^ pretty clear indication that it's sourced from the retail CD, then, which is a damn shame. i'd love to hear it on vinyl, but i dunno if i want to spend cash (it's not cheap to ship to Canada!) on a product i basically know to be made in an inferior manner compared to how it could/should be done.

Has anyone else ordered their LPs from Plastichead, which is the site that Back on Black links to for ordering? I placed my order 8 days ago and haven't heard a word... then I started reading the fine print:

"Some orders may take up to 28 days for processing."

and then even uglier fine print:

"You may withdraw your order for goods at any time up to the end of the seventh working day after you make your order ",

not to mention

"To withdraw your order you must notify PHD in writing at the address in the contact us section of this Web site"...

so now I'm wondering if I've just been screwed out of about $150... If I'd have thought to look at CDUniverse, I would have ordered them there. I ordered the Physicist LP from them yesterday, and it shipped today...

Actually, I did order mine from Plastichead, and though it did take a while (14 days), I did receive them and in great shape. If you have any concerns, I suggest you contact them. I had to contact them on another order before, and they were extremely helpful.

i haven't heard a word from Viva Hate Records (Agalloch box, not Dev), and i sent in my order over two weeks ago. however, i'd already heard they were quite late about orders, and they've revamped things this month, apparently, to get stuff done faster. we'll see how much longer it takes...

Plastichead are generally pretty cool people. I assume those terms are just to cover them legally. Contact them before you worry about anything.

Viva Hate are also known for being pretty slow.

Thanks guys, I'm less worried now...

All this vinyl stuff seems a lot of trouble.

All this vinyl stuff seems a lot of trouble.

Yeah, my thoughts exactly. First you hear everyone complaining about the quality and you don't know whether it'll be worth it, then you hear from people who are pretty glad about their purchase, then it makes you wonder if they know what they're talking about and whether you should change your mind Then, you have to order the damn things and wait desperately by the mailbox until they arrive, and if you don't like them, you're basically screwed and out of pocket a bunch of bucks.

I can't speak for anyone else, but I grew up listening to LPs... I still have most of the records that I've accumulated since I was 13. I remember when CDs came out, at first I was excited about the whole "no surface noise, you don't have to flip it over, and it never wears out!" hype... until I listened to one. Yes, it was very "clean" and "sterile" sounding, but it was also lifeless, thin, two-dimensional, and too "crisp" for my ears. I bought numerous CDs that at the time cost $15 versus the $9 that LPs cost, and ultimately ended up buying the LPs and getting rid of the CDs, because the difference in sound quality was that significant.

But eventually the labels abandoned vinyl, and for most of the 90's you couldn't find anything on vinyl in the US. Then around 5 years ago it started to make a small bit of a comeback, and of course talking heads will debate the reasons why, but I was just glad to see the format available again. HOWEVER, the problem with the return is that for the most part it is still a boutique thing, something targeted at collectors more so than at audiophiles, so you get alot of picture discs and stuff that has just been copied over from the CD master rather than LPs that are made from high-definition masters and so on. These same boutique marketers realized quickly enough that you can make a 180-gram LP of anything, charge $25+ for it, and people will buy it. I'm just hoping that eventually the industry will start to take vinyl a little more seriously as a music format, not just a collectible commodity like t-shirts, etc...

I ordered Devin's LPs for a few reasons: (1) nostalgia over the vinyl format, (2)hoping that this will encourage Devin to release all of his future stuff on vinyl, (2b)hoping that if he does, his future releases will be made from high-def master tracks, (3)there were a couple that I had only as MP3s, I was going to buy the CDs anyway, so I may as well spend a few dollars more for the vinyl, (4)collectability and cover art... there are probably more, but this time around I'm honestly not expecting the sound quality to be any improvement over the CDs. Hopefully I will be pleasantly surprised, but even if not, I won't regret my purchase as much as I would regret seeing them come and go and not getting them...

Meanwhile I'm dreaming of a vinyl version of Deconstruction, mastered directly from Devin's original source tracks, and made available through HevyDevy just like the cd, and for a reasonable price...

That's interesting as I have the box set and recently re-listened to A Blessing In Disguise and it sounded spectacular. Much, much better than the CD.

that was the one he wasn't sure about, as it was pressed by The End Records and they just used copies of that pressing. glad to hear they did a fine job on it (i'm pretty sure The End usually do). i don't suppose you own Light of Day, Day of Darkness on vinyl? it's only included in the box, and it was the selling point for me.

also, i ordered the Agalloch Wooden Box set - Viva Hate are being very slow about saying anything, but i was expecting this after reading reviews of their business practices. will drop a detailed review if anyone wants to read it.

as for Dev vinyl, i'm hoping Devy can push Century Media to do vinyl right for the first time ever, and also supply them with proper files for pressing each side. i know there probably isn't much emphasis on the format for Dev, but i know he wants to make quality products, and the fact is that CM don't usually do that for vinyl.

and for god's sake, would people stop making picture discs?!

I do have Light of Day, Day of Darkness on vinyl as it was included on the box but I haven't listened to it in years. As for Viva Hate, I have their Enslaved box-set and that sounds fantastic. I didn't bother ordering the Agalloch one as I have all of their albums on vinyl bar Pale Folklore and didn't think it was worth it as such. And yeah, they take a while to release things Have patience as it's worth it.

All this vinyl stuff seems a lot of trouble.

Yeah, my thoughts exactly. First you hear everyone complaining about the quality and you don't know whether it'll be worth it, then you hear from people who are pretty glad about their purchase, then it makes you wonder if they know what they're talking about and whether you should change your mind Then, you have to order the damn things and wait desperately by the mailbox until they arrive, and if you don't like them, you're basically screwed and out of pocket a bunch of bucks.

If you like big cover art and coloured wax, it's worth the purchase. One thing I cannot take away from BOB is that they produce quality jackets and the overall package is aesthetically pleasing. However, playing the records will not blow your mind. They sound warmer and less sterile than the CD's but you could easily achieve the same effect with a quality D/A converter playing the CD's.
I broke down and bought them simply because I'm hoping Dev see's some coin from it. I certainly didn't buy them to support Back on Black. I hope when Inside Out does Terria and Ocean Machine that they do a better job. At the very least, they can't do any worse.
I would also love it if someone at Century Media got a fucking clue and used a decent pressing facility for their albums. I've not seen the City pressing as I mentioned my experience with CM's customer service earlier in this thread. If Chickenfeather and TNB get vinyl treatments, I will be equally as wary.

Please chime in Dev and let us know if you provided Inside Out with any masters...

[swervedriver]

If his back catalogue isn't re-released on cassette tape I'm not interested.

[Octillus]

If his back catalogue isn't re-released on cassette tape I'm not interested.

What, you don't have the Sit in the Mountain 8-Track/Gramophone deluxe set?

I preferred the artwork on the wax cylinder release.

You guys all have the short end of the stick.
Theremin is where it's at!