Some comments on this thread reminded me of a problem I have digging through used vinyl - especially classical and jazz (and I didn't want to hijack the thread).
Does anyone have some general guidelines on what recordings to watch for (even one or two tips)? With so many different labels out there (at least to me), I run into problems when I come across 4 different recordings of, say, La Boheme or any given symphony or other classical recording. Ideally I would listen to them all, but it just isn't practical. This leads to potentially irrational decisions; since I don't have anything to go on, I'll sometimes buy whichever one talks about their hi-fi process more (which I seriously doubt is a good indicator), or the one with better packaging.
Are there certain labels, eras (of recording), or other factors that can be used as general guidelines? I'm sure any set of guidelines will have plenty of exceptions and caveats (bad recordings from usually good labels, and vice versa), but it would be useful for someone just starting out. I'm not interested in "collector's items" per se, but good-sounding recordings. If anyone knows of a blog or other online guide, that would be great. Otherwise, please chime in if you have a little tidbit of information from your experience (e.g. "recordings by X show up a lot, and are generally pretty good").
Thanks!
Some comments on this thread reminded me of a problem I have digging through used vinyl - especially classical and jazz (and I didn't want to hijack the thread).
Does anyone have some general guidelines on what recordings to watch for (even one or two tips)? With so many different labels out there (at least to me), I run into problems when I come across 4 different recordings of, say, La Boheme or any given symphony or other classical recording. Ideally I would listen to them all, but it just isn't practical. This leads to potentially irrational decisions; since I don't have anything to go on, I'll sometimes buy whichever one talks about their hi-fi process more (which I seriously doubt is a good indicator), or the one with better packaging.
Are there certain labels, eras (of recording), or other factors that can be used as general guidelines? I'm sure any set of guidelines will have plenty of exceptions and caveats (bad recordings from usually good labels, and vice versa), but it would be useful for someone just starting out. I'm not interested in "collector's items" per se, but good-sounding recordings. If anyone knows of a blog or other online guide, that would be great. Otherwise, please chime in if you have a little tidbit of information from your experience (e.g. "recordings by X show up a lot, and are generally pretty good").
Thanks!