Hawkwind + BOC +any Vinyl lovers-POWER-(blog)

[mike coleman]

a gift . I hope.
here is what God allowed me to "unlock" with the brain I was dealt.
what most people think is "needle-wear" on records actually is not.
what I am about to say IMHO is worth a MILLION+
the absolute KEY to "working down a diamond mine" is this:
*PAPER SLEEVES MUST DIE*
*they are the worst enemy. Paper sleeves cause "microfine" scratches from
the instant you remove your LP the very first time. The most important thing
to ever do is to replace the paper sleeve IMMEDIATELY with a proper
Japaneese one. Tne plastic ones sometimes used will work temporarily, but
are not up to Hawkwind (at least) standards and you want to find a source
for and use ACTUAL Japaneese sleeves (unless these sleeves are manufactured
elsewhere since my first death in 2002)*
*Next, some records when new sound like a CD, and some records sound like a
fireplace brand new. Don't sweat it, simply enjoy and keep them exactly as
they came. Louder "rock" passages are almost always fine, it's records like
Nik's Sphnyx, and Adrian Wagner's Distances that can cause insanity...*
*Record cleaning machines are overdone and from my experience leave a slight
film on the records that takes another miracle of intelligence to overcome.*
*The next gift.....with a preface....if your records need more than what I
am about to say, chances are you want to scrap it and buy a new one.*
*Your warm breath is the ULTIMATE record cleaner.....with a soft (and I do
mean soft) record cloth (I used Radio Shack record cloths here in USA) you
can clean entire record sides, just takes a little work, but only needs
doing once......otherwise you simply "spot clean" fingerprints and such with
it. (with your breath)*
*You need a turntable that is at least "entry level" to high-end....as of
2002 this means "bare-bones", which in turn means no mechanisms to return
phono-arm, etc. The decent table will insure the needle rides properly in
the grooves and won't wear improperly, etc*
*Try to wash/keep hands clean so you don't get fingerprints on black labels,
etc.....but that is not such a big deal..right?*
*store your LP's in resealable Japaneese (get the good ones) outer
sleeves..these are nice and crystal clear........*
*Take rings off your right (or left) hand if you are going to go
"dedicated-vinyl" so you don't bump sleeve edges going in and out of cover.*
*With Hawkwind, you'll probably want a minimum of 4 lp's of everything for
various reasons, but I suggest keeping your mintest jackets in the Jap
outers, and just put them in eyeshot when you play (part of the magic, CD
covers become lost at very short distance), and if you are drinking beer,
don't take it out to look, use a back-up sleeve so your moist fingers don't
touch the cover.*
*practice NEVER fumbling or dropping an LP....this is your WORST NIGHTMARE,
however if the space is carpeted you might escape ......*
*If you ever get scratches and you pay me, I might be willing to talk
further (kidding)*
*I was able to remove accidental scratches I put on a DRN Lp, and a Hawkwind
german test-press (wear them down below audible)*
*and as I go, I offer you this.....guess what the BEST Hawkwind 45's
are??????    USA ones*
*for some reason, we got the hi-fi on the 45's the best....the USA HW
singles are the most powerful to listen to and enjoy, so you'll be needeing
tons of these, and especisally since they come in about 3 pressings each. If
you have the USA ATCO "Motorhead", the actual stock single, not the promo
with 2 KOS's, you've got yourself something precious..that one is HARD!!!!
I had 2 pressings of it...both sweet copies*
*and futher, an apology to Hawkwind, it was not they whom sold out or became
corrupt,  it was you, "Johnny buying public", whom all-too-appeased with
your digital trading-cards, abandoned vinyl and made the demand so low that
HW fizzled them out.*
*and further, a last gift to some, I hope....one of the last vinyls issued
was a 180 gram copy of ISOS........you want this........you'll have to play
it to find out why.........*
*hope I help 1 person*
*wish I could play*
*mike*
*ps-if you happen to be pursuing the rare german LP of "castle masters
collection"...BEWARE!!! this LP comes stuck in the paper sleeve badly, and I
had to "cut" my copies out...I never got one perfect.....there is a sealed
one left for me.......if I someday do vinyl again......OH AND YOU HAVE TO
BUY AND USE A CARBON FIBER BRUSH, which gently "lifts" the dust off your LP
sides prior to blast-off.*