Post by sub on Apr 3, 2019 18:20:00 GMT 12
i have never valued WRC pressings, and if I have bought the odd 2nd hand copy it is only because it is a performance I want and unable to find an original. Even then will only buy in mint condition and balk at paying more than a couple of dollars.
Am I wrong? Do they have more value than that? I ask as a seller on TM has listed two LPs featuring performances by Jacqueline Du Pre that I do not have. He is asking $23 for the pair buy now with a reserve of $17.50 - postage $6. I watched the first listing hoping he would offer at a reduced price, but have been relisted with unchanged pricing.
i checked discogs, and two sellers in NZ are selling the same LPs for circa $14 each!
Do you think the asking price is fair?
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Post by Graham on Apr 3, 2019 18:53:32 GMT 12
When I took a bunch of records to Real Groovy as trade-ins they would not touch any WRC if that gives you some idea of their value !!
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Post by Owen Y on Apr 3, 2019 20:26:18 GMT 12
Real music-lovers probably don't worry about the WRC labelling, as WRC usually chose stellar and/or recognised renditions. Of course an original, earlier generation issue is nice, but maybe hard to get & in worthwhile condition.
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Post by sub on Apr 5, 2019 18:44:35 GMT 12
Can’t argue with that, Owen. Was a WRC member for several years in the 70s and it was a great way to buy fine performances at a reasonable price. But that is my beef, they shouldn’t be on sale for similar prices to the original. Will keep watching the listing, the seller may relent!
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Post by cartridgeguyonline on Apr 6, 2019 8:16:04 GMT 12
Ive no problem with WRC LP's. Often the only way to get a performance at a price I can afford. And yes I can remember also when they used to be a dollar or so each but prices have climbed. I just paid $14.50 for a jazz title I was interested in, a major label reissue or original would cost me 5 to 10 times that.
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Pundit
Post by neilsan on Apr 6, 2019 8:59:03 GMT 12
Can’t argue with that, Owen. Was a WRC member for several years in the 70s and it was a great way to buy fine performances at a reasonable price. Me too.That's when I was single,so it was a great way to try out different music.
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Post by Citroen on Apr 6, 2019 15:58:40 GMT 12
My newly bought 80's NZ WRC pressings are by and large very good.
First rate performers and performances.
AND excellent sound quality and pressings.
There are a few I would never part with.
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Post by cartridgeguyonline on Apr 6, 2019 16:38:14 GMT 12
Just played my Horace Silver and the jazz messengers Lp this morning: sounds fine to me !! Its a reissue of blue note 1518. If anyone has an original id be happy to do a comparison.
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Member
Post by mijoh on Apr 6, 2019 22:26:51 GMT 12
The only thing about WRC records that used to annoy me a little was their habit of printing many recordings from the original 4 colour cover artwork, but in only 2 colours to save money. That was certainly the case with the classical records I bought, more popular genres may have been OK.
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Pundit
Post by SL1210 on Apr 7, 2019 7:49:14 GMT 12
The only thing about WRC records that used to annoy me a little was their habit of printing many recordings from the original 4 colour cover artwork, but in only 2 colours to save money. That was certainly the case with the classical records I bought, more popular genres may have been OK. I agree - some of the two colour covers were spectacularly bad - red and green for example. They would have been better off with grayscale. I never had an issue with the pressing quality though. Even now I would not be dissuaded by 'WRC' for a wanted LP. @op: I think people want a premium for the name Du Pre. I prefer Rostropovich.
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Post by michaelw on Apr 7, 2019 10:22:21 GMT 12
wrc was a budget label with a great repertoire culled from some of the world's best catalogues. back in the day it was often the only way to buy some music.
as above, some truly awful cover art and on the later releases, an orange label with wrc in spoace age font  despite all that, $23 for a pair of du pre wrc albums doesn't sound like a bad deal if they mint.
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Pundit
Post by simonb on Apr 10, 2019 13:03:06 GMT 12
My memory / understanding of how WRC were able to make cheaper records was to only press the number they needed. hence the couple of months delay between ordering and when you got them. So if it was something not very popular, it could be pretty good because of the small number. That being said, I'm unsure how good the master stampers they got were. One suspect we might have been the last of the "Colonies" to receive them... The very first record I ever bought was from WRC; Alan Parsons; I Robot, I still play it but I also have a Dutch Phillips pressing and a Japanese pressing (the latter seems a different mix). The WRC is ok but the Phillips is better (but then the WRC has been played many times using my parents Pye radiogram....)
Simon Brown
Design Build Listen Ltd,
Makers of The Wand Analogue Products
Distributor of Hana Cartridges
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Post by Citroen on Apr 10, 2019 13:14:44 GMT 12
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Post by michaelw on Apr 10, 2019 14:20:53 GMT 12
i vaguely remember them running selections (different musical genres) monthly/bi-monthly that you had to opt out of ?
they also sold non-wrc records, my dutch copy of dire straits - on every street was from wrc.
i gave my wrc decade of jazz double album sets a spin last night and despite the dreary covers, the records sounded quite good.
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Post by Citroen on Apr 10, 2019 16:31:30 GMT 12
Yes, they had an opt out monthly selection, with lots of non-WRC titles. Some time in the 80's they ceased mail orders/production. Haven't listened to this in probably 30 years... my bad  WRC 1980 Brahms LPO/LSO, Boult Symphonies 1-4 box set sounds fantastic! 
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Post by michaelw on Apr 10, 2019 16:47:28 GMT 12
they might have stopped local production in the 80s but the mail order side was still going into the early 90s. i got my dire straits from them 21-4-1992 they also sold deutsche grammophon boxsets and emi specialty products, i got my beatles blue box from wrc.  
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Post by Citroen on Apr 10, 2019 16:59:08 GMT 12
Ah yes. I have a few DG releases from them, including that BPO, HvK Mahler!
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Post by Owen Y on Apr 10, 2019 17:42:25 GMT 12
That Mrawinsky Tchaik 4/5/6/Ballet Suites set is a classic, the definitive versions possibly. I have a NZ copy (or 2, the 2nd one is missing a disc IIRC) myself 
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Post by sub on Apr 10, 2019 19:54:16 GMT 12
Interesting discussion. The link in Citroen’s post seems to suggest EMI took over in 1975. By that time I had unsubscribed, but had by then accumulated some 300 LPs, mostly classical, and my memory thinks most of then were sourced from the EMI stable. The odd other genre did slip in if I forgot to send back the monthly form in time. Mammas and the Papas, featuring Mamma Cass, got a lot of play time. In 1975 I started buying mostly cassettes as I was tired of the noisy surfaces. Effective cleaning methods didn’t seem much use then. Had a Watts something or other wet brush and a dust bug, Not much good.
Didn’t get back into vinyl until mid 90s.
Probably still have most of the WRC LPs I bought, but I think even an ultrasonic clean may not work too well. I think the cheap carts I had on my then Dual 1219 will have caused too much damage.
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Post by Citroen on Apr 10, 2019 21:17:06 GMT 12
Sometimes, if you use a finer stylus profile you can play deeper into the groove that hasn't been damaged. But of course that does depend on just how damaged the groove is to start with.
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Member
Post by mijoh on Apr 10, 2019 22:03:47 GMT 12
Interesting discussion. The link in Citroen’s post seems to suggest EMI took over in 1975. By that time I had unsubscribed, but had by then accumulated some 300 LPs, mostly classical, and my memory thinks most of then were sourced from the EMI stable. The odd other genre did slip in if I forgot to send back the monthly form in time. Mammas and the Papas, featuring Mamma Cass, got a lot of play time. In 1975 I started buying mostly cassettes as I was tired of the noisy surfaces. Effective cleaning methods didn’t seem much use then. Had a Watts something or other wet brush and a dust bug, Not much good. Didn’t get back into vinyl until mid 90s. Probably still have most of the WRC LPs I bought, but I think even an ultrasonic clean may not work too well. I think the cheap carts I had on my then Dual 1219 will have caused too much damage. The reason for the predominance of EMI recordings was because WRC (NZ) was 70% owned by His Master's Voice (NZ) Ltd and 30% by WRC (UK). EMI was one of HMV(NZ) Ltd's labels and WRC was another. HMV (NZ) Ltd morphed into EMI in 1972. WRC records were pressed at the HMV production plant in Petone and probably shared the same production path as the full price EMI recordings. They would have had different stampers but otherwise be identical. That article Citroen linked to was about an Australian graphic designer who created over 2000 highly regarded covers for WRC Australia and NZ it says, but I was a member of the club from the mid 1960's to about the mid 1980's and never saw any of them here. As I said earlier in this thread WRC (NZ) just reduced the original HMV/EMI 4 colour cover art to 2 colours, often with awful results. So it seems to me WRC UK, Australia and New Zealand did there own things. A bit of trivia, In the 1960's, when tone controls were on most amps, WRC back covers used to sport a tone control graphic where one could record the preferred settings for that record. They appear to have been quite pleased with that idea and had it registered! 
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Post by michaelw on May 15, 2019 18:46:18 GMT 12
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Post by Citroen on May 16, 2019 15:53:15 GMT 12
How does it sound Michael?
What do you reckon it is really worth?
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Post by michaelw on May 16, 2019 18:32:58 GMT 12
i've not heard many versions but the wrc sounds pretty good ! unlike many re-issues, the wrc is in wide stereo like an early beatle srecord. some may prefer a mono version. i wouldn't intentionally seek one out but if one was to fall your way, i'd pay $20-30
oh look another one !
so rare
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