Which Vinyl Album is Hard to Find in M Condition?

[Leeway]

I've noticed that some LPs are hard-- or at least harder-- to find in Mint or Mint- condition than others. These would include any rock album that a typical teen would play to death (that is, of course, when teens played vinyl): early Beatles and Stones; Led Zeppelin; Black Sabbath, etc.

Early Dylan albums are often well-worn; probably from trying to puzzle out the lyrics. In jazz, Jimmy Smith LPs are usually worn, scratched, and generally beat-up; my guess is from doing heavy duty at innumerable lively parties . Lou Donaldson LPs are usually in the same bracket. People got their groove on from these albums, and the handling shows. OTOH, most classical LPs I come across look hardly played.

Of course, on EBAY, you can hunt for the minty copies, but I'm talking about what usually turns up in the second-hand market. Which albums have you found to be hard to find in nice condition? Or conversely, which albums tend to show up in the poorest shape?

[Leeway]

No one has encountered this in their vinyl scouting?

[Noj]

I'm just happy to find a record I want that doesn't skip.

[Jim R]

I used to do a lot of LP hunting, and it always struck me that pretty much anything I found on the King label would be beat to hell. Freddie King, Bill Doggett, James Brown, and on and on. Crown was another label I encountered that way frequently. Like you said, anything that was party music- blues, R&B, etc. Then again, finding ANYTHING old (and cool) in M or M- condition was relatively uncommon for me. I must have found enough jazz LP's in decent shape to keep me hunting every weekend, but it was always a struggle to find something that was both cool/hard to get (like old Blue Notes) AND in decent condition. Of course, I didn't get into it until the 1970's, so a lot of the classic 50's/60's stuff had already been circulating for quite a few years.

I think it came up in another LP thread once that there were some labels that used higher quality vinyl back in the early years (RCA comes quickly to mind) than others, and some that pretty much sucked from the get-go.

[Shrdlu]

The main problem is that some sellers are either ignorant about LP vinyl grades, or just crooks. There is a mixed bunch out there.

In the last few years, I have picked up quite a lot of very quiet-sounding LPs (mainly ones that have not been reissued on CD). They would be officially described as NM or VG+ (which is as low as I am prepared to go).

But you get sellers who give a detailed description, in addition to the grading letters, and it's just a flat lie. Example: "only a few minor visible marks that do not affect play", plus "no crackle" (in response to a direct question from me), and then the LP arrives and it's just scrap vinyl, covered with deep scratches, unbearable to listen to. I always send those straight back, of course.

If you want an LP of a particular album, and are prepared to persist, then you will get one, unless it was a rare album with few copies made.

[clifford_thornton]

To answer the original question, it seems like all of them!!!

I've even seen DGG Kagel and Luc Ferrari records beat to shit, so I think no genre of music is safe. Lots of wasted BNs and ESPs out there, for sure.