound quality of the album -- but it may just be Plaut's engineering prowess in another location that makes this some of the best sound to be found on any Brubeck record. More Dave Brubeck more Info


				Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Further Out Our Mono Shootout Winner from 2010 (Item #: brubetimef_2010) A distinguished member of the Better Records Jazz Hall of Fame for this amazing MONO LP. This Columbia Six-Eye pressing is THE BEST SOUNDING MONO COPY OF THIS ALBUM WE'VE EVER HEARD! The better Mono pressings of this album give you extra immediacy, more solidity to the drums, and energy like you wouldn't believe. That makes the drum solo on side two sound OUT OF THIS WORLD. Most copies are congested and veiled, but not this one! The sound is spacious and transparent with wonderful presence. You will not believe how lively it is! More Dave Brubeck more Info


				Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Further Out What to Listen For (Item #: brubetimef_wtlf) The best copies such as this one demonstrate the big-as-life Fred Plaut Columbia Sound at its best (better than even Time Out in our opinion). These vintage recordings are full-bodied, spacious, three-dimensional, rich, sweet and warm in the best tradition of an All Tube Analog recording. If you want to hear big drums in a big room these Brubeck recordings will show you that sound better than practically any record we know of. The Engineering tab below has much more on that subject. See more of our Dave Brubeck albums in stock more Info


				Dave Mason - It's Like You Never Left Our Shootout Winner from 2015 (Item #: masonitsli_2015) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock and Pop Hall of Fame. I was a big fan of this album when it came out in 1973, used to play it all the time in fact. Now I hear why - it's big and rich with a solid bottom end and a smooth, sweet top, perfect for the big but not especially sophisticated speakers (the Fulton J System) I had back in the day. This album has the kind of sound that the typical CD just doesn't want anything to do with. Not that the Compact Disc couldn't pull it off -- there are good sounding CDs in the world -- but it doesn't seem to want to even try. More Dave Mason more Info


				David Bowie - Aladdin Sane Our Shootout Winner from 2008 (Item #: bowiealadd_2008) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock and Pop Hall of Fame. THE BIG BOWIE SOUND for this wonderful follow-up to Ziggy Stardust! We just finished shooting out a number of imports and domestic pressings of this album, and this British Orange Label pressing was THE KING -- on both sides! This one’s got the kind of "meat on the bones" sound that takes these great glam-rock songs to a whole new level! You won't believe how dynamic the sound is! More David Bowie more Info


				David Bowie - Pin-Ups Our Shootout Winner from 2009 (Item #: bowiepinup_2009) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock and Pop Hall of Fame. We just finished our biggest-ever shootout for this fun Bowie album and this one was DRAMATICALLY better than most other copies. We played copies from all over the world -- England, Germany, France, Canada, and the good ol' USA -- and heard all kinds of bad sound. This one is no Demo Disc (I don't there's a copy in the world that would fit that description) but it's a HUGE step up over just about anything else you could expect to find. The sound is lively, natural, and smooth with all the tubey magic you could ask for. More David Bowie more Info


				David Bowie - Space Oddity Our Shootout Winner from 2014 (Item #: bowiespace_2014) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock Hall of Fame. One of the reasons the song "Space Oddity" sounds so amazing is that it was produced by none other than Gus Dudgeon, the man behind all the best Elton John records. It has Paul Buckmaster doing the string arrangements as well. His work on Elton's self-titled album is awe-inspiring; we know of none better. More David Bowie more Info


				David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust Breaking the Price Barrier in 2007 (Item #: bowieziggy_2007) The following is our 2007 commentary for the best Ziggy Stardust we had ever heard. This RCA Import has DRAMATICALLY better sound than any Ziggy LP we’ve ever played here at Better Records. Whatever you think you know about the sound of this record, THINK AGAIN. The sound of this copy is so far beyond any expectation I had that hearing it was nothing short of a REVELATION. It's TWO FULL GRADES better than any copy we played in our shootout. Ater hearing this copy we had to lower our grades for every other pressing we had played. This was a completely new standard. More Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars more Info


				David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust Our Shootout Winning Copy from 2011 (Item #: bowieziggy_2011) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock and Pop Hall of Fame. Is this one of the Greatest Rock Albums of All Time? Unquestionably. It's the pinnacle of Glam Rock. Every track is superb; not a moment is less than stellar from beginning to end. Is it Bowie's Masterpiece? Absolutely. No other Bowie record ranks higher in my book. No other Bowie record would command a similar price, regardless of its sonic merits. Is it amazingly well recorded? You better believe it. This is not just Bowie's masterpiece; it's Ken Scott's as well. For BIG, BOLD, wall to wall, floor to ceiling sound, look no further. More Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars more Info


				David Crosby - If I Could Only Remember My Name... Our Shootout Winner from 2008 (Item #: crosbifico_2008) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock and Pop Hall of Fame. THE ULTIMATE PSYCH ROCK DEMO DISC! Both sides are shockingly transparent with tight bass, silky highs, full-bodied vocals and TONS of Tubey Magic. More David Crosby more Info


				David Crosby - If I Could Only Remember My Name... Our Shootout Winner from 2016 (Item #: crosbifico_2016) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock and Pop Hall of Fame. BEYOND TRIPLE TRIPLE! This Top Copy had a side one that blew us away enough to earn FOUR Pluses! Here it is, folks... a TRUE ROCK DEMO DISC! A White Hot Stamper copy such as this will show you why we've long considered it one of the All Time Top Ten Rock Albums for Sound and Music. You will not believe how Tubey Magical and three-dimensional this album can be when you have a pressing with this kind of sound. The harmonic complexity and extension on the acoustic guitars are absolutely stunning! More David Crosby more Info


				David Crosby - If I Could Only Remember My Name What to Listen For (Item #: crosbifico_wtlf) Another in our series of Home Audio Exercises with advice on What to Listen For (WTLF) as you critically evaluate your copy of the album. Note how Crosby's voice is "chesty" -- some copies make him sound like he's all mouth and no diaphragm. When his voice is full-bodied and solid, that's when he sounds more like a real person and less like a pop recording of a person. Give credit where credit is due, to the brilliant engineering of Stephen Barncard and Henry Lewy. more Info


				Dean Martin - Dream With Dean Our Shootout Winner from 2012 (Item #: martidream_2012) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock and Pop Hall of Fame. This side one gets it JUST RIGHT. My notes read, "WOW! Master Tape Sound! So clear and unprocessed. Right amount of tubey magic. Dynamic and present like no other!" -- hopefully that gives you a taste of just how much we loved the sound here. Side two is nearly as good but doesn't have quite as much presence. See more of our Popular Vocal albums in stock more Info


				Dean Martin - Dream With Dean Watch Out for Hard and Honky Vocals (Item #: martidream_wtlf) Another in our series of Home Audio Exercises with advice on what you should be listening for when critically evaluating your copy (or ours) of the album. Dream with Dean is great for finding any traces of "honk" in your midrange. Getting Deano's baritone to sound tubey and rich, to get the sound that Bing Crosby could get just by opening his mouth, is not all that easy on some systems, mine included. Correctly set VTA is critical in this regard, but pretty much everything must be working at its best for Dean to sound as intimate and natural as we know he can on the best pressings. More Dean Martin more Info


				Deep Purple - Made In Japan Our Shootout Winner from 2015 (Item #: deeppmadei_2015) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock Hall of Fame and another in the long list of recordings that really comes alive when you Turn Up Your Volume. Machine Head Live? That would not be far off, and the fact they brought MARTIN BIRCH along with them all the way to Japan in order to engineer a live album that was only supposed to sell to the Japanese market (!) could not have been more fortuitous for us audiophiles. More Deep Purple more Info


				Deep Purple - Made In Japan What to Listen For (Item #: deeppmadei_wtlf) Another in our series of Home Audio Exercises with advice on What to Listen For (WTLF) as you critically evaluate your copy of the album. We've raved about a number of live albums over the years. Some of the better sounding ones that come readily to mind (in alphabetical order) are Belafonte at Carnegie Hall, David Live, Johnny Cash At San Quentin, Donny Hathaway Live, The Jimi Hendrix Concerts, Performance - Rockin The Fillmore, Live Wire - Blues Power, Waiting For Columbus, Get Your Ya-Ya's Out and Live at Leeds. I would be proud to have any of them in my collection. More Deep Purple more Info


				Delibes / Coppelia & Sylvia / Ansermet London Vs. Decca, Again (Item #: delibcoppe_decca) Don't buy into that record collecting / audiophile canard that the originals are better. The right Decca reissue blows the doors off the original we played. This has lately become a pattern, but keep in mind it's a pattern that's reliable less than half the time, if memory is any guide. Many of the Decca reissues we've played over the last few years have failed badly in a head to head with their earlier-mastered and -pressed counterparts. But the ones that beat all comers are the ones that stick in our minds and show up on our site. Clearly a case of confirmation bias, but at least we know something about our own biases. More of the music of Leo Delibes (1836-1891) more Info


				Derek and The Dominos - Layla Listening in Depth (Item #: dereklayla_listen) Another in our series of Home Audio Exercises with advice on What to Listen For (WTLF) as you critically evaluate your copy of the album. The best copies of Layla are Tubey Magical, energetic, and tonally balanced. Most importantly, they sound CORRECT; you get the sense that you are hearing the music exactly as the band intended. The best sounding tracks have presence, clarity, and transparency like you have never heard -- that is, unless you've gone through a pile of copies the way we do. More Eric Clapton and Cream more Info


				Dire Straits - A Tour de Force by Rhett Davies We Knew It Back in 2007 (Item #: diresdires_davies) This Vertigo British pressing of Dire Straits’ wonderful debut has ABSOLUTELY THE BEST SOUND for this album we have ever heard. Folks, this one just can’t be beat. AGAIG is our shorthand for As Good As It Gets, and that’s an understatement when it comes to the sound of this copy. It blew the doors off every record we put up against it; every Vertigo pressing, regardless of country of manufacture or era. If you're looking for The World Champion, this copy holds the title and is very unlikely to be giving it up any time soon. More Dire Straits more Info


				Dire Straits - Dire Straits Our Shootout Winner from 2011 (Item #: diresdires_2011) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock Hall of Fame. The best side one we've ever heard, so freakishly impressive that we awarded it the rare A++++ (Four Plus) grade! On top of that, side two earned an A++ grade and the vinyl plays unusually quietly -- solid Mint Minus throughout. This is probably the best Dire Straits album (certainly our favorite) and definitely their best sounding album; on a copy like this one it has the power to BLOW YOUR MIND. Water Of Love, Down To The Waterline and Six Blade Knife are all STUNNING on this pressing. More Dire Straits more Info


				Donovan - The Hurdy Gurdy Man Our Shootout Winner from 2013 (Item #: donovhurdy_2013) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock and Pop Hall of Fame. The 1968 sound here is GLORIOUS — rich, sweet, Tubey Magical and very, very Analog. Side one is where you will find The Hurdy Gurdy Man and it is crazy good sounding here. No wonder: Hurdy Gurdy was engineered by Eddie Kramer and produced by none other than John Paul Jones. More Donovan / More Hippie Folk Rock more Info


				Doris Day - Hooray For Hollywood Our Shootout Winner from 2011 (Item #: day__hoora_2011) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock and Pop Hall of Fame. This fairly rare, fairly clean Six Eye Columbia original Stereo pressing has TWO SUPERB sounding sides, each earning our Super Hot stamper sonic grade. Frank DeVol did the orchestral arrangements, and it sounds like he let Miss Day have some of the same ones he'd done for Sinatra. Don't mess with success, right? The vintage Columbia sound is overflowing with Tubey Magic -- it's about as Big and Rich as it gets! If you don't mind some heavy-handed reverb, the kind found on practically every vintage Tony Bennett and Nat King Cole record ever made, you will find much to like here. More Pop Vocal recordings more Info


				Duke Ellington - Ellington Indigos Our Shootout Winner from 2018 (Item #: ellinindig_2018) A distinguished member of the Better Records Jazz Hall of Fame. This 6-Eye Stereo pressing blew us away with its superbly well recorded romantic big band jazz, of which Ellington was a master. Both sides of this pressing are huge, rich, tubey and clear. This is absolutely the right sound for this music. A near-perfect demonstration of just how good 1958 All Tube Analog sound can be - no modern record can hold a candle to a pressing as good as this one. If you like your jazz ballads performed with deep feeling, by a road-tested group of virtuoso players, this record is for you. More Duke Ellington more Info


				Duke Ellington - Masterpieces By Ellington Our Shootout Winner from 2018 (Item #: ellinmaste_2018) A distinguished member of the Better Records Jazz Hall of Fame. We've known about this wonderful album for decades, since first got hold of a red label copy from the '70s. Although not in the league with the best 6 eye pressings, even that late reissue had enough Columbia magic left in its grooves to impress the hell out of me. And the fact that a jazz album recorded in 1950 was still in print more than twenty years later is testament to the lasting power of Ellington's music. As Kenny Burrell would say, "Ellington Is Forever." More Duke Ellington more Info


				Eagles - Desperado Our Shootout Winner from 2010 (Item #: eagledespe_2010) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock Hall of Fame. This Original Asylum White Label Pressing has a STRONG A++ side one backed with a KILLER A+++ side two! It's been a couple of weeks since we finished our big shootout for this great album and I still can't get over how amazing this copy sounded. Most copies are too compressed to ever really come to life, but this one is big, bold and dynamic with lots of energy. The bottom end is positively killer on this one. More Eagles' albums more Info


				Eagles - Desperado Listening in Depth (Item #: eagledespe_depth) Presenting another entry in our extensive Listening in Depth series. This is the second-best sounding Eagles record of all time, no doubt thanks to the engineering of our man Glyn Johns. Of course, the best sound on an Eagles record is found on the first album. For whatever reason, that record was left off the TAS Super Disc list, even though we feel that both musically and sonically it beats this one by a bit. More Desperado / More Eagles more Info


				Eagles - Desperado Which Pressing Sounds Better, the Brit SYL or Domestic Asylum? (Item #: eagledespe_vs) Short answer: They both do, or more accurately, they both can sound better than the other. It all depends on how many of each you have. Harry Pearson famously listed the SYL pressing of this album on his TAS List of Super Discs, but most of them sure don’t sound that super to us! Play enough of them though, and if you’re lucky you just might find one like the one we did -- a lovely Brit Import SYL pressing that has SUPERB SOUND on BOTH SIDES! See more of our Eagles' albums more Info


				Eagles - Eagles Listening in Depth (Item #: eagleeagle_depth) Another in our series of Home Audio Exercises with advice on What to Listen For (WTLF) as you critically evaluate your copy or copies of The Eagles amazingly well recorded first album. The Eagles first album is without a doubt Glyn Johns' masterpiece -- rock records just don't sound any better! It's exactly the kind of record that makes virtually ANY Audiophile Record pale in comparison. EVERYTHING you could ask for as an audiophile is all here and more. More of the Eagles' first album more Info


				Eagles - Eagles Our Shootout Winner from 2011 (Item #: eagleeagle_2011) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock Hall of Fame. A WHITE HOT side one that was so darn good, we had to break our own rules and give it FOUR BIG PLUSES -- A++++! This side one is a DEMO DISC like you will not believe. When the big chorus comes in on Take It Easy -- one of the toughest tests for side one -- you will be amazed by how energetic and downright GLORIOUS these boys can sound. Believe us when we tell you, it's the rare copy that can pass that test. More of the Eagles' first album more Info


				Eagles - On The Border Our Shootout Winner from 2008 (Item #: eagleonthe_2008) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock and Pop Hall of Fame. TWO STUNNING SIDES on this British SYL pressing. You Never Cry Like A Lover and The Best Of My Love have SUPERB Glyn Johns Demo Disc Sound. The LIFE and ENERGY of this copy are going to knock you out of your seat! Most copies left us with a headache, but this one had us begging for more! More Eagles' albums more Info


				Edmundo Ros - Latin Hits I Missed Our Shootout Winner from 2011 (Item #: ros__latin_2011) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock and Pop Hall of Fame. It's unfortunate that Edmundo Ros and his orchestra command so little respect these days from the general record buying public. As for audiophiles, it's doubtful that many even know who he or they is/are. We at Better Records are doing our best to change all that, continuing with this, the second Ros title we've managed to find with amazing sound and music since the first one went up in 2013. It's one of the liveliest, best sounding Phase 4 titles we have heard in quite a while. Stampers simply do not get much hotter than these. More Phase 4 more Info


				Edmundo Ros - Ros On Broadway Our Shootout Winner from 2009 (Item #: ros__onbro_2009) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock and Pop Hall of Fame. Edmundo Ros and his orchestra don't command much respect these days from the general record buying public. As for audiophiles, it's doubtful that many even know who he or they is/are. But we at Better Records are going to change that, starting with this very record, because it's one of the best sounding records we have ever heard. Stampers just do not get any HOTTER than these! From the perspective of a level playing field, I cannot think of a single rock record that sounds as BIG and DYNAMIC, nor one that is as spacious and clear, as is the side two of this London Blueback. As good as the best German pressings of Dark Side of the Moon may be, shockingly good in fact, this recording is clearly more exciting and lifelike, with instrumental timbres that are uncannily accurate. more Info


				Electric Light Orchestra - A New World Record Listening in Depth (Item #: electnewwo_depth) Presenting another entry in our extensive Listening in Depth series. As a result of Jeff Lynne's everything-but-the-kitchen-sink production approach, it will be the rare copy that provides enough transparency and resolution to bring out all the elements in these incredibly dense mixes, strings included. But when you find a copy that does, what a THRILL it is. This is the band's MASTERPIECE in my humble opinion. For audiophiles ELO on LP doesn't get any better. More Electric Light Orchestra more Info


				Electric Light Orchestra - A New World Record Our Shootout Winner from 2008 (Item #: electnewwo_2008) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock and Pop Hall of Fame. Even though I am not the world's biggest ELO fan, I am a HUGE fan of this album, which is why I’m so happy to have finally found one with AMAZING SOUND, on both sides! The British originals are the only ones that can convey the sweet TUBEY MAGIC of the British Master Tapes. The string tone on the average domestic copy is shrill and smeary; too little of the critically important texture remains after the master tapes have been dubbed and the copies sent to America for mastering. More ELO more Info


				Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Swings Brightly With Nelson Our Shootout Winner from 2017 (Item #: fitzgella_swings_brightly_2017) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock and Pop Hall of Fame. The sound is rich and full-bodied in the best tradition of a classic vintage jazz vocal album. You could easily demonstrate your stereo with a record this good! The space is HUGE and the sound so rich. Prodigious amounts of Tubey Magic as well, which is key to the best sounding copies. The sound needs weight, warmth and tubes or you might as well be playing a CD. More Ella Fitzgerald more Info


				Elton John - Madman Across The Water Our Shootout Winner from 2016 (Item #: john_madma_2016) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock and Pop Hall of Fame. Shockingly good sound, the best sound for any copy that has ever made it to the site. This Madman is guaranteed to blow your mind. It certainly blew ours. A ridiculously tough album to find with the right sound and reasonably quiet surfaces -- which is why we never have them on the site. More Elton John more Info


				Elton John - Madman Across The Water What To Listen For (Item #: john_madma_wtlf) Another in our series of Home Audio Exercises with advice on What to Listen For (WTLF) as you critically evaluate your copy of Madman. This is the last of the classic Elton John albums recorded at Trident, the best of which have more Tubey Magic than anything recorded afterwards. There are three amazing sounding Elton John records on our Top 100 list, two of them engineered by the estimable ROBIN GEOFFREY CABLE, Trident Studios’ house engineer in 1972. More Elton John more Info


				Elton John - Tumbleweed Connection Elton's Masterpiece (Item #: john_tumbl_2012) The best copies of this album are so good they belong on the list of the Ten Best Sounding Rock Records of All Time, how about that! This copy really delivers on the sound side — you get stunning immediacy, big-time presence, tons of depth to the soundfield, full-bodied vocals, amazing transparency, and BOATLOADS of Tubey Magic. Elton John fans, today is your lucky day. The vocals are full and present, with not a trace of the phony EQ that plagues the typical pressing. The entire mix is stunningly high-res, with no attendant sacrifice in richness or Tubey Magic. More Elton John more Info


				Elvis Presley - Elvis Is Back! Our Shootout Winner from 2015 (Item #: preslelvis_is_back_2015) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock and Pop Hall of Fame. What a great Elvis album. Fever is the killer jam on the first side and the material throughout is of very high quality. Finding clean real Elvis records -- not those crappy compilations and vault-leftovers, but real Elvis albums from his golden period when he was the true King of Pop (sorry Michael) -- has never been a walk in the park. We do the best we can. More Elvis Presley more Info


				Elvis Presley - Fun In Acapulco Our Shootout Winner from 2015 (Item #: preslfunin_2015) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock and Pop Hall of Fame. Finding clean real Elvis records -- not those crappy compilations and vault-leftovers, but real Elvis albums from his golden period when he was the true King of Pop (sorry Michael) -- has never been a walk in the park. We do the best we can. Fortunately there are some reissues from the '60s and '70s that have the potential for excellent sound. This is clearly one of them. The originals we see are a lost cause; they're practically always scratched and full of groove damage. We'd be lucky to find a clean one every five or ten years nowadays. More Elvis Presley more Info


				Elvis Presley - It Happened At The World's Fair Our Shootout Winner from 2017 (Item #: preslithap_2017) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock and Pop Hall of Fame. This pressing has the glorious sound of 1963 in its grooves. It has the kind of Tubey Magical Midrange that modern records cannot even BEGIN to reproduce. Folks, that sound is gone and it sure isn't showing signs of coming back. If you love hearing INTO a recording, actually being able to "see" the performers, and feeling as if you are sitting in the studio with the band, this is the record for you. It's what vintage all analog recordings are known for -- this sound. More Elvis Presley more Info


				Eno - Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy Listening in Depth (Item #: eno__takin_listen) Presenting another entry in our extensive Listening in Depth series. This album is all about sound, pure sound itself if you will: the sound of the instruments, their textures, and the textures of the soundscape Eno has created for them. With the subtle harmonics of Eno's treated sounds captured onto vinyl intact, the magic of the experience far exceeds just another batch of catchy songs with clever arrangements. It truly becomes an immersive experience; sounds you've never heard in quite that way draw you into their world, each sound more interesting than the next. More Brian Eno more Info


				Eric Dolphy - Copenhagen Concert Our Shootout Winner from 2010 (Item #: dolphcopen_2010) A distinguished member of the Better Records Jazz Hall of Fame. Rarely have I heard a string bass sound better than it does here. The flute is equally gorgeous. They could record a live jazz concert this well in 1961? Apparently. Although this is only our second Hot Stamper listing for the album, I've known about Dolphy's legendary Copenhagen Concert for close to thirty years. When an audiophile hears a bass clarinet reproduced the way it is on this record he is very unlikely to forget it. Do the originals sound as good as these '70s pressings? Not a clue. Never ran into a clean one in my life. See all of our Eric Dolphy albums in stock more Info


				Esquivel and Other Vintage Recordings What to Listen For (Item #: esquiinfin_2015) Another in our series of Home Audio Exercises with advice on What to Listen For (WTLF) as you critically evaluate your vintage '50s and '60s All Tube recordings. Folks, I can tell you right now most original LSP pressings, of this or any other Living Stereo Popular title, do not begin to recreate the Studio Wizardry found on this album. The sound rivals the best Chet Atkins albums and Bob and Rays in all their delicious three-dimensional Cinerama staging. more Info


				Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac Our Shootout Winner from 2012 (Item #: fleetfleet_2012) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock and Pop Hall of Fame. In 2012 we noted that this WHITE HOT copy of Fleetwood Mac’s self-titled album has some of THE BEST SOUND WE HAD EVER HEARD, not only for this album, but for the band itself. As good as the best copies of Rumours are, they don’t really sound like this. Until we started doing these shootouts in about 2006 we had no idea this album was remotely this well recorded. There are layers and layers of subtle instrumental textures and recording effects throughout 1975's Fleetwood Mac that we had never even suspected were there. Then we played this copy. More Fleetwood Mac more Info


				Fleetwood Mac - Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac Our Shootout Winner from 2014 (Item #: fleetpeter_2014) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock and Pop Hall of Fame. We won't be surprised if you don't have this one in your collection. Let's face it, who in his right mind would keep throwing good money after bad, buying up one bad sounding copy after another in the hopes that someday one of them would sound good? We would! Why shouldn't we? We get paid good money to do that kind of dirty work, and beyond the money, we get the THRILL of being the first to play these wonderful records, full of the music we love. (Not too many Hot Stamper shootouts get done for bands and albums we don't like. Who could get motivated enough to sit through copy after copy of some Audiophile Bullshit LP?) More Fleetwood Mac more Info


				Fleetwood Mac - Rumours Our Four Plus Shootout Winner from 2010 (Item #: fleetrumou_2010) A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock and Pop Hall of Fame. White Hot Stampers for Rumours with UNBELIEVABLY GOOD SOUND (and quiet vinyl) FROM START TO FINISH! Folks, if you’re looking for a Demo Quality version of one of the most beloved pop albums of all time, this is the record for you! Side one was so darned good that we had to bust out the rare A++++ (Four Plus) grade, and side two is just about as amazing. It certainly ain’t a cheap record, but it’s beyond difficult to find copies of this classic with two sides that sound like this and play quietly. More Rumours more Info


				Fleetwood Mac - Rumours Listening in Depth (Item #: fleetrumou_depth) Another in our series of Home Audio Exercises with advice on What to Listen For (WTLF) as you critically evaluate your copy of Rumours. The best copies exhibit the kind of presence, bass, dynamics and energy found only on the kind of Super Demo Discs we rave about here endlessly: the BS&Ts, Stardusts, Zumas and the like. When you get a good copy of this record, it is a Demo Disc. Who knew? Who even suspected? The grooves don't lie, and these grooves have a lot to say. More Rumours / More Fleetwood Mac more Info


				Frank Sinatra - Strangers In The Night What to Listen For (Item #: sinatstran_wtlf) Another in our series of Home Audio Exercises with advice on What to Listen For (WTLF) as you critically evaluate your copy of the album. What to listen for you ask? The superb engineering of LEE HERSCHBERG and EDDIE BRACKETT! The sound is, in a word, luscious. More Frank Sinatra more Info


				Frank Zappa - Hot Rats Listening in Depth (Item #: zappahotra_depth) Presenting another entry in our extensive Listening in Depth series. One quality that the best copies always have, and the Classic reissue has none of, is Tubey Magic. The Classic is clean, and at first that seems like a neat trick since the originals tend to be a bit murky and congested. But it's clean like a CD is clean, in all the wrong ways. This is analog? You could've fooled me. More Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention more Info

Found : 277 Display : 1-100

Page :

<< · < Prev · Next > · >>

| NEW TO THE SITE? | CONTACT US |

More America / More Hippie Folk Rock

More Donovan / More Hippie Folk Rock

More Desperado / More Eagles

More Rumours / More Fleetwood Mac