We all know Record Store Day is a sham, and sadly, amidst
re-re-re-releases still available in abundance (NOW on BLUE vinyl!), or
poor quality live recordings slapped onto wax, there's the occasional
re-release of something you actually want and are not willing to pay the
ridiculous first pressing prices on Discogs for... And they too are always coloured
vinyl.
I'm not restarting the debate over sound quality of
black vs colour vs clear vs picture vs glow in the dark - THIS debate has waged
for eons and has been covered by many others... But yeah, clear, picture disc,
and glow-in-the-dark variants do tend to play worse, often exhibiting a lot of
surface noise or deteriorating in quality with each spin. What I am getting to,
in a roundabout way, is that often, collectors just want a black wax option;
but more and more frequently, new releases are available for pre-order in a
rainbow array of colours and styles or limited edition variants, with a colour,
or worse, a clear version as the mass produced, and most accessible version
available.
As record collections become a Pantone colour chart, many of which the human eye can no longer discern or differentiate and identify down to their base lowest closest vague shade of pink, pink, and pinkish/purple (fuchsia, lilac, and mauve) - a minefield for the colourblind, or any metalhead busting out their latest Earache release in pink vinyl with white and blue splatters (light on the splatters, heavy on the pink), the number of basic, reliable, trustworthy black records starts to pale in comparison to this ever growing big night out projectile vomit rainbow.
Do I hate coloured vinyl? Absolutely not. But do I like
paying a premium for a wanky coloured version, when a black version would
suffice? Well obviously no, especially when it's a pre-order of an unreleased
album you've heard exactly one, or no songs from, and are relying on a favoured
artist to release something better or at least on par with their last effort – and
as we know, some bands like to "try a new direction". Obviously with
maturity comes a better ear, and for the most part if you have an open mind, or
eclectic tastes you will be rewarded. One day we can forgive our younger selves
for wanting bands to keep releasing the same album over and over again - unless
you're an AC/DC fan, then you're sorted - they've released the same song for
over half a century now and no one has noticed.
Now, when is it time to get excited about wank colour
wax? Well Dunk!Press have been mastering the art of... well, vinyl art, for
some time now, occasionally giving cause to question whether to put the disc on
the turntable, or hang it on the wall as a thing of beauty (objet d‘art?). Is
this an advert for Dunk? No, not at all. It's more a reflection on my reaction
to the 2022 re-release copy of Dust Moth's Rising // Sailing - I was suddenly
in awe of what could be accomplished with colour vinyl.
 |
| Bridge Burner - Disempath |
The world is a colourful - and sometimes scary - place,
and change, well change is inevitable... but the irony is not lost - that
although some of us may lament the ever increasing number of variation in vinyl
colouration, lest we forget that black vinyl itself is not natural, and the
black is an additive, making the basic black vinyl record a colour variant in
and of itself. It's just that the black makes for a more durable product with
longevity for years of listening pleasure and enjoyment.
If you want to read more on the history of coloured
vinyl... click here
