Roots Archives Forum

I know in the world of reggae vinyl collecting, having a one away or really rare tune means alot. As a collector for many years I know i cant get every tune i dream of getting in its original press(mint).I truly appreciate some of the represses as of late such as digikiller's stuff,dandylion-vives,etc. I wonder why some hate on the repress.is it that they actually control copies of all these tunes(original pressings) or is it more a feeling of letting the cat out of the bag.We all have our boom tunes that we try to keep sacred, but i truly feel that represses are a big part of whats keeping the sale of roots reggae vinyl alive.same as the revives outta england in the 80s and 90s.even the most seasoned collector would be happy with at least one of the reissues. really interested in what collectors out there feel concerning repress vibes.

they have no life
dont worry yourself and play reggae for the people as it was meant

lol I've met collectors from all over (except europe) and to them it was always just to have a tune no matter original press or not, its about having every damn tune in your collection, but in europe and amerikkka you have some fool start collecting it like stamps, the content is mostly not important, price is what counts alone, fools dat.

to them its all about having a powers in their hands that will make them feel special, I was talking lately to a white collector, I doubt he was even listening those tunes he had. a real fool dat.

Personally I have no problem at all about represses (tu) . For most of us who don`t have deep pockets it`s the only way to go . The likes of Pressure Sounds etc. are to be applauded for furnishing the vinyl market with rare , virtually unobtainable LP`s .

As reggae_ragga hints above , the " collector " or " completist" is a different breed to the music listener , the need to have that tune at whatever the cost overiding any form of sanity . I have been responsible for overbidding on a few tunes in my time , BUT the reason was because it was NOT avaliable in any other format ! Given the opportunity I would happily have bought a repress ( well mastered , obviously ) , allowing more money to buy more music .

Visitor`s opinion is very valid , too . " Letting the cat out of the bag " being very true ! Tunes in this category are , for example , rare Upsetter mixes . We hear about them through forums` and discussions . Then we get an album full of tunes that we have read about and only dreamt of ever hearing . " Sound System Scratch " comes along and there you have it ! This stuff is so rare , literally only one or two copies ever having been pressed . So now it becomes music for the masses . Yet the man with the big bucks can still bid for it , to sate his own ego !

No doubt the debate this topic addresses will rage on and on , each to his own !

They hate re-presses because it then diminishes the monetary value of the original pressing that they probably overpaid for in the first place.

I stay away from "collectors", as they generally aren't that interested in the music, only in treating records as if they are trophys of some sort that give them bragging rights. Like they are some sort of big game hunter that puts lion heads and zebra skins on the walls in their house. They have no sentimental attachment to their records, it's all about flash, hype, and money. Most actually know or care very little about the music itself.

The funny thing that they don't know if that often the re-presses, if made from the master tape, can often be better sounding than the original press made on a bad stamper! If they really cared about music, and not "format" or "exclusivity", they would embrace re-presses with open arms.

Repress are good when done right ,big rip off when done bad.Im sure for the most part collectors are fairly smart people in terms of knowing whats what.Who is to know the motive of each collector .Im surely not jelous or hatefull of someone having more then me for what ever reasons why they have more.Funny thing i have seen rare 12s sold then magically few months later turn up in quantity from japan ready for sale .Is that a good or bad repress or coincindence

Music belongs to everyone - not just mean, obsessive record collectors!

I started out buying represses until I really knew what I was looking for. Now I 'collect' original presses because I love the music and I think it's nice to have something real, something that was really there at the time as I could not be.

I live in New York City. I think represses are great because many people, here at least, do not have the means to obtain the original presses, or simply have not even heard any of the original music. Very few people I come in contact with have heard anything like my music, and when I tell them I listen to reggae they usually think of either Bob Marley or the new tunes you see on TV and on the radio.

If I do well in my current profession I plan on opening up a vinyl repress label, I've even already obtained a couple nice master plates.
Keep the music alive, many thanks to those such as Mick Sleeper who put out great podcasts for everyone to hear.

Reggae luddites or snobs......
If it wasn't for alot of these re-presses a lot of artists wouldn't even reach the new generation of listeners.... Just play the dam thing. and know that you are contributing in keeping this beautifu/ Muzik alive...
Selah...

As far as I'm concerned its all about the music and not the media.

If I can get an original pressing at a price I think is reasonable I will, if I cant and there's a re-press available I'll buy that. If neither of them are available and its on cd I'll get that, and finally I'll get the MP3 version if I can.

At the end of the day its listening to the tune that I enjoy, what ever format its in. To be honest, I'm in my early 50s now and I've listened to so much loud music, I don't think my ears can genuinely differenciate between one format and another.