Vinyl Me Please (store, exclusives, swaps, etc)

MikeH said:
I dunno...I have VERY wide ranging tastes in music. I just don't need every mediocre title they put out on vinyl for the price they charge. I think it's great that @NathanRicaud gets excited about the titles. When VMP gets it right, they really get it right in my opinion. They have pressed quite a lot of titles that I was glad they introduced me to. Sometimes I buy their pressings, other times I seek out other copies or just listen to them on streaming a lot.

I like the Meters. But do I need their 4th or 5th best album on vinyl for $35+? Classics is still the best track by far for me but even that track has releases that I don't get excited about.

As for the Grizzly Bear--that album rules. I think it's a good record for autumn -- I'm hoping that GZ doesn't screw it up. I have a feeling that it might be in the store/swaps for a bit if every other 2006-2010 indie release they have done is any indication so you could always swap it for credit for now and change picking it up later if you are still undecided.
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Don't get me wrong I get the price argument. But it's a curation service, they have 48 titles per year. At a certain point, if you're disappointed in the vast majority of their picks, then it's probably just not the service for you.
I have a super diverse taste in music (honestly way too diverse) and between that and my job taking up so much time, I don't have quite as much time for my own music discovery so I really enjoy their picks and they have introduced me to many many many albums I wouldnt have listened to otherwise. I think this service/curation is aimed more to folks like me or more passive folks who just get their album in each month without thinking too much of it.
Folks on this board seem to have a vast knowledge of Music both old and current, as well as much more time to curate their own collections (no hate there, I'm envious of both). But I can't see any ongoing curation service keeping folks completely happy for long.
 
wynn72 said:
Agree to disagree since I don't fit that description at all and have been very happy with my membership (curation wise).
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I mean they just don’t curate those things and the ratio of American to non American is stark even considering they’re US based. In particular their 80s and punk/post punk blind spot was a running joke in the last forum and nothing has changed! If they’re hitting other areas of your taste then perhaps I can see you being happy and maybe you are just buying that stuff elsewhere?
 
wynn72 said:
Don't get me wrong I get the price argument. But it's a curation service, they have 48 titles per year. At a certain point, if you're disappointed in the vast majority of their picks, then it's probably just not the service for you.
I have a super diverse taste in music (honestly way too diverse) and between that and my job taking up so much time, I don't have quite as much time for my own music discovery so I really enjoy their picks and they have introduced me to many many many albums I wouldnt have listened to otherwise. I think this service/curation is aimed more to folks like me or more passive folks who just get their album in each month without thinking too much of it.
Folks on this board seem to have a vast knowledge of Music both old and current, as well as much more time to curate their own collections (no hate there, I'm envious of both). But I can't see any ongoing curation service keeping folks completely happy for long.
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Yea--it's definitely not tailored to me anymore. I pop in and out if they release something in Classics I want like Lee Morgan but I don't blindly let them curate music for me. I think their curation just used to be way better + more interesting. Seems like now that they have gotten so big and added so many tracks, they either choose safer picks that they think will sell or are stuck with getting 4th or 5th best albums in a band/artist's discography because labels have wisened up. Sometimes those are still great albums. More often than not, I don't need them on vinyl. Price hike definitely took the wind out of the sails for me and lots of others especially since there has been no tangible benefit for raising the prices. For the price, I can just pick up an AP33 pressing or Speakers Corner, or any number of other well-pressed records and still expand the ol musical horizons.

I'll probably still pick up VMP stuff from time to time. And I'll still stream the albums they choose each month to see if any pique my interest. But I think the fine folks on this forum have been better at recommending music I actually like and want to own physical copies of, along with what pressings are great and available still. I understand that VMP isn't going to please all the people all of the time. And I think you are right that it's more suited for people who have the disposable income but don't have the time to always try to find new music or recommendations on their own.
 
VMP was a great option for me the past couple of years because I had just got into the hobby and they were pressing a lot of stuff I needed in my collection. But with the price increase, the string of QC issues and needing to be more selective with what gets added to my collection, I’ve been naturally pulling back bit by bit.

I’m in for all three Classics along with Clipse and Gram Parsons (against my better judgment). But I can understand the lukewarm/negative reactions to these next three months. Especially since so many people have been burned with this GZ crap.
 
Joe Mac said:
I mean they just don’t curate those things and the ratio of American to non American is stark even considering they’re US based. In particular their 80s and punk/post punk blind spot was a running joke in the last forum and nothing has changed! If they’re hitting other areas of your taste then perhaps I can see you being happy and maybe you are just buying that stuff elsewhere?
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Yeah, I know what I'm going to get at this point from VMP. I'll get my punk/post-punk elsewhere, just like I did most of my Country before they picked it up this year.

The thing is they're never going to make everyone happy, for everyone complaining about them pressing the "4th most popular album of an artist", you then see complaints when the most popular is pressed with "why not choose something that hasnt been pressed in while"?
There are folks who want obscure artists and there are folks who want them pressing Classic Rock every month...

It's impossible to please everyone but for what they are, the hits are far far greater than the misses for me and they have introduced me to alot of music I wasn't familiar with before, which is all I can expect out of a service like this (Curation wise. I in agreement with all in the GZ fucking sucks department)
 
wynn72 said:
Yeah, I know what I'm going to get at this point from VMP. I'll get my punk/post-punk elsewhere, just like I did most of my Country before they picked it up this year.

The thing is they're never going to make everyone happy, for everyone complaining about them pressing the "4th most popular album of an artist", you then see complaints when the most popular is pressed with "why not choose something that hasnt been pressed in while"?
There are folks who want obscure artists and there are folks who want them pressing Classic Rock every month...

It's impossible to please everyone but for what they are, the hits are far far greater than the misses for me and they have introduced me to alot of music I wasn't familiar with before, which is all I can expect out of a service like this (Curation wise. I in agreement with all in the GZ fucking sucks department)
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Sounds like you are all set then! I am happy you have found a curation service that fits your needs and lifestyle.
 
Anyone have a feel or idea for when the other tracks might open back up? I'm on Essentials now, but desperately want to switch back to Classics. I don't like my odds of being able to swap for the Classics release next month. Has anyone paid attention to when these tracks open and close in the past?
 
wynn72 said:
Yeah, I know what I'm going to get at this point from VMP. I'll get my punk/post-punk elsewhere, just like I did most of my Country before they picked it up this year.

The thing is they're never going to make everyone happy, for everyone complaining about them pressing the "4th most popular album of an artist", you then see complaints when the most popular is pressed with "why not choose something that hasnt been pressed in while"?
There are folks who want obscure artists and there are folks who want them pressing Classic Rock every month...

It's impossible to please everyone but for what they are, the hits are far far greater than the misses for me and they have introduced me to alot of music I wasn't familiar with before, which is all I can expect out of a service like this (Curation wise. I in agreement with all in the GZ fucking sucks department)
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I suppose it’s more just that you look at it and the people choosing it and I see very little divergence in taste or, particularly, experience. It really feels like a bunch of like minds picking well within their comfort zones. I can see how it as a concept could he so much better with a wider mix of taste and experience and I don’t think it’s invalid or unfair to point that out. The fact that they are happy to remain lazy and complacent within their comfort zone is one of the many reasons I’d only, increasingly rarely, dip in and never want to remain.
 
jbspaulding said:
Anyone have a feel or idea for when the other tracks might open back up? I'm on Essentials now, but desperately want to switch back to Classics. I don't like my odds of being able to swap for the Classics release next month. Has anyone paid attention to when these tracks open and close in the past?
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I was able to add a swap track a few days ago before swaps opened up. It wasn't classics though...but I bet people swap out every month and spots open up during swaps. I went on a few minutes before 12 and was able to swap out essentials add-on for classics if i wanted so you may be okay doing that.
 
MikeH said:
I dunno...I have VERY wide ranging tastes in music. I just don't need every mediocre title they put out on vinyl for the price they charge. I think it's great that @NathanRicaud gets excited about the titles. When VMP gets it right, they really get it right in my opinion. They have pressed quite a lot of titles that I was glad they introduced me to. Sometimes I buy their pressings, other times I seek out other copies or just listen to them on streaming a lot.

I like the Meters. But do I need their 4th or 5th best album on vinyl for $35+? Classics is still the best track by far for me but even that track has releases that I don't get excited about.

As for the Grizzly Bear--that album rules. I think it's a good record for autumn -- I'm hoping that GZ doesn't screw it up. I have a feeling that it might be in the store/swaps for a bit if every other 2006-2010 indie release they have done is any indication so you could always swap it for credit for now and change picking it up later if you are still undecided.
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Totally with your thinking for the most part and in the past, I have been repeatedly critical of their penchant for picking B and C tier albums of great artists, but Rejuvenation is essential! Fuck VMP, but don't sleep on that album. You may be able to get an original TML pressing for cheaper.

Genuinely curious to see your Meters ranking and/or if you have any recommendations for attainable good pressings as my vinyl collection of theirs is lacking outside of Rejuvenation and sort of In The Right Place and Tchoupitoulas.
 
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dhodo said:
Totally with your thinking for the most part and in the past, I have been repeatedly critical of their penchant for picking B and C tier albums of great artists, but Rejuvenation is essential! Fuck VMP, but don't sleep on that album. You may be able to get an original TML pressing for cheaper.

Genuinely curious to see your Meters ranking and/or if you have any recommendations for attainable good pressings as my vinyl collection of theirs is lacking outside of Rejuvenation and Tchoupitoulas.
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I don't think Rejuvenation is a bad album. It's just not my favorite. Kinda depends on the day....but I think Look-Ka Py Py is my favorite of theirs. I also really like their self-titled as well as Struttin'. Rejuvenation is 3rd or 4th favorite for me. I do need to give Rejuvenation another listen but I remember not liking it as much as their others.

As for attainable pressings, sadly don't have too many of their records. I've gone for CD rips of theirs instead. I do have some 45s that are in my jukebox but clean original LPs are hard to find (especially for cheap). For some reason they haven't had their entire discography reissued. The only one that DOES have a solid recent reissue is Rejuvenation, which was done by MOV. That's part of the reason why I'm a little annoyed they chose it over the other titles. You can pick up the MOV for around $25 shipped.

Maybe they will do some of the other titles as exclusives but I think it's probably a stretch...
 
Thankfully after a night of quiet contemplation I have decided to dump Very Meaty Pizza again. The next 3 Classics are not must haves, I don't want to chance getting gizzed on with the Meters pressing, and I found a new copy of Gram for almost 1/3 the price VMP wants ($23 cdn vs $63Cdn). So there might be a Johnny Cash in the swaps in a few minutes.
 
jamieanderson1968 said:
Thankfully after a night of quiet contemplation I have decided to dump Very Meaty Pizza again. The next 3 Classics are not must haves, I don't want to chance getting gizzed on with the Meters pressing, and I found a new copy of Gram for almost 1/3 the price VMP wants ($23 cdn vs $63Cdn). So there might be a Johnny Cash in the swaps in a few minutes.
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If you want the Meters, can try for the MOV! Not sure prices in CA but it’s fairly cheap stateside
 
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