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Why is some vinyl noisy?

I'm listening to a copy of "This Is The Moody Blues", a very fine record store find, and I'm amazed at how noisy the vinyl sounds compared to it's physical condition.

The record is nice and flat, looks great in bright light, heavyweight. It's very clean as it's just been through my VPI 16.5 cleaner with two fluid baths. The rig it's playing on is plenty good enough to get the best from this record: VPI Scoutmaster, Sumiko Blackbird, McCormack & Krell downstream.

Yet, this is a noisy, clicky, poppy ride. I don't get it. Is some vinyl just plain noisy, or is some surface damage too hard to detect? By the same token, an ancient, clearly scuffed RCA Living Stereo recording of Van Cliburn just sounds terrific.
forddonald

Showing 2 responses by mapman

mapman's avatar
mapman
22,843 posts
 
Not all copies of a particular title on vinyl are the same. Despite their mystique, records can have quality control issues in their production just like any other consumer item.

Also not all surface defects are necessarily visible to the human eye. A good bit of the time they are though with careful inspection by trained eyes.

By the way, you did score a good find with that particular album. It is the only album that has the very fine and rare Moodies tune "Simple Game" on it. They even left it off the Time Traveler CD box set for some reason.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,843 posts
 
"All Things Must Pass" was never a very good recording on vinyl or on CD originally in the first place as I recall, which worked to its detriment despite being a very solid collection of songs overall otherwise.

The remastered CD version was better as I recall but there may have been only so much that could be done.
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