Unboxing the new $575 White Stripes - White Blood Cells from The Electric Recording Company 😡😡😡 ERC
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ต.ค. 2024
- Keep in mind these are my opinions!! Everyone has them and nobody has to agree with mine.
Check us out online at - theingroove.com
eBay Store - www.ebay.com/s...
www.discogs.co...
Selling a Record Collection? Hit us up on our contact page found here. www.theingroov...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks Mike. I’m 74 and a vinyl lover.
Very much appreciate your review.
I expect a museum piece for nearly $600. There should be zero defects in every layer of the product. That’s what I expect from a One Step.
Mike is the only record store owner who I’ve found who is honest about his products. He’s talked me out of purchases!
Thanks Again!!
They are everything that is wrong with vinyl. ERC Extraordinarily Ridiculous Company. Great video
Yup. Intentionally manufacturing scarcity doesn't lead to a better product or even greater profit for ERC. All it does is reward flippers, create the illusion of a superior product, and leave many consumers who legitimately might want the product in the cold. Terrible business model, IMO.
@@RobJohnsonRules Yeah I couldn't agree more. Heard about ERC for the first time thru Analog Planet, Michael Fremer's website and just shook my head. And of course when people commented on this bullshit Fremer throws a hissy fit and defended them. And I couldn't agree more that this exactly what is wrong with vinyl. And don't get me started on stupid money grab Record Store Day limited editions that are obvious just as stupid as this ERC reissues at stupid prices.
@@danm3359 won’t get you started on RSD because you’d continue to be wrong. I’ll give you issues with ERC, but comparing those problems with RSD just tells me you have a personal ax to grind. RSD is a great way to support independent brick and mortars and if the issue is is not being able to get certain records, maybe wake up earlier idk.
@@Groover71 Let me clarify my point with RSD. I wholeheartedly support local record stores and have been doing so for over 30 years now. When the idea first came up with RSD, I dunno maybe 15 years ago now I thought it was great idea to support your local stores. But back then there were very few limited edition records exclusively for the event. Now you find those RSD stickers on alot of records that aren't special, just hype. For example recently there was a U2 RSD release that the only difference was that it was on white vinyl. And that is typical of RSD records. If you can give me examples otherwise I would love to hear about them. I laugh when you say I should get up earlier to get certain records. Sorry but you make my point about the hype that RSD has become. And guess what I do support my local stores and going out on some RSD but in the afternoon to shop.
What is wrong with vinyl?
Mike approaches these the same way I would. If I spent $575 on this pressing (I did not), I would expect 100% perfection. His point about the small defects like the scratching on the spot gloss, etc, I ***might*** have excused. But intentionally deceiving customers by using sharpie to make white areas black where the cardboard split? That's deceptive business practice, it's malicious, and it just shows that they don't actually care about their customers one bit. Every single person who receives that should return it and put the company on blast.
Agreed 100%.
Very deceptive, 600$ an album with a sharpied jacket disgraceful thanks for looking out for the consumer mike
I think the best point here is that there didn't need to be an audiophile pressing of this album...it's garage rock - big and raw. That label sounds like a scam.
I agree this reissue was not necessary but I also think reissue labels are hampered by what albums they are able to license.
That company is a JOKE! Thanks 🙏
Totally agree
@@arize84 not so much at the price!
Imo, same for Jimi Hendrix audiophile stuff. Just fleecing boomers out of money. Sloppy ass music.
I'm not afraid to spend extra money on a great/special pressing but the pricing on these for the value is wayyyyyy out of whack. I really appreciate the balanced approach you take in videos like this. It really helps the rest of us out. Thanks, Mike!
Is your name related to the band? Are you Sarsippius?
@@trippmoore no sir, we just liked the name for our vinyl channel and podcast :)
Premium price, amateur hour product. RELIEVED I didn’t pull the trigger here. Thanks Mike for an authentic/pull no punches review.
....already worth double what the problem?
triple
Worth double/triple to whom? Listing at that price versus selling at that price are two different things.
@@captkewl1 but u think the other person gonna be.....its sad that copy have sharpie....i can only sell for triple the price...if i dont wanna keep it because of the quality
@@sebg2086 Depends what you are looking for. As a record, it’s moronic value for money and (based on this view) a complete rip off. But, then again, if NFTs are your thing - this is the vinyl-world equivalent: investable, but not much use for anything else.
So happy to see Mike call out this deceitful company. He has nothing to gain by doing something maliciously in his personal comments. His love of vinyl is evident with anyone who has ever done mailorder with his store. Records are über protected in bulletproof and corner saving packaging. Nobody else can compare. So thank you Mike for letting us know the true nature and work ethics from this ERC company.
Yikes… that is some scorched earth commentary. And it is absolutely warranted. $575+ for a record with Sharpie touch-ups on the sleeve almost feels like a Spinal Tap joke that was left on the cutting room floor and somehow escaped into the real world. That’s unbelievable.
…needless to say, I’m eagerly anticipating the Fremer feedback.
Hey Mike, this has to be the best unboxing /record review of 2021! I was amused and mortified at the same time! I totally got the collector analogy and hope ERC fires or cleans up their quality control process, or maybe just start all over! Happy Holidays to you , Angel and your entire family! Rock on!
can't wait for Fremer's response. Mike yet again shows why he is the consumers champion!!
If the sexist and racist jokes Fremer has been telling for decades didn’t get you to see how much of an entitled scumbag he is, I am glad his beef w Mike has.
@@kostyapolykova9879 agree..Fremer has damaged his reputation but i think his obvious ego won't acknowledge this.
@@simonemurray1345 totally agree and makes me more fan of "Ingroove"!!!
Consumers champion? He's just pissed that ERC won't give him free records to review or won't sell direct to him so he can scalp you, fool.
@@simonemurray1345 hahahahaha bless ya, Mike (In Grooves) beef with ERC is cos they wouldn't give him free records to review on his channel or sell him records at trade, but you crack on!! 🙄
Thank you Mike for all you do to keep us informed on what to, and what not to buy based on sound quality and printing consistency. To intentionally sharpie a jacket to hide imperfections on a $40 record, let alone a $500 record is shameful. Bravo Mike, keep up the great work you do!
I appreciate this video. If anyone thinks this video is too long, conversations about this stuff can last hours, days, years. We fret about dust, remember that. I think this was great. Thank you.
I got this yesterday, Mike, and listened to it today. My cover is flawless. Album jacket is way better than the one you got, except the embossed typeset is also misaligned on my rear cover. No sharpie marks for me, though. Vinyl looks good, a bit of debris and dust, but nothing I couldn’t get off. I wet and vacuum cleaned the LP before playing it. It is…very mid-rangey, but not in a good way. It’s a bit too dark. It doesn’t sparkle. I agree that Meg’s drums are a bit recessed compared to the peppermint copy. Her kick doesn’t hit you in the gut, her snare doesn’t “bite.” I compared it against the 2021 peppermint reissue and TMR’s 2010 standard black vinyl reissue, which is also all analog. They all sound different, but the first two are much more similar. I don’t think this ERC copy is bad, per say, but it’s missing all the bite and snap, particularly in Meg’s drums. It’s a completely different sound than the others. The marketing hype said this was pressed without any compression (great!) or EQ - wait, WHAT?! Well no wonder it sounds the way it does! Why in earth wouldn’t they add some EQ at the mastering stage? The question is, was it worth $500+? Eh. I had to have it, as I am a Jack White obsesso, and I have countless copies of this album. But for the casual listener and audiophile, the other pressings will fare much better.
Mike, I appreciate your huevos on your videos. Takes a lot to tell the truth these days. Great content, a guy in the corner of us who are paying good money for records. Keep on keeping on. Can't wait to get out to the Phoenix some day.
I was disappointed in 45 RPM Audiophile’s December 25th response to this video. He claimed Mike is doing this only because he was not allowed to sell ERC releases after asking the company. He basically implied Mike is negative on ERC only to get revenge and completely missed the point about a $500 record should not have quality issues. I always liked 45RPM’s channel but His comments were not appropriate. Happy to see so many folks defend Mike / The In Groove on the 45 RPM channel.
I unsubbed Mike Ludwig's channel last week after seeing his video.
I had a lot of respect for him, but after listening to his analogies about "sluts" in the classroom and all that crap, I just booted him.
No self-respecting person would have made a video like that one.
Ludwig is as shameless as Fremer is.
They both have shown their true colors, and they are done.
I have little patience for idiocy and stopped listening to 45 RPM after that. It’s legit to say, ‘My copy was fine.’ To suggest that he has manufactured the defect, and the marker on the spine is either unjustified or stupid. Either way, I’m no longer interested in supporting 45 RPMs channel.
If I pay 575 dollars for a record it's needs someone to put it on the turntable and pour me a whiskey. Perfection is an understatement. Good video Mike.
Better be a malt whiskey at that price.
Exactly. And it better make you breakfast the next day for that price!
I'm with you. If you pay $600 for an LP, "pick all the nits" you want. ERC proving the old adage: A fool and his money will soon part ways.
Mike, dont stop going after these clowns, I wanted to curse more than a sailor after seeing the jacket was sharpied. $600 can get you 30 new $20 records, and almost a hundred used records at a local record store. I don’t think this company should even be in business, I don’t care about “If the buyer wants it, then the buyer should be able to buy it,” I think that a record packed in a PVC sleeve, has been sharpied, had the printing be botched sell for almost $600 should NEVER have the shit found on your 3 ERC records that were featured in the channel
Can't wait for ERC response! I am VERY curious how they will explain themselves... Great job Mike!
Mike is doing this for US. You're the man, Mike!
These ERC people are sharks, Stark. Who needs their crap
Huge fan of your unboxing videos and hats off for standing up for us buyers.
Thanks for the info, Mike! As always, you're looking out for us collectors and we appreciate it! Keep up the great work!
Thank you for doing this. It’s absolutely insane that they are doing this to people. Unreal. Good job Mike
It is so easy to tell all great things but much harder to say negative things when they are there. I applaud you for that. One can be sure that when you are satisfied the customer will be, too. Many thanks.
Everyone waiting for Michael Fremer to respond
4 Days Later...
45 RPM Audiophile enters the ring
Fremer framed Michael and sent him to do his dirty job!
Great video man! $600 for that record, with all its defaults, is insane. $40 would be a perfect price for it. Zero reason to sell something like that for that expensive. For $600, it should be a 15 record box set in a wooden case, hand signed by the band or something.
Great video as always. The passion is really evident (and well placed). At $575 these records are being sold as investment opportunities not audiophile records that we'll listen to. As such, they should be perfect. No excuse is acceptable at the price-point.
Never had a problem with Acoustic Productions and Quality Record Pressings. I’ll spend my money there.
The best unboxing I've ever seen. ERC are taking the piss.
Oh boy.. here we go again. Fremer is NOT going to like this lol You're not nitpicking. I got a 40 dollar Lush Life from AP that was PERFECT. This is just SHIESTY
Well, yes, but in one year I will need to put some scotch on Sam Cooke and Elvis 3LP album. Same with Lightnin Hopkins. They are all in bad jackets…
Although I respect Fremer and like him for the most part, he comes across as a crabby cantankerous asshole when stuff like this is brought up and he becomes an apologist for overpriced crap like this.
Well done for highlighting this and taking them to task. I'm starting to believe QC is no longer even a thing!
They actually shipped a $575 Lp with touch-ups done to the cover!! WTF am I seeing here...
Great video! There's also a Pallas pressed 20th anniversary version on black vinyl, easily and cheaply available.
I remember back in the early 90s . I built a extremely nice collection of Vinyl . Most of which i still have . Just guessing here but i may have spent slightly more than a $1000.00 Dollars . What's taking place now with Vinyl Prices is not just wrong , it's totally Insane . But what seems to have changed is that people are not buying records now to play and enjoy . They have turned buying Vinyl into an outright Financial Investment like Stocks . But at prices like the current ones , count me out .
Spot on! In 20 years, after the bubble bursts, your records will have retained their value as things to listen to whilst $600 rubbish like this will be worthless.
@@AndrewWatson64 both of you need to relax. Look at sports cards, or comic books, or friggin Pokémon cards…it’s all the same shit. People buy and sell all of those for hundreds, thousands, of dollars. Mike said it himself. People that whine and complain about the price of a record (I’m talking $25-30) or about flippers really make me laugh. Other collectibles are doing the same thing, if not worse. But at least we get to have some kind of mutual beneficiality (not a word) with a record when it plays a sound we enjoy. Cards and comic books are just something to look at. Just enjoy the ride man.
Great job mike. Thanks for sharing this. They definitely need to be perfect for that price.
Thanks Mike for yet another great unboxing and honest review. Really a fan of what you’re doing 👍
Intervention Records reissues beat these ERC releases across the board both in vinyl and jacket quality, and they do it at a fraction of the price. You're right to rake ERC over the coals.
SAM Records also
Agree. Intervention are doing amazing mastering, pressing and packaging for $40! Just bought their The Church 'Starfish'.
@@mwalker2496 I just recently got a copy of Intervention Records....The Church - Starfish & it is an absolutely amazing product...vinyl, mastering, cover & its its easy a mile better product for $40-$50.
I got the Joan Armatrading LP fro Intervention and it’s really nice, one of my favorite purchases this year.
Best unboxing ever. Earned my trust, you have Mike (yet again).
You are the best man! Thanks for your honest reviews! Help me a lot as always and after seem the Fremer's video, makes me more fan of you! :)
Jack White is VERY particular about the style and quality of the product he puts out. I'm sure he would be absolutely pissed about that going out to his fans, especially at that price. I don't think you are being too hard on it at all. For that kind of money they better get things right.
I paid way less for a King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard box set and it is leaps and bounds above that record's quality.
Money talks though. I was taken in by the third man quality control promises until I bought a warped record from them... they're the same as all the rest.
completely agree with you mike. i'm a graphic designer by profession and work a lot with printers and all of these things you're noting are valid with this price point. ERC is for old, rich guys that want rarity, despite missing the boat on the White Stripes by over 2 decades. keep up the good work!
Hahaha when you discovered the part which was covered by a sharpie I was laughing my pants off!! How is this possible! For this price.. it should be perfect. I value my tone poets even more after seeing this 😆. Great video!! Happy holidays
Mike, I've been watching your videos for a while now. This has been the most eye opening one you've made. The modern vinyl collecting days are out of control. Looks to me that these "special pressing" editions really are just money makers for some reissue companies. Shady is right.
You truly are a vinyl investigator.
Thanks for the in depth review Mike, but you've given me 1971 TOPPS PTSD with the black Sharpie detail!
I’d rather go out for a really nice Over the top dinner at the French Laundry in Yountville for that price 🍽
Might spend more at the FL though? But worth it. I have not had the pleasure yet.
Nice to have met you at the fair in the Netherlands. The Dylan Mofi I bought from you sounds amazing, especially the bass and harmonica. Unreal how real it is.
Great!
It seems clear that the ERC model is to sell you a $40 record, and charge 10x the price because it's a rare 300 copy limited run. I was thinking about this when you said the tour copy was worth $1,000, when it was probably $25 in the early 00's. ERC is simply monetizing the rarity, they're like the ultimate flippers. I don't understand why ERC goes to all the trouble of releasing a title, and don't make at least 1,000 copies, the vinyl costs $3 to press, and extending their run to make more jackets would only take a little more production. They could be selling them for 1/3 the price.
I won't buy their records because of the exorbitant price, but printing more runs would defeat the purpose of their business model.
@@arize84 I agree but 300 copies? You literally have no chance to buy one (even if you are willing to pony-up)
I appreciate this guy's attention to detail. He's pointing out things that never would have occurred to me. I remember a comment by Keith Richards years ago about the packaging of his solo album. He said something about he didn't care, just wrap it in a paper bag.
Couldn't agree with you more. It is unacceptable for a manufacturer to knowingly ship a defective product while trying to cover up the defect; this is true at any price point, much less a record that costs 10 to 20 times what an average record costs.
thisis from their website. Hand-crafted sleeve artwork faithfully recreated using a vintage letterpress procedure.
Who is waiting for Fremer response ?🤣🤣🤣🤣
Mike bringing the heat again :D
Betcha they got those jackets and didn't want to wait for them to be reprinted so they markered them as damage control just to get the product out. Those direct to board printed jackets aren't anything special, and if they can't get the embossing line up right, it's a joke. Any decent printing shop would be ashamed to send work like that out.
Amazing vid, thank you for once again showing that crazy inflated prices don't necessarily mean you get what you pay for. I don't care what kind of flak you get for these vids because the truth is obvious and you are being honest and transparent.
Received my ERC WBC early this evening hand delivered via Fedex. I didn't open it until after I watched your video review. I have the TMR 2010 black reissue and the 20th Anniv. as well both Black and Peppermint reissues, plus the entire TWS catalog and the Vault reissues. I have ERC #231. My ERC cover and back are both flawless, zero scratches. Album jacket is perfect including the embossed typeset. No sharpie marks. Vinyl is super clean, flat and no dust to be seen. I have not played it. I own 6 other ERC titles and have had no issues with those either. Thanks for the video. Watch all your reviews and purchase online from your store for some time. Thanks again!
How do you think it sounds compared to your other copies?
It’s good to hear at least some of these go out as they should: as close to flawless as possible. It strikes me that with so few pressed, obvious stuff like what we see in this video should be caught and fixed before sending.
The sound of the record is certainly subjective, and ERC didn’t hide the fact they use tubes and didn’t EQ. I don’t see that as a negative; it just produces a different sound that somebody may prefer or not.
@@MrsGoutfire Agree with your comment, surprised it would have gone out like that. The sound is certainly subjective a bit even on the system used for playback of course, e.g., Mike's, yours, mine etc. I had put mine to the side but opened it immediately after watch Mike's unboxing to double check. It seems it's a cooperation with Third Man Records since it was also posted on Fremer's site that in addition a limited number of copies (of the 333 I would assume) would be available via Third Man storefronts so I'd be interested to see TMR's feedback. I have broad taste in music genres and enjoy seeing Jack White perform live in concert. Happy holidays!
With your influence, maybe these videos will make quality control improve. God knows I get more defective new records than not. Great work, Mike.
I got this record right from 3rd man. Analog pressing. Its gorgeous. It was $25.00 shipped. Seems to me that $575 for a record is just a way to hoodwink pretentious vinyl collectors with too much money, so they can go on their FaceBook vinyl collecting group & brag.
More likely to complain because why would any version of this album be worth that much. That's not a brag worthy purchase sorry....
@@TMINE100 To you, I'm guessing not. To me, definitely not! But there are some people out there that would consider this bragging-worthy.
When you showed the sharpie marks I died
Thank you Mike.
Thanks so much, Mike! Your reviews are always spot on!
Hey buddy! I agree with you 100%. At that $575.00 you should get a extreme excellent copy of that White Strip album. I have a copy of that same album when it was first release and didn't cost me no 500 bucks. It's a very quiet copy from start to finish. Thanks for this review and all upcoming and past reviews my friend. You're one of the few on you tube who can make honest reviews and let your viewers know about it. I'm behind you and so is alot of your fans! Good work Mike!!!
How cam they justify that price? ''Pity the fool!'' To quote Mr T. 😁
Great video. Whatever one thinks or feels about Mike on this topic, as a loyal international buyer at his store/website - his packaging of the albums I buy are delivered second to none. It comes in unparalleled thick stock cardboard, and he takes care of his products he sells. He is about quality first and it is very appreciated. So he knows knows if something is up. Well done!
I think the person you opened the record for needs to send that record back to ERC, ASAP. The condition of the jacket is absolutely unacceptable for $575.
Jack White is a big vinyl guy who owns his own pressing plant why is anyone other than Third Man Records releasing this stuff, i bet he'd probably be pretty annoyed about this pressing if it actually sounds worse to top it all off.
“I don’t have words for it… it’s DESPICABLE”
That’s the perfect word for it, Mike! Thanks for the video!
Great review! Keep up the good work, Mike!
ERC’s motto: “There’s a Sucker Born Every Minute”.
Right Fremer?
Mike is the man! Keep on doing a great job with your videos...I always learn a ton and am better for having subscribed!
Thanks again for an honest unboxing Mike. There’s a reason why people like buying from you. Keep up the good work!
For $575 you can be as nit-picky as you want. ERC FAILS AGAIN. Fremer is probably biting his MyPillow right now.
They tried to cover up the white stripes
Here is what bothers me about these ERC records: we were able to buy Music Matters just a couple years ago for $50-75 and they were the GOLD STANDARD. Now I know record prices have jumped, but these are so inferior in quality based on these and other reviews, that I do not see how Fremer defends the obvious price gouge. I have a Miles 10’ from SAM RECORDS that cost me $39 and it FEELS like Miles is in the room. Like I can close my eyes and feel the air come out of his trumpet. I don’t even blink anymore about $125 for a one step or UHQR, but there is absolutely nothing about this product or their products that I have any interest in
I read the long NYtimes article about ERC. I was intrigued, since it seemed that the quality of the sound was what really mattered. Then I saw the amount that they actually pressed for their runs (inexplicably low), the complaints, and so on. There's a French guy called Pierre Bourdieu. Read him to understand what's going on. Basically there is no point in buying an ERC except to say: Look at me, I have an ERC. But if this review is anything to go by, its: look at me I'm dumb!
That miles is one of my top records of 21. And the jacket and pressing is also bespoke and pristine
Fremer probably owns stock in the company.
Sam Records do a great job with their releases. They sound great and you can tell that their releases have been curated with real care, and they very reasonably priced. I just don’t get ERC and why anyone would pay nearly 600 bucks for this.
You should be pissed! Fremmer wouldnt pay 600 bucks for it. The only reason people pay it is because of the limited number. It is a false sense of value.
Here's the thing. There is a market for high end vinyl. If you price your product in such a way that it puts it in that category, expect to get a review like this. The problem is that vinyl, like many other passions, has a group of people who feel like more is better in all cases. You see this in whiskey for example. I'm glad Mike made this review because if the market starts creating these high-end/high dollar offerings that are not worth it, then it will get a reputation of all vinyl is overrated.
The jacket would have been printed offset using the four colour process. The embossing being out of register would have been when it was printed or when it being embossed on maybe a Heidelberg Platen Press though just not having the sheet feeding incorrectly though the press. The scratching on the gloss cello is again though carless set up, incorrect roller pressure and lack of care.
At that price and low run they should all be inspected closely by QC
Noisy peppermint vinyl definitely seems like the best way to listen to the White Stripes. It's the White Stripes, after all. They are a fun, noisy band, so they deserve a fun, noisy record.
My copy plays back absolutely perfectly - no noise is noticeable at all. 👍
Mike has the top 1% system so he probably hears every flaw. I'm sure the 99% would be fine with the peppermint vinyl.
Thanks for being such a champ for the consumer on this review
Great video Mike!
Perhaps it’s simply that tissue paper that is the $550 difference?
I'm just here waiting for Fremer's jab and Mike's counter punch. Some people like to watch the sunset, I like to see old men rhetoric crushed.
Think about what the Fermer hype machine did fir this company: with 300 sales per month, at an average price of 500 dollars, they turn over 1.8 million per year...
Why should they do quality control. They always sell the 333 copy’s and there must be someone to listen to every single copy of the 333 to find pops and clicks?.
They are laughing loud there in ERC.
It’s almost a law of nature: if you sell out very quick, you get lazy!
Great video Mike. Your one of the best to inform us.
Greeting from Holland.
Thanks for doing this video Mike. Much appreciated. I noticed the europe 20th anniversary was done at polished parts Pallas, so I just ordered a us version of the 20th pressed by Erika which also comes with an insert unlike the Pallas one. Once I get it,
I'll come back and let you know which sounds better.
I bought a $20 dollar record from a small label, they had them for $10 because of a small defect on the jacket. When I received it, it was barely noticeable. Talk about honesty. Can’t imagine receiving that on a $500 record.
I had the same on the Twisted Sister MFSL record. New and sealed, but had a bit of edge wear. No big deal at all, record plays perfect and I got the record at basically MSRP after people were already starting to up charge them when it got out of print.
I bought a "defective" record from Acoustic Sounds for a very small price tag, so I scooped it up. They said the outer sleeve has some sort of defect.... I've had this record for months now, and I still don't see any flaw on the cover. Lol
Careful now. You’re potentially reducing the value of Fremer’s free copy. 😆 Joking aside, it’s a ridiculous con job to sell these at $575 and pull a shady tactic like touching up the corners with a sharpie. I hope your friend requests a new cover. If so, please report back what he receives.
Great video! Thank you Mike - Have a wonderful one
I think ERC is well aware that a sheer majority of their sold stock remained unopened and never played, purchased solely as an investment. With that in mind, it makes far more sense to keep replacing copies for free, even twice in a row, for the minority of customers who actually open and play their LPs, rather than bringing the overall manufacturing costs way up by pressing the entire run properly. What’s the difference if most of these are to remain wrapped forever, right?
That is, if you are in this for commerce, strictly, and not out of the love for music.
P.S. On the side note, I recently stumbled across an interesting review of one of ERC’s first-ever editions, Johanna Martzy’s Bach violin recitals; by the Audio Beat, where they did a shootout against the 1950’s Columbia 33CX 1287 first pressing, Coup D'Archet 2010 reissue, and finally ERC’s. Not even touching the sound quality (and spoiler alert, ERC didn’t win), just a couple of quotes:
"Likewise the sleeve, which is nicely put together but nothing special;"
"Placed next to the original - the weighting of the text is too light, the edge definition poor, and given that this is supposed to be a facsimile copy, why is the Martzy photo on the back incorrect?"
"Both the images on the rear and the velvet "rope" on the front are heavily pixelated and poorly executed"
The challenges of record collecting these days with pre-ordering, long waiting, damaged corners, seam splits, and the frustration of not being able to purchase a release that you treasure is so frustrating. To have ANY company be so deceitful and greedy as to manually alter the product is intentionally misleading and is bait and switch at minimum. Mike, I appreciate you informing me of your observations and
hope this exposure rings a bell at ERC.
That’s why I’m an original first or early press guy.
Wow, thanks for Your impressions! Don't spend that kind of money without watching this!
I expect something to be near perfect in all aspects if I'm dropping almost $600 for a single LP. I dont want to have to send it back and deal with that. It should be flawless.
I'm glad I got the 20th Anniversary. I have bothe the peppermint and standard black.
Unbelievable. What a waste of money. Thanks for your honesty.
This is crazy… i collect blackmetal records and thoose are of a higher quality then what i see here..
And beside that, the dicogs flipp market is loving these records, crazy prices! It makes the vinyl market look stupid!
Currently rated at a 2.75 on discogs and has never been sold.. so far..
Hey, I bought that rekkid for $23 new from Third Man. That leaves me $552 to buy other rekkids, or something else.
Fremer: my promo copies did not come with defects...
That is some great QC. ERC will carefully inspect each jacket and touch up any issues with a sharpie. Hey, it might not be the exact same tone of black, but at least it's blacker than white is.
Hopefully the person that gets this record doesn't care too much, or gets a replacement, but that's pretty bad. Maybe Fremer will blame the sharpie maker for producing the wrong tone of black, resulting in a mismatch despite ERC's attempt to fix the defect.
Great stuff, Mike. I feel your anger. Sharpies markers would piss me off on a $40 record, let alone a $500 one!
Also, just as an FYI... comics are graded on a scale of 0.1 to 10. The three major grading services and Overstreet use this scale. CGC - the predominant grading service will also provide one of four labels. For comics - like this ERC album - that show signs of repair the label will be a RESTORED label but the comic will still get a grade and they will qualify the restoration.
You are not being nitpicky when you purchase something like this it should be nothing less than a 99/100.
I agree 100% with your sentiment and assessment. For me the question would be how good is their after sales in either replacing or refunding. In the long time ERC will either fix their quality control or fail as a business. The market will pass its judgement. From what I can see ERC appear to be passionate about what they are doing and are striving to improve themselves. I had bad experience with QC (warped records) of Blue Note Classic records pressed at Optimal. However, Optimal addressed their QC problems and now are fine. Lets hope ERC will improve like Optimal. As far as the Sharpie issue, it could be a bad staffing. I think ERC current business model is limited which impacts the quality of their products.
Having said that, for over $500 per record I would expect a velvet lined wooden case (finger jointed) with a bound hardcover booklet and a gatefold jacket. The record should be pressed on some super vinyl type compound. If ERC are only pressing 300 odd copies per record, a one step process should be included since they never repress. A ones step process should reduce costs as well.
This video was awesome!!! Great job Mike - Northern New Jersey loves you :)