Top Engineers – Bill Szymczyk
J. Geils Band – Bloodshot
A stunning pressing, with Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sound or close to it from the first note to the last – this copy was rockin' like no other
Both of these sides are incredibly big, full-bodied, spacious and present with plenty of extension on both ends
Credit Bill Szymczyk for the punchy, huge and energetic sound he produced and engineered
4 stars: "The band sounds tighter, meaner, and funkier than on their first two releases… the first Geils album to stake a claim on the major leagues of rock & roll."
Posted in Labels We Love - Atlantic/Atco, Pressings with Excellent Sound Quality, Top Engineers - Bill Szymczyk and tagged audiophile vinyl, Better Records, Hot Stampers, tom port on October 18, 2020 by humorem. Leave a comment
Eagles – On The Border
An outstanding British SYL copy with solid Double Plus (A++) sound for this criminally underrated California Country Rock Classic – exceptionally quiet vinyl for this album, because early UK pressings are almost impossible to find in audiophile playing condition
If you've never heard one of these early pressings, you have simply never heard this album sound the way it should
You Never Cry Like A Lover and The Best Of My Love (their first No. 1) offer Glyn Johns magically delicious DEMO DISC quality sound
We're HUGE fans of the album here at Better Records; it's some of the most sophisticated, well-crafted, heartfelt music these guys ever made, and that's saying a lot coming from us – we've been big fans for decades
NOTE: *On side one, a mark makes 2 moderately loud pops followed by 1 loud pop and 2 moderatly light ticks at the beginning of Track 2, You Never Cry Like a Lover.
Many of you have probably forgotten how good this album is (assuming you were ever familiar with it in the first place) probably because the typical domestic copy you would have played back in the day is fairly hard on the ears. Most pressings, even the British ones, barely hint at the kind of sound you'll hear on this vintage UK pressing (the only kind we sell of course).
The LIFE and ENERGY of this pressing are going to knock you right out of your seat. Most copies leave you with a headache, but this one will have you begging to turn up the volume. (more…)
Posted in A List of Personal Favorites, A List of Records that Are Usually Noisy, Genre - Country & Country Rock, Labels We Love - Asylum, Pressings with Excellent Sound Quality, Records that Sound Best on Big Speakers at Loud Levels, Records We've "Discovered" with Exceptional Sound, Top Artists - The Eagles, Top Engineers - Bill Szymczyk, Top Engineers - Glyn Johns and tagged audiophile vinyl, Better Records, hot stamper vinyl, Hot Stampers, hot stampers vinyl, tom port on October 14, 2020 by humorem.
Joe Walsh – The Best of…
An outstanding copy of Walsh's first compilation album, with Nearly Triple Plus (A++ to A+++) sound on side one matched to a Hot Stamper side two
With sound close to our Shootout Winner on side one, Turn To Stone and Rocky Mountain Way are amazing here
We expected to hear dubby, sub-generation tape copy sound, but instead we discovered that these tracks – on the right pressings, natch – sound pretty darn close to the ones on the albums they originally came from
The perfect sampler for a casual Joe Walsh fan, featuring songs from his tenure with the James Gang along with some of his best known solo tracks
Posted in Advice - What to Listen For - Grit and Grain, Advice - What to Listen For - Midrange Congestion, Difficult to Reproduce Recordings, Labels We Love - ABC/MCA, Pressings with Excellent Sound Quality, Top Artists - Joe Walsh, Top Engineers - Bill Szymczyk and tagged audiophile vinyl, Better Records, Hot Stampers, tom port on June 2, 2020 by humorem.
Joe Walsh – The Smoker You Drink…
Walsh's sophomore release finally returns to the site with outstanding Double Plus (A++) sound throughout
This copy has rich, warm guitars and tight, punchy bass, there's real weight to the bottom end, and Joe's vocals sound exactly right to our ears
4 1/2 stars: "The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get features some of the most remembered Joe Walsh tracks, but it's not just these that make the album a success. Each of the nine tracks is a song to be proud of. This is a superb album by anyone's standards."
We grew quite fond of this music once we heard it sound this good. If you're already a fan of the album, I bet you'll get a real thrill out of hearing this copy. (more…)
Posted in Advice - What to Listen For - Grit and Grain, Advice - What to Listen For - Midrange Congestion, Difficult to Reproduce Recordings, Labels We Love - ABC/MCA, Pressings with Excellent Sound Quality, Top Artists - Joe Walsh, Top Engineers - Bill Szymczyk and tagged audiophile vinyl, Better Records, Hot Stampers, tom port on May 10, 2020 by humorem.
Joe Walsh – So What
With a Triple Plus (A+++) shootout winning side two and a better than Double Plus (A++ to A+++) side one, this copy is practically as good as it gets
Forget whatever dead-as-a-doornail Heavy Vinyl record they're making these days – if you want to hear the Tubey Magic, size and energy of this wonderful album, a vintage pressing like this one is the only way to go
Includes a couple of classic tracks, notably Welcome to the Club and a remake of Turn to Stone
You'll hear most of the Eagles playing on this one, produced and engineered by the redoubtable Bill Szymczyk
"So What sees Walsh in top form as a guitarist. Most of the nine tracks feature solos of unquestionable quality in his usual rock style."
We were impressed with how rich and punchy this copy sounded after hearing dozens of dry, thin, lifeless pressings over the years. Once we had heard at least one copy sound good we proceeded to gather up every LP we could get our hands on and make this shootout happen.
Unfortunately, most of what we ended up playing had the kind of mediocre sound we had been suffering through for decades. The best copies had real energy, surprising dynamics, and lots of that '70s Tubey Magic we love so much and never tire of talking about. (It's also a sound that you will have a very hard time finding on most Heavy Vinyl pressings being made these days, as you doubtless know.)
The best pressings have (relatively; this is still Joe Walsh album we're talking about) rich, warm guitars and vocals, supported by tight, punchy bass. Most copies were far less energetic and dynamic than this one. Excellent transparency as well.
All in all, this is pretty much as good as it gets for Joe Walsh in 1974. The very next year he would become an Eagle and help those boys knock it out of the park with Hotel California. (more…)
Posted in Advice - What to Listen For - Grit and Grain, Advice - What to Listen For - Midrange Congestion, Difficult to Reproduce Recordings, Labels We Love - ABC/MCA, Pressings with Excellent Sound Quality, Top Artists - Joe Walsh, Top Engineers - Bill Szymczyk and tagged audiophile vinyl, Better Records, Hot Stampers, tom port on March 26, 2020 by humorem.
Joe Walsh – But Seriously, Folks…
A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock and Pop Hall of Fame.
Triple Plus sound, a rarity for this really fun album! Most copies have a tendency to be gritty, thin, and/or edgy — a quality you may recognize from the typical Eagles pressing — but this one is rich, full and smooth in all the right ways.
Life's Been Good is the big hit here, and it sounds excellent, but there are plenty of other great songs here. It's one of the more solid rock albums from 1978 to hit our table in a while. Check out the Allmusic review linked above, they rave about the album (4 1/2 stars) and even compare it to Pet Sounds! (more…)
Posted in Advice - What to Listen For - Grit and Grain, Advice - What to Listen For - Midrange Congestion, Difficult to Reproduce Recordings, Labels We Love - Asylum, Older Reviews - Rock and Pop, Top Artists - Joe Walsh, Top Engineers - Bill Szymczyk and tagged audiophile vinyl, Better Records, Hot Stampers, tom port on March 9, 2020 by humorem.
This solo effort boasts Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sound or close to it on both sides – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
A hard album to find with sound like this AND quiet surfaces, but here one is@
We guarantee there is dramatically more richness, fullness and presence on this copy than others you've heard, and that's especially true for whatever godawful Heavy Vinyl pressing is currently being foisted on an undiscerning record buying public
4 1/2 stars: "As far as studio albums go, But Seriously Folks is Joe Walsh's most insightful and melodic… The album's introspective outlook glides through rejuvenation ('Tomorrow,' 'Over and Over'), recapturing the simple pleasures of the past ('Indian Summer'), mid-career indecision, and a melancholy instrumental."
Posted in Advice - What to Listen For - Grit and Grain, Advice - What to Listen For - Midrange Congestion, Difficult to Reproduce Recordings, Labels We Love - Asylum, Pressings with Excellent Sound Quality, Top Artists - Joe Walsh, Top Engineers - Bill Szymczyk and tagged audiophile vinyl, Better Records, Hot Stampers, tom port on January 17, 2020 by humorem.
James Gang – Thirds
An incredible copy with a Triple Plus (A+++) side one and an excellent Double Plus (A++) side two
Big, present and lively, with good weight to the bottom end, this is clearly the right sound for this music
A copy sure to make you a fan of Joe Walsh's grungy guitar artistry – turn up Walk Away on this Shootout Winning side one and it will blow your mind
4 Stars: "… Walsh was being hailed as a guitar hero to rank with the best rock had to offer… Thirds quickly earned a respectable chart position and eventually went gold…"
NOTE: On side one, the end of track one is a little noisier than Mint Minus Minus and there is a mark that plays at the start of track two six times at a light to moderate level.
The copies that did well in our shootout managed to keep the grit and grain in the sound under control without smothering the top end or smearing the upper midrange. Clear, breathy vocals that don't strain when loud were tough to find, but some copies did a whole lot better than others, and those are typically the ones we preferred.
Plenty of tight bass and lively rock energy are every bit as important of course. Nobody wants a leaned-out or boring James Gang record. (more…)
Posted in Labels We Love - ABC/MCA, Pressings with Excellent Sound Quality, Top Artists - James Gang, Top Artists - Joe Walsh, Top Engineers - Bill Szymczyk and tagged audiophile vinyl, Better Records, Hot Stampers, tom port on January 2, 2020 by humorem.
Eagles – The Long Run – Our Shootout Winner from 2009
More Eagles
More The Long Run
This copy had sound we never would have expected to hear on this record. Believe me, not too many sound like this one! Most copies have a smeary, veiled, stuck-in-the-speaker quality that makes for some painful listening. Cardboard drums. Non-existent ambience. No energy. The average copy of this album just sits on the turntable with nothing to say.
What's Szymczyk's problem anyway? Can't the guy record an album any better than this after being in the studio for all these years?
Yes he can! Don't make the mistake of judging his work by the typical bad pressing of it, the kind that Elektra was churning out by the millions back in the day. Believe me, the master tape must be AWESOME if the sound of some of the records we played is any indication. And of course that's exactly how we know it is — by the pressings we heard. (more…)
Posted in Older Reviews - Rock and Pop, Records that Sound Best on Big Speakers at Loud Levels, Top Artists - The Eagles, Top Engineers - Bill Szymczyk and tagged audiophile vinyl, Better Records, hot stamper vinyl, Hot Stampers, hot stampers vinyl, tom port on October 11, 2019 by humorem.
John Lee Hooker – Endless Boogie
More John Lee Hooker
Endless Boogie
This original ABC pressing has Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sound on ALL FOUR SIDES!
These sides are out of this world — rich, full-bodied and Tubey Magical with a big punchy bottom end and lots of energy
"… the timeliness of Endless Boogie is an unmitigated plus, and producers Bill Szymczyk and Ed Michel get a relaxed groove out of a cast of supporting musicians who can boogie Canned Heat right out of the studio." – Robert Christgau
Posted in Blues, Electric Blues and R&B, Labels We Love - ABC/MCA, Pressings with Excellent Sound Quality, Top Artists - John Lee Hooker, Top Engineers - Bill Szymczyk and tagged audiophile vinyl, Better Records, Hot Stampers, tom port on August 7, 2019 by humorem.
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