Diggin' The Crates: The Reissue Question

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Reissues are always controversial in vinyl-collecting circles. The true purist never buys reissued records (or such is the rhetoric). But of course, unless you've got a nearly unlimited budget, there are some records you simply won't be able to own without compromising your principles a little. So, where do you draw the line?

The Brand-New Reissue

When I first started making a serious effort to collect vinyl - about six years ago, when I was 18 - I happened across this Sun Ra LP [Fig. 1] for $10. I knew enough to know that this is a relatively obscure LP that is very difficult indeed to find, but I didn't know that such records were available as reissues. I quickly put two and two together, but I bought the record anyway - it's a classic.

I didn't think any more of it until I showed the record to a friend, who's very much a purist. He scoffed - he'd never buy a reissue, much less a brand new, sealed reissue like the one I had. For some reason, the new, sealed reissue is at the bottom of the totem pole. Let it get beat up and scratched a little, sell it for half the price, and it's suddenly OK. Don't ask me why.

Anyway, I was crushed. For months, I avoided sealed reissues like the plague, though I still bought used reissues from the 70s and 80s. Every time I came across a sealed reissue, I thought about this exchange. Eventually I came to the conclusion that it made very little sense. I was limiting the scope of my music library for no reason. So, I began buying sealed reissues in certain cases.

When to Buy Reissues

Each collector has slightly different rules on this matter. Here are mine:

1. Buy reissues when nothing else is available: Sometimes, there may be a record you really, really want. Unfortunately, a used (or better yet original) copy of that record may simply be impossible to find at any price. I've never seen a non-sealed copy of Dorothy Ashby's Hip Harp [Fig. 2] anywhere, online or otherwise. In this case, I'll go ahead and buy a sealed reissue.
2. Buy reissues when your budget demands it: When I lived in San Diego, I used to make regular trips to LA to visit Amoeba Records. They had a copy of an early Rahsaan Roland Kirk LP framed on the wall, priced at $1000. Realistically, I'm never going to spend this much on a record - so if I want that record, I'll need to buy a reissue.

The bottom line is that I try not to buy reissues when an original isn't totally out of my price range. Part of the mystique of the LP is its individual history: if you buy a used record, you can think about all the hands it passed through to get to you. I'll pay a little more for that special feeling.

You'll often find a used reissue from 10 or 20 years ago, or whatever, that's less than a new, sealed reissue. I always buy these if I can't afford the original. I'm more interested in the mystique of the used record than I am in the shiny new cover of a sealed copy.

UPDATE

Two more important considerations (thanks Dennis):

1. Some newer records are pressed from cheaper, lighter-weight polystyrene instead of actual polyvinyl chloride (the real stuff). The sound you'll get from polystyrene pressings is inferior to that from true vinyl, though it's still better than digital. If you are buying newer records, look for heavy-duty 180 gram pressings - they're probably safe.
2. Many reissues are digitally remastered. Look for the acronym "AAD" (analog-analog-digital) - many reissues, particularly from larger labels, will have this SPARS code on them. Digital mastering does affect the sound of a recording. Essentially, an AAD record combines all the worst characteristics of vinyl and compact disc into one fragile, unwieldy package.

Of course, sometimes you'll find a drastically undervalued original in a thrift store and get your hands on a real gem that you couldn't afford otherwise. So, do your homework, and keep on digging!

Cross-posted from ListenInMusic.com.

Read more articles in the "Diggin' the Crates" series.

© 2008 Evan Mix for Listen In. Some rights reserved.

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