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Posted by DwDunphy on 09-14-2005 at21:50:

  Vinyl Thoughts

Hey there, folks. Long time, no stuff.

Recently, I've been reintroduced to my love of the good ol' black slab of love known as the vinyl record. Now, to be honest, records are harder to maintain than CDs and CDs actually do sound better (unless you're able to plunk down $10,000 for one of those scary German Expressionistic-lookin' turntables)... But there's still a draw there, to the bigness, the sentimentality and nostalgia of records.

So I've been binging a little bit. Some recent purchases include:
Porcupine Tree - Deadwing
Porcupine Tree - Yellow Hedgerow Dreamscape
Blackfield
Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon 30th Anniversary Edition
Ryan Adams - Cold Roses
Isis - Panopticon
Guided By Voices - Bee Thousand The Director's Cut

...and some choice pre-owned slabs like:
The Concert For Bangla Desh
George Harrison - Living In The Material World
George Harrison - Dark Horse

Now I bring up all of this copious name-dropping to pose a question. Assuming that there are many on this board that came to DA through vinyl, and that many still have turn tables and what-not, does anyone here believe there is a market for small run, limited edition releases of "Mr. Buechner's Dream" or "Songs Of The Heart"?

Not that I'm in any position to make this happen, but I really would like to know what the rest of the board thinks of this. I for one, who already has MBD on CD (and am planning to get the DVD doc soon), would love to have a 3-lp edition of this. It just feels right, as that particular release kind of typifies my feelings for rock records.

Anyone?
DwD

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Posted by Audiori J on 09-15-2005 at03:14:

 

We've looked into it, its relatively not very expensive other than maybe the packaging. We can check into it again if there is interest. Although Buechners would be what like a 3 or 4 album set?

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Posted by freak on 09-15-2005 at05:45:

 

very interested.

~f

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Posted by jiminy on 09-15-2005 at08:09:

 

I dont know- but my boy would be interested-
he appreciates CHOICE vinyl..and MBD would be-

choice.

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Posted by Audiori J on 09-15-2005 at09:55:

 

We can check prices and talk to Dan Michaels and Terry about it. If its done I am sure it would be very small runs.

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Posted by Mountain Fan on 09-15-2005 at12:05:

 

I would definitely NOT be interested in new vinyl.

I do own a turntable and have been known to pick up old LPs at yard sales and such on occasion if they're very cheap and in good shape, in order to hear someone I've heard OF (but not heard their music) but wouldn't consider buying their CD due to high CD prices.

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Posted by Jeff Vaughn on 09-15-2005 at16:29:

 

I too wouldn't be interested in the vinyl. It's cool to be retro, they should just break down and make 12in CDs. That way we could get big art again. Remember the double fold outs!

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Posted by joey on 09-15-2005 at16:36:



i think the last album i bought on vinyl was pearl jam's vitalogy in '94....
i heard that there were only 50,000 being made and thought it might be worth something someday....
it's not.... and it never gets played...
not that i don't like the album... i found the cd at a pawn shop for 3 bucks..... that gets played..

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Posted by DwDunphy on 09-15-2005 at18:21:

  MBD on vinyl

Well, it would probably be a four record set (kind of like the new Foo Fighters box for "In Your Honor"), and a box set like that would probably be the most obvious direction.

If the production was made feasible, I'd also suggest maybe placing "Nowhere Is Someplace" on it, just to give it a little more juice (as if it needs it). The cost of making the set should be determined by a pre-order, since the vinyl crowd might be a small but rabid party of interest.

And if a profit is derived from this set, that money could go to the Eddies project. It's a new way of making some income with pre-existing assets, and most importantly, it would be freaking beautiful and a real centerpiece of any DA-obsessive's collection...

Which is to say, I would definitely buy one!
DwD

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Posted by Eleanor on 09-15-2005 at22:04:

 

and it would look cool hanging on my wall

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Posted by jeffrey k. on 09-16-2005 at02:18:

 

quote:

Originally posted by Audiori J We've looked into it, its relatively not very expensive other than maybe the packaging. We can check into it again if there is interest. Although Buechners would be what like a 3 or 4 album set?

Man...tell me where you looked! I put out a vinyl record for a band I work with from Holland and 500 of them cost me roughly $4,500 to make! The only "affordable" vinyl I've ever seen was doing 7" records, but once you get into 10 or 12" territory everything I found was around $2000 for 500 records....without any packaging. sleeves, jackets, inserts, or shrinkwrap. Plus the whole mastering process is different, so that costs extra, and then the packaging....don't get me started! Granted, for my release I had 500 (sorry, originally that number posted with an extra zero!) hand letterpressed jackets made, but come to think of it, it was actually cheaper than having the normal jackets made. Doing "Buechners" as limited edition vinyl would be really cool, but I imagine it would cost a fortune....but thats me. Again, please let me know where you looked and it was "relatively not very expensive" cause I'd like to do more vinyl and need a price break!

jeffrey k.

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Posted by Audiori J on 09-16-2005 at02:25:

 

Hmmm well we were looking into it around the time we made the DA tribute, at that time it was cheaper than printing CDs. Its possible if there are less and less people doing it that the price has risen. We will look at the links we have and see if any are still around and what prices they offer. We also were looking at places that would press 100 or so at a time, that also might not be the case anymore.

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Posted by rob 3.0 on 09-16-2005 at08:29:

 

I would love to get MBD on vinyl. That would be way cool.

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Posted by jeffrey k. on 09-16-2005 at09:24:

 

quote:

Originally posted by Audiori J Hmmm well we were looking into it around the time we made the DA tribute, at that time it was cheaper than printing CDs. Its possible if there are less and less people doing it that the price has risen. We will look at the links we have and see if any are still around and what prices they offer. We also were looking at places that would press 100 or so at a time, that also might not be the case anymore.

I know there are places that will do "DJ pressings" in very small numbers...but the other problem is virtually all the remaining US vinyl manufacturers have placed strict time limits on how much music they will allow on any one side of a record. All the ones I dealt with, or tried to, were topping out at roughly 16 minutes a side....so when you have a double CD you end up having to press 3-4 records to get everything in....so it still ends up costing $$.

I used a company in New York called Europadisk that does the majority of the major label pressings that still come out. They had a package deal on 500 records that a year ago was the best option....however, and I think I just answered my own question about finding a cheaper place, United Record Pressings seems to now have a base price of .82 a record. Crap...I checked them a year ago and they were as high as anyone else! Granted, that is only for the vinyl disc, everything else is added on so the price does go up, but this isn't too bad. Here is the link:

http://www.urpressing.com

later...

jeffrey k.

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Posted by Audiori J on 09-16-2005 at12:43:

 

Yeah its probably very market driven. When we were looking at it there were a bunch of vinyl pressers not doing much and barely hanging on. They were probably hungry for business, now it seems a lot of indie type bands do vinyl pressings. So maybe the market is somewhat back for them. We will see what we have on pressing plants.

I figured Buechners would probably have to be like 4 records just for the length. When we looked at it we thought about doing a LP of the DA tribute with only the best selection on it. Like 10 tracks or so.

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Posted by larryl on 09-16-2005 at16:01:

 

check with travis at republic of texas recordings www.republicoftexasrecordings.com

he is getting some great deals, from what he told me a while back. (and putting out some vinyl cool enough that even i am buying it)

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Posted by DwDunphy on 09-16-2005 at19:00:

  I wonder...

Considering the financial obstacles, would the fans who have already expressed interest in a vinyl version accept a partial compromise; two possible separate releases - Mr. Buechner's Dream Volume One and MBD Vol. 2 - And So It Goes?

I'm still on board for the idea, regardless.
DwD

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Posted by joey on 09-16-2005 at19:35:



getting an album i've already heard 1000 times in an obsolete format is not exactly on my priority list......
it would be cool to have one of those big fold-out album holders with pictures and interviews from mbd.....
but those big, floppy black discs that melt in the sun, easily scratch and usually skip after a few plays? no thanks.....

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Posted by jeffrey k. on 09-16-2005 at19:43:

 

quote:

Originally posted by larryl check with travis at republic of texas recordings www.republicoftexasrecordings.com he is getting some great deals, from what he told me a while back. (and putting out some vinyl cool enough that even i am buying it)

He's using United Record Pressing. It's good to see they have their act together now. A year ago they were at the top of a short list of people I initially wanted to use, but they never returned calls, never came through with price quotes on the pressing I wanted, and I was warned by a couple other friends at labels to not use them because they never stuck to their pricing or quotes. From the looks of things on their site, they must have got it together, their prices alone are way less than before....

jeffrey k.

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Posted by DwDunphy on 09-16-2005 at20:27:

  Non-vinyl DA fans

I know there are a lot of people out there who are asking the question of why would anyone want to rebuy a recording in what is, in a practical sense, an obsolete medium? Also, why would I be such a crusader for this particular project? I figured that I should run down my thought process on this.

To preface however, if anything does come of this idea and don't forget that this is all it is right now - an idea - no one is being forced to buy it. If someone just isn't sold on the idea of buying MBD again, that is perfectly reasonable and who could diminish your stand? Not me.

First of all, if this is done as a sort of pre-order so that the production costs are financed by those who are into this idea, the stress on the band, the Audioris and on Dan Michaels at Galaxy 21 will be minimized, but more importantly it gets the band out there one more time, possibly to a whole new crowd. And this is the perfect time for it. Terry is involved with a major network program now and the Catscratch mileage has to be worth something. Keeping past projects alive in some form or fashion keeps them in print. Above all else, I want to continue to suggest MBD to new people with ears to hear. If the title just runs out of steam, it will go out of print no matter how beloved the material may be. It's simple economics - no demand, no supply.

Secondly, there is a small but loyal vinyl enthusiasm out there. Indie labels like Matador, Merge and Quarterstick/Touch And Go still run vinyl. Interpol's "Antics" actually shifts units, as the big boys say. Retro companies do co-productions with labels like Capitol, Rhino and Columbia to make sure you will always find "Marquee Moon", "Revolver", "Blonde On Blonde" and "Dark Side Of The Moon" on the format. With creative pump-priming, and the simple truth that MBD is probably THE DA signature record and one of the best guitar-rock releases of the decade, let the genre classifications be nadaed, they might be persuaded to give it a go. That provides new interest. That makes the new Eddies project a little less obscure, more possible... and if a small profit can be garnered by this release, that can go straight into production costs of something new, all the better. It's more cost effective to work with MBD than to start from scratch by going through the demos, lost tapes and archives trying to put together an entirely new attraction.

Finally, and perhaps selfishly, as good as Doppelganger sounds on CD and as good as Darn Floor sounds on CD, I came to both recordings through vinyl. They seemed to belong; the band's sound is not that of new bands that are so massaged by ProTools that digital process is the only natural end. DA has always been a more organic band, an organic sound, even in those heavy synth years. Opinion alone says that MBD belongs on record, if only for a very limited time. Maybe I'm deluded, but this is an avenue worth exploring until financial factors, or cold hard logic, contend otherwise.

Again, it's just an idea.
DwD