I agree with everything you said. I sell some DOL records in a booth at an antique shop here in the States. Exactly as you said, it makes vinyl available at an entry-level for new collectors and teenagers.
Thanks for bringing that up. All my DOL records (well, 3 of them) sound more than decent : clear sound, no surface noise, no "non fill", good detail, quality sleeves. Ofc, they're not audiophile releases. Fed up with people calling them "bootlegs" as they're entirely legal pressings. I'm sure other "public domain" labels put out fine reissues as well, but I can't vouch for them. I would always favor those with original sleeve artwork though.
I think it's so funny for these "audiofools" as I'd like to call them to boycott DOL because they master their records digitally, when 60-70-year-old magnetic tape has decomposed into muck so the best available source is CD-quality digital. Anywho, I recently picked up Mingus's Tijuana Moods on one of DOL's "blue collection" reissues, and yes, while the overall fidelity of the recordings are not so great, being recorded in 1957 for crying out loud, the separation of the sounds and the sound field it gives off is remarkable, as well as the pressing quality: virgin beautiful blue vinyl. And at a killer price too, it makes me a bit angry that people aren't looking at DOL as they are one of the few record labels doing it right. A DOL reissue is going to sound much better than a vinyl copy of Taylor Swift's Midnights.
Thank you for this very informative video. I was looking for more information about the DOL LPs, as I’ve read really bad things about them but was actually listening tonight to their edition of Mingus Ah Um which sounds really great: the sound is crisp and the background noise is non existent. They obviously pressed from a good remastered source and the manufacturing is very good.
I have about 3 grey market vinyls and they sound great,and i prefer the official pressings better and they sound prettier and clearer than ever! I came to the vinyl format because of the superior sound conpared to CDs. Albums i have on off brand labels. South pacific Blue hawaii In the wee small hours. None of those really sound awful. South pacific has a ton of inner groove distortion at the end,and made it less enjoyable and made me feel concerned if my stylus is defected. And all 3 albums were expertly recorded albums that are well recorded and sound great when played under normal circumstances. I use an lp60 looking to upgrade soon,a tone poet and mofi is PERFECTLY SAFE FOR LP60 USERS! And i F*ING HATE BOOTLEG GREY MARKET VINYLS! I think blue note still sells the chet baker sings album so im fine when i buy it.
I have several DOL and Waxtime pressings in my Jazz collection. I think they sound great, and they are inexpensive. Since purchasing them I have upgraded them with the more expensive pressings but I wouldn't want to get rid of the DOL and Waxtime versions that I still listen to. In fact, I'm going to try and find that Wes Montgomery DOL pressing you held up!
Tone poet sounds better. And records made back in the 60’s sounds better. Where i live its 60+ får any ”real” release. But my dol and waxtime dosen’t sound so bad that its worth 30-40$ extra.
👋 Hi I own a large collection of jazz. It's a genre that i got into in the 1980s. I had the joy of seeing Miles Davis in concert in the 1980s. He came here to New Zealand, and it was around the time of his Tutu Album release. His back up band were very funky. I like Chet Baker alot, he was a good trumpeter and his vocals were the best. I have a number of his albums , studio recordings and live. I have that Chet Baker Sings album. Jazz isn't everyone's cup of tea. I love it.
As far as I can remember without looking I only have one DOL release. It’s a blue/green vinyl version of Frank Sinatra’s In The Wee Small Hours and it does sound exceptionally good to me. Maybe there’s a more noticeable difference on very high end equipment but based on that experience I’d happily try out other ones in future.
Since this I’ve found out I’ve a total of 3 DOLS records, one is the soundtrack to From Russia With Love and the other is a Frank Zappa live one. The Zappa one was an unofficial/bootleg release anyway so it’s unfair to judge the sound quality of that but the Bond one is excellent sounding.
I have quite a few DOLs, and with the exception of Miles Davis' Sketches of Spain, which runs at 45RPM and where the pitch is clearly wrong to my ears, every one is quite excellent. Although it is true that the originals are all analogue (as in pre-digital era), many reissues, even from original labels ARE NOT, but have been pressed from digitally remastered analogue tapes. So is there that much difference between them and DOLs that are most likely mastered from CDs or digital files? (NOTE: I have no proof they are mastered from CDs (or digital files), but to my ears they seem to be). I had early DOL pressings a decade or so ago that seemed to be from needle-drops and I would definitely avoid them. But none of the recent DOLs seem to be, so they have learned from their mistakes. So is there much difference? Not really, IMHO, and I am an audiophile who has many of these CDs (and original vinyl of course!). The plus of the DOLs is they use excellent vinyl mixture with very clean surface sound, 180g, and all-original cover art on firm cardboard. And they really do sound very decent.
Great video 👍 I am into late 60is early 70is prog and psych and it is pretty impossible to find without paying thousands of pounds for the originals . so I have no choice but to get the cheeper represses ..
I’ve been able to collect every Gabriel era Genesis album and every Yes album up thru Drama at used record shops. Typically for around $20; although I found a really good copy of The Lamb in a $3 bin once.🙂
While im at it. My local vinyl store won’t even order tone poet, 45s or Acoustic sounds and all that. They Probably lose money if they would keep the expensive records in stock.
What about the white vinyl Christmas Elvis Dol record? I am just getting into vinyl and I purchasef it online but had no idea that it was a Dol pressing. Did I make a mistake? I was also buying it as a collectable. Thanks
Is there better stuff available than DOL? Yes. Are they affordable for everyone, especially beginners? No. Leave people to their own business, let them enjoy their experience.
Artists get money when you buy from the label that owns the rights. I’m sure you wouldn’t be selling DOL pressings if you didn’t make anything from it. Kind of Blue on Columbia is available for not much more and Blue Note’s ongoing Classics series cut by Kevin Gray from the analogue tapes is also not much more than these PD copies taken from mp3 or CDs - listening on Spotify would be better. Not worth it for £7 difference.
No, how about trying a compact disc which was the standard in the industry for over 2 decades. Half of the jazz I listen to isn't on Spotify and is constantly subject to contract renewal much like an album being in print. Over 95% of cds and Lps are currently out of print and with the vinyl surge, probably most that is in print is awaiting a repress. With that logic, we'd have to scrap the first sale doctrine and not buy any second hand product. Jazz lovers actually want to read the liner notes in the booklet or sleeve and much of that isn't reproduced with streaming. There's times you don't even get a listing of the sidemen or song's origin.
@@DorianPaige00 Sure, buy a CD but make sure it’s from the artist’s label and they get paid - that’s pretty much all I have against DOL and the like. If you wish to buy PD when rights holders prints are available that’s your prerogative, I choose not to when series like the Blue Note Classic is in print (and not much more than a DOL).
@@salimadam104 The cd-r cancer is our styrene 45 that nobody wants being passed off as quality product. That's really the issue with me and the kicker is you don't know who and who isn't doing them that way.
Late to the party here. I completely disagree. Gray market pressings that break copywrite are illegal and immoral. Further the pressings I have heard sound poor. Sorry for the hard core morality here, but great used copies of great records are available and there are affordable represses available (Blue Note Classic pressings ARE worth the extra £7). The only argument for DOL and other stolen (yes stolen) pressings is to get young people listening. Sol I really enjoy your videos, just don’t agree with you on this. Lastly, you should have done a DOL vs recent repress vs OG listening test before doing this video. Saying something “sounds good” is not enough. My gray market pressing of “Trinity in Blues” by Dizzy Reece sounds absolutely horrible. Take care.
I agree with everything you said. I sell some DOL records in a booth at an antique shop here in the States. Exactly as you said, it makes vinyl available at an entry-level for new collectors and teenagers.
Thanks for bringing that up. All my DOL records (well, 3 of them) sound more than decent : clear sound, no surface noise, no "non fill", good detail, quality sleeves. Ofc, they're not audiophile releases. Fed up with people calling them "bootlegs" as they're entirely legal pressings. I'm sure other "public domain" labels put out fine reissues as well, but I can't vouch for them. I would always favor those with original sleeve artwork though.
The main deal is their affordability and decent sound! I agree though, we only try and stock the original artwork copies to avoid confusion
I think it's so funny for these "audiofools" as I'd like to call them to boycott DOL because they master their records digitally, when 60-70-year-old magnetic tape has decomposed into muck so the best available source is CD-quality digital. Anywho, I recently picked up Mingus's Tijuana Moods on one of DOL's "blue collection" reissues, and yes, while the overall fidelity of the recordings are not so great, being recorded in 1957 for crying out loud, the separation of the sounds and the sound field it gives off is remarkable, as well as the pressing quality: virgin beautiful blue vinyl. And at a killer price too, it makes me a bit angry that people aren't looking at DOL as they are one of the few record labels doing it right.
A DOL reissue is going to sound much better than a vinyl copy of Taylor Swift's Midnights.
Thank you for this very informative video. I was looking for more information about the DOL LPs, as I’ve read really bad things about them but was actually listening tonight to their edition of Mingus Ah Um which sounds really great: the sound is crisp and the background noise is non existent. They obviously pressed from a good remastered source and the manufacturing is very good.
I have about 3 grey market vinyls and they sound great,and i prefer the official pressings better and they sound prettier and clearer than ever! I came to the vinyl format because of the superior sound conpared to CDs. Albums i have on off brand labels.
South pacific
Blue hawaii
In the wee small hours.
None of those really sound awful. South pacific has a ton of inner groove distortion at the end,and made it less enjoyable and made me feel concerned if my stylus is defected. And all 3 albums were expertly recorded albums that are well recorded and sound great when played under normal circumstances. I use an lp60 looking to upgrade soon,a tone poet and mofi is PERFECTLY SAFE FOR LP60 USERS!
And i F*ING HATE BOOTLEG GREY MARKET VINYLS!
I think blue note still sells the chet baker sings album so im fine when i buy it.
I have several DOL and Waxtime pressings in my Jazz collection. I think they sound great, and they are inexpensive. Since purchasing them I have upgraded them with the more expensive pressings but I wouldn't want to get rid of the DOL and Waxtime versions that I still listen to. In fact, I'm going to try and find that Wes Montgomery DOL pressing you held up!
Very true! Wish more people would see it this way!
Tone poet sounds better. And records made back in the 60’s sounds better.
Where i live its 60+ får any ”real” release. But my dol and waxtime dosen’t sound so bad that its worth 30-40$ extra.
👋 Hi I own a large collection of jazz. It's a genre that i got into in the 1980s. I had the joy of seeing Miles Davis in concert in the 1980s. He came here to New Zealand, and it was around the time of his Tutu Album release. His back up band were very funky. I like Chet Baker alot, he was a good trumpeter and his vocals were the best. I have a number of his albums , studio recordings and live. I have that Chet Baker Sings album. Jazz isn't everyone's cup of tea. I love it.
Hi,
Great point of view. Thank you for changing my mind and feeling better about these records.
Thank you so much
All I can say is
W o r d
As far as I can remember without looking I only have one DOL release. It’s a blue/green vinyl version of Frank Sinatra’s In The Wee Small Hours and it does sound exceptionally good to me. Maybe there’s a more noticeable difference on very high end equipment but based on that experience I’d happily try out other ones in future.
Since this I’ve found out I’ve a total of 3 DOLS records, one is the soundtrack to From Russia With Love and the other is a Frank Zappa live one. The Zappa one was an unofficial/bootleg release anyway so it’s unfair to judge the sound quality of that but the Bond one is excellent sounding.
I have quite a few DOLs, and with the exception of Miles Davis' Sketches of Spain, which runs at 45RPM and where the pitch is clearly wrong to my ears, every one is quite excellent. Although it is true that the originals are all analogue (as in pre-digital era), many reissues, even from original labels ARE NOT, but have been pressed from digitally remastered analogue tapes. So is there that much difference between them and DOLs that are most likely mastered from CDs or digital files? (NOTE: I have no proof they are mastered from CDs (or digital files), but to my ears they seem to be). I had early DOL pressings a decade or so ago that seemed to be from needle-drops and I would definitely avoid them. But none of the recent DOLs seem to be, so they have learned from their mistakes. So is there much difference? Not really, IMHO, and I am an audiophile who has many of these CDs (and original vinyl of course!).
The plus of the DOLs is they use excellent vinyl mixture with very clean surface sound, 180g, and all-original cover art on firm cardboard. And they really do sound very decent.
Great video 👍 I am into late 60is early 70is prog and psych and it is pretty impossible to find without paying thousands of pounds for the originals . so I have no choice but to get the cheeper represses ..
I’ve been able to collect every Gabriel era Genesis album and every Yes album up thru Drama at used record shops.
Typically for around $20; although I found a really good copy of The Lamb in a $3 bin once.🙂
@@SmartDave60
To be honest I was talking more about on DERAM and VERTIGO.
And a lot of the obscure German Prog.
Very interesting video here. Jazz is not area I have much knowledge about. If I was going get any Jazz music I'd probably take your advice here. 👍👍👍
I like DOL releases they sound great and for the price are great quality can't wait to see what other titles they release
While im at it. My local vinyl store won’t even order tone poet, 45s or Acoustic sounds and all that.
They Probably lose money if they would keep the expensive records in stock.
They are a specialised market and they dont sell super fast in our shop here either!
Every Bluenote vinyl i have (new press) sounds just like dol or waxtime
imposible hahaha
What about the white vinyl Christmas Elvis Dol record? I am just getting into vinyl and I purchasef it online but had no idea that it was a Dol pressing. Did I make a mistake? I was also buying it as a collectable. Thanks
Is there better stuff available than DOL? Yes. Are they affordable for everyone, especially beginners? No. Leave people to their own business, let them enjoy their experience.
My problem with DOL is if they use the CD to cut the record..I'll just buy the CD.
Artists get money when you buy from the label that owns the rights. I’m sure you wouldn’t be selling DOL pressings if you didn’t make anything from it. Kind of Blue on Columbia is available for not much more and Blue Note’s ongoing Classics series cut by Kevin Gray from the analogue tapes is also not much more than these PD copies taken from mp3 or CDs - listening on Spotify would be better. Not worth it for £7 difference.
No, how about trying a compact disc which was the standard in the industry for over 2 decades. Half of the jazz I listen to isn't on Spotify and is constantly subject to contract renewal much like an album being in print. Over 95% of cds and Lps are currently out of print and with the vinyl surge, probably most that is in print is awaiting a repress.
With that logic, we'd have to scrap the first sale doctrine and not buy any second hand product. Jazz lovers actually want to read the liner notes in the booklet or sleeve and much of that isn't reproduced with streaming. There's times you don't even get a listing of the sidemen or song's origin.
@@DorianPaige00 Sure, buy a CD but make sure it’s from the artist’s label and they get paid - that’s pretty much all I have against DOL and the like. If you wish to buy PD when rights holders prints are available that’s your prerogative, I choose not to when series like the Blue Note Classic is in print (and not much more than a DOL).
@@salimadam104 The cd-r cancer is our styrene 45 that nobody wants being passed off as quality product. That's really the issue with me and the kicker is you don't know who and who isn't doing them that way.
I'm not sure Miles Davies needs the money!
@@tastyrecordsuk Yes, all Jazz musicians were wealthy and their estates don’t need the income. I was so wrong.
Late to the party here. I completely disagree. Gray market pressings that break copywrite are illegal and immoral. Further the pressings I have heard sound poor. Sorry for the hard core morality here, but great used copies of great records are available and there are affordable represses available (Blue Note Classic pressings ARE worth the extra £7). The only argument for DOL and other stolen (yes stolen) pressings is to get young people listening.
Sol I really enjoy your videos, just don’t agree with you on this.
Lastly, you should have done a DOL vs recent repress vs OG listening test before doing this video. Saying something “sounds good” is not enough. My gray market pressing of “Trinity in Blues” by Dizzy Reece sounds absolutely horrible.
Take care.