Lest you think this site is all Vertigo, all the time, well, it’s not. But given the significance of the label, I added a few more reviews- records that are in my estimation, some of the best of the catalog. These reviews are intended to be read together with the interview of Olav Wyper, the man Philips sought out to get them into the rock/psych/folk genre, posted here earlier this month.
In addition, I am close to publishing a piece called “Buying Used Records-A Primer” which attempts to capture in one place, the basics: the significance of different pressings, deadwax information (generally), some sources for further research and some suggestions if you are just venturing in (or returning) to these waters, which can run deep.
Obviously, no single article can even begin to capture all of the relevant information about pressing variants, decoding deadwax and evaluating the sonics of different pressings; instead, what I offer here is a methodology for more in-depth research to help readers find and evaluate a “best” pressing. (The more I compare different, good pressings of the same record, the more I realize there is rarely a single “best” but often, different shadings of emphasis, detail or color that make one record more desirable, sonically, than another, recognizing that listener preference and playback system strengths and weaknesses also play a role).
Warning: The piece is long and readers may regard it as prolix, but if I have committed any significant errors or misstated anything, feel free to write me. It will appear on the homepage, but I’ll embed a link here too.