180g new vs. NM used

Classic Records reissued the Led Zeppelin albums in the first decade of this century (all analogue of course, on 200g "flat-profile"---no raised outer "lip"---discs I believe), and in a couple of different configurations, including single-sided 45 RPM discs. There was a boxset offered that contained all the single-sided discs, and that boxset now sells for over $20,000!

Speaking of Led Zeppelin: Avoid the LP reissues Jimmy Page did recently; in this case the source WAS digital. Also The 2010 (I think it was) Beatles stereo boxset used digitized sources. The mono boxset was originally set to be released in 2012, but the blow back EMI received for going digital---which they were also going to do for the mono box---forced them to reconsider that decision. Part of that was due directly to Michael Fremer, who talked to the principles involved, and set them straight.

All the high end LP reissue labels are analog purists, and in some cases analog fanatics. Before starting Analogue Productions, Chad Kassem was a rare/collectible LP dealer, and he really knows his stuff. Michael Hobson and Ying Tan started Classic Records in the early-90’s, and before that Ying was himself a rare records dealer, working out his apartment just around the corner from the Capitol Records building in Hollywood. You shoulda seen his apartment! Stuffed to the gills with LP’s, every square inch. I got some great old LP’s from Ting, who is a swell fella.

Chad Kassem bought all the rights to the Classic Records catalog when Hobson shut down the label, and his Analogue Productions LP’s are the highest quality records I own. When he set about reissuing the Miles Davis Kind Of Blue recently, he used the lacquer Bernie Grundman cut for Classic Records in the mid-90’s, That lacquer was made from the original 3-track analog multi-track, and rather than mixing the three tracks down to two and making a new 2-track "working" master tape, he sent the 2-track mix straight to the cutter head, avoiding the extra step and tape generation. There are comparisons between an original "2-eye" Columbia pressing of the album, the Classic Records mid-90’s reissue, a contemporary Columbia (Sony) pressing, and the new Analogue Production version. A search on YouTube will lead you to them.

One consideration in choosing between an original pressing and a modern reissue is price. An audiophile reissue---even the most expensive ($125, if you ignore the very limited edition LP’s of The Electric Recording Company, who presses only 100-300 copies of every release, mastered on an all-tube system!)---can be far cheaper than the price of a Mint Condition original, which in some instances runs into four figures. Luckily the titles I am looking for are not amongst those rarities! The price of MoFi, Analogue Productions, Speakers Corner, Intervention, etc., LP’s is currently about $45 per disc.

And we haven’t mentioned the "hot stamper" LP’s offered by Better Records ;-)  I also visited the Sherman Oaks, California apartment (located two blocks away from mine) of the owner in the early-90's. Got a copy of the German pressing of Magical Mystery Tour from him, and at a reasonable price.

I buy both originals and reissues, and on some titles have both. The statement above that reads "Most new reissues are made from digital files" is one you hear often, and the people saying it never divulge the source of the information upon which they base that statement. Just ’cause some people say it doesn’t necessarily make it so. "Most" new reissues? What percentage? From what companies? Which titles?

Yes, the major labels (WEA, Sony, Universal) master some new reissues from digital, but the good purely-reissue labels (Mobile Fidelity, Analogue Productions, Speakers Corner, Intervention, Tone Poet, Vinyl Me Please, a dozen or so more) go to great lengths to get the original 2" multi-track analog master tapes or the 1/4"-1/2" 2-track final mix tape from which they make their new lacquers. The hype sticker on the front of the LP’s state exactly that, and it’s true.

Some albums are currently available as reissues from more than one company, so if you’re going to buy one, just get the pure-analogue version from one of the good reissue labels that specialize in audiophile quality mastering, plating, and pressing. The Beatles 2014 mono boxset used the multi-track analog masters as the source for that fantastic reissue. The box was originally selling for $300-$400, and now that it’s out-of-print goes for up to $2,000.

For good information on whether a new reissue was made using an analogue, or a digital, source, head over to the Analog Planet website. I guarantee you, the person above making his sweeping generalization doesn’t read Michael Fremer’s exhaustive coverage of this important subject.

By the way: The estates of both Miles Davis and Prince have entrusted Analogue Productions to do all their LP reissues, and they are pure Analog. Neil Young’s Archive series is all analog, and the list goes on and on. Anyone who claims "most" new reissues are made form digital files needs to offer some proof. I’m guessing some people just say it ’cause they heard someone else say it. Talk is cheap.