First off, as this is my very first post, I’d like to give some context to this blog. My ambition here is to write the kind of record collecting blog that I wish I’d found when I started this journey. This blog will focuses on finding the best sounding vinyl pressings of rock, jazz, blues and classical records.

My observations and opinions are based on what I hear and personally get excited about. These observations are those of someone who simply loves music and will likely lack the more educated insights of a musician or more seasoned student of music. As a fan of great music, I hope this blog with appeal to other music fans who are passionate about great music pressed to vinyl.

I’ve been buying records since I was a kid growing up in Michigan. In fact, I still own the first record I ever bought, fittingly Michigan’s own Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band “Stranger In Town.” It still sounds great! But it wasn’t until very recently that I realized that while I bought a lot of records over the years, I wasn’t actually collecting.

The difference between someone who buys records and someone who collects is that the collector has reasons for buying a particular record that go beyond liking the music on the record. Of course, enjoying the music is important, but for a collector the music on the record might be of secondary importance. Some might be seeking out and buying a particular record for its “collectability,” with that collectability driven by it’s both its relative scarcity and its importance and place in history.

For instance, if a record is 20 or more years old and has maintained a certain level of public interest, there will generally be more than one pressing of the album. In fact, there will very often be several and sometimes many. Led Zeppelin’s first album has well over 400 versions including vinyl, cd and cassette (as well as 8-tracks!), but there are relatively few that a collector would want to own.

For this album and many others, the very first vinyl pressing is often considered the most collectible, and by some collectors, the best sounding. A first UK pressing of Led Zeppelin 1, for instance, can fetch well over $1,000 in good condition.

With less than 2000 copies of this album originally shipped and its iconic place in the lexicon of rock music, it’s no wonder the record is so valuable. But there’s another reason that this and other first pressings are so desirable. They are often thought to sound better.

Therefore collecting may be driven by not just a record’s scarcity, but also a collector’s desire to find the best sound possible for a particular piece of music. In this case the desirability of a particular record will be tied more to pressings that are believed to sound the best, rather than those that are the hardest to acquire. Although in some cases a particular record might be both scarce and also highly desirable for its sound.

Whether or not this “get the first pressing” approach is a reliable way to predict the sound quality of a particular record is highly debatable. As I’ve gained more experience collecting for good sound, I have in many cases found pressings as good or better than first pressings that are more affordable and  better sounding.

Buying a lot of first pressings of the albums I love has never been a sustainable approach to collecting for me. I can’t afford it, and since I don’t think I’ll ever part with the vast majority of my collection, I don’t see the point.

What matters most to me is finding a copy of record that sounds good and is engaging to listen to. To get such a copy, I’ve realized, doesn’t necessarily require spending a ton of money. There are some very affordable gems out there that, after a good cleaning, can be a truly satisfying listen.

For me, the joy of record collecting is finding great pressings of great albums, rare or otherwise, that sound wonderful and give me a new appreciation of the musicians and the music on them. This is why I’m so excited to be on this journey, and why I wanted to start this blog in the first place.

I look forward to sharing what I learn with other budding collectors and vinyl lovers.

Thanks for visiting The Broken Record!