Reasons to be cheerful

[Roger Webb]

Used to get a lot of French record pressings like that. Only DG and EMI could ever really be relied on. The former always seemed to pressed to a very high standard - worth the premium prices . Decca and CBS less so and Supraphon , Vox etc not all good,

You've just about summed up my experience of the various labels' pressing quality.

DG German pressings were unfailingly better than those pressed in England. Part of the same Polygram group were Decca and Philips, both of which were better pressed in Holland than England....you mention Decca, I presume the less good ones were New Malden pressings.

New Malden (Decca's plant) also pressed Lyrita LPs - of the 130 odd titles produced I have 97 (the stereos started at SRCS 31 so only really 100). I bought all of Lyrita's remaining stock when they discontinued LPs, and so had a chance to compare Decca NM (New Malden...not Near Mint!!) pressings against the later remasterings and pressings by Nimbus (you can spot Nimbus pressings by the tiny lozenge on the 'dead wax'). The Nimbus are unfailingly better....this gave me the opportunity to replace the poor pressings I had with pristine ones - I advertised the rest in Gramophone and they were bought by a New York dealer who sold them for $80 each!

EMI Hayes pressings were usually poor - so much so that in the early 80s EMI switched their manufacture to Hamburg and experimented with the DMM (Direct Metal Mastering) process, producing some of the best sounding silent pressings ever. I have made a special collection of many of these....and I'm still adding to them!

All in all British pressings were poor compared with continental ones - you didn't mention RCA, many of which were pressed in either Hamburg (DMM eg Gold Seal reissues) or Rome, both better than British pressings.

Don't get me started on CD pressing quality!

[gradus]

Going back to the early seventies and my time in a record company I have reason to be modestly thankful to all those who returned LPs (Philips/DGG) because of pressing faults, often minor. The discs ended up in a storeroom from which I occasionally chose what I fancied, often box sets. I still have a number and ought to get round to giving them an airing.

[Ein Heldenleben]

You've just about summed up my experience of the various labels' pressing quality.

DG German pressings were unfailingly better than those pressed in England. Part of the same Polygram group were Decca and Philips, both of which were better pressed in Holland than England....you mention Decca, I presume the less good ones were New Malden pressings.

New Malden (Decca's plant) also pressed Lyrita LPs - of the 130 odd titles produced I have 97 (the stereos started at SRCS 31 so only really 100). I bought all of Lyrita's remaining stock when they discontinued LPs, and so had a chance to compare Decca NM (New Malden...not Near Mint!!) pressings against the later remasterings and pressings by Nimbus (you can spot Nimbus pressings by the tiny lozenge on the 'dead wax'). The Nimbus are unfailingly better....this gave me the opportunity to replace the poor pressings I had with pristine ones - I advertised the rest in Gramophone and they were bought by a New York dealer who sold them for $80 each!

EMI Hayes pressings were usually poor - so much so that in the early 80s EMI switched their manufacture to Hamburg and experimented with the DMM (Direct Metal Mastering) process, producing some of the best sounding silent pressings ever. I have made a special collection of many of these....and I'm still adding to them!

All in all British pressings were poor compared with continental ones - you didn't mention RCA, many of which were pressed in either Hamburg (DMM eg Gold Seal reissues) or Rome, both better than British pressings.

Don't get me started on CD pressing quality!

If I remember aright some Decca Opera pressings were ok , the bargain sub labels less so. Most of my EMI discs are post 1980. From the mid seventies I largely bought DG with the odd EMI / Decca opera . I wonder whether opera discs were favoured as opera buffs tend to be fussy. I didn’t have to take any discs back,

[Roger Webb]

Used to get a lot of French record pressings like that.,

If you want to see a French pressing plant in action c. 1962 , watch the short Francois Truffaut film Antoine et Collette, in which Antoine is employed in the Paris Philips plant, and we see him pressing a record (no wonder they were poor). Film is good for inside shots of Salle Pleyel too - the editing to Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique is fabulous!

[Roger Webb]

If I remember aright some Decca Opera pressings were ok , the bargain sub labels less so. Most of my EMI discs are post 1980. From the mid seventies I largely bought DG with the odd EMI / Decca opera . I wonder whether opera discs were favoured as opera buffs tend to be fussy. I didn’t have to take any discs back,

I have a large collection of opera on Lp, including for example all the Decca Britten series, mostly later pressings, and mostly OK, although I was shocked the first time I played Death in Venice as there were two Lp 1s and no Lp 2. a not uncommon fault, also with CD sets!

I can't say that I've noticed variations in pressing quality across the genres - I have many Callas EMIs which are as poor as the orchestral pressings of the period - by the way the later EMIs with the dog and trumpet and top black-bottom red hemicircle label were markedly better than the all-over red 'postage stamp' labels, in my experience.

As far as DGs go, I'd love to try some of the Original Source vinyl that Berlin is putting out, as I have many of the first pressings...but the cost puts me off!

[LMcD]

BBC News website currently features a performance of 'Myfanwy' by Channel 4 News presenter Ciaran Jenkins (cello) and the BBC's Russia Editor Steve Rosenberg (piano) - absolutely delightful!

[smittims]

Like gradus, above, I have found some splendid Lps in second-hand shops, in virtually mint condition at knock down prices, because of some minor pressing fault whichI don't mind, often on only one of six otherwise perfect sides! .

[gradus]

A sunny day with warmth sufficient to tempt the cat outside. Perhaps not quite dry and warm enough to plant veggies but getting there.

[vinteuil]

.

... after the latest regular indignity of the bowel cancer screening test, a letter from the NHS that I do not need the unpleasantness of a colonoscopy

. having had a fall on the pavement which skewed my spectacles, a visit to my friendly Boots opticians - who sorted them out - for no fee

.

[cria]

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. having had a fall on the pavement which skewed my spectacles, a visit to my friendly Boots opticians - who sorted them out - for no fee

.

I achieved the same about a month ago, scraping my face quite bloodily on carpark tarmac.

Drove home delayed by closed bridge to find 2 policemen waiting in my courtyard to tell me that I'd been reported and politely asked if I had I killed my wife (she was shopping) ... If only ...

[Quarky]

On the subject of falls, I was out slow jogging last November, when I fell unexpectedly. I heard a 'click' on my left side and had great difficulty getting up. Managed to get to my local hospital, who advised I needed to get to a larger hospital. Luckily I was able to drive, and eventually arrived in the A&E of Barnet General Hospital. After some hours I was X-rayed, and the hospital gave judgement. The bad news was that I had fractured my hip. The good news was that they would give me a new one first thing in the morning. I didn't feel I could refuse the offer and they were as good as their word.

After a day or so, they let me go home with a taxi full of paraphernalia and pills. Again - for no fee! God bless NHS!

I count that as a reason to be cheerful.

[teamsaint]

On the subject of falls, I was out slow jogging last November, when I fell unexpectedly. I heard a 'click' on my left side and had great difficulty getting up. Managed to get to my local hospital, who advised I needed to get to a larger hospital. Luckily I was able to drive, and eventually arrived in the A&E of Barnet General Hospital. After some hours I was X-rayed, and the hospital gave judgement. The bad news was that I had fractured my hip. The good news was that they would give me a new one first thing in the morning. I didn't feel I could refuse the offer and they were as good as their word.

After a day or so, they let me go home with a taxi full of paraphernalia and pills. Again - for no fee! God bless NHS!

I count that as a reason to be cheerful.

Blimey
Getting even a GP appointment round here is a really quite difficult , and certainly not encouraged by the so -called super practice who run Salisbury primary care like a personal fiefdom.

How did the op go ? Is a return to slow jogging a possibility ?
Anyway, good news indeed.

[Quarky]

Blimey
Getting even a GP appointment round here is a really quite difficult , and certainly not encouraged by the so -called super practice who run Salisbury primary care like a personal fiefdom.

How did the op go ? Is a return to slow jogging a possibility ?
Anyway, good news indeed.

Thanks for your good wishes, teamsaint. Well, the 2 hour op went very well. I didn't feel a thing, but I was probably dosed up with morphine. The after care and physio has been excellent. I have spells of walking normally without a limp but my leg tires easily. Treadmill at the gym, and my Yoga teacher is giving me some free lessons to reset my daily practice.

No, no more jogging. The big take home is that I must act my age (79) and leave sporty activities to younger folk!

[Serial_Apologist]

Thanks for your good wishes, teamsaint. Well, the 2 hour op went very well. I didn't feel a thing, but I was probably dosed up with morphine. The after care and physio has been excellent. I have spells of walking normally without a limp but my leg tires easily. Treadmill at the gym, and my Yoga teacher is giving me some free lessons to reset my daily practice.

No, no more jogging. The big take home is that I must act my age (79) and leave sporty activities to younger folk!

I'm 79 too. I had my heart attack 12 years ago, a stent implanted within a fortnight at King's College, and haven't dared running, jogging or anything faster than a fast walk ever since. During lockdown, booking arrangements at our local surgery were restricted to online. This restriction has never been retracted by revised notice, but within a few months people were able to enter the premises by ringing the bell outside the front entrance and waiting for a voice to say press the button to open the sliding door. Thinking that surely this must only be provided for patients with ready appointments, I did one day decide to chance it over a prescription mix-up. The door happened to have been left open; in I strolled and went up to the counter, where the charming receptionist proceeded to deal with my problem. I then tentatively asked if it would be OK to make an appointment to see one of the doctors, to which the reply was "no problem", and I went ahead. Having secured the visit (for within a week!) I ventured to say "I thought appointments could now only be made on line or by phoning first thing". "How did you make this appointment?" she then asked. "I came here" I said. "So, there's your answer" she said with a broad smile!

[teamsaint]

Thanks for your good wishes, teamsaint. Well, the 2 hour op went very well. I didn't feel a thing, but I was probably dosed up with morphine. The after care and physio has been excellent. I have spells of walking normally without a limp but my leg tires easily. Treadmill at the gym, and my Yoga teacher is giving me some free lessons to reset my daily practice.

No, no more jogging. The big take home is that I must act my age (79) and leave sporty activities to younger folk!

Glad to hear it all went well.. I think people do have differing reactions to operations. My mate needed a hip op quite badly, and he has returned to walking really well, but he says he doesn’t t quite have the “ give” in it that he used to. But it has been fantastic for him overall. Sensible about the jogging. Running / jogging is great, but walking is the vital thing.