This weekend’s Record Store Day exploits made me think a lot about why I’m not nearly as into buying records as I was from 2001 to 2008ish. I obviously still love records but with rejuvenated interest comes a slate of problems that make it significantly less fun than it used to be. A lot of this isn’t exactly news, but it’s a good summary as to how many labels are turning something that could give them years of revenue and instead screwing that up for a quick buck.

In theory, the fact that so many classic albums and singles have been reissued or even issued on vinyl for the first time should be something that excites the hell out of me, and to some degree it has. Being able to own every Deftones album along with albums by Hum, Far, Glassjaw and a ton of other bands I love is very cool.

The problem comes with other issues, which to list include forced scarcity, digital transfers, obnoxious gimmickry designed to gouge customers and the promotion of awful equipment to play back vinyl. Of these, the one that bothers me the most is the widespread acceptance, and even promotion of digitally remastered records. For records originally recorded using software and not analog equipment (recent releases), this is fine and really isn’t a problem, it’s the reissue of classic albums that were recorded on analog equipment that bother the hell out of me. Analog mastering is something done much less frequently than most vinyl fans realize, many classic albums are reissued using digital masters, completely defeating the purpose of vinyl.



There is no detailed data easily available measuring the releases of digital vs. analog masters, but it’s safe to say that the $35 180gram record you just purchased has an overwhelmingly large chance of being sourced from digital files.

The fact that the reissue is $35 creates another huge problem that will be faced in the future. Add to the high prices the fact that record labels go out of their way to release multiple versions with different colors and other gimmicks to milk every last penny of an artist’s die hard fans. An example of this would be one of the two bands that I have seriously collected for over 20 years, Deftones.

From 2010 to 2012, the Deftones catalog was released on vinyl. For the albums Adrenaline and Around The Fur, it marked the first time they were first commercially available on vinyl outside of an odd 2004 Picture Disc version of Adrenaline. Four different versions of Adrenaline, Around The Fur and White Pony along with three different versions of Deftones and Saturday Night Wrist were released. The band’s 2010 album Diamond Eyes had two different versions and their 2012 release Koi No Yokan had SIX different versions of the same album. Add to this the 2 versions of the 2009 Record Store Day 7″ of Diamond Eyes, the 2010 RSD release of Covers (actually only one version of this exists and it’s worth it), the three different 2013 RSD releases of Live: Vol. 1 and finally the 8 record box set collection from 2011.

Between the band’s inception in 1988 and 2008, they released 2 promo LPs and 5 commercially sold LPs, along with 6 7″ records. That is a total of 13 vinyl releases in 20 years, with some of them being for promotional use.

From 2009 to present there have been 29 different Deftones full length records released and add to that an 8 record boxset. For a somewhat completest fan such as myself, one would have to spend an extremely conservative estimate of $1000 to purchase all of these items. That estimate also does not include the markup for these releases if they are not purchased almost immediately.

I absolutely adore Deftones and they continue to be one of the few bands I still go out of my way to actively collect. During this period, I decided that the multiple versions of each release were insane and I lost the desire to be a completest fan as I felt taken advantage of. In addition to this, there is a treasure trove of Deftones releases that remain unreleased and available only as bootlegs. The band’s Like Linus demos, 1999 Live EP, 2001 Back 2 School EP, and 2005 B-Sides & Rarities compilations remain completely unreleased on vinyl. To continue, the band also has many singles that were never released as 7″ and at least 9 different B-Sides and cover songs have never been made on vinyl. Finally, the band’s unreleased album Eros still sits in limbo and may never see the light of day.

I realize the last few paragraphs were a bit extreme, but that’s because being extreme is the only way you can accurately keep up with your favorite band’s vinyl releases.

The other band I collect on the same level as Deftones would be Nine Inch Nails who have an even more extreme fanbase when it comes to collecting. Since NIN’s inception they have used a clever labeling system of “halo numbers” to identify a release’s place in the band’s catalog, it also encouraged fans to collect of the halos.

Despite this halo numbering system, NIN vinyl releases and reissues are sporadic at best and this is due to their various label changes and legalities. The band’s debut album has 12 different vinyl versions, but half of those were released when the album came out in 1989. Their most popular album, The Downward Spiral has 10 versions with only two versions released since 2008.

Their 1992 EP Broken has 8 versions with it’s companion piece Fixed having 3, both releases have been completely out of print since their original release year. The EP/Remix Albums from 94/95 show that March Of The Pigs had 6 versions, Closer To God had 5 versions and Further Down The Spiral still remains unreleased on vinyl.

The Fragile, released in 1999 remains out of print and in super high demand to this day, originally it had 6 versions as their were regional difference. The Fragile remains one of my top 3 most wanted pieces of vinyl ever and it remains highly sought after as it contained extra songs and extended versions of other tracks on the album. The supplemental remix EP, Things Falling Apart has 2 different versions, also remaining out of print since 2000.

The band’s next vinyl release was 2005 which was only a few years before the vinyl boom happened. With Teeth had two versions, nearly identical that have remained out of print since 2005. 2007′s Year Zero had three versions, identical and this album is also now unavailable. It’s supplement remix LP, Y34RZ3R0R3M1X3D followed this trend with 3 versions and remaining out of print.

2008′s Ghosts started the “self-released” era of halo releases and it had three different versions, one for retail and two deluxe versions for the site, with one remaining available and the other deluxe going out of print quickly. The same year they released The Slip, but only released it one time on vinyl and is still available. Their 2013 album Hesitation Marks ended this era as they signed back with a major label, it had only 3 releases which were nearly identical and it is still in print.

When detailing this I omitted singles as there are so many and they served a purpose for DJs in the 90′s.

This leaves their 2002 live album, And All That Could Have Been and their amazing 2002 release Still which have never appeared on vinyl. These two are joined by other unofficial/leaked/various items in the NIN catalog that fans have been clamoring for on vinyl for years. Finally, their pre-Pretty Hate Machine demos which have circulated under the title “Purest Feeling” and their soundtrack to the 1996 video game Quake have never appeared on vinyl.

The differences in vinyl releases between Deftones and NIN are extremely noticeable. This was something I never noticed until writing this blog post. Another difference I recognized is that Nine Inch Nails have never participated in Record Store Day with a release. NIN’s reissues since 2008 seem to consistently have one version that remains in print for all fans to purchase, with some having a deluxe edition that includes much more in the package.

My summary on this topic is that collecting NIN has remained just as fun as it was 10 years ago, whereas collecting Deftones has become an exercise in paying close attention to make sure nothing slips between your fingers (something did, which was the vinyl box set). I sincerely hope labels and artists pick up on this trend and see what it will eventually do to the people who are currently buying records in droves. It reeks of the same mentality the industry had in the 90′s when the price of a CD was ridiculous and they learn to rue the day when P2P file sharing came out.

On a brighter topic to close out, the two albums that are on the absolute top of my most wanted list are somehow a pressing of my favorite album of each band. These are records I have wanted for YEARS but was unable to attain due to price, bad luck and other variables.

The Nine Inch Nails release I want the most is The Fragile and it remains the most sought after LP for NIN fans. I distinctively remember seeing it at Harmony House (an awesome old music chain in Michigan) and wanting to purchase it so badly in 1999 and 2000. At the time I wasn’t really into vinyl so I couldn’t justify spending the extra money and that record stayed on their wall for YEARS. Someday I hope I can get this, right now it sells for between $250 and $300 for a copy in good condition.

The Deftones release i want is actually my most sought after LP ever, I have coveted this since it’s release and it has remained expensive since it’s release. What I’m talking about is the 2001 promo-only version of White Pony with a ridiculously eye catching red sleeve that is either vinyl or plastic along with the vinyl itself being translucent red. I posted a picture above of this record so everyone can see what I covet the most!