Record Club vs. Store purchased records

When I was younger (a long time ago in a land far away) I used to acquire some records via Columbia Record Club, Capital Record Club etc. Now, when I listen to some of those lp's they just sound "thin or lacking". Was there a difference in those pressings or were they just not good recordings to begin with. The reason I ask is maybe I should look for replacements (used of course)that weren't from record clubs. All rock titles by the way.