# Old Specialist LP Labels



## classical yorkist (Jun 29, 2017)

A bit of a mouthful but if one were to make a list of great, reliable, perhaps HIP, record labels of the past which ones would you include? Off the top of my head I'd include Telefunken, Erato, Turnabout, Nonesuch. Just thinking about what to look out for when I go charity shop shopping or am searching the Internet auction sites. So, what would you include?


----------



## NoCoPilot (Nov 9, 2020)

Turnabout, Nonesuch, and (I believe?) Erato were budget labels, prone to re-releases of previously-released material and often famous for truly horrendous pressings. I would not include them (or Hungaroton or Everest or Audio Fidelity or Westminster or Pickwick or Camden or MCA or Candide) among any list of reliable labels.

My own recommendations would look more like this:
* Deutsche Grammophon
* Angel/Seraphim
* Harmonia Mundi 
* Hyperion
* L'Oiseau-Lyre
* Victor (the Japanese label, not RCA)
* ABC/Seon
* ECM
* Decca Phase 4
* EMI
* Archiv
* Blue Note
* CBS Masterworks
* CRI
* Supraphon
* Vanguard

Mainstream labels like RCA, CBS/Columbia, Liberty, Capitol, London, Atlantic, UA, WB, Mercury, Philips, etc. could usually be counted on to be not horrible.


----------



## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

Decca, Philips, Deutsche Gramophone where almost always good with their vinyl . Harmonia Mundi was also very good , had a special buy crowd. I found Chandos always a bitt to thick ( for my taste that is) . Advice , go with the flow, if you see a nice work would you buying depends on the label?


----------



## classical yorkist (Jun 29, 2017)

Rogerx said:


> Decca, Philips, Deutsche Gramophone where almost always good with their vinyl . Harmonia Mundi was also very good , had a special buy crowd. I found Chandos always a bitt to thick ( for my taste that is) . Advice , go with the flow, if you see a nice work would you buying depends on the label?


I would probably buy something on spec if the programme was good tbh. I was just intrigued about what people thought. Some good info here, thanks.


----------



## classical yorkist (Jun 29, 2017)

NoCoPilot said:


> Turnabout, Nonesuch, and (I believe?) Erato were budget labels, prone to re-releases of previously-released material and often famous for truly horrendous pressings. I would not include them (or Hungaroton or Everest or Audio Fidelity or Westminster or Pickwick or Camden or MCA or Candide) among any list of reliable labels.
> 
> My own recommendations would look more like this:
> * Deutsche Grammophon
> ...


I didn't realise that about Turnabout etc being budget labels. They're always so eye catching and have great design aesthetics. I'd forgotten about L'Oiseau-Lyre which is funny because I've picked up some second hand CDs from that label fairly recently in the charity shops. Very interesting post thanks.


----------



## Animal the Drummer (Nov 14, 2015)

For those not old enough to have come across it, DG had a budget label too, name of Heliodor. I have numerous Heliodor LPs and have much enjoyed them these past many years.


----------



## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

Even well pressed vinyl may have been sitting in a non climate controlled garage for a few decades


----------



## NoCoPilot (Nov 9, 2020)

Triplets said:


> Even well pressed vinyl may have been sitting in a non climate controlled garage for a few decades


This is true -- but vinyl has proven itself to be remarkably durable over the past 70 years. Assuming no warpage or water-damage, old LPs should still be playable.


----------



## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

NoCoPilot said:


> This is true -- but vinyl has proven itself to be remarkably durable over the past 70 years. Assuming no warpage or water-damage, old LPs should still be playable.


Yes, but that's quite an assumption.
I worked in record stores in the mid to late seventies, when vinyl quality was at a real nadir, in the wake of the Energy Crisis. I would estimate that about 1 in 4 lps were returned as untrackable. Most of them looked like Ruffles Potato Chips when they were brand new. Now those albums have been owned, played for years, then in many cases stored in basements, garages and attics for a couple of decades and are now being resold. You are welcome to them.


----------



## NoCoPilot (Nov 9, 2020)

But lovers of vinyl (I'm not one, BTW...) have options. They have elaborate cleaning machines that will remove anything short of mildew damage. You can buy a linear-arm turntable that plays through all but the worst warps. 

Personally, I would never again go through all that trouble for a demonstrably-inferior format, but I realize some youngsters have a nostalgia for LPs that they're too young to have experienced firsthand.


----------



## CnC Bartok (Jun 5, 2017)

Animal the Drummer said:


> For those not old enough to have come across it, DG had a budget label too, name of Heliodor. I have numerous Heliodor LPs and have much enjoyed them these past many years.


I had a few Heliodor LPs, but I bought a couple that were totally unplayable, the hole being at least 5 mm out of whack, such a serious problem the tone arm got flung out and needle off the edge of the record. Stopped getting that label after that.......!


----------



## Animal the Drummer (Nov 14, 2015)

Wow. Take your word for it, of course, but it amazes me. Maybe Blackwell's just didn't fetch the right ones in _(searches for emoji in Cambridge blue)_.


----------



## marlow (11 mo ago)

Some years ago I switched to CD and got rid of my old LPs. If you find the right dealer you can get a good price for original stereo recordings from Columbia etc.


----------



## CnC Bartok (Jun 5, 2017)

Animal the Drummer said:


> Wow. Take your word for it, of course, but it amazes me. Maybe Blackwell's just didn't fetch the right ones in _(searches for emoji in Cambridge blue)_.


One from Blackwell's, one from Bentalls in Kingston if we're being pedantic.....

Can't find any emojis in a more civilized darker blue, but then again Oxford didn't produce those fine upstanding establishment pillars Burgess, Maclean, Philby and Blunt, so I won't mention them.....:devil:


----------

