A couple of years back I bought The Stones’ Sticky Fingers on LP , pressed in the Czech Republic, it was absolutely covered in greasy finger marks all over the album’s surface both sides. I saw the irony that I I got actual sticky fingers, but I wasn’t amused.
In the 80s there was a lot more vinyl around, most didn't have these issues and it cost less to buy. Today it shouldn't be worse than it was 40 years ago.
@@theunknown9437 80s LPs were less expensive then: between $6-9 new for new albums. My memory though was surface noise right out of the shrink wrap, and returns to the record store for a clean copy. My vinyl friends report quality control issues on new LPs,, which are much more expensive. I do have a turntable and several hundred LPs and 45s. I use declicking software to digitize my recordings though.
For those wondering, that "666" is cut out directly off the cover art of Aphrodite's Child 1972 album of the same name, a psychedelic/prog band that featured Vangelis on keyboards.
I suspected that was it - "The Apocalypse of John" and part of the red cover is on the clipping. I guess Lennon was thinking he was writing his own Apocalypse.
Sorry that you received a copy with notable defects. It’s unfortunate given the high cost of vinyl that people have to contend with these types of issues. Unfortunately anyone that purchases records has experienced this in some form or another. Thanks so much for going through this with the viewers Andrew. I just got the CD set last week and am enjoying it. Take care!
Disappointing, is putting it mildly. When I purchased new vinyl in the past, I demanded it be MINT! Covers, inner sleeves, inserts and the records. Why should I pay top dollar for a new product this only in VG condition? I would return said product for a full refund. I’d settle for a digital product, preferably a vinyl rip. One great thing about vinyl, you can’t brick-wall it. Great episode Andrew. Sometimes if it wasn’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all.
You're incorrect about the brick-walling of vinyl. If they brick-wall the digital file, then cut the record from that file, it will be brick-walled as well. I would return this vinyl for a full refund as well. A hi-rez vinyl rip with proper dynamics and defects can be repaired, and in the case of this record, will sound great in the end.
My copy has almost the same marks as yours even down to the scuff on the edge. I've not listened to it yet but I will, as soon as I've got rid of the grandchildren. Great video again by the way.
After watching your video and reading reviews elsewhere, I'm very glad I cancelled my pre-order earlier this month. At ~£50, lined sleeves and no scratches is the bare minimum people should expect.
For alot of these beatles and beatles solo releases I've learned to never pre-order. If patient, they 99% of the time end up super cheap on sale. I got the let it be vinyl box for $40 shipped due to waiting. And it always ensures you don't get screwed by quality control defects. Unless it's something super limited, being patient seriously pays off.
@@simonemurray1345 Yep... resist jumping on the 'early-adopter avalanche' and you'll save money, _and_ discover the pros and cons of each iteration of the product before you buy.
When I visited The Vinyl Factory (old EMI Hayes pressing plant) I was amazed. The place was filthy, oil everywhere and a machine shoving just pressed records into those inner sleeves! It's no wonder unlined inners cause so much damage. Records come off the stamper covered in debris and then shoved into rough inners. Might as well rub the vinyl down some sandpaper. If there is any indication a new record is pressed at Gz I always check discogs first. Normally a stick on the back Made in Czech Republic. My Rolling Stones in mono was not the best either. And I really don't understand why most new vinyl is cut a such a low volume. Never was that way 60s/70s/80s and beyond. Most of us have decent turntables so would not have records jumping due to signal velocity. Its annoying as it shows up so many flaws in pressing quality. I'm one of those who faced so many warps on new vinyl that I got a deal on an Orb vinyl flat and it's an amazing piece of kit. Even flatten records for friends in return for some beer! Sorry for the rant but worked in music retail all my working life. Vinyl fanatics like us deserve better Thanks, Ross
I was reasonably happy with my Stones in Mono box, but I agree there were still issues with infill and ticks and pops that result from either not enough heat or improper pressure, leaving microscopic pieces of jagged vinyl on the edges of the grooves. I don't remember having those kinds of issues during vinyl's original heyday, surely a result of overloaded pressing plants churning out LPs with not enough quality control.
All press vinyl today without polyline sleeve consider visible scratches if you examine carefully in light .. auto pass,, pops and ticks sound in vinyl are not worth the price, a waste of money how sad
So now it’s an issue music is cut a a lower volume? Usually, the complaining is that it’s too loud. When will people ever be satisfied? That’s right: Never.
The fact the Uber Box comes with poly lined sleeves, yet the $50 2 LP can’t be bothered to really speaks volumes. The extras are cute and all but what good is it if the actual thing I bought the release for (the records themselves) are defective?
GZed has certainly jumped out to me when it comes to quality control over the past couple of years. I bought the Rolling Stones in Mono colored box set, and oh boy, what a lottery that was. I ordered my first box and found that on Let It Bleed, it had a scribble line pressed on the disc, which caused a really loud thud sound during a few songs. It was clear to me whoever pressed it didn't clean their pressing plate and allowed debris to get on it and pass visual inspection, which is just baffling to me. So sadly, I returned the box and got another which HAD THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM. Seriously, problems like this should NEVER REACH THE CUSTOMER.
I think the decades of digital manufacturing, where quality could be verified by a computer, spilled over into modern vinyl manufacturing. There seems to be an assumption if the media plays without errors, start to finish, that it's fine. The skill of quality control over vinyl albums, a three dimensional physical medium, seems to now be largely a lost art.
Outrageous! Just to put into perspective, I’m currently listening to a 1978 American reissue of the White album that I bought from secondhand record shop yesterday. Yep, in better nick than that 2024 Mind Games!
Keep showing the wave forms, Andrew! I, for one, appreciate it. The first thing I do when I get a new CD is to look at the wave forms of the songs to see if they were mastered correctly.
The second thing I do is to work with the overcompressed audio to restore a bit of the dynamic range. Otherwise, I can't listen to it. I know some folks will complain if a CD "sounds too quiet"-but that's what the volume knob is for. 😎
Returned my last defective record in the 1980s when CDs came in; after returning countless LPs due to crackle, pop, and warpage -- which made me a great favorite with record dealers. Since then, I've bought thousands of CDs and have returned exactly zero for defects.
Since the 90's, I returned dozens of cds with scratches or problems of reading. I can correct many problems with vinyl records and almost none with cds. I even bought second hand cds that looked normal and can't be read by any of my players. It never happened with vinyl discs where the groove is apparent;
The second CD I ever purchased was defective and i returned it. In hindsight i should have kept it because it's probably valuable. It was the Beatles Revolver from the original 1987 longboxes. But when I played the CD it was actually the Help! album.
When CD’s arrived, I switched as soon as possible. Many years later some nostalgia is creeping in, after having seen this video it is completely clear to me that I will never return to vinyl. If it comes to sound quality it is a huge step backwards anyways.
It’s just another reminder that CDs 💿 are much better than the audiophiles think. The quality control of CDs are much better than the vinyl, sad to say. I bought a brand new vinyl of Pink Floyd’s The Wall and there were multiple flaws on them that caused skips. So when my wife wanted to buy me The Beatles Red & Blue 2023 Remastered albums, I asked her to buy me the CD version rather than the vinyl. Did not disappoint.
I can’t argue with that. CDs are much more forgiving of scratches and are much easier to clean if any fingerprints get on them. Like vinyl, mastering is key to the sound quality and not just the media.
If I remember correctly the vinyl of the 2023 red and blue put all the newly added tracks on a separate vinyl instead of putting them in chronological order, while the CDs did put them in chronological order. Just a tiny thing, but I prefer the CD unless you’re going with the original red and blue album.
I totally agree about the poly lined inners. I got completely trashed on a Facebook group when I made exactly the same observation with people ranting about how they had discs that were 50 years old and had no problems with being in paper sleeves. Surely it can't cost more than a few pennies a disc for a company to use poly lined inners. It only costs me, as a consumer, 38p a sleeve, so I'm sure a big record company, buying in bulk, would get them significantly cheaper.
@@Nymetssuck02134 that makes totally sense given it's the same digital master. I'm stunned that people spend money to buy digital records when there are out there tons of the original analogue pressing of the record.
I think somebody from the record company needs to contact the pressing plant to get this quality issue sorted out. Vinyl isn't cheap these days and this will put people off purchasing if there's a chance of scratches and scuff marks and other issues. People want confidence in the product that they're purchasing.
It was a regular problem. I was taking back every other album I purchased due to pops and clicks or warped discs. They reduced the thickness of the lp in the late 70's due to a shortage in raw materisls, and the sealed wrap could actually help cause warping. We were told to take off the wrapping immediately after opening. I immediately switched to cd when it came out, re-purchasing my favorite music.
I have read last summer that in the USA only 50% of the vinyl buyers actually listen to the vinyl records... I tell you, the record companies know that and so they don't care for a proper quality control. My 2 cents. p.s.: It's always hit or miss with GZ. I think the records actually sound great, but the quality control must be improved; no one likes warped and scratched new records.
I got a rare earth lp recently, the hole in the middle of the record is only a half of hole! It won't even fit on my player. Store refused to take it back and get me a new one. Sad.
Back in the 1970s, when poorer quality vinyl was the norm, I'd buy a new album and it was almost guaranteed that it would be defective in some way: slightly warped, labels stuck on crooked, bits of paper embedded in the vinyl and scuffs or scratches. When paying a typical $4-$6 for an album in those days, it wasn't as big a deal, but today, when you're paying a ridiculous $25-$50 for a single damned album, it had better be flawless! I remember paying $3.98 for my original copy of Mind Games in the 1970s!
@@sghantous That whole conversion thing really is meaningless. $4 was $4 back then. It was a reasonable price for an LP in those days, while $28 today is not.
Andrew well done for exposing this lack of quality control on your vinyl. The lack of poly sleeves and the poor quality of the vinyl shows a shocking failure in their processes
Hi Andrew, I just finished watching your review and I was shocked at the state of the vinyl they sent you. I guess I was lucky as I had no issues with mine. However, I agree regarding the packaging, everything is too tightly packed resulting in damage to one of my postcards when closing the cover. As you mentioned one hand clapping, I love the record and bonus 7 inch and had no issues whatsoever. Thank you for the recommendation as I was in two minds.😊
There's something so soothing about the unboxing part. The cadence of the voice, the funky music in the background, the accent, it's all very calming, it's like an old detective show haha
Great video, as always. It’s bonkers that poly lined sleeves aren’t the standard in these box sets. It’s the thing that protects the surface of the record. You handle it every time you play the thing! I would certainly prefer one over a glossy photo or post card that I will never look at again after the initial opening.
I was fortunate enough to get a copy that for GZ was actually good. Only a few insignificant issues. I have never been happy that the Lennon Estate has decided to go with GZ for the vinyl. They are consistently inconsistent, and the quality of The Beatles Stereo Box Set was atrocious. So bad that I went through three different sets before giving up entirely. Gimme Some Truth took four attempts before success was finally achieved. The sound quality of this Lennon Ultimate Mix is absolutely amazing, and gives this under appreciated album a new lease on life. Can someone please explain to Sean that Optimal is where Lennon’s legacy belongs.
Thanks, Andrew! The only NEW flawless vinyl I ever managed to buy was the Beatles Mono Box. Lucky me! Then I stopped buying new vinyl because of the prices and quality issues. I have a big collection of records I‘ve started in the early 70s. No plopps, no scratches, no warping. Sometimes it‘s true: in the earlier days things were better. Bought a very nice CD player for newer stuff: carefree listening! - Greetings from Berlin, Harry
Record pressings made in America, UK, Japan, Germany ... Those pressings ... even the budget LP's pressed on recycled vinyl by RCA Victor, etc... in the 80's ... were made better than any of the over priced 180 gram records pressed today.
I was thinking of getting the 2 CD version now I’m DEFINITELY getting it. I love vinyl but I love CDs equally. Thanks for the excellent presentation sir. Cheers, Kaz (USA)
Thanks for a great video, as always Andrew. My issue at the moment is I haven't even received anything yet from the official Lennon website, where I purchased the 6CD set and the vinyl release. I am in Australia, and this is atypical problem for any of us, from most sellers. Pre-ordering an item from here is just a joke. They have the finished products BEFORE the release date, so why can't they start shipping them in time for us to receive them on the day of release. The album is almost old hat by the time we get them! So obviously I can't even review my vinyl yet! But a vinyl release I did receive recently was Ringo's 'Crooked Boy' on black vinyl. It has a sticker on the back saying Made in France, which I found unusual from the start. Who presses them in France I wonder 🤔 But on inspection of the vinyl I was appalled!! I have recently been cleaning ALL of my vinyl and when I saw this I couldn't believe I had just opened a new record! It had a ridiculous amount of marks, which looked like wipe marks of some kind, like somebody had tried to wipe something from the vinyl, but the marks remained. Even after putting the disc through my cleaning system I couldn't remove them! I think it's ridiculous vinyl is placed directly inside the inner sleeves without a bag. My God, how many have I tried to get out that are almost stuck to the inside! I always feel it might leave the same type of marks as those appalling plastic covers you highlighted before. Anyway, we shall see with my Lennon copy. I just don't think it's good enough for the price we pay. All the best, Jase
As you may recall earlier, I waited for your vinyl review since we knew it was produced by GZ. GZ quality control is near zero, so it's indeed a, 'lottery' regarding the quality of the vinyl one is going to receive. Knowing your quality reviews, I left my purchase entirely in your review and you did not disappoint!! I did purchase the Ultimate CD set and was absolutely Mind blown (sorry 😊) to its sound quality. So much so, I played every CD/Blue Ray twice in one day. In my opinion, this type of set should be the standard for every Beatles reproduction set from here on out. The mastering is so good on this set, I teared up. It was so much better than the original. Andrew, I don't know how long I've been contributing to your channel, but this one review alone makes it totally worthwhile. As you probably surmised, I'm not buying the vinyl. If they use Optimal in the future I will purchase it. Thanks for another excellent quality review!!
Mastering is good?! It's very compressed, no dynamics left. Talking about the digital versions. In addition the EQ is not very good either. Too much bass and lack of upper mids around 4-6 kHz.
I buy next to no new vinyl these days, and this is the exact reason why. £50 is a lot of money to gamble like that, so I erred on the side of caution and went for the 2CD instead. I agree that this state of affairs is a real shame - the new mix is wonderful and I would love to have it on vinyl, especially since the RSD 12" sounded so good (even on luminous vinyl!).
Thank you again Andrew. 😊 To answer your question: I wouldn't buy vinyl at all. The inherent noise (and other issues) of the medium always steer me away. Unless, of course, the vinyl in question contains some rarity that can't be found elsewhere. If the optimal way to hear music is to position your ears as close as possible to the music-maker at the moment they're making the music (with nothing in the intervening air to impede reception of the sound waves), then it stands to reason that *recorded* music should be distributed on a medium that's as "quiet as air" as possible. For me, vinyl just isn't that medium. However, I do prefer vinyl packaging over CD, as a rule. So, to achieve a happy balance, I buy Japanese paper-sleeve CDs whenever possible. Regarding your use of waveforms in your analyses, keep them coming! 😃 Don't you just wish the industry would, as a rule, put dynamic vinyl masters on CDs (as they did with 2009's mono box)? It'd be no skin off any listener's nose if they had to crank their CD player's volume up a notch, surely?
I was so relieved when CDs came out in the 80s! I was so tired of buying a brand new record and dealing with all the clicks, pops, scratches, scuff marks, and overall surface noise.
People won't realise how bad vinyl is. The popping, scratches, the wow and flutter, RIAA stage issue with rumble, friction hiss from stylus, limited frequency range, wear and tear, fasing in inner tracks/tone arm angle, etc
Dust is one thing, it can be removed easily, but scuffs, scratches and fingerprints are something else. Experience Hendrix reissues are one of the only releases you can find lined inners for their records.
Luckily, I didn’t have the same experience as you. The vinyl was clean-no scratches and definitely no white schmutz all over it like yours. No warpage and no noise while it’s playing; there were a couple of pops, but they were minor and on the fade-outs of two songs. The package overall was in pristine quality. I’m quite pleased, because I’ve had to return other poor-quality records pressed by GZ in the past.
After cleaning the record and being surprised how dirty it was, it sounds amazing! Much better than the original version which I only liked the title track. Now they sound fantastic. A nearly tearful relevation. Thank you Sean and Yoko
If 7 out of 10 people have had issues I wonder what the chances are that you get another 'faulty' pressing if you return it requesting a mint one. I've had a vinyl pressing of The Kinks' 1989 UK Jive album that was so magnetic that it started attracting dust the minute I took it out of its' inner sleeve. I put the album in a anti static inner sleeve, had it cleaned on a professional cleaning device and used the device you use to get the dust off. In the end I sold the vinyl and replaced it with the CD pressing. The sound is stellar and it has two extra bonus tracks, both written by Dave Davies. Both are great additions!
I am aware of GZ due to many negative comments in the past. I would not consider buying from them at all I would just prefer Poly Lined inners without the extras.
@@bobby666666 I agree. But often you simple have no choice. If that particular Album that you Are looking for was pressed by GZ you either have to buy it from them and keep your Fingers crossed or you buy the CD. I myself had Mixed experiences with GZ pressings. I Never got a record pressed in the Czech Republic that matched the quality of a Pallas or Optimal pressing. And the record companies charge a premium today. It is just disgusting.
When you take a new record out of the bag, the record and the paper bag may stick together due to static electricity. If you take the record out of the bag like that, the disc will get scratched. I've made that mistake before. It was the album "Run Devil Run" and I put a huge scratch on the surface before even listening to the record!
They put all of their efforts and expense into the gimmicks and dropped the ball on the manufacturing. I’d gladly take a well pressed 120 or 140 gram LP packaged in a poly lined sleeve. Throw a poster or a post card in but I’m not going to break out a UV light to look at anything.
A very fair assessment, regarding pressing plants, I agree that Optimal is generally much better than GZ, but I've also had very good pressings from MPO in France, I've a high regard for MPO.
Glad I’m a cd collector and listener because I don’t think I can do vinyl because of its issues on it’s pressings but not all so it’s a game of chance and it’s a pricey experience
Yes, I got One Hand Clapping. side two of vinyl lp one has noise, a slight crunch sound , audible during tracks too. This is not the first time a new press lp has had noise over the last few years. I’ve even had chunks missing from the vinyl
Perfectly illustrates why I don't really have any interest in purchasing new releases on vinyl. I've seen countless comments on discogs and other websites about the quality of vinyl that completely puts me off. I'm far happier with a CD or even download. Whatever differences there are in sound are probably lost on me and I'd far rather have something consistent and reliable (or at least more reliable than vinyl!). Of course a vinyl looks great but they're far from cheap. Enjoyed the video as always of course and interesting to hear about these vinyl experiences.
It's a shame, with the prices being charged for new records, you would expect more QC from a pressing plant. Very sad. But... Thanks again Andrew for pointing this out to us. P.S. for the over stuffing, how about a thin box set type package?
In my opinion, I will continue buying CD's. Vinyl's are over priced for my budget ! Maybe vinyl's have a better and warmer sound over all, but CD's are at least still affordable. Thanks for your honest review Andrew ! Cheers from Montreal Canada !
I have had five copies of Mind Games Ultimate mixes on 2LP vinyl - all scratched and scuffed with loads of paper dust - just now in the middle of returning the latest for another replacement! This was just the same when I bought AllThings Must Pass 8 LP vinyl box, another GZ Media product. Nice to see you publicise this issue more people must complain so things can change!
I demand an all-waveform, Delta mixes episode! Bring it on! 😄 Oh never mind. Another great episode and review. We can always count on you to be honest, although the Lennon camp may not be as thrilled (they should be happy for the truth!).
Remembering vinyl long players from my childhood in the 60s and through my record purchasing days of the mid-70s to the end of the 80s, I have to admit to having sentimental memories of the days I used to spend hours in my local record store, looking through their collection in search of a pristine new album to purchase. I was recently considering buying a new record player and a couple of LPs but your video here has reminded me of some of the major flaws of this format. These albums are not cheap. I was horrified to find some of those LPs I once owned in the 70s and 80s and the price they are now charging for them. I have all these albums on CD and they sound good enough to me. I would only buy an LP record now to place its cover in a 12x12 inch frame and hang it on a wall.
You have highlighted a real bugbear of mine with new vinyl, ie the lack of quality control. I dread opening new vinyl as I expect to see now the same surface marks and scratches that you have there. When the LP is packed tightly in a carded inner sleeve my heart sinks as I know there will inevitably be damage. Recently I sent an LP back and the replacement was just as bad. That was also sent back and the third copy still had marks but I decided to live with it as life is too short!! How come I have original LPs from the 60’s & 70’s that are still in perfect condition and sound wonderful?? Have we lost the ability to cut, master and press vinyl to the same high standards as 50-60 years ago??
In all honesty, a few years ago when I started buying remasters on vinyl pretty heavily I quickly realised that GZ were dreadful. There was a Pink Floyd album I bought and another one I can't recall that were the tipping point. Both of those needed returning 3 times before I got suitable copies. In regard to the Pink Floyd one, the first was badly warped (so much that it sounded awful). The second was also warped but not quite as bad, but still enough to give a thump each time it passed the needle. The third was a massive pop due to a heavy scratch on one track. They just have no quality control whatsoever, and so I just avoid anything from there. You're right - the companies DO need to listen to this as it's completely unacceptable especially considering what the product is, the standards needed, and the price of these things. As for record care, I always transfer records into those MoFi inner sleeves, and clean them with my Okki Nokki cleaner using a simple record cleaning solution with l'Art duSon. It's what works well for me, and keeps records quiet for ages.
It would be better if Sean & Co. pushed Universal to press their vinyl at RTI, QRP, or even the new Fidelity Pressing plant in California. GZ has been spotty. Fidelity presses the MoFi records. My Minds Games is not bad, but not perfect. Flat record. See you in London next month 🙂
I just bought the box set with the cd's. I have no complaints. I didn't have to get up to flip an album. I didn't have to spend mega-bucks and worry beforehand if I got a defective copy. I just lay back and listen through the headphones to nice, quiet, quality. And a massive book that came with the boxset.
At some point the labels will recognize the financial return of issuing a quality product. I won’t advertise for those companies doing it right, but those that do provide a great example -quality jackets and printing, a well-mastered clean vinyl disc, and poly-lined inners on the printed sleeves. We don’t need postcards and booklets until those first three items are satisfied. Great review, as always, Andrew.
mine was fine and had barely noise I thought it was great honestly I put it in a Polly lined sleeve and was very happy with it I must have been one of the lucky ones
The Eye of Horus on Lennon’s diary folder is taken from the cover of THE COMPLETE MAGICK CURRICULUM OF THE SECRET ORDER G.'. B.'. G.'. (1969) by Louis T. Culling, and the painting of the hanging figure at right is by Aleister Crowley (originally published in THE EQUINOX, Vol. 3, No. 1 in 1919).
Hi Andrew !!! I love your videos , you are The Man !!! I bought my vinyl set from Umusic, here in Brasil , they were well protected and arrived intact but had exactly the same little indentations as yours , and some scratches too . Fortunately they play well , but of course , I was displeased ...everything is extremely expensive in Brasil and takes ages to come ..... by the way , I washed them before listening ... never had to do that to a brand new record !!! Congrats and keep up !! Looking forward to your upcoming videos !!!
I'd send that straight back. No ifs or buts! I always wipe new vinyl with an antistatic cloth. If I then hear some dust crackle, I then run the album through a liquid cleaner bath usually does the trick.
One day Beatles related estates will finally let analog production do their reissue and it will be perfect (see the beach I boys AP reissues) - until then …
I’m glad someone is talking about it to some capacity. I started collecting records in March of 2019 (when my aunt gave me all of her old American Beatles albums) and of all the new albums I bought since, I’ve had to send about half of them back for a replacement. Doesn’t matter if it’s online or in a local store. I’ve always used Audio Technica and Denon players and taken as best care of them as I can. It’s really appalling how today people are buying brand new records that skip all over the place on the first play. I honestly was a little disappointed with this Mind Games remix anyway, so I haven’t been in a hurry to get this, but I appreciate the honest and great video as always. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one.
I remember when vinyl was being phased out, back in the late 1980s. New vinyl was absolutely trash. We were pretty much herded into buying CDs and switching to that format. I was hesitant to buy the new crop of vinyl, a few years ago. Although I've always kept a turntable running and never stopped buying records, I was truly resistant to buying the new pressings. The heavy vinyl made it seem tempting. I finally tried a few, including The Beatles...and I was pleasantly surprised. However ...I bought a $50 reissue of "What's Going On". The hype sticker bragged about the high quality. Side one sounded great. Side Two was extraordinarily off-center. I was so dissapointed. I should have returned it. I didn't. I put it on the shelf and simply let the bitterness settle in. ( Or, learned my lesson, perhaps). I bought a total of around 20 new pressings, but I stopped after that experience. (The record says it was made by "Presicion") I'm just too old to go through another era of carelessly pressed records. The entertainment industry is herding people towards paying endlessly for streaming, and discouraging ownership. Again- I'm too old to be herded into what scheme they think will bring them the most profits. When CDs, DVDs and BluRays are no longer being manufactured, I won't be able to give them my business. I'm not paying to steam content that I don't physically own. Trust me, even old people will take the time to learn how to carry on within our budgets. I am very pleased to know that this channel is recognized by the Lennon Estate. That's wise of them. If I'm going to buy some new Lennon/Beatles/Ono products, I am going to learn about it from the Parlogram channel before any other news source reaches me. I hope they sit up and take notice of this video! The only proper course of action is to do a quality control check of available stock. If the problem is not extremaly rare, the records must be repressed. That is the only right thing to do. The wrong thing to do is say "We'll do better next time". Please do not think that is acceptable. From what I understand, the very limited amount of working pressing plants are backed up with orders. That should never, ever mean that a bunch of trash records can reach the marketplace. If I were in change of the manufacturing end of getting an album released, I would need to know the date or dates of the actual pressing at the plant, and BE PRESENT to monitor the work I'm paying for. It's far too easy for a tired worker to just go ahead and press hundreds more records rather than replace the worn stamper. I would need to see, with my own eyes, the work being done. I could not trust the plant manager, who is probably trying to get as many orders as possible finished during a work shift. Everyone has a hard job. I know I do. But making a record is like printing a lithograph of a painting- you can't do it poorly. Who wants to buy a piece of framed art with a visual blemish that spoiled the viewing? Not one person. Who wants to buy a vinyl record that was manufactured carelessly and the listening experience is spoiled? Not one person. This must stop.
Very well said. Profits seem to be the only priority for some of these companies. Thanks so much for the heads up on this one Andrew. Great job as usual.😎👍
I get the most enjoyment from older thinner original vinyl pressings. They sound more alive and immediate. I've started culling my collection of albums i dont play much, replacing with CDs. When i do get a new album I replace inner sleeves with poly lined paper sleeves. CDs are now less than half the price of new vinyl.
There's value in showing wave forms from digital audio cuz that's a literal representation of what would be coming out of any listener's speakers or headphones, but I'm highly skeptical of wave forms from a vinyl recording (as well as DR ratings from vinyl recordings for that matter). It's always going to "look" more dynamic but it could well just be a tweaked-for-vinyl version of the digital master, the way the wave form looks is going to vary from one person's recording method to the next. "Trust your ears", as you say, is of course the best advice ultimately.
Great overview of the new vinyl set. I, too, have had numerous issues with GZ over the years. But I don't find the optimal pressings from Germany to be any better. Yes, they are quiet and tend to look great at first. But what is going on with distortion, which starts about halfway through each side. I've had so many of the German pressings sounding very distorted towards the end of the side. I understand inner groove distortion but I don't expect this level of distortion on new pressings. I don't get this trouble on my original vinyls from the past and some of those have had a long and well played life. I think modern vinyl is very disappointing indeed
I was hesitating about buying "Mindgames", and in the end I think I'm glad I didn't crack. I like the album but it's not my favorite Lennon, so I'm not impatient about getting a new remix of it. You mention the dangers of PVC outer sleeves in the end of your video but I see no link to it!? Cheers! And thanks for your in-depth going through videos.
Both Plastic Ono Band 2LP and the Revolver vinyl boxset were pressed by GZ, and I don’t think there were issues with any of them. I’ll get the Mind Games vinyl by Tuesday and I fear the worst now…
Great Video Andrew! I bought the 6 cd and 2 blu rays of Mind Games box set. I am enjoying it. Plus I have Mind Games from 1980 reissue. That Vinyl was not warped. Have a good one
Mine had three fingerprints on the third track of side one (I'm Sorry) with accompanying noise. I'll have to wash the record properly to see if it goes away. I don't think I've seen a fingerprint on a brand-new, factory-sealed record since the bad old days of the late-70s, when some records were made from recycled vinyl to save money. (Looking at YOU, RCA! Back then, there was a 30% chance you had to return the record. I once returned a copy of ChangesOneBowie because there was a hair embedded in the surface. It might as well have been pressed from recycled hotel room soap.) Track 1 of side two had a line of some schmutz in the opening grooves. Again, I'll have to see if a trip thru the record cleaner sorts it out. Second record was fine. QA problems aside, the remix and the vinyl mastering sound terrific. This is a very modern-sounding record, except for John's reverb-drenched vocals, which I accepted as his signature style then, but I now find a bit fatiguing.
Thank you for another great review. I guess many of us recognize ourself in this video. I recently bought a 7" from one of the biggest european distributors of cd and vinyl. In the package was a note that I would only be able to return an obviously damaged record. Even if the vinyl was warped and schratched it was not accepted to send it back as long as you could play it...(!!!???). As you said, this is a problem that the record companies have to take serious when even the distributers feel forced to send a note with each delivery because of all the faulty expensive vinyl the companues pass out.
It is a 'lottery' as you described, but it started for me back in the late 70's. I remember buying brand new albums with scratches, dust and even embedded debris in the grooves that couldn't be cleaned. I was SO glad when I bought my first CD player in 1987, so I wouldn't have to put up with the poor quality control of albums anymore. I love the packaging of vinyl, but it is way overpriced for us to open up a brand new LP bought in 2024 and see the same quality control issues from 40 years ago still exist...
Hi Andew: Like a movie, I was about to click on "buy now" when it occurred to me to go to your channel and I saw the title. What the heck?, I thought, and when I finished watching it, I immediately removed it from my list and I AM NOT GOING TO BUY IT, not as long as they ensure that the pressings have better quality, and as you say, the records are very very expensive and that's why we demand and We deserve VERY HIGH QUALITY in them. Thanks for your review and in the meantime, I'll listen to it on streaming.
Yipes, I've got vinyl copies of this and One Hand Clapping (with the 7") winging their way to me from U-Discover Canada as I type, hopefully I fare better with my copy of Mind Games, although I expect there will be in-fill causing ticks and pops, as I've had that quite a bit on recent pressings. It's not something I ever remember having to deal with on a regular basis when the major labels owned their own pressing plants and quality control was much higher than it is now. Fingers crossed issues are few (if any) with my Mind Games LP... it's the more dynamic mastering that made me want to buy it in the first place, so saying "buy the CD or stream it" isn't really a solution for me. Maybe the 2002 Peter Cobbin CD will become my best option after all...
I really like seeing the wave forms. It did take me a few videos to realize that the blue is OVERLAYING the orange. And that the blue is mostly "loudness" and that the orange is how much the "high and low" notes are present. Yes, I realize that this is oversimplifying things stating it this way, but it's a way to think of the visual presentation of audio. Please keep presenting the waveforms.
I have also realised that paper sleeves usually scratch the vinyl a lot when pulling it out. You can see a lot of tiny scratches when looking closely. And you can hear them!!
GZ is one of those companies that I wince at. You never know what you are going to get as far as quality. Thanks for your review Andrew. I think I will steer clear of this one.
Andrew, after watching your video I opened up my LP set for examination. My two LPs where nowhere even close to the condition yours were in. There were no white marks/spots pressed into the vinyl and no obvious visible scuff and scratches. However, the LPs were quite dusty and dirty. Let's face it, record pressing plants are hardly clean rooms! Having said that, for $50 U.S. poly-lined inner sleeves should be a must. This dust and dirt mostly dusted off with my record brush. Upon playing the records there was audible surface noise mostly from dust and dirt that remained in the grooves. Often times I've found that this noise from dust and dirt will often "play clean" and will disappear. There are are few spots on both LPs where there is some minor noise that cannot be attributed to dust and dirt. These days it's almost impossible to avoid these imperfections on new standard vinyl pressings. I bought my 2 LP set through Amazon and have ordered a replacement set with the hope that I can get a perfect set of pressings. More often than not this is unrealized since I'm usually trading imperfections in one spot of the 1st record for imperfections in a different spot in the second one. I'm certain that I can live with this these slight imperfections if I run out of return options. But it is at least worth a try. Generally speaking I think the records do sound good and I intend on keeping the best combination of LPs in my collection. I'm not a vinyl purist so I also bought the 6 CD/2 BR special edition box set (mainly for the book) so a sound comparison will be very interesting.
My sympathies. I don't do vinyl---I think I'll be sticking with CDs till they stop making them---but it feels bad to shell out and find out it was inferior product. One thing---about 4:25 a picture from the package is identified as "drawings." It's a rubber John-and-Yoko stamp they must have had made up, along with a few "pointing finger" stampings. It's on some of Lennon's letters in Hunter Davies's recent collection---I don't know if it's artwork from that period or was made later.
I’ve been really lucky with my copy - it’s pretty near perfect, but that’s more down to good luck than planning. The lack of inner sleeve liners is inexcusable at this price point.
First off I want to say I really enjoy this channel. Fun videos, even though I'm not a huge beatles fan. Anyway, I concur with the opinions on GZ Vinyl. Whenever I see that sticker or 'Made In Czech Republic' on the packaging I put it straight back in the rack. Been burned too many times by their lack of quality control. Never again.
My copy of One Hand Clapping had dust that was pressed into the grooves and made audible clicking for several seconds on disc 2. I sent it back and got a replacement, although initially they told me it was out of stock and did I want to wait until it came back in stock. Quite irritating as I thought the limited edition with the 7" disc that I'd pre-ordered months earlier was no longer going to be available. Fortunately that wasn't the case. The thing is, that was a German pressed copy. It seems quality control is lacking everywhere.
I watch these sorts of videos with real puzzlement. I started buying LPs in the mid-sixties and bought hundreds over the years, although I'm exclusively CD these days. In my experience it was very rare to get a new LP that looked scuffed and marked like this one. In fact I don't recall it being an issue that people talked about much, and any skips etc that might occur were usually because of a fault that wasn't necessarily visible to the naked eye. This looks like a second hand record, and I've bought many of those. After a quick look at it I would have asked for it to be tested in the shop before I bought it or have an ironclad guarantee that I could bring it back if I needed to. It surprises me, to say the least, that after so many years of tech development in sound recording, people are paying top dollar for shoddy items like this and sometimes having to send them back two or three times before getting a passable one.
Well good luck with the replacement- I’m now waiting on the 7th!! It’s a shame we don’t know how many were pressed and the return rate.
It's incredible you've had to go through so much. 😨
A couple of years back I bought The Stones’ Sticky Fingers on LP , pressed in the Czech Republic, it was absolutely covered in greasy finger marks all over the album’s surface both sides.
I saw the irony that I I got actual sticky fingers, but I wasn’t amused.
@@johnblack9492 with my copy of sticky fingers the spindle hole isn't dead centre so the last tracks on each side sound terrible.
Maybe they should retitle their LP to "Greasy Fingers".....
I completely agree. Having a quality pressing trumps getting extras. Poorly pressed vinyl ruins the main event, which is listening to music.
Nah, the most important thing is having something big to hold while you listen to a wonderful digital representation of the music.
In the 80s there was a lot more vinyl around, most didn't have these issues and it cost less to buy. Today it shouldn't be worse than it was 40 years ago.
I agree. Truly disappointing
My history with LPs in the 1980s was awful. Compact discs were my preferred choice by the late 1980s.
@@pauls6897 All 80s vinyl that i have purchased are much better than the modern pressings.
@@theunknown9437 80s LPs were less expensive then: between $6-9 new for new albums. My memory though was surface noise right out of the shrink wrap, and returns to the record store for a clean copy. My vinyl friends report quality control issues on new LPs,, which are much more expensive. I do have a turntable and several hundred LPs and 45s. I use declicking software to digitize my recordings though.
A lot of the expertise has gone unfortunately.
My heart always drops when a record arrives and it has the Made in Czech Republic sticker on the sleeve.
For those wondering, that "666" is cut out directly off the cover art of Aphrodite's Child 1972 album of the same name, a psychedelic/prog band that featured Vangelis on keyboards.
Yes. I know that 666 growing up with my dads collection from the 80's.
The Four Horsemen was… paid tribute by Verve on their track Come On
I suspected that was it - "The Apocalypse of John" and part of the red cover is on the clipping. I guess Lennon was thinking he was writing his own Apocalypse.
Interesting..will check it out😊
@@johnnada. The Four Horseman track is absolutely superb, will now checkout the Verve song, cheers.
Sorry that you received a copy with notable defects. It’s unfortunate given the high cost of vinyl that people have to contend with these types of issues. Unfortunately anyone that purchases records has experienced this in some form or another. Thanks so much for going through this with the viewers Andrew. I just got the CD set last week and am enjoying it. Take care!
Disappointing, is putting it mildly. When I purchased new vinyl in the past, I demanded it be MINT! Covers, inner sleeves, inserts and the records. Why should I pay top dollar for a new product this only in VG condition? I would return said product for a full refund. I’d settle for a digital product, preferably a vinyl rip. One great thing about vinyl, you can’t brick-wall it. Great episode Andrew. Sometimes if it wasn’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all.
Agree but I have VG records that even look much better than this.
You're incorrect about the brick-walling of vinyl. If they brick-wall the digital file, then cut the record from that file, it will be brick-walled as well. I would return this vinyl for a full refund as well. A hi-rez vinyl rip with proper dynamics and defects can be repaired, and in the case of this record, will sound great in the end.
I hate to be a doofis... but what is "brick walling" ?
Compression of high and low frequencies resulting in a "Flat" muggy sound.
Agreed. Looking at the video, I would grade these records about a VG.
My copy has almost the same marks as yours even down to the scuff on the edge. I've not listened to it yet but I will, as soon as I've got rid of the grandchildren.
Great video again by the way.
Thanks Steve. Sorry to hear about your copy.
After watching your video and reading reviews elsewhere, I'm very glad I cancelled my pre-order earlier this month. At ~£50, lined sleeves and no scratches is the bare minimum people should expect.
For alot of these beatles and beatles solo releases I've learned to never pre-order. If patient, they 99% of the time end up super cheap on sale. I got the let it be vinyl box for $40 shipped due to waiting. And it always ensures you don't get screwed by quality control defects. Unless it's something super limited, being patient seriously pays off.
@@simonemurray1345 Yep... resist jumping on the 'early-adopter avalanche' and you'll save money, _and_ discover the pros and cons of each iteration of the product before you buy.
When I visited The Vinyl Factory (old EMI Hayes pressing plant) I was amazed. The place was filthy, oil everywhere and a machine shoving just pressed records into those inner sleeves! It's no wonder unlined inners cause so much damage. Records come off the stamper covered in debris and then shoved into rough inners. Might as well rub the vinyl down some sandpaper.
If there is any indication a new record is pressed at Gz I always check discogs first. Normally a stick on the back Made in Czech Republic.
My Rolling Stones in mono was not the best either.
And I really don't understand why most new vinyl is cut a such a low volume. Never was that way 60s/70s/80s and beyond. Most of us have decent turntables so would not have records jumping due to signal velocity. Its annoying as it shows up so many flaws in pressing quality.
I'm one of those who faced so many warps on new vinyl that I got a deal on an Orb vinyl flat and it's an amazing piece of kit. Even flatten records for friends in return for some beer!
Sorry for the rant but worked in music retail all my working life. Vinyl fanatics like us deserve better
Thanks, Ross
Great post, Ross!
I was reasonably happy with my Stones in Mono box, but I agree there were still issues with infill and ticks and pops that result from either not enough heat or improper pressure, leaving microscopic pieces of jagged vinyl on the edges of the grooves. I don't remember having those kinds of issues during vinyl's original heyday, surely a result of overloaded pressing plants churning out LPs with not enough quality control.
All press vinyl today without polyline sleeve consider visible scratches if you examine carefully in light .. auto pass,, pops and ticks sound in vinyl are not worth the price, a waste of money how sad
So now it’s an issue music is cut a a lower volume? Usually, the complaining is that it’s too loud. When will people ever be satisfied? That’s right: Never.
Not so. The US and German pressings I have bought usually come with poly lined sleeve.
The fact the Uber Box comes with poly lined sleeves, yet the $50 2 LP can’t be bothered to really speaks volumes. The extras are cute and all but what good is it if the actual thing I bought the release for (the records themselves) are defective?
GZed has certainly jumped out to me when it comes to quality control over the past couple of years. I bought the Rolling Stones in Mono colored box set, and oh boy, what a lottery that was. I ordered my first box and found that on Let It Bleed, it had a scribble line pressed on the disc, which caused a really loud thud sound during a few songs. It was clear to me whoever pressed it didn't clean their pressing plate and allowed debris to get on it and pass visual inspection, which is just baffling to me. So sadly, I returned the box and got another which HAD THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM. Seriously, problems like this should NEVER REACH THE CUSTOMER.
I think the decades of digital manufacturing, where quality could be verified by a computer, spilled over into modern vinyl manufacturing.
There seems to be an assumption if the media plays without errors, start to finish, that it's fine.
The skill of quality control over vinyl albums, a three dimensional physical medium, seems to now be largely a lost art.
@@jimjam51075 I wonder if the pressure and demands placed on the remaining vinyl pressing plants is a factor in that.
Outrageous! Just to put into perspective, I’m currently listening to a 1978 American reissue of the White album that I bought from secondhand record shop yesterday. Yep, in better nick than that 2024 Mind Games!
I have the 1978 purple Capitol edition of Walls & Bridges, mastered by the legendary Wally Traugott. It sounds amazing.
Keep showing the wave forms, Andrew! I, for one, appreciate it. The first thing I do when I get a new CD is to look at the wave forms of the songs to see if they were mastered correctly.
The second thing I do is to work with the overcompressed audio to restore a bit of the dynamic range. Otherwise, I can't listen to it. I know some folks will complain if a CD "sounds too quiet"-but that's what the volume knob is for. 😎
Returned my last defective record in the 1980s when CDs came in; after returning countless LPs due to crackle, pop, and warpage -- which made me a great favorite with record dealers. Since then, I've bought thousands of CDs and have returned exactly zero for defects.
Since the 90's, I returned dozens of cds with scratches or problems of reading. I can correct many problems with vinyl records and almost none with cds. I even bought second hand cds that looked normal and can't be read by any of my players. It never happened with vinyl discs where the groove is apparent;
@@micheljuvenet5900 Lol - that's the other problem, CD & DVD readers are so variable in quality.It's a minefield out there!
@@micheljuvenet5900 In 20 years the vinyl record will play about the same, if you take good care of it. Maybe even 100 years.
Some of my cds are rotting away already. A few are turning a brown color. They aren't made to last forever.
The second CD I ever purchased was defective and i returned it. In hindsight i should have kept it because it's probably valuable. It was the Beatles Revolver from the original 1987 longboxes. But when I played the CD it was actually the Help! album.
When CD’s arrived, I switched as soon as possible. Many years later some nostalgia is creeping in, after having seen this video it is completely clear to me that I will never return to vinyl. If it comes to sound quality it is a huge step backwards anyways.
It’s just another reminder that CDs 💿 are much better than the audiophiles think. The quality control of CDs are much better than the vinyl, sad to say. I bought a brand new vinyl of Pink Floyd’s The Wall and there were multiple flaws on them that caused skips.
So when my wife wanted to buy me The Beatles Red & Blue 2023 Remastered albums, I asked her to buy me the CD version rather than the vinyl. Did not disappoint.
If you had bought an original copy, there wouldn't be that problem. Some of the new vinyl is atrocious - but not all.
Most vinyl is digital sourced now anyway.
I can’t argue with that. CDs are much more forgiving of scratches and are much easier to clean if any fingerprints get on them.
Like vinyl, mastering is key to the sound quality and not just the media.
Not to mention the Red&Blue vinyl didn't contain the extra tracks
If I remember correctly the vinyl of the 2023 red and blue put all the newly added tracks on a separate vinyl instead of putting them in chronological order, while the CDs did put them in chronological order. Just a tiny thing, but I prefer the CD unless you’re going with the original red and blue album.
I totally agree about the poly lined inners. I got completely trashed on a Facebook group when I made exactly the same observation with people ranting about how they had discs that were 50 years old and had no problems with being in paper sleeves. Surely it can't cost more than a few pennies a disc for a company to use poly lined inners. It only costs me, as a consumer, 38p a sleeve, so I'm sure a big record company, buying in bulk, would get them significantly cheaper.
I’m 62 years old, the sound difference between a cd and lp to me is basically the skipping and or popping from vinyl.
@@Nymetssuck02134 that makes totally sense given it's the same digital master. I'm stunned that people spend money to buy digital records when there are out there tons of the original analogue pressing of the record.
I think somebody from the record company needs to contact the pressing plant to get this quality issue sorted out. Vinyl isn't cheap these days and this will put people off purchasing if there's a chance of scratches and scuff marks and other issues. People want confidence in the product that they're purchasing.
This is so nostalgic! In the late 70s in the US, warped and otherwise defective records were a regular problem.
No, it wasn't a "regular" problem, was quite rare actually.
I worked in record retail in the 80s and 90s and it was not a regular problem.
ALL of my 60s and 70s vinyl records were FLAT, no problems. I was in NYC during that time. Vinyl was reliable and stable back then.
Never had any problems with my records in the 70s either. 🤔
It was a regular problem. I was taking back every other album I purchased due to pops and clicks or warped discs. They reduced the thickness of the lp in the late 70's due to a shortage in raw materisls, and the sealed wrap could actually help cause warping. We were told to take off the wrapping immediately after opening. I immediately switched to cd when it came out, re-purchasing my favorite music.
I have read last summer that in the USA only 50% of the vinyl buyers actually listen to the vinyl records...
I tell you, the record companies know that and so they don't care for a proper quality control.
My 2 cents.
p.s.: It's always hit or miss with GZ. I think the records actually sound great, but the quality control must be improved; no one likes warped and scratched new records.
I got a rare earth lp recently, the hole in the middle of the record is only a half of hole! It won't even fit on my player. Store refused to take it back and get me a new one. Sad.
Back in the 1970s, when poorer quality vinyl was the norm, I'd buy a new album and it was almost guaranteed that it would be defective in some way: slightly warped, labels stuck on crooked, bits of paper embedded in the vinyl and scuffs or scratches.
When paying a typical $4-$6 for an album in those days, it wasn't as big a deal, but today, when you're paying a ridiculous $25-$50 for a single damned album, it had better be flawless! I remember paying $3.98 for my original copy of Mind Games in the 1970s!
Isn’t that roughly equivalent, adjusting for inflation since the 1970s?
$4 in 1973 is worth $28.30 today
@@sghantous That whole conversion thing really is meaningless. $4 was $4 back then. It was a reasonable price for an LP in those days, while $28 today is not.
The deterioration of vinyl pressings in the US began around 1972 and got progressively worse after that.
@@eblackadder3 💯 percent.
Andrew well done for exposing this lack of quality control on your vinyl. The lack of poly sleeves and the poor quality of the vinyl shows a shocking failure in their processes
Hi Andrew, I just finished watching your review and I was shocked at the state of the vinyl they sent you. I guess I was lucky as I had no issues with mine. However, I agree regarding the packaging, everything is too tightly packed resulting in damage to one of my postcards when closing the cover. As you mentioned one hand clapping, I love the record and bonus 7 inch and had no issues whatsoever. Thank you for the recommendation as I was in two minds.😊
I would prefer keeping all the extra bits and bobs and going with a lighter weight vinyl. A well pressed 120 gram vinyl album would perform just fine.
There's something so soothing about the unboxing part. The cadence of the voice, the funky music in the background, the accent, it's all very calming, it's like an old detective show haha
Great video, as always.
It’s bonkers that poly lined sleeves aren’t the standard in these box sets. It’s the thing that protects the surface of the record. You handle it every time you play the thing! I would certainly prefer one over a glossy photo or post card that I will never look at again after the initial opening.
I was fortunate enough to get a copy that for GZ was actually good. Only a few insignificant issues. I have never been happy that the Lennon Estate has decided to go with GZ for the vinyl. They are consistently inconsistent, and the quality of The Beatles Stereo Box Set was atrocious. So bad that I went through three different sets before giving up entirely. Gimme Some Truth took four attempts before success was finally achieved.
The sound quality of this Lennon Ultimate Mix is absolutely amazing, and gives this under appreciated album a new lease on life. Can someone please explain to Sean that Optimal is where Lennon’s legacy belongs.
Thanks, Andrew! The only NEW flawless vinyl I ever managed to buy was the Beatles Mono Box. Lucky me! Then I stopped buying new vinyl because of the prices and quality issues. I have a big collection of records I‘ve started in the early 70s. No plopps, no scratches, no warping. Sometimes it‘s true: in the earlier days things were better. Bought a very nice CD player for newer stuff: carefree listening! - Greetings from Berlin, Harry
Record pressings made in America, UK, Japan, Germany ... Those pressings ... even the budget LP's pressed on recycled vinyl by RCA Victor, etc... in the 80's ... were made better than any of the over priced 180 gram records pressed today.
I was thinking of getting the 2 CD version now I’m DEFINITELY getting it. I love vinyl but I love CDs equally. Thanks for the excellent presentation sir. Cheers, Kaz (USA)
Thank you, Sir. Glad to be of help.
@@EdKazO-Vision won’t play on a pc or Mac
@@KenValent I’m playing it on a CD player.
Thanks for a great video, as always Andrew.
My issue at the moment is I haven't even received anything yet from the official Lennon website, where I purchased the 6CD set and the vinyl release. I am in Australia, and this is atypical problem for any of us, from most sellers. Pre-ordering an item from here is just a joke. They have the finished products BEFORE the release date, so why can't they start shipping them in time for us to receive them on the day of release. The album is almost old hat by the time we get them! So obviously I can't even review my vinyl yet!
But a vinyl release I did receive recently was Ringo's 'Crooked Boy' on black vinyl. It has a sticker on the back saying Made in France, which I found unusual from the start. Who presses them in France I wonder 🤔
But on inspection of the vinyl I was appalled!! I have recently been cleaning ALL of my vinyl and when I saw this I couldn't believe I had just opened a new record! It had a ridiculous amount of marks, which looked like wipe marks of some kind, like somebody had tried to wipe something from the vinyl, but the marks remained. Even after putting the disc through my cleaning system I couldn't remove them!
I think it's ridiculous vinyl is placed directly inside the inner sleeves without a bag. My God, how many have I tried to get out that are almost stuck to the inside! I always feel it might leave the same type of marks as those appalling plastic covers you highlighted before.
Anyway, we shall see with my Lennon copy. I just don't think it's good enough for the price we pay.
All the best,
Jase
Sorry to hear that, Jase. Hope you get your 6CD set soon. If it was Made in France it was most likely pressed by MPO.
@@Parlogram Thanks Andrew 🙂
As you may recall earlier, I waited for your vinyl review since we knew it was produced by GZ. GZ quality control is near zero, so it's indeed a, 'lottery' regarding the quality of the vinyl one is going to receive.
Knowing your quality reviews, I left my purchase entirely in your review and you did not disappoint!!
I did purchase the Ultimate CD set and was absolutely Mind blown (sorry 😊) to its sound quality. So much so, I played every CD/Blue Ray twice in one day. In my opinion, this type of set should be the standard for every Beatles reproduction set from here on out.
The mastering is so good on this set, I teared up. It was so much better than the original.
Andrew, I don't know how long I've been contributing to your channel, but this one review alone makes it totally worthwhile.
As you probably surmised, I'm not buying the vinyl. If they use Optimal in the future I will purchase it.
Thanks for another excellent quality review!!
Thanks Paul, much appreciated!
Mastering is good?! It's very compressed, no dynamics left. Talking about the digital versions. In addition the EQ is not very good either. Too much bass and lack of upper mids around 4-6 kHz.
I buy next to no new vinyl these days, and this is the exact reason why. £50 is a lot of money to gamble like that, so I erred on the side of caution and went for the 2CD instead. I agree that this state of affairs is a real shame - the new mix is wonderful and I would love to have it on vinyl, especially since the RSD 12" sounded so good (even on luminous vinyl!).
Thank you again Andrew. 😊
To answer your question: I wouldn't buy vinyl at all. The inherent noise (and other issues) of the medium always steer me away. Unless, of course, the vinyl in question contains some rarity that can't be found elsewhere.
If the optimal way to hear music is to position your ears as close as possible to the music-maker at the moment they're making the music (with nothing in the intervening air to impede reception of the sound waves), then it stands to reason that *recorded* music should be distributed on a medium that's as "quiet as air" as possible. For me, vinyl just isn't that medium.
However, I do prefer vinyl packaging over CD, as a rule. So, to achieve a happy balance, I buy Japanese paper-sleeve CDs whenever possible.
Regarding your use of waveforms in your analyses, keep them coming! 😃
Don't you just wish the industry would, as a rule, put dynamic vinyl masters on CDs (as they did with 2009's mono box)? It'd be no skin off any listener's nose if they had to crank their CD player's volume up a notch, surely?
I was so relieved when CDs came out in the 80s! I was so tired of buying a brand new record and dealing with all the clicks, pops, scratches, scuff marks, and overall surface noise.
People won't realise how bad vinyl is. The popping, scratches, the wow and flutter, RIAA stage issue with rumble, friction hiss from stylus, limited frequency range, wear and tear, fasing in inner tracks/tone arm angle, etc
Dust is one thing, it can be removed easily, but scuffs, scratches and fingerprints are something else.
Experience Hendrix reissues are one of the only releases you can find lined inners for their records.
Luckily, I didn’t have the same experience as you. The vinyl was clean-no scratches and definitely no white schmutz all over it like yours. No warpage and no noise while it’s playing; there were a couple of pops, but they were minor and on the fade-outs of two songs. The package overall was in pristine quality. I’m quite pleased, because I’ve had to return other poor-quality records pressed by GZ in the past.
After cleaning the record and being surprised how dirty it was, it sounds amazing! Much better than the original version which I only liked the title track. Now they sound fantastic. A nearly tearful relevation. Thank you Sean and Yoko
If 7 out of 10 people have had issues I wonder what the chances are that you get another 'faulty' pressing if you return it requesting a mint one.
I've had a vinyl pressing of The Kinks' 1989 UK Jive album that was so magnetic that it started attracting dust the minute I took it out of its' inner sleeve. I put the album in a anti static inner sleeve, had it cleaned on a professional cleaning device and used the device you use to get the dust off. In the end I sold the vinyl and replaced it with the CD pressing. The sound is stellar and it has two extra bonus tracks, both written by Dave Davies. Both are great additions!
I am aware of GZ due to many negative comments in the past. I would not consider buying from them at all
I would just prefer Poly Lined inners without the extras.
@@bobby666666 I agree. But often you simple have no choice. If that particular Album that you Are looking for was pressed by GZ you either have to buy it from them and keep your Fingers crossed or you buy the CD. I myself had Mixed experiences with GZ pressings. I Never got a record pressed in the Czech Republic that matched the quality of a Pallas or Optimal pressing. And the record companies charge a premium today. It is just disgusting.
Vinyl new release info doesn't include manufacturer identification though does it?
@@andrewbrazier9664 No, but it does say on the actual items.
@@bobby666666 That will only be apparent after you've spent your hard earned 💷 though
@@andrewbrazier9664 I'd you buy on release. If its faulty, send it back.
Here to thank you early Andrew ✌️ edit: yeah, if I see Czech on my records I do just that when I get home
They can keep all the prints & gimmicks, just give me quiet vinyl & polylined inners - though a book would be nice, too.
When you take a new record out of the bag, the record and the paper bag may stick together due to static electricity.
If you take the record out of the bag like that, the disc will get scratched. I've made that mistake before.
It was the album "Run Devil Run" and I put a huge scratch on the surface before even listening to the record!
That's why we need poly-lined inner.
This disc was scratched from the factory
They put all of their efforts and expense into the gimmicks and dropped the ball on the manufacturing. I’d gladly take a well pressed 120 or 140 gram LP packaged in a poly lined sleeve. Throw a poster or a post card in but I’m not going to break out a UV light to look at anything.
A very fair assessment, regarding pressing plants, I agree that Optimal is generally much better than GZ, but I've also had very good pressings from MPO in France, I've a high regard for MPO.
Glad I’m a cd collector and listener because I don’t think I can do vinyl because of its issues on it’s pressings but not all so it’s a game of chance and it’s a pricey experience
You are certainy thorough, I would never though of that deeply at my new records thanks for this
Yes, I got One Hand Clapping. side two of vinyl lp one has noise, a slight crunch sound , audible during tracks too. This is not the first time a new press lp has had noise over the last few years. I’ve even had chunks missing from the vinyl
Perfectly illustrates why I don't really have any interest in purchasing new releases on vinyl. I've seen countless comments on discogs and other websites about the quality of vinyl that completely puts me off. I'm far happier with a CD or even download. Whatever differences there are in sound are probably lost on me and I'd far rather have something consistent and reliable (or at least more reliable than vinyl!). Of course a vinyl looks great but they're far from cheap. Enjoyed the video as always of course and interesting to hear about these vinyl experiences.
It's a shame, with the prices being charged for new records, you would expect more QC from a pressing plant. Very sad. But... Thanks again Andrew for pointing this out to us. P.S. for the over stuffing, how about a thin box set type package?
In my opinion, I will continue buying CD's. Vinyl's are over priced for my budget ! Maybe vinyl's have a better and warmer sound over all, but CD's are at least still affordable. Thanks for your honest review Andrew ! Cheers from Montreal Canada !
I have had five copies of Mind Games Ultimate mixes on 2LP vinyl - all scratched and scuffed with loads of paper dust - just now in the middle of returning the latest for another replacement! This was just the same when I bought AllThings Must Pass 8 LP vinyl box, another GZ Media product. Nice to see you publicise this issue more people must complain so things can change!
Five copies! Wow!
Well, another one faulty…..this vinyl release is certainly giving me Mind Games!!!
I demand an all-waveform, Delta mixes episode! Bring it on! 😄
Oh never mind. Another great episode and review. We can always count on you to be honest, although the Lennon camp may not be as thrilled (they should be happy for the truth!).
Remembering vinyl long players from my childhood in the 60s and through my record purchasing days of the mid-70s to the end of the 80s, I have to admit to having sentimental memories of the days I used to spend hours in my local record store, looking through their collection in search of a pristine new album to purchase.
I was recently considering buying a new record player and a couple of LPs but your video here has reminded me of some of the major flaws of this format. These albums are not cheap. I was horrified to find some of those LPs I once owned in the 70s and 80s and the price they are now charging for them. I have all these albums on CD and they sound good enough to me. I would only buy an LP record now to place its cover in a 12x12 inch frame and hang it on a wall.
You have highlighted a real bugbear of mine with new vinyl, ie the lack of quality control. I dread opening new vinyl as I expect to see now the same surface marks and scratches that you have there. When the LP is packed tightly in a carded inner sleeve my heart sinks as I know there will inevitably be damage. Recently I sent an LP back and the replacement was just as bad. That was also sent back and the third copy still had marks but I decided to live with it as life is too short!! How come I have original LPs from the 60’s & 70’s that are still in perfect condition and sound wonderful?? Have we lost the ability to cut, master and press vinyl to the same high standards as 50-60 years ago??
In all honesty, a few years ago when I started buying remasters on vinyl pretty heavily I quickly realised that GZ were dreadful.
There was a Pink Floyd album I bought and another one I can't recall that were the tipping point. Both of those needed returning 3 times before I got suitable copies. In regard to the Pink Floyd one, the first was badly warped (so much that it sounded awful). The second was also warped but not quite as bad, but still enough to give a thump each time it passed the needle. The third was a massive pop due to a heavy scratch on one track.
They just have no quality control whatsoever, and so I just avoid anything from there. You're right - the companies DO need to listen to this as it's completely unacceptable especially considering what the product is, the standards needed, and the price of these things.
As for record care, I always transfer records into those MoFi inner sleeves, and clean them with my Okki Nokki cleaner using a simple record cleaning solution with l'Art duSon. It's what works well for me, and keeps records quiet for ages.
It would be better if Sean & Co. pushed Universal to press their vinyl at RTI, QRP, or even the new Fidelity Pressing plant in California. GZ has been spotty. Fidelity presses the MoFi records. My Minds Games is not bad, but not perfect. Flat record. See you in London next month 🙂
Agreed Mazzy. However, I am not in London now or next week, unless you know something I don't 😉
I just bought the box set with the cd's. I have no complaints. I didn't have to get up to flip an album. I didn't have to spend mega-bucks and worry beforehand if I got a defective copy. I just lay back and listen through the headphones to nice, quiet, quality. And a massive book that came with the boxset.
At some point the labels will recognize the financial return of issuing a quality product. I won’t advertise for those companies doing it right, but those that do provide a great example -quality jackets and printing, a well-mastered clean vinyl disc, and poly-lined inners on the printed sleeves. We don’t need postcards and booklets until those first three items are satisfied. Great review, as always, Andrew.
mine was fine and had barely noise I thought it was great honestly I put it in a Polly lined sleeve and was very happy with it I must have been one of the lucky ones
The Eye of Horus on Lennon’s diary folder is taken from the cover of THE COMPLETE MAGICK CURRICULUM OF THE SECRET ORDER G.'. B.'. G.'. (1969) by Louis T. Culling, and the painting of the hanging figure at right is by Aleister Crowley (originally published in THE EQUINOX, Vol. 3, No. 1 in 1919).
Hi Andrew !!! I love your videos , you are The Man !!! I bought my vinyl set from Umusic, here in Brasil , they were well protected and arrived intact but had exactly the same little indentations as yours , and some scratches too . Fortunately they play well , but of course , I was displeased ...everything is extremely expensive in Brasil and takes ages to come ..... by the way , I washed them before listening ... never had to do that to a brand new record !!! Congrats and keep up !! Looking forward to your upcoming videos !!!
Thanks for watching and for sharing your experience!
I'd send that straight back. No ifs or buts! I always wipe new vinyl with an antistatic cloth. If I then hear some dust crackle, I then run the album through a liquid cleaner bath usually does the trick.
I'll wait for the 8-track set!😆
I’m a CD guy and I intend to stay that way unless it’s an original pressing in excellent condition.
Spotify for me Andrew on this and One Hand Clapping....and the 6cd/2bluray as well ..as always I look forward to your videos and thank you!!!
One day Beatles related estates will finally let analog production do their reissue and it will be perfect (see the beach I boys AP reissues) - until then …
I’m glad someone is talking about it to some capacity. I started collecting records in March of 2019 (when my aunt gave me all of her old American Beatles albums) and of all the new albums I bought since, I’ve had to send about half of them back for a replacement. Doesn’t matter if it’s online or in a local store. I’ve always used Audio Technica and Denon players and taken as best care of them as I can. It’s really appalling how today people are buying brand new records that skip all over the place on the first play. I honestly was a little disappointed with this Mind Games remix anyway, so I haven’t been in a hurry to get this, but I appreciate the honest and great video as always. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one.
GZ vinyl. Once I knew, I avoided and bought the 2CD set. Glad I did.
I remember when vinyl was being phased out, back in the late 1980s. New vinyl was absolutely trash. We were pretty much herded into buying CDs and switching to that format.
I was hesitant to buy the new crop of vinyl, a few years ago. Although I've always kept a turntable running and never stopped buying records, I was truly resistant to buying the new pressings. The heavy vinyl made it seem tempting. I finally tried a few, including The Beatles...and I was pleasantly surprised.
However ...I bought a $50 reissue of "What's Going On". The hype sticker bragged about the high quality. Side one sounded great. Side Two was extraordinarily off-center. I was so dissapointed. I should have returned it. I didn't. I put it on the shelf and simply let the bitterness settle in. ( Or, learned my lesson, perhaps). I bought a total of around 20 new pressings, but I stopped after that experience. (The record says it was made by "Presicion")
I'm just too old to go through another era of carelessly pressed records.
The entertainment industry is herding people towards paying endlessly for streaming, and discouraging ownership. Again- I'm too old to be herded into what scheme they think will bring them the most profits. When CDs, DVDs and BluRays are no longer being manufactured, I won't be able to give them my business. I'm not paying to steam content that I don't physically own. Trust me, even old people will take the time to learn how to carry on within our budgets.
I am very pleased to know that this channel is recognized by the Lennon Estate. That's wise of them. If I'm going to buy some new Lennon/Beatles/Ono products, I am going to learn about it from the Parlogram channel before any other news source reaches me.
I hope they sit up and take notice of this video! The only proper course of action is to do a quality control check of available stock. If the problem is not extremaly rare, the records must be repressed. That is the only right thing to do. The wrong thing to do is say "We'll do better next time". Please do not think that is acceptable.
From what I understand, the very limited amount of working pressing plants are backed up with orders. That should never, ever mean that a bunch of trash records can reach the marketplace.
If I were in change of the manufacturing end of getting an album released, I would need to know the date or dates of the actual pressing at the plant, and BE PRESENT to monitor the work I'm paying for. It's far too easy for a tired worker to just go ahead and press hundreds more records rather than replace the worn stamper. I would need to see, with my own eyes, the work being done. I could not trust the plant manager, who is probably trying to get as many orders as possible finished during a work shift. Everyone has a hard job. I know I do. But making a record is like printing a lithograph of a painting- you can't do it poorly. Who wants to buy a piece of framed art with a visual blemish that spoiled the viewing? Not one person. Who wants to buy a vinyl record that was manufactured carelessly and the listening experience is spoiled? Not one person.
This must stop.
Very well said. Profits seem to be the only priority for some of these companies. Thanks so much for the heads up on this one Andrew. Great job as usual.😎👍
I get the most enjoyment from older thinner original vinyl pressings. They sound more alive and immediate. I've started culling my collection of albums i dont play much, replacing with CDs. When i do get a new album I replace inner sleeves with poly lined paper sleeves. CDs are now less than half the price of new vinyl.
There's value in showing wave forms from digital audio cuz that's a literal representation of what would be coming out of any listener's speakers or headphones, but I'm highly skeptical of wave forms from a vinyl recording (as well as DR ratings from vinyl recordings for that matter). It's always going to "look" more dynamic but it could well just be a tweaked-for-vinyl version of the digital master, the way the wave form looks is going to vary from one person's recording method to the next. "Trust your ears", as you say, is of course the best advice ultimately.
Hi Andrew, thanks agian for this very informative and entertaining video. Cheers Fred.
Great overview of the new vinyl set.
I, too, have had numerous issues with GZ over the years.
But I don't find the optimal pressings from Germany to be any better.
Yes, they are quiet and tend to look great at first. But what is going on with distortion, which starts about halfway through each side.
I've had so many of the German pressings sounding very distorted towards the end of the side.
I understand inner groove distortion but I don't expect this level of distortion on new pressings.
I don't get this trouble on my original vinyls from the past and some of those have had a long and well played life.
I think modern vinyl is very disappointing indeed
I was hesitating about buying "Mindgames", and in the end I think I'm glad I didn't crack.
I like the album but it's not my favorite Lennon, so I'm not impatient about getting a new remix of it.
You mention the dangers of PVC outer sleeves in the end of your video but I see no link to it!?
Cheers! And thanks for your in-depth going through videos.
@parlogram Thanks for the link! 👍
Both Plastic Ono Band 2LP and the Revolver vinyl boxset were pressed by GZ, and I don’t think there were issues with any of them. I’ll get the Mind Games vinyl by Tuesday and I fear the worst now…
Hope yours is better than mine!
@@Parlogram I’ll let you know 😉
Great Video Andrew! I bought the 6 cd and 2 blu rays of Mind Games box set. I am enjoying it. Plus I have Mind Games from 1980 reissue. That Vinyl was not warped. Have a good one
Mine had three fingerprints on the third track of side one (I'm Sorry) with accompanying noise. I'll have to wash the record properly to see if it goes away. I don't think I've seen a fingerprint on a brand-new, factory-sealed record since the bad old days of the late-70s, when some records were made from recycled vinyl to save money.
(Looking at YOU, RCA! Back then, there was a 30% chance you had to return the record. I once returned a copy of ChangesOneBowie because there was a hair embedded in the surface. It might as well have been pressed from recycled hotel room soap.)
Track 1 of side two had a line of some schmutz in the opening grooves. Again, I'll have to see if a trip thru the record cleaner sorts it out.
Second record was fine.
QA problems aside, the remix and the vinyl mastering sound terrific. This is a very modern-sounding record, except for John's reverb-drenched vocals, which I accepted as his signature style then, but I now find a bit fatiguing.
Thank you for another great review. I guess many of us recognize ourself in this video. I recently bought a 7" from one of the biggest european distributors of cd and vinyl. In the package was a note that I would only be able to return an obviously damaged record. Even if the vinyl was warped and schratched it was not accepted to send it back as long as you could play it...(!!!???). As you said, this is a problem that the record companies have to take serious when even the distributers feel forced to send a note with each delivery because of all the faulty expensive vinyl the companues pass out.
It is a 'lottery' as you described, but it started for me back in the late 70's. I remember buying brand new albums with scratches, dust and even embedded debris in the grooves that couldn't be cleaned. I was SO glad when I bought my first CD player in 1987, so I wouldn't have to put up with the poor quality control of albums anymore. I love the packaging of vinyl, but it is way overpriced for us to open up a brand new LP bought in 2024 and see the same quality control issues from 40 years ago still exist...
I stopped buying new vinyl when the prices started getting ridiculous & for something that now costs 50 euros that’s terrible.
Hi Andew:
Like a movie, I was about to click on "buy now" when it occurred to me to go to your channel and I saw the title. What the heck?, I thought, and when I finished watching it, I immediately removed it from my list and I AM NOT GOING TO BUY IT, not as long as they ensure that the pressings have better quality, and as you say, the records are very very expensive and that's why we demand and We deserve VERY HIGH QUALITY in them.
Thanks for your review and in the meantime, I'll listen to it on streaming.
When you are using the dust brush, follow the grooves. In, not out.
Proper poly lined inners for sure
Yes they're good, but if they are damaging them in the factory and then putting them in a poly, what good is that ?
Yipes, I've got vinyl copies of this and One Hand Clapping (with the 7") winging their way to me from U-Discover Canada as I type, hopefully I fare better with my copy of Mind Games, although I expect there will be in-fill causing ticks and pops, as I've had that quite a bit on recent pressings. It's not something I ever remember having to deal with on a regular basis when the major labels owned their own pressing plants and quality control was much higher than it is now. Fingers crossed issues are few (if any) with my Mind Games LP... it's the more dynamic mastering that made me want to buy it in the first place, so saying "buy the CD or stream it" isn't really a solution for me. Maybe the 2002 Peter Cobbin CD will become my best option after all...
I really like seeing the wave forms. It did take me a few videos to realize that the blue is OVERLAYING the orange. And that the blue is mostly "loudness" and that the orange is how much the "high and low" notes are present. Yes, I realize that this is oversimplifying things stating it this way, but it's a way to think of the visual presentation of audio. Please keep presenting the waveforms.
Thank you for your comment. I do appreciate it.
I know you won't settle for less! Good job Andrew. Keep up the great work .
Thanks, will do!
I have also realised that paper sleeves usually scratch the vinyl a lot when pulling it out. You can see a lot of tiny scratches when looking closely. And you can hear them!!
GZ is one of those companies that I wince at. You never know what you are going to get as far as quality. Thanks for your review Andrew. I think I will steer clear of this one.
Andrew, after watching your video I opened up my LP set for examination. My two LPs where nowhere even close to the condition yours were in. There were no white marks/spots pressed into the vinyl and no obvious visible scuff and scratches. However, the LPs were quite dusty and dirty. Let's face it, record pressing plants are hardly clean rooms! Having said that, for $50 U.S. poly-lined inner sleeves should be a must. This dust and dirt mostly dusted off with my record brush. Upon playing the records there was audible surface noise mostly from dust and dirt that remained in the grooves. Often times I've found that this noise from dust and dirt will often "play clean" and will disappear. There are are few spots on both LPs where there is some minor noise that cannot be attributed to dust and dirt. These days it's almost impossible to avoid these imperfections on new standard vinyl pressings. I bought my 2 LP set through Amazon and have ordered a replacement set with the hope that I can get a perfect set of pressings. More often than not this is unrealized since I'm usually trading imperfections in one spot of the 1st record for imperfections in a different spot in the second one. I'm certain that I can live with this these slight imperfections if I run out of return options. But it is at least worth a try. Generally speaking I think the records do sound good and I intend on keeping the best combination of LPs in my collection. I'm not a vinyl purist so I also bought the 6 CD/2 BR special edition box set (mainly for the book) so a sound comparison will be very interesting.
My sympathies. I don't do vinyl---I think I'll be sticking with CDs till they stop making them---but it feels bad to shell out and find out it was inferior product.
One thing---about 4:25 a picture from the package is identified as "drawings." It's a rubber John-and-Yoko stamp they must have had made up, along with a few "pointing finger" stampings. It's on some of Lennon's letters in Hunter Davies's recent collection---I don't know if it's artwork from that period or was made later.
Metal Blade records are reasonably priced and all have poly lined inner sleeves. Their vinyl is usually well pressed as well.
I’ve been really lucky with my copy - it’s pretty near perfect, but that’s more down to good luck than planning. The lack of inner sleeve liners is inexcusable at this price point.
First off I want to say I really enjoy this channel. Fun videos, even though I'm not a huge beatles fan. Anyway, I concur with the opinions on GZ Vinyl. Whenever I see that sticker or 'Made In Czech Republic' on the packaging I put it straight back in the rack. Been burned too many times by their lack of quality control. Never again.
My copy of One Hand Clapping had dust that was pressed into the grooves and made audible clicking for several seconds on disc 2. I sent it back and got a replacement, although initially they told me it was out of stock and did I want to wait until it came back in stock. Quite irritating as I thought the limited edition with the 7" disc that I'd pre-ordered months earlier was no longer going to be available. Fortunately that wasn't the case. The thing is, that was a German pressed copy. It seems quality control is lacking everywhere.
Reminds me of buying used records at the flea market. In the vinyl shops they would clean it up which would make the defects harder to see.
I watch these sorts of videos with real puzzlement. I started buying LPs in the mid-sixties and bought hundreds over the years, although I'm exclusively CD these days. In my experience it was very rare to get a new LP that looked scuffed and marked like this one. In fact I don't recall it being an issue that people talked about much, and any skips etc that might occur were usually because of a fault that wasn't necessarily visible to the naked eye. This looks like a second hand record, and I've bought many of those. After a quick look at it I would have asked for it to be tested in the shop before I bought it or have an ironclad guarantee that I could bring it back if I needed to. It surprises me, to say the least, that after so many years of tech development in sound recording, people are paying top dollar for shoddy items like this and sometimes having to send them back two or three times before getting a passable one.