Clear vinyl usually has the best sound quality as this is what vinyl is by default. It's dyed black after the fact, which was handy in the old days when vinyl was recycled as it hid its origins.
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Sunday, 12 May 2019 01:07 (five years ago) link
boldface added:
All vinyl records are made of PVC, which is naturally colorless. To turn this clear material into a solid color titanium dioxide and other additives are mixed in. To make the standard black vinyl color, black carbon is often added, which strengthens the PVC mix. To make any other color, dyes are used instead of black carbon. These dyes do not strengthen the vinyl in the same way as black carbon, but the difference is negligible unless mistakes are made in the production process.
A few exceptions exist: Clear vinyl, picture discs and glow-in-the-dark pressings are more susceptible to poor playback. Very few additives can be mixed into clear vinyl without jeopardizing the opacity, which means there is a potential for worse sound quality, albeit this drop is often imperceptible to the common listener.
so yeah, kind of, with caveats
― Emperor Tonetta Ketchup (sleeve), Sunday, 12 May 2019 01:32 (five years ago) link
https://blog.discogs.com/en/true-colors-black-or-colored-vinyl/
i don’t really care about sound quality, i care about quick and accurate visual cueing in dark rooms, and clear vinyl makes that difficult
― the late great, Sunday, 12 May 2019 01:42 (five years ago) link
I thought the black vinyl also had scratch cards.
― Mark G, Sunday, 12 May 2019 08:01 (five years ago) link
Nope. But there are more opportunities still to come. Each of the clear vinyl editions of the Elektra reissues will have a scratch card. 2500 clear vinyl x 7 reissues = 17500 scratch cards in total.
― Jeff W, Sunday, 12 May 2019 15:02 (five years ago) link
Aren’t there only 50 winning cards in total though?
― brotherlovesdub, Sunday, 12 May 2019 16:17 (five years ago) link
This thread got me to dig out my favourite 'lab album (Mars Audiac Quintet) this morning. Christ, Stereolab were great from Transient... up to Emperor Tomato Ketchup. I like some of the stuff from Dots and Loops onwards, but nowhere near as much.
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Monday, 13 May 2019 11:46 (five years ago) link
is there some kind of Stereolab Monopoly game happening?
― the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Monday, 13 May 2019 13:40 (five years ago) link
Yes, some copies of the reissue have a scratch card where you can Super Size any meal deal for free.
― brotherlovesdub, Monday, 13 May 2019 16:36 (five years ago) link
based on the web site it seems like the prize will be a pair of their new designer jeans
― the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Monday, 13 May 2019 16:53 (five years ago) link
I'm still waiting on a Transient clear, from Picadilly Records, ordered ages ago.
― Mark G, Monday, 13 May 2019 17:07 (five years ago) link
I'm in the US, so maybe not relevant, but I ordered early on the day they were announced, and just received my records 2 days ago. Got an email saying they were delayed but no reason why.
― brotherlovesdub, Monday, 13 May 2019 17:26 (five years ago) link
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/10/arts/music/stereolab-reunion.html
― global tetrahedron, Monday, 13 May 2019 17:55 (five years ago) link
So the tracklists are the same across the different versions of these Transient and MAQ reissues, right? It's just physical bells & whistles that are different? I'm always paranoid I'm gonna miss out on sweet bonus tracks.
― One Eye Open, Monday, 13 May 2019 18:39 (five years ago) link
tracklists are the same for the albums (with minor differences noted upthread, mostly extended versions) but there's an extra disc of demos & alternates for each of those:
https://www.discogs.com/Stereolab-Mars-Audiac-Quintet/release/13597140
https://www.discogs.com/Stereolab-Transient-Random-Noise-Bursts-With-Announcements/release/13568005
― Emperor Tonetta Ketchup (sleeve), Monday, 13 May 2019 19:06 (five years ago) link
But the tracks are all identical no matter which reissue you buy
― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Monday, 13 May 2019 19:10 (five years ago) link
yes, sorry, I misread "version" there
― Emperor Tonetta Ketchup (sleeve), Monday, 13 May 2019 19:13 (five years ago) link
― eatandoph (Neue Jesse Schule), Monday, 13 May 2019 23:49 (five years ago) link
xp thanks sleeve and moodles!
― One Eye Open, Tuesday, 14 May 2019 00:21 (five years ago) link
Should "Lock-Groove Lullaby" end with a lock groove? I've never had an actual record of the album before!
― with hidden noise, Tuesday, 14 May 2019 01:33 (five years ago) link
So it sounds like there was a screw-up somewhere and more orders were taken than there were obi strips created in the first place.Not quite. Pikey sez: "25 of the original obi strips became damaged and then destroyed."Because he doesn't know which numbers they were you get one of a new, super limited edition of 25, lucky you.
Like so:https://muut.com/u/stereolab/s3/:stereolab:GEuN:img_0492.jpg.jpg
― Jeff W, Tuesday, 14 May 2019 19:28 (five years ago) link
my Transient CD is delayed (by the rando I bought it from on Amazon) and I really want it!
― the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Tuesday, 14 May 2019 20:05 (five years ago) link
Interesting mix inspired by Stereolab
https://www.mixcloud.com/MindDaze/290/
― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Tuesday, 14 May 2019 20:16 (five years ago) link
Because he doesn't know which numbers they were you get one of a new, super limited edition of 25, lucky you.
― eatandoph (Neue Jesse Schule), Tuesday, 14 May 2019 23:00 (five years ago) link
Finally purchased & dropped the needle on the Transient vinyl last night and can't say enough to echo all the other praise for the remastering job, it really does sound phenomenal. A major improvement over the CD I've been listening to for the least 2 decades, audible even on my less-than-hi-fi living room setup.
― One Eye Open, Monday, 20 May 2019 19:38 (five years ago) link
woo hoo I won a scratch card! anyone know what the odds are on those?
― Emperor Tonetta Ketchup (sleeve), Thursday, 23 May 2019 16:15 (five years ago) link
My local guitar shop has half turned into a vinyl shop. they've got MAQ and Transient Random Noise Outbursts in the window, £25 each. Now waiting for payday.
― Dr X O'Skeleton, Thursday, 23 May 2019 16:23 (five years ago) link
For those of you who want to get that sweet Tim Gane tone.
Tim’s @stereolabgroop ‘s pedal board - it’ll sound better than it looks. Thanks @chaseblissaudio / Effekt Boutique / @westside_uk pic.twitter.com/T6mhWHVacy— Stereolab (@stereolabgroop) May 23, 2019
― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Thursday, 23 May 2019 18:33 (five years ago) link
I got a winning scratch card too.
― Position Position, Thursday, 23 May 2019 19:13 (five years ago) link
Any idea what a winning card gets you?
― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Thursday, 23 May 2019 20:10 (five years ago) link
https://stereolab.ochre.store/
all winners will receive a limited edition 12" EP
― Emperor Tonetta Ketchup (sleeve), Thursday, 23 May 2019 20:12 (five years ago) link
Sweet! Congrats!
― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Thursday, 23 May 2019 20:15 (five years ago) link
further updates:
got the Switched On volumes 1 & 3 today, #1 is black vinyl #3 is clear, no scratch cards or numbers but they still have a sticker and custom PVC outer jacket. still the new remasters, just new pressings it seems.
looking at Discogs it seems the scratch cards were only included in the Transient and MAQ reissues?
Switched On (#1) sounds FANTASTIC, it's probably the one I know the best and "Doubt" in particular has lots of revealed detail
― Emperor Tonetta Ketchup (sleeve), Thursday, 23 May 2019 23:58 (five years ago) link
"Contact" sounds goddamn majestic, best I've ever heard
I bought a Too Pure LP version more than a decade ago and it sounded so bad I returned it, these are a joy to hear
― Emperor Tonetta Ketchup (sleeve), Friday, 24 May 2019 00:44 (five years ago) link
I hope the Lo Fi and Space Age Bachelor Pad EP's don't get orphaned here in this reissue program, some all time great tracks on those.
― Emperor Tonetta Ketchup (sleeve), Friday, 24 May 2019 00:45 (five years ago) link
Space Age Bachelor Pad got reissued last year and features liner notes by Tim.
― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Friday, 24 May 2019 02:45 (five years ago) link
Lo Fi has been unavailable for ages, and has never been available digitally. Hope that changes
― I am using your worlds, Friday, 24 May 2019 05:21 (five years ago) link
Hi dere I rite thing
https://daily.bandcamp.com/2019/05/24/stereolab-best-albums-guide/
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 24 May 2019 16:01 (five years ago) link
I endorse those picks
fwiw I'm pretty sure that the groove on Metronomic Underground is lifted from a Yoko Ono track on Approximately Infinite Universe and not Can
― Emperor Tonetta Ketchup (sleeve), Friday, 24 May 2019 16:05 (five years ago) link
You're almost certainly right! (I hope I didn't say 'exact sample,' I just meant feel, but you are also correct that Yoko and Can are the gods of the approach.)
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 24 May 2019 16:10 (five years ago) link
I wish I could remember the track name!
― Emperor Tonetta Ketchup (sleeve), Friday, 24 May 2019 16:14 (five years ago) link
hmm searching ILX it seems like ppl think it's "Mind Train" from Fly that was lifted but I swear it was from AIU, slocki also mentioned Gil-Scott Heron?!?!
― Emperor Tonetta Ketchup (sleeve), Friday, 24 May 2019 16:16 (five years ago) link
Stereolab's politics are not "hard-left".
― the word dog doesn't bark (anagram), Friday, 24 May 2019 16:16 (five years ago) link
?? seems obvious to me
― Emperor Tonetta Ketchup (sleeve), Friday, 24 May 2019 16:17 (five years ago) link
That banner image is divine.
― Tormund Giantsbabe (Leee), Friday, 24 May 2019 16:19 (five years ago) link
So are the versions of the Switched Ons on the new CD box set remastered, or is it just the vinyl editions? Would Switched On Vol. 1 on CD sound better than the original CD issue on Too Pure/Slumberland?
― the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Friday, 24 May 2019 16:26 (five years ago) link
Well, the lyrics are pretty much textbook Marxism, are they not? Nowt wrong with that but I wouldn't call Marxism hard-left by any stretch.
xxp
― the word dog doesn't bark (anagram), Friday, 24 May 2019 16:26 (five years ago) link
fair, and it also seems they pushed back on that (which I was unaware of):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereolab#Lyrics_and_titles
Band members have resisted attempts to link the group and its music to Marxism.
― Emperor Tonetta Ketchup (sleeve), Friday, 24 May 2019 16:29 (five years ago) link
I'd thought the bass from Metronomic Underground was based on Gil Scott Heron's "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", and the bass on the song Emperor Tomato Ketchup was basically Yoko's "Why"
― city worker, Friday, 24 May 2019 16:31 (five years ago) link