Jaco's "word of Mouth" vinyl test pressing

[jazz3625tonic]

By a rare chance sometime back I came across and bought the vinyl test pressing of Jaco's "Word of Mouth" album. It has blank white labels on both sides, a plain white cardboard sleeve and taped to the cover is all the deets of the label copy from Warner Bros. ( songs for each side, job number and a release date of June 24th 1981)
While I can not be sure that a needle has never touched the vinyl ( and I assume one should have a least once) the Vinyl on both side is absolutely pristine. It may not be worth a lot to many people but to me, it has much value. And probably more personal than monetarily. And I'm guessing that that statement alone puts it in the collectors column. And here is some more info that folks may find interesting:

Another description from: http://store.acousticsounds.com/sale.cfm?sale=test

"Test pressing LPs are the very first to come off the stampers and are thus closer to the sound of the master tape. LPs of this type are not usually offered for sale to consumers but are used by record companies for evaluation purposes. It is only after the test pressings are approved that the actual LPs can be pressed. Test Pressings are typically packaged in plain white jackets with blank record labels. Occasionally there will be hand-written catalog numbers, pressing dates or other pertinent information ont he covers and /or labels. As would be expected, quantities are extremely limited (many are one-of-a-kind) and all are sold on first come, first serve basis."

You will notice in the upper right hand corner of the "Label Copy" there are all the changes made to this test pressing. I am also assuming that "Label Copy" means this one was in fact a test pressing for the Warner Bros. executives and Jaco to confirm and approve. But having said all of this if anyone here has any other information and could provide more info and/or more insight to this I would be very grateful.

[JimK]

Very cool.

[John Wentzien]

Nice!

[fu22ba55]

I'm not a vinyl guru by any stretch of the imagination, and I'd love a real vinyl freak to confirm or refute this claim, but I think the process for producing test pressings is different from the final process used for massive manufacturing runs of LPs.

The important bit being that they are not as durable. Some test pressings degrade VERY quickly (compared to mass production vinyl) which means they don't want to be played that many times. (Usually just once or twice for listening approval.)

I think DJs who make "one off" vinyl LPs for scratching/pyrotechnics, etc... deal with this issue all the time. They can only use them for a few sessions before they get super noisy.

I imagine there's a difference between a test pressing (used to check if the mastering to vinyl is acceptable), vs. the first few records pressed from the mass-production process. If yours is the latter, then it would be more durable.

I'd love more (correct) info if someone has some.

---

Cool find though, for sure.

[jazz3625tonic]

Originally Posted by fu22ba55

I'm not a vinyl guru by any stretch of the imagination, and I'd love a real vinyl freak to confirm or refute this claim, but I think the process for producing test pressings is different from the final process used for massive manufacturing runs of LPs.

The important bit being that they are not as durable. Some test pressings degrade VERY quickly (compared to mass production vinyl) which means they don't want to be played that many times. (Usually just once or twice for listening approval.)

I think DJs who make "one off" vinyl LPs for scratching/pyrotechnics, etc... deal with this issue all the time. They can only use them for a few sessions before they get super noisy.

I imagine there's a difference between a test pressing (used to check if the mastering to vinyl is acceptable), vs. the first few records pressed from the mass-production process. If yours is the latter, then it would be more durable.

I'd love more (correct) info if someone has some.

---

Cool find though, for sure.

It's not 180 gram vinyl for sure but I have seen and held in my hands the DJ vinyl you are talking about and this is for sure a step up from that and it's hard to see in the picture but the original release date of April 15th 1981 is crossed out and changed by hand to a new date of June 24th 1981. Under that are the dates of 5 changes made to the album... the last one being May 20th reflecting song time confirmations and that reflects a month's time span between this pressing and the June 24th release date.... and before DJ copies are released the final test press has to be made. As far as the dates and my research, this was the final press before production. But..... as with anything like this I have not been able to find concrete confirmation of info. that I have about this.... and I too am hoping for someone here that maybe has the "inside " scoop on these kinds of things.

I have looked at the vinyl very, very close under bright light and it looks untouched but I have not (and will not) put a needle on it to listen for any noise. But no matter what I'm damn happy to have found this piece.

[jazz3625tonic]

Oop's I forgot to say.... I was told that DJ copy's and promo's did not go out with the label copy taped to the covers. And again from very close inspection it's a Warner Bros. label copy and original tape holding it to the cover.

[fu22ba55]

Originally Posted by jazz3625tonic

...but I have not (and will not) put a needle on it to listen for any noise.

That record is a paradox.

It's almost like you adopted Schrodinger's Cat. You have this awesome thing in a box, but if you open the box, you will kill it.

You have no way of knowing the record is actually "Word or Mouth" without listening to it. It could be an Ashford and Simpson record that was mis-labeled (unlikely, but you'll never know). But if you listen to the record, you will ruin it's super-pristine, fresh-from-master fidelity.

It's like you have a copy of the funniest joke in the world (from the Python skit) but you can't ever read it.

Awesome paradox.

[jazz3625tonic]

Originally Posted by fu22ba55

That record is a paradox.

It's almost like you adopted Schrodinger's Cat. You have this awesome thing in a box, but if you open the box, you will kill it.

You have no way of knowing the record is actually "Word or Mouth" without listening to it. It could be an Ashford and Simpson record that was mis-labeled (unlikely, but you'll never know). But if you listen to the record, you will ruin it's super-pristine, fresh-from-master fidelity.

It's like you have a copy of the funniest joke in the world (from the Python skit) but you can't ever read it.

Awesome paradox.

LOL...You are 100% correct in your analogy. And although this "could be" lets say just an old copy of the Sound of Music, I am betting I do in fact have the Word of Mouth pressing. But as always, I could be wrong. One day a needle will hit this piece of vinyl just not now. One great thing I love about the TB forums is I always have a little time to think about what I want to say.

[fu22ba55]

Originally Posted by jazz3625tonic

One day a needle will hit this piece of vinyl just not now.

You'll need to do it up right, throw a listening party at a TB get together:

1) Set up a crazy-expensive McIntosh hifi rig in a properly dampened / tuned room.

2) Figure out a way to capture the audio to an insanely-impossible lossless digital format (that doesn't exist yet...) so you can capture the one-off awesomeness.

3) Pass out some 30-year-old scotch and let 'er rip.

[jazz3625tonic]

Originally Posted by fu22ba55

You'll need to do it up right, throw a listening party at a TB get together:

1) Set up a crazy-expensive McIntosh hifi rig in a properly dampened / tuned room.

2) Figure out a way to capture the audio to an insanely-impossible lossless digital format (that doesn't exist yet...) so you can capture the one-off awesomeness.

3) Pass out some 30-year-old scotch and let 'er rip.

[factorplayer]

I can definitely understand wanting to preserve it; I have a couple of old LPs new in the shrinkwrap that I won't open - yet. It would be a shame if you didn't actually listen to it at some point. Save it for a special occasion or something.

[iamlowsound]

Originally Posted by fu22ba55

You'll need to do it up right, throw a listening party at a TB get together:

1) Set up a crazy-expensive McIntosh hifi rig in a properly dampened / tuned room.

2) Figure out a way to capture the audio to an insanely-impossible lossless digital format (that doesn't exist yet...) so you can capture the one-off awesomeness.

3) Pass out some 30-year-old scotch and let 'er rip.

I would totally be down for that.

lowsound

[Philbiker]

Originally Posted by fu22ba55

I'm not a vinyl guru by any stretch of the imagination, and I'd love a real vinyl freak to confirm or refute this claim, but I think the process for producing test pressings is different from the final process used for massive manufacturing runs of LPs.

The important bit being that they are not as durable. Some test pressings degrade VERY quickly (compared to mass production vinyl) which means they don't want to be played that many times. (Usually just once or twice for listening approval.)

I think DJs who make "one off" vinyl LPs for scratching/pyrotechnics, etc... deal with this issue all the time. They can only use them for a few sessions before they get super noisy.

I imagine there's a difference between a test pressing (used to check if the mastering to vinyl is acceptable), vs. the first few records pressed from the mass-production process. If yours is the latter, then it would be more durable.

I'd love more (correct) info if someone has some.

---

Cool find though, for sure.

This is my understanding also. I only own one white label test press (12" Remixes of DEVO's "Post Post Modern Man"), and it sounds like ass. Looks perfect - nobody's ever abused it, but when you play it, it's distorted.

[jazz3625tonic]

Well, it's been about a year since I started this thread and want to give an update. I took the vinyl for the first time and Cleaned it on my VPI 16.5W record cleaning machine and cleaned it good. I then looked at it under a 100 watt halogen light I could not find a single mark on either side. Vinyl is very shiny and looks to be unplayed. Now, since the labels on both sides are white and are bare with no writing of any kind and as another poster here said: "Do I really have a Word of Mouth test pressing since I never really played it"?
Well, I finally came across a NOS Sure V15 type III cart. and stylus and put on the arm of my Dual 701 set up the arm and cart. and let it rip..... Yes it is in fact what I was told it was when I found it and bought it. I played through the first song only and that was it. The vinyl has not degraded at all it looks and plays perfect with no surface noise at all and since I have another original pressing of the same album this one was cleaned again put in a new anti-static sleeve and put up for good. I might play it again someday but for now it will stay put up and protected for a long while. It sounded oh so sweet playing through a stacked pair of New Large Advent's ( the 5002's). Peace.