STACK #204 Oct 2021

MUSIC FEATURE

CHART Vinyl

SO, WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH 180GM VINYL?

W e’ve all seen the stickers emblazoned across records in the vinyl stands at JB, but what does it mean, and does it make a difference to the playback? From the 1950s through to late ‘60s/early ‘70s, vinyl weight was generally between 120 and 140grams. However, an oil crisis in 1973 put pressure on record production through the lack of raw materials and consequently, vinyl weight was further reduced. By the late 80s, record companies, entranced by the increase of popularity and convenience of CDs, sought to reduce the cost of producing vinyl, and the records became even thinner ( STACK ’s got vinyl from that period that comes in close to 90grams).

Along with limited edition- coloured pressings, a subject we covered last month, 180gram vinyl is often the go-to for reissues now. There’s a misconception that a 180gram record will sound better. Without getting bogged down with the technical details, the standard used to cut grooves on the record surface remains the same on 180gram vinyl as it does on 120- gram vinyl; it isn’t dictated by vinyl thickness. Any significant variation in sound quality will depend on who mastered it and where, what audio source was used, and where it was pressed. However, there are benefits to 180gram vinyl. They are more durable with greater resistance to damage. Being a more heavy-duty

thickness means records pressed at 180 grams are more resistant to warping than more conventional weights. Heavier vinyl will also help protect your stylus from vibrations and lastly, they just feel so much better in the hand. Overall, the quality of a reissue is down to the quality of the pressing. If the album you’re chasing happens to be 180 grams, consider it a bonus.

1. OLIVIA RODRIGO Sour 2. IRON MAIDEN Senjutsu 3. LORDE Solar Power 4. AMYL & THE SNIFFERS Comfort To Me 5. HALSEY If I Can't Have Love I Want Power 6. CHVRCHES Screen Violence 7. HARRY STYLES Fine Line 8. HARRY STYLES Harry Styles 9. TYLER, THE CREATOR Igor 10. VARIOUS, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Awesome Mix Vol. 1

SPIDERBAIT IVY AND THE BIG APPLES (1997) Aussie alterna-rock was at its zenith in the mid-1990s, and perennial Big Day Out show-

stealers Spiderbait were amongst its finest exponents. Ivy and the Big Apples , their third album, landed just a year after The Unfinished Spanish Galleon of Finley Lake , and was packed with killer belters – seven of them certainly not outstaying their welcomes by clocking in at under two minutes. One of these brief but brilliant blasts was the album’s first single, the band’s dig at their record label in mosh-filling

PRINCE 1999 (1982) Remastered Purple Vinyl The catalyst for Prince’s total ascension to pop monarchy came by way of a double album he not only wrote and arranged but also produced. With 1999 he retained the funk, soul and groove he had become synonymous with, and added synthesizers and drum machines. From this electronic studio, experimentation would emerge three excellent crossover songs: 1999 , Little Red Corvette and Delirious . With these, Prince unlocked the gates of mainstream success and reshaped the direction of pop in the process. TOP TRACK: 1999 FAST FACT: 1999 was the first album that Prince recorded with his band The Revolution.

fuzz monster Buy Me a Pony , which bumped up against the likes of perfect quiet-LOUD pop slice Calypso , and acoustic anti-d-ckhead observation Goin’ Off – just three of nine tracks on side one alone. There’s nobody else like Spiderbait. TOP TRACK: Buy Me a Pony FAST FACT: Buy Me a Pony landed emphatically at number one in the 1996 Triple J Hottest 100 – the first Australian song to ever do so.

On The Record Radar

OUT 29/10

OUT 5/11

SPICE GIRLS SPICE 25TH-ANNIVERSARY EDITION AVAILABLE IN ZOETROPE PICTURE DISC VINYL, BABY PINK VINYL, SPORTY YELLOW VINYL, GINGER ROSE VINYL, SCARY LIGHT GREEN VINYL, AND POSH RED VINYL

RADIOHEAD KID A MNESIA 3LP TRIPLE ALBUM RELEASE: KID A, AMNESIAC, KID AMNESIAE AVAILABLE ON BLACK VINYL

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