Roots Archives Forum

Well Charge vinyl is appearing as represses. It is made to look very similar to genuine vintage releases. Be very careful as not all sellers are revealing this, and using bad photography to conceal it.

They are good tunes, and seem to be good pressings too, but obviously some Well Charge originals are very valuable, whereas these aren't - or shouldn't be!

Is there anyone on here who knows the history of these represses? Where they are coming from, who is repressing them?

i belive Joseph Hoo Kim founded the Well Charge label, not to sure?

Leggo, Check this link (might help)

http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:a_ ... clnk&cd=44

JAH LOVE

Yes, Thanks RT - BUT where are these represses coming from??

*"obviously some Well Charge originals are very valuable, whereas these aren't - or shouldn't be!"*

All good reggae roots music is valuable. Original, revive/repress isn't the issue. It's the quality of the pressing that counts every time. Sometimes the revives can be superior in sound to the originals, as is the case with the Wailing Soul revives on Well Charge. They are suberbly mastered (maybe even remastered) and pressed on quality vinyl. They are well priced, unplayed, and a joy listen to. Can't really beat that!

By their very nature originals are second-hand and vary a lot in condition. It is also impossible to tell if the original (if you can id it that is) is actually from the first batch of pressings, or maybe a second or third run if the record was a hot seller. Obviously there could be any number of batches pressed. Who can really tell?

No jackie, I can't agree fully with what you say. Partly, yes, but not all. It's a subject much discussed here but not the subject of this thread.

But...

Obviously sounds is key to listening pleasure. And I play ALL my vinyl, no matter how rare or MINT it is. I also play them to share on my radio station because I DON'T think they should be locked away in safes.

And I admitted in my post thet the Well Charge represses do indeed seem to be good copies, nice sound. Especially as so many of the originals are rather tired with marked vinyl, and writing on the artwork or even missing artwork.

But I have friends who get turned on by the sound of a pop or click in vinyl. I kid you not.

Next point. Some people are very good at spotting what comes where chronologically in the pressing order. Not I, but some here can. I am still very much a learner. There are many clues. Sometimes not enough to be sure, but many times, you really can be absolutely sure of what you've got.

Remastering. Hmm, I shudder when I see that word. Sometimes it means good, but often times it means the soul has been remastered out of a mix. Especially where work has been 'remastered' specifically to squash it onto a CD.

Valuable? I was talking in cold hard cash terms.

Try selling a repress of Aquarius Dub for the same price as a genuine first issue can fetch.

This Aquarius Dub LP is actually a good case in point - because the lately issued CD is simply AWFUL!

It is like saying "I have an Inverted Jenny Block (the world's most expensive ever vintage postage stamp), well, OK, it's a facsimile of the original I just did but the print quality is much better than the original because it was done on the very latest printing machine not some old Litho press!"

And what will it fetch at auction? Zero, zich, nada!

And the original? It sold in $3 million.

My point in this thread is that represses DON'T have the monetary value of originals. And that represses are sometimes passed off as originals. And that's my concern.

If I had no money, I'd buy represses, or even just try to trade MP3s. Because I really want to hear these sounds.

If money was no object, I'd buy every original bit of reggae vinyl I could get my hands on, especially all those rough old JA presses. The rarer and more original the better.


So, back the the topic:

Where do these Well Charge represses come from???

Given a choice I would prefer quality pressings of the music I love everytime. Choice being the key word.

The current money making situation of selling rarities on ebay only encourages shark activity as you have already pointed out, so beware!

Concerning your main question - all the Wailing Soul have matrix numbers prefixed with the letters HB, so I presume that indicates Hookim Brothers / Hit Bound. The amazing sound quality of the latest Wailing Soul singles would confirm the original owners of the music still control the masters.

Most of the repress 7" are from Ja.

Lp's/12"/10" are from the USA.

Lion

Do they have same matrix as original press Lion?

The labels even have a clever printed copy of the old hand rubber stamp track name!

I never check the martix nr.
It's sometime hard to see what is the orginal.

But the 7" repress you can see the bad pressing
the label lock nice but the groove flat.

If i see orginal 7" most of the time i check them
and listen first.
That is the way i do it if have a nuff bad orginal 7' nice to hang up on the wall.

Lion

There are some great tunes on the 7s but sadly as you say Lion, too many rubbish pressings or worn out disks. I also have a box full that are no good for anything except wall hangings

I try not to buy them but sometimes I forget my bad experiences and stupidly buy them coz I like the tune. I prefer Disco 12s - more music, better pressing usually too!