Okay, Prince fam...

I'm in a delimma right now. Last week I came across a legit, original 1995 copy of "The Gold Experience" in used, yet near mint condition. It was only $11 bucks and it seemed to be in great shape. I already have two copies, but I've never quite experienced a clean copy since the day I brought my first copy. Should I pick up this up from my local wrecka stow?

YES!

silverchild said:

Okay, Prince fam...

I'm in a delimma right now. Last week I came across a legit, original 1995 copy of "The Gold Experience" in used, yet near mint condition. It was only $11 bucks and it seemed to be in great shape. I already have two copies, but I've never quite experienced a clean copy since the day I brought my first copy. Should I pick up this up from my local wrecka stow?

If this is an original vinyl pressing, I would say that's a very good price. TGE is hard to find on vinyl in near mint condition. It's not clear to me that the 1990s albums sound any better on vinyl than they do on CD, but you could give us a report.

electricberet said:

silverchild said:

Okay, Prince fam...

I'm in a delimma right now. Last week I came across a legit, original 1995 copy of "The Gold Experience" in used, yet near mint condition. It was only $11 bucks and it seemed to be in great shape. I already have two copies, but I've never quite experienced a clean copy since the day I brought my first copy. Should I pick up this up from my local wrecka stow?

If this is an original vinyl pressing, I would say that's a very good price. TGE is hard to find on vinyl in near mint condition. It's not clear to me that the 1990s albums sound any better on vinyl than they do on CD, but you could give us a report.

This isn't the vinyl pressing, just the CD. I've heard alot of good things about that rare vinyl pressing of TGE though!

Would you all say that TGE in every format (CD, vinyl and tape) are rare among many Prince albums now? Or is it too early to tell?

silverchild said:

electricberet said:

If this is an original vinyl pressing, I would say that's a very good price. TGE is hard to find on vinyl in near mint condition. It's not clear to me that the 1990s albums sound any better on vinyl than they do on CD, but you could give us a report.

This isn't the vinyl pressing, just the CD. I've heard alot of good things about that rare vinyl pressing of TGE though!

Would you all say that TGE in every format (CD, vinyl and tape) are rare among many Prince albums now? Or is it too early to tell?

The CD version of TGE is not rare. You can buy it online for less than what the record store is asking. However, if you buy it at the record store, you won't have to pay shipping, and it will be easy to return if you have any problem playing it (assuming they have a reasonable return policy). Also, you'll be supporting your local record store, which is a good thing.

electricberet said:

silverchild said:

This isn't the vinyl pressing, just the CD. I've heard alot of good things about that rare vinyl pressing of TGE though!

Would you all say that TGE in every format (CD, vinyl and tape) are rare among many Prince albums now? Or is it too early to tell?

The CD version of TGE is not rare. You can buy it online for less than what the record store is asking. However, if you buy it at the record store, you won't have to pay shipping, and it will be easy to return if you have any problem playing it (assuming they have a reasonable return policy). Also, you'll be supporting your local record store, which is a good thing.

An unopened TGE CD is absolutely rare since its out of print.

Edit: Woops, I see now he says his is used. Yeah thats nothin.

[Edited 4/11/11 19:36pm]

Spinlight said:

electricberet said:

The CD version of TGE is not rare. You can buy it online for less than what the record store is asking. However, if you buy it at the record store, you won't have to pay shipping, and it will be easy to return if you have any problem playing it (assuming they have a reasonable return policy). Also, you'll be supporting your local record store, which is a good thing.

An unopened TGE CD is absolutely rare since its out of print.

Edit: Woops, I see now he says his is used. Yeah thats nothin.

[Edited 4/11/11 19:36pm]

I would consider a sealed TGE CD to be expensive rather than rare, even though it is out of print, since there are plenty of them out there if you have the money. They go for about $50 on Amazon. I would define rare as something that is hard to find at any price (such as an original pressing of Apollonia 6 on CD).

For $11 it's definately worth it, it goes for way more online.

.....and please don't use the word fam, that word makes me think of people sat at the end of his drive in a van documenting every time they spot him walk past a window.

Go for it, sweety!!!!!

bigd74 said:

For $11 it's definately worth it, it goes for way more online.

Maybe in the US it does.

electricberet said:

Spinlight said:

An unopened TGE CD is absolutely rare since its out of print.

Edit: Woops, I see now he says his is used. Yeah thats nothin.

[Edited 4/11/11 19:36pm]

I would consider a sealed TGE CD to be expensive rather than rare, even though it is out of print, since there are plenty of them out there if you have the money. They go for about $50 on Amazon. I would define rare as something that is hard to find at any price (such as an original pressing of Apollonia 6 on CD).

I agree, it's not rare.............yet.

I have 5 copies of this cd, all in at least excellent condition, I would say 3 copies are mint, including one unopened Japanese copy.

It's getting older now so, maybe one day they will be quite scarce.

I have a mint unplayed gold double vinyl promo too, i'm not going to sell that one, though there are a few of those knocking about too.

[Edited 4/12/11 2:20am]

[Edited 4/12/11 2:21am]

TheDigitalGardener said:

bigd74 said:

For $11 it's definately worth it, it goes for way more online.

Maybe in the US it does.

Ok, it's come down, it used to be more, the cheapest i could find was £9.5 inc postage ( about $16)

No, but by now you've probably already bought it

bigd74 said:

TheDigitalGardener said:

Maybe in the US it does.

Ok, it's come down, it used to be more, the cheapest i could find was £9.5 inc postage ( about $16)

I see copies listed on amazon for madness prices like £50, but people would have to be insane to pay that, when you can buy one on ebay for (as you say) about £10.

not a used copy.

My take is that we'll never see a published version The Gold experience in that incarnation again.

In a perfect word, and expanded addition will be re-released along with a flood of other new material--but even then, everything would be different to include sequence and cover art.

The Gold Experience is a semi-brilliant misfire of "The Dawn" concept mixed with a anti-establishment spoiled tantrum of a self-indulgent artist. Makes for interesting art, but unlikely to be mass produced ever again in that incarnation.

Shame, cause I love it.

In general, I've learned to be wary of buying out-of-print albums that are advertised as "sealed." An LP can still be in its original shrink-wrap and still have problems, e.g., warping of the record caused by being stored too tightly with other LPs or damage to the edge of the jacket. Also, it is possible for an unscrupulous person to put new shrink wrap on an LP that lost its original wrapping. This latter concern may also apply to sealed CDs as well. In either case, as soon as you open it up, you've lost whatever premium you paid for the shrink-wrap. If you're going to leave it sealed forever, I'm not quite sure what the point is, since the music is made to be listened to.

At this point I'm more interested in an unsealed LP or CD that is advertised as being in mint condition. If that turns out to be an exaggeration, I could potentially return it. If I take the shrink-wrap off the sealed album and find a problem, the seller could plead ignorance and refuse a refund.

TheDigitalGardener said:

bigd74 said:

Ok, it's come down, it used to be more, the cheapest i could find was £9.5 inc postage ( about $16)

I see copies listed on amazon for madness prices like £50, but people would have to be insane to pay that, when you can buy one on ebay for (as you say) about £10.

Yes, there is a huge variation of prices on Amazon. I think you can get better deals on discogs.com. But the best deals of all may be at your local record store. I paid $4 for a mint condition LP of "What Time Is It" at a record store. I'm sure it would have gone for at least $10 plus shipping on any of the websites.

I picked up a sealed copy of TGE for $8 in a little record store in Melbourne a few months ago.

That said, if a (used) third copy is worth $11 to you, then why not just buy it?

electricberet said:

In general, I've learned to be wary of buying out-of-print albums that are advertised as "sealed." An LP can still be in its original shrink-wrap and still have problems, e.g., warping of the record caused by being stored too tightly with other LPs or damage to the edge of the jacket. Also, it is possible for an unscrupulous person to put new shrink wrap on an LP that lost its original wrapping. This latter concern may also apply to sealed CDs as well. In either case, as soon as you open it up, you've lost whatever premium you paid for the shrink-wrap. If you're going to leave it sealed forever, I'm not quite sure what the point is, since the music is made to be listened to.

At this point I'm more interested in an unsealed LP or CD that is advertised as being in mint condition. If that turns out to be an exaggeration, I could potentially return it. If I take the shrink-wrap off the sealed album and find a problem, the seller could plead ignorance and refuse a refund.

I hear you totally on the sealed thing. I recently bought a "still sealed" cd (not Prince) from more than ten years ago, when I opened the seal, it was not a new cd, and it had been advertised as "still in original factory seal." Luckily, the seller was cool, and accepted a return, but as you mentioned, she could have pleaded ignorance about it.

However, I still have and often sell original sealed cd's and vinyl that I purchased new from years ago. It is a gamble, but I like to think that there are more genuine factory sealed items out there regardless of age, than re-sealed used items.

I have purchased multiple copies of most of my Prince collection (and other artists), mainly because I managed to get them incredibly cheap, but also because some are limited editions etc. It's like a sickness in a way. If I find something rare, or difficult to find, and it's (at least) excellent condition and at a good price, I buy it.

Some of those purchases have paid off nicely for me.

I'm quite sure there are others out there who do or have done the same, and who do own genuine older cd's/vinyl etc still in their original factory seal.

However, as you also mentioned, some sealed vinyl can have problems if it is not stored properly. It is a dilemma whether to open the seal on such items and risk a dip in it's value, or to keep it all sealed and fresh.

I suppose that is an easy decision for you to make as you play your vinyl, as apposed to someone like me who merely collects it for the hope of future financial gain.

[Edited 4/12/11 6:38am]

Sure, if it was the fifty song Gold Album he showed to Alan Light, if not, then no..lol

Llanishenlad said:

I managed to get a second copy in completely mint condition for £1 at a car boot sale. Definitely needed as I'd pretty much ragged my first copy

Well done, I love finds like this.

TheDigitalGardener said:

electricberet said:

In general, I've learned to be wary of buying out-of-print albums that are advertised as "sealed." An LP can still be in its original shrink-wrap and still have problems, e.g., warping of the record caused by being stored too tightly with other LPs or damage to the edge of the jacket. Also, it is possible for an unscrupulous person to put new shrink wrap on an LP that lost its original wrapping. This latter concern may also apply to sealed CDs as well. In either case, as soon as you open it up, you've lost whatever premium you paid for the shrink-wrap. If you're going to leave it sealed forever, I'm not quite sure what the point is, since the music is made to be listened to.

At this point I'm more interested in an unsealed LP or CD that is advertised as being in mint condition. If that turns out to be an exaggeration, I could potentially return it. If I take the shrink-wrap off the sealed album and find a problem, the seller could plead ignorance and refuse a refund.

I hear you totally on the sealed thing. I recently bought a "still sealed" cd (not Prince) from more than ten years ago, when I opened the seal, it was not a new cd, and it had been advertised as "still in original factory seal." Luckily, the seller was cool, and accepted a return, but as you mentioned, she could have pleaded ignorance about it.

However, I still have and often sell original sealed cd's and vinyl that I purchased new from years ago. It is a gamble, but I like to think that there are more genuine factory sealed items out there regardless of age, than re-sealed used items.

I have purchased multiple copies of most of my Prince collection (and other artists), mainly because I managed to get them incredibly cheap, but also because some are limited editions etc. It's like a sickness in a way. If I find something rare, or difficult to find, and it's (at least) excellent condition and at a good price, I buy it.

Some of those purchases have paid off nicely for me.

I'm quite sure there are others out there who do or have done the same, and who do own genuine older cd's/vinyl etc still in their original factory seal.

However, as you also mentioned, some sealed vinyl can have problems if it is not stored properly. It is a dilemma whether to open the seal on such items and risk a dip in it's value, or to keep it all sealed and fresh.

I suppose that is an easy decision for you to make as you play your vinyl, as apposed to someone like me who merely collects it for the hope of future financial gain.

[Edited 4/12/11 6:38am]

One way for potential buyers to feel more secure about buying sealed albums is if they have the unique stickers that were sometimes placed on the shrink wrap. I suppose it might be possible to fake those, but it would be more difficult.

I haven't yet bought any vinyl LPs that are so warped that they don't play properly. What I have found is that the paper inner sleeves that were used for most of Prince's LPs in the 1980s, with song lyrics and additional artwork, tend to be in poor condition if the record has been sealed for decades. Over time, the record will cut a hole in the bottom of the paper sleeve just by the force of gravity, if it is stored upright (as it should be). I haven't returned any of these because I bought them for listening rather than collecting purposes. Collectors will often remove their records from the original paper sleeves to prevent this from happening, and if the record has been opened, you can confirm what condition the sleeves are in.

My own view is that, if you are investing in a Prince-related collection, it would be better to buy records or CDs that are rare even in unsealed condition. That way you can have your investment and still listen to the music. But it's your money, and there will always be people who will be attracted to sealed copies.

^^ All good points.

Yes, get another Gold Experience LP vinyl.

Geez, I've had the cd on rotation for the past week.

I just love the track 319

YES!! (And....... I own this on vinyl 2LP too, in mint....)

The Gold Experience is a top 10 best Prince album,

God, I just looove this fine album,

Dolphin,

I Hate U,

Gold

are my faves....... those are Prince classics.

the version of The Most Beautiful Girl is different from the original single version, and is a little weak.

We March is a bit weak too,

The rest of this fine album is... just amazing.

[Edited 4/12/11 9:10am]

eye found it on tape & cd in one of my local charity shops woman asked 4 50p? eye gave her 60p eye aint tight!!

Yes.

silverchild said:

Okay, Prince fam...

I'm in a delimma right now. Last week I came across a legit, original 1995 copy of "The Gold Experience" in used, yet near mint condition. It was only $11 bucks and it seemed to be in great shape. I already have two copies, but I've never quite experienced a clean copy since the day I brought my first copy. Should I pick up this up from my local wrecka stow?

Yep, you should. I'm at the point now where I have a TON of digital media of Prince (albums and singles and such) and I'm ready to start picking up vinyl again. The problem I have, is in South Florida you can't find any stores that care P's music in vinyl form or is hard to find.