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Very interesting Phil. It’s good to hear a conversation on this topic. Just on black vinyl I purchased (brand new) a vinyl copy of The War On Drugs album A Deeper Understanding and the sound is so disappointing. I was due to change the stylus on my record player and thought maybe this is the issue. Having spent €150 on a new stylus (which as I say was needed anyway) I replayed the album. The result was the very same. The pressing of the copy of my album is very poor. I also have the cd version and I know analogue and digital have different sounds but the quality on the CD is great. I had heard if the mould is not changed after 500 copies the sound suffers. Regardless of this or what the reason is, it simply should not happen. Vinyl is great, an example is the limited edition reissue of Roger Waters Amused to Death. Fantastic sound. Why isn’t there proper quality control on vinyl albums before leaving the plant? After all we love the format and the price is high to except ‘inferior goods’. Live to see a video to include this topic. To finish I just purchased the new Nick Cave and the bad seeds album and at the counter I had a copy of the limited edition clear vinyl. The assistant said I could also choose the black vinyl version. I asked if there is a difference in sound and he replied “No”. Anyway I went for the black vinyl version. Haven’t listened yet but I expect a good pressing .
Very interesting, Phil. I didn't know any of that, about why the sound quality may be different. I prefer black anyway, partly because you can easily see the tracks (almost impossible on translucent ones to tell which side you're even looking at), and I just find coloured vinyl a bit gimmicky, but am happy to buy if that's the only option. Looking for to the interview with Karen Emanuel! Cheers, Ian
At least today’s reissues HAVE to be 180gr , only this as a start make it better from 30 years ago with records that were super soft and elastic ,easy to bend permanently and break,You said something similar Phil if I’m not mistaken in your dokken box set unboxing. My wishes have been fulfilled , bmg made separately rereleases of ratt dokken and winger on coloured vinyl this fall!
Hi Phil good video can I say I have over 200 colour vinyl and they sound just as good as black vinyl and I do play heavy metal lol also they do look nice picture disc I have over 40 some sound really good and some I find a bit quiet to normal records thanks Phil
Hi Martin, same here to be honest they sound just as good to me. However, I have been listening to heavy metal for over 50 years so perhaps my ears are not what they were! Phil :)
Thanks Phil . I buy audiophile vinyl records from companies such as Mobile Fidelity and Analogue Productions and they cost a fortune but are well worth it as they sound brilliant. They are all without exception on black vinyl which just goes to confirm your conclusion that black vinyl sounds best .
Thanks for doing these ‘behind the scenes’ videos. It’s useful to get an up-to-date viewpoint on the technology. I think those of us who have been collecting vinyl since the 60s and 70s have always instinctively known that black is best for sound fidelity and that coloured and picture discs were always a novelty and a bit of a fad. In recent times, used to perk up sales and skew the ‘picture’ (pun intended!). I really think it’s high time that we campaigned to revert to predominately black vinyl, as the ‘hardback’ format, and CDs as the ‘paperback’ and box-set format, as standards that we can rely on in future, with ‘sensible’ price-point differentiation. This is the best way, imho, to settle upon a viable, sustainable and growing industry that respects and delivers for both fans and artists. This is the key ‘message’ we need to be sending to labels and manufacturers. All just my view, of course. Thanks again. AJ.
When i buy picture discs it's just for decoration. I play it once then it goes on the wall like a poster. In 2007 i bought an REM "wanderlust" 7"single. I though it was red vinyl but it was a picture disc with a red insert puck between the PVC foil. It has red sparkles inside but some of the red sparkles ended up sticking permanently on the outside. Not playable at all, but a nice collectable.
Great video and it's 💯% correct, I have eagerly bought brand new releases on splatter vinyl and been absolutely dissapointed with the sound quality compared to the CD or black edition vinyl, as much as I love the splatter/picture discs I will never buy another, black is the way too go 👍
Thanks for posting this video Phil. I prefer black or a solid color, preferably translucent. I've definitely noticed an increase in clicks and pops with splattered vinyl. For instance, several years ago for Rocktober, Rhino released Alice Cooper's Billion Dollar Babies on a Special Limited Edition Vinyl - Green Yellow Orange Marble Swirl. The packaging was great, but even after cleaning, the record sounds like a used Goldmine graded VG copy. I was a little disappointed.
This was a very interesting video Phil and thank you for it! I believe it is fairly well known that picture discs are a collectors novelty and are best displayed, not played. From my experiences through the years the next best sounding coloured vinyl to black is red and the worst is gold. I have recently been collecting reissues from Nancy Sinatra/Lee Hazlewood and apart from the stunning gatefold sleeves and booklets I have been very impressed by the fun aspect put into these releases. The fun aspect being a play on words with song titles from the albums relating to a different coloured vinyl. For example, one of the records I bought was listed as `Velvet Morning Sunrise` (orange/yellow mixed coloured vinyl)and this is named after a famous song of Nancy and Lee`s called `Some Velvet Morning`. There are several other variations and it pulled me towards them rather than the standard black vinyl which I might normally go for.
Hi Sjhue, thank you for watching and sharing your love for these records. They do sound fantastic and I can see why you would go for those variations. Phil
I have found that silver and gold vinyl sound the worst .. always a surface noice …but most colours sound fine to me .. I think the actual quality of the vinyl compound is more important…
Yeah, sort of. So much depends on the pressing quality first and foremost. Then to hear a difference between black and coloured you will need very discerning ears (not at my age unfortunately) and high quality audio equipment. I have good and bad black, as well as good and bad coloured.
Great Video ! Black Vinyl 45 rpm Records sound good ...Example : The Scorpions RCA Orsnge Label 1978 4 track 12" live EP does sound much better than the Tokyo Tapes Gatefold Album at 33rpm ! UFO Doctor Doctor was a 3 track 7" Ep and was on cloudy clear vinyl but played at 33 rpm & I have a Jethro Tull SW remix on same cloudy clear vinyl, no problems technology has moved on from the compressed UFO Ep ! US Black Sabbath 2016 WB Rhino reissues on colour vinyl sound better than the UK pressing, I think !! I M O - Great Vudeo !
A real eye opener video! The manufacturing of vinyl discs is a real challenging process. No wonder they are pretty expensive these days. The strangest vinyl that I came across was a triangular shaped flexi disc record from MAD magazine titled Making It Out way back in 1980. A comedy single. RIP Burt Bacharach.
Very interesting Phil, I have several Splatter Vinyl albums from the likes of Govt Mule a When Rivers Meet and in all honesty I don't feel they're sonically inferior though I've not done any sort of comparison, I imagine some recordings may suffer and I expect if your equipment is very high end it may matter but my Rega p6 is a great Turntable and I can't afford to go further and I'm more than happy with the various coloured Vinyl albums I've bought such as Cats In Space, Ozzy Osbourne and my recent Black Friday RSD purchase of the Jimi Hendrix on Orange Vinyl, I'm sure that pressing one colour would be faster but the business model now appears to be based on the novelty aspect to shift the vinyl which now I think about it leads me to believe that maybe the Vinyl market would slump without the gimmick!
Hi Chris, I am like you I cannot really tell the difference. I prefer black given the choice but that is really due to being able to pick out the tracks more easily. Phil
I have been collecting colored and pic discs for many years and yeah the sound may not be as good as others but they still can sound good if not great. To me the fun of it is just playing a picture, simple as that, lol. Like the Archie Cereal Box Records I got a long time ago, yeah the sound was not the best but it is still fun just watching a picture on a cardboard box play a song. :)
Ah, meant to say that when I found out that the Small Faces `Ogden`s Nut Gone Flake` was being reissued on vinyl I was going to order it. However, when I discovered it was coming out on gold coloured vinyl I decided not to because of previous bad experiences with that particular colour. Worst offender so far is Dollar`s `Shooting Star` album on gold vinyl which unfortunately sounds awful. Shame as I had been looking forward to this album having a vinyl reissue. Btw, for anyone who likes a decent pop album I can highly recommend side `A` of that Dollar album!
i now stay well clear of solid colored vinyl like , brown , gold , silver, plums , solid yellow they seem the worse, lol always stay well ! clear of glow in the dark but often transparents or totally clear vinyl seem a lot better the last thing of note standard black 98 % of the time will be the best
I’m new to vinyl and have been shocked at how poor the quality has been on new releases cf vinyl produced in the 70s. “New” vinyl at vastly inflated prices is frequently distracting to listen to with pops, splutters, crackles and scratches whichseems to be more the norm than the exception of my experience is typical, regardless of whether it’s black or coloured. So if you care about audio quality, just bypass vinyl and get the CD. If you’re not too fussed about the audio quality and like the packaging and tactility of vinyl go the pretty coloured vinyl version. If you want something to hang on the wall that you won’t ever play go the picture disc. For me, it really is that simple.
Hi Ian, thank you for watching. I can’t argue with what you say as someone who buys both CD and vinyl I have to say I never have to worry about any of this stuff when I buy the CD! Phil
@@NowSpinningMagazine Thanks Phil. I tend to buy both formats but it’s the CD that gets ripped and listened to. I’m disappointed at how few vinyl sales include digital downloads especially with the sky-high prices. Even on the rare occasions there is a digital download code included my heart sinks when it’s only a lossy MP3. Kudos to The Arctic Monkeys for selling “The Car” at a reasonable price, on attractive (custard) coloured vinyl and including digital download code in a variety of formats including my preferred format of lossless FLAC with artwork and metadata. I just wish I liked the music on that particular release a bit more is all, LOL.
@@iansmithpersonal i would also like more vinyl releases that come with the CD as well. This must surely be another good option. Riverside, YES, Dream Theater and Robert Plant have done this
I admit, I have bought several iterations of a release in all its permutations. Which sounds best? I don't know. Why? Because they are never played. the seals are split to allow the download code out, then they all go onto the shelves where they shall remain.
![TEEDEE TADA - DIAMOND NARAKORN X LEGO LYKN [Special Dance Performance]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/QgtZedFeumA/mqdefault.jpg)
If you are enjoying Now Spinning Magazine please consider becoming a Patron from £3 / $3 per month. You get to see my videos before general release. Plus exclusive content not available elsewhere. Phil :)
www.patreon.com/nowspinning
Bro pulled out an Opeth record at 1:08 Instant respect.
Very interesting Phil. It’s good to hear a conversation on this topic. Just on black vinyl I purchased (brand new) a vinyl copy of The War On Drugs album A Deeper Understanding and the sound is so disappointing. I was due to change the stylus on my record player and thought maybe this is the issue. Having spent €150 on a new stylus (which as I say was needed anyway) I replayed the album. The result was the very same. The pressing of the copy of my album is very poor. I also have the cd version and I know analogue and digital have different sounds but the quality on the CD is great. I had heard if the mould is not changed after 500 copies the sound suffers. Regardless of this or what the reason is, it simply should not happen. Vinyl is great, an example is the limited edition reissue of Roger Waters Amused to Death. Fantastic sound. Why isn’t there proper quality control on vinyl albums before leaving the plant? After all we love the format and the price is high to except ‘inferior goods’. Live to see a video to include this topic. To finish I just purchased the new Nick Cave and the bad seeds album and at the counter I had a copy of the limited edition clear vinyl. The assistant said I could also choose the black vinyl version. I asked if there is a difference in sound and he replied “No”. Anyway I went for the black vinyl version. Haven’t listened yet but I expect a good pressing .
Very interesting, Phil. I didn't know any of that, about why the sound quality may be different. I prefer black anyway, partly because you can easily see the tracks (almost impossible on translucent ones to tell which side you're even looking at), and I just find coloured vinyl a bit gimmicky, but am happy to buy if that's the only option. Looking for to the interview with Karen Emanuel! Cheers, Ian
Thank you 🙏 I prefer black vinyl for the same reason you can make out the tracks! Phil
Hi Phil, learned something I didn't know before. Thank you. I have to say I have always been a fan of the classic noir shade myself.
At least today’s reissues HAVE to be 180gr , only this as a start make it better from 30 years ago with records that were super soft and elastic ,easy to bend permanently and break,You said something similar Phil if I’m not mistaken in your dokken box set unboxing. My wishes have been fulfilled , bmg made separately rereleases of ratt dokken and winger on coloured vinyl this fall!
Phil, Excellent video !
Thank you 🙏
Hi Phil good video can I say I have over 200 colour vinyl and they sound just as good as black vinyl and I do play heavy metal lol also they do look nice picture disc I have over 40 some sound really good and some I find a bit quiet to normal records thanks Phil
Hi Martin, same here to be honest they sound just as good to me. However, I have been listening to heavy metal for over 50 years so perhaps my ears are not what they were! Phil :)
Thanks Phil . I buy audiophile vinyl records from companies such as Mobile Fidelity and Analogue Productions and they cost a fortune but are well worth it as they sound brilliant. They are all without exception on black vinyl which just goes to confirm your conclusion that black vinyl sounds best .
Thank you for watching - Phil
This is good, I like this video 😊
Thanks for doing these ‘behind the scenes’ videos. It’s useful to get an up-to-date viewpoint on the technology. I think those of us who have been collecting vinyl since the 60s and 70s have always instinctively known that black is best for sound fidelity and that coloured and picture discs were always a novelty and a bit of a fad. In recent times, used to perk up sales and skew the ‘picture’ (pun intended!).
I really think it’s high time that we campaigned to revert to predominately black vinyl, as the ‘hardback’ format, and CDs as the ‘paperback’ and box-set format, as standards that we can rely on in future, with ‘sensible’ price-point differentiation. This is the best way, imho, to settle upon a viable, sustainable and growing industry that respects and delivers for both fans and artists. This is the key ‘message’ we need to be sending to labels and manufacturers. All just my view, of course.
Thanks again.
AJ.
Hi Andy, thank you for sharing and all your support - Phil
When i buy picture discs it's just for decoration. I play it once then it goes on the wall like a poster. In 2007 i bought an REM "wanderlust" 7"single. I though it was red vinyl but it was a picture disc with a red insert puck between the PVC foil. It has red sparkles inside but some of the red sparkles ended up sticking permanently on the outside. Not playable at all, but a nice collectable.
Thank you for watching - Phil
Great video and it's 💯% correct, I have eagerly bought brand new releases on splatter vinyl and been absolutely dissapointed with the sound quality compared to the CD or black edition vinyl, as much as I love the splatter/picture discs I will never buy another, black is the way too go 👍
Thanks for posting this video Phil. I prefer black or a solid color, preferably translucent. I've definitely noticed an increase in clicks and pops with splattered vinyl. For instance, several years ago for Rocktober, Rhino released Alice Cooper's Billion Dollar Babies on a Special Limited Edition Vinyl - Green Yellow Orange Marble Swirl. The packaging was great, but even after cleaning, the record sounds like a used Goldmine graded VG copy. I was a little disappointed.
Thank you for watching and sharing your thoughts. That is really useful. Phil
This was a very interesting video Phil and thank you for it! I believe it is fairly well known that picture discs are a collectors novelty and are best displayed, not played. From my experiences through the years the next best sounding coloured vinyl to black is red and the worst is gold. I have recently been collecting reissues from Nancy Sinatra/Lee Hazlewood and apart from the stunning gatefold sleeves and booklets I have been very impressed by the fun aspect put into these releases. The fun aspect being a play on words with song titles from the albums relating to a different coloured vinyl. For example, one of the records I bought was listed as `Velvet Morning Sunrise` (orange/yellow mixed coloured vinyl)and this is named after a famous song of Nancy and Lee`s called `Some Velvet Morning`. There are several other variations and it pulled me towards them rather than the standard black vinyl which I might normally go for.
Hi Sjhue, thank you for watching and sharing your love for these records. They do sound fantastic and I can see why you would go for those variations. Phil
I have found that silver and gold vinyl sound the worst .. always a surface noice …but most colours sound fine to me .. I think the actual quality of the vinyl compound is more important…
Hi Dean, thank you for watching and sharing your thoughts. Phil
Hi Dean, same here with me and gold vinyl. I always avoid it if there is an alternative.
Yeah, sort of. So much depends on the pressing quality first and foremost. Then to hear a difference between black and coloured you will need very discerning ears (not at my age unfortunately) and high quality audio equipment. I have good and bad black, as well as good and bad coloured.
Great Video ! Black Vinyl 45 rpm Records sound good ...Example : The Scorpions RCA Orsnge Label 1978 4 track 12" live EP does sound much better than the Tokyo Tapes Gatefold Album at 33rpm ! UFO Doctor Doctor was a 3 track 7" Ep and was on cloudy clear vinyl but played at 33 rpm & I have a Jethro Tull SW remix on same cloudy clear vinyl, no problems technology has moved on from the compressed UFO Ep ! US Black Sabbath 2016 WB Rhino reissues on colour vinyl sound better than the UK pressing, I think !! I M O - Great Vudeo !
Hi David, thank you for watching and sharing your thoughts. Phil
Black Sabbath WB Rhino , reissue of mob rules ( black vinyl ) , wow the sound on that one is way beyond amazing
A real eye opener video! The manufacturing of vinyl discs is a real challenging process. No wonder they are pretty expensive these days. The strangest vinyl that I came across was a triangular shaped flexi disc record from MAD magazine titled Making It Out way back in 1980. A comedy single.
RIP Burt Bacharach.
Thank you 🙏
Very interesting Phil, I have several Splatter Vinyl albums from the likes of Govt Mule a When Rivers Meet and in all honesty I don't feel they're sonically inferior though I've not done any sort of comparison, I imagine some recordings may suffer and I expect if your equipment is very high end it may matter but my Rega p6 is a great Turntable and I can't afford to go further and I'm more than happy with the various coloured Vinyl albums I've bought such as Cats In Space, Ozzy Osbourne and my recent Black Friday RSD purchase of the Jimi Hendrix on Orange Vinyl, I'm sure that pressing one colour would be faster but the business model now appears to be based on the novelty aspect to shift the vinyl which now I think about it leads me to believe that maybe the Vinyl market would slump without the gimmick!
Hi Chris, I am like you I cannot really tell the difference. I prefer black given the choice but that is really due to being able to pick out the tracks more easily. Phil
I have been collecting colored and pic discs for many years and yeah the sound may not be as good as others but they still can sound good if not great. To me the fun of it is just playing a picture, simple as that, lol. Like the Archie Cereal Box Records I got a long time ago, yeah the sound was not the best but it is still fun just watching a picture on a cardboard box play a song. :)
It depends on what recordings that have about sound quality any colored vinyl and it depends on pressing vinyl
Ah, meant to say that when I found out that the Small Faces `Ogden`s Nut Gone Flake` was being reissued on vinyl I was going to order it. However, when I discovered it was coming out on gold coloured vinyl I decided not to because of previous bad experiences with that particular colour. Worst offender so far is Dollar`s `Shooting Star` album on gold vinyl which unfortunately sounds awful. Shame as I had been looking forward to this album having a vinyl reissue. Btw, for anyone who likes a decent pop album I can highly recommend side `A` of that Dollar album!
This is really useful feedback - I will avoid any gold vinyl reissues - thank you, Phil
clear is sonically superior; use an anti-friction coating
i now stay well clear of solid colored vinyl like , brown , gold , silver, plums , solid yellow they seem the worse, lol always stay well ! clear of glow in the dark
but often transparents or totally clear vinyl seem a lot better the last thing of note standard black 98 % of the time will be the best
black's easier to manually cue
Black Vinyl Matters
I'm a black vinyl man only, I'm not into the coloured ones at all.
I’m new to vinyl and have been shocked at how poor the quality has been on new releases cf vinyl produced in the 70s. “New” vinyl at vastly inflated prices is frequently distracting to listen to with pops, splutters, crackles and scratches whichseems to be more the norm than the exception of my experience is typical, regardless of whether it’s black or coloured. So if you care about audio quality, just bypass vinyl and get the CD. If you’re not too fussed about the audio quality and like the packaging and tactility of vinyl go the pretty coloured vinyl version. If you want something to hang on the wall that you won’t ever play go the picture disc. For me, it really is that simple.
Hi Ian, thank you for watching. I can’t argue with what you say as someone who buys both CD and vinyl I have to say I never have to worry about any of this stuff when I buy the CD! Phil
@@NowSpinningMagazine Thanks Phil. I tend to buy both formats but it’s the CD that gets ripped and listened to. I’m disappointed at how few vinyl sales include digital downloads especially with the sky-high prices. Even on the rare occasions there is a digital download code included my heart sinks when it’s only a lossy MP3. Kudos to The Arctic Monkeys for selling “The Car” at a reasonable price, on attractive (custard) coloured vinyl and including digital download code in a variety of formats including my preferred format of lossless FLAC with artwork and metadata. I just wish I liked the music on that particular release a bit more is all, LOL.
@@iansmithpersonal i would also like more vinyl releases that come with the CD as well. This must surely be another good option. Riverside, YES, Dream Theater and Robert Plant have done this
I admit, I have bought several iterations of a release in all its permutations.
Which sounds best? I don't know.
Why? Because they are never played. the seals are split to allow the download code out, then they all go onto the shelves where they shall remain.