VinylFlat and GroovyPouch leaves me flat- and that’s a good thing.

[Deli]

These stag party type records and adult comedy records are… something else. One needs to remember the grip held on the entertainment industry by the J Edgar Hoovers regarding obscenity laws.

Frank Zappa recorded one of these records and was jailed for doing so.

From Rolling Stone Magazine-

“In March 1965, a used-car salesman approached Frank Zappa, then a 24-year-old struggling musician and composer, and offered him $100 to produce a sex tape for a party. A gig being a gig, Zappa and a go-go dancer friend spent an evening recording fake squeals, grunts and bedspring squeaks onto a cassette. An easy payday — except for the fact that the used-car salesman turned out to be Sergeant Jim Willis, Vice Investigator of the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office. Zappa was busted on a felony charge of conspiracy to commit pornography, and cops raided his Cucamonga, California recording facility, Studio Z. His sentence was ultimately reduced to just 10 days of jail time — still enough, as it turned out, to earn Zappa draft exemption from Vietnam as a convicted felon. Which possibly helped pave the way for a career that boasted more than its share of truly filthy musical moments. One can only wonder what Sgt. Willis must have thought of "Bobby Brown". . .”

And remember that the song Louie Louie was part of an investigation into the violation of obscenity laws. Wait a minute…. (True story).

Anyway, always good for a few laughs.

Which brings us back to the blue themed (but quite innocuous) comedian records by Redd Foxx, Belle Barthe, Rusty Warren et al of the time…

 

[mhardy6647]

... and that synopsis brings me to another artifact of that era; a slightly more serious and yet altogether fun one:



My copy's in bad condition but still an enjoyable listen.
I actually saw Oscar Brand perform at my alma mater when I was a first year grad student -- he was a hoot (in the best possible sense)!
Now that we're on this topic -- my father-in-law, who was a pretty staid guy, had an AF record (IIRC, it was from Audio Fidelity, at any rate) called Bawdy Songs and Back Room Ballads. I did keep that one from his collection when he passed away, way back in '86. It's most entertaining.

I'll have to dig that one up. Not sure where it is, probably upstairs with Mitch Miller & The Gang.

Most of all y'all know this, but Audio Fidelity was an early stereo era "audiophile" label of no mean reputation.

 

[Deli]

... and that synopsis brings me to another artifact of that era; a slightly more serious and yet altogether fun one:

View attachment 44602

My copy's in bad condition but still an enjoyable listen.
I actually saw Oscar Brand perform at my alma mater when I was a first year grad student -- he was a hoot (in the best possible sense)!
Now that we're on this topic -- my father-in-law, who was a pretty staid guy, had an AF record (IIRC, it was from Audio Fidelity, at any rate) called Bawdy Songs and Back Room Ballads. I did keep that one from his collection when he passed away, way back in '86. It's most entertaining.

I'll have to dig that one up. Not sure where it is, probably upstairs with Mitch Miller & The Gang.

Most of all y'all know this, but Audio Fidelity was an early stereo era "audiophile" label of no mean reputation.

I thought I was the only one into sea shanties.

There’s a collection of those here, as well as murder ballads, keeping the stag records, environmental recordings, racetrack recordings, and various other eclectic sundries…

 

[mhardy6647]

I thought I was the only one into sea shanties.

There’s a collection of those here, as well as murder ballads, keeping the stag records, environmental recordings, racetrack recordings, and various other eclectic sundries…

Well, they were a thing for a week or 10 days or so during the COVID Dark Ages, it will be recalled.

'Garbage trends' clog the internet — and they may be here to stay

Sea shanties, the word "cheugy," feta pasta and "RushTok" were all fleeting internet obsessions over the past year. But what do such "garbage trends" say about our cultural condition?

www.npr.org

"Garbage Trends"

Actually, I do like them (see shanties, that is... kinda on the fence re: garbage trends) -- and I will further mention that the long-time host of my favorite radio program, Robert Resnik (All the Traditions on VPR) has more than a passing fancy for them as well.
He also will, more than occasionally, crank up one of those long, convoluted, complicated, and utterly insane magnum opuses (opi? opii?) from The Incredible String Band. I can spot 'em in about 30 seconds, too.
It's great radio -- seriously.
It streams on a two-week rotation (with other music programs, all of which are pretty good as well) as VPR Replay.

Online Radio Streams

Explore all of Vermont Public's online radio streams — News, Classical, Replay and the BBC — and learn how to listen on any device.

www.vpr.org

Vermont Public Audio Player

Listen to the live streams of Vermont Public News, Vermont Public Classical, the Vermont House and Senate, the BBC and Replay.

app.vpr.org

 

[Deli]

After that EXCELLENT trip off topic (I love strange sub-genres) let’s get back to the VinylFlat.

Special edition pharmaceutical blue vinyl reissue of the Spiritualized record “Ladies & Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space”, both records had a slight warp- not severe, and not enough to send back, but close- I wasn’t really jazzed about it’s borderline warp.

One trip through the VinylFlat at 2 1/2 hours and a half hour cool-down, and flat enough for me to play without any concern and any remaining wavering not worth running through a second time- it’s mild at worst.

I’m impatient and I wish it was faster but that’s unfair to the device- I’m having great success with this, and at a fraction of the price of other record flattening devices at 5 to 20 times the cost.

 

[Deli]

So I popped in the second disc of that Spiritualized pressing as referenced above. Approx 2 hours 45 minute to 3 hours, let it cool overnight, and the record is perfectly flat this morning. Like it never had a warp.

I’m going to keep posting my results at least for a while- I’m impressed with the results. The cost to replace these records would equal, then surpass the price of the VinylFlat so I’m approaching and almost at the point of breaking even and will eventually surpass that.

 

[Punker X]

Approx 2 hours 45 minute to 3 hours, let it cool overnight

Haven't played with this as much yet. Did one record and used this recipe and worked great. But may up the temp to high. I got about 130 with the pouch empty on the medium setting. However the the vinyl flat I measured the temp in the pouch after a couple house it was only 110.

 

[Deli]

Haven't played with this as much yet. Did one record and used this recipe and worked great. But may up the temp to high. I got about 130 with the pouch empty on the medium setting. However the the vinyl flat I measured the temp in the pouch after a couple house it was only 110.

I’m averaging about 120 on low, 150 on medium. Haven’t measured high yet.

Just dropped a Ritual Tension record in it. It was a sealed copy but came out of the sleeve with a severe curve on 1/4th of the record. Did a 2 hour 45 minute round and it is down but not quite playable. Back in the pouch now and I’ll know in about 2 hours or so if a second round helps, or if I need a third.

 

[JP]

The records I want to try it on the most, make me the most nervous. They are my best test records where one example pops up every few years at best.

 

[Deli]

The records I want to try it on the most, make me the most nervous. They are my best test records where one example pops up every few years at best.

I understand the concern. I’ll keep posting my progress though, and any issues I run into. That way if a record gets screwed up, you’ll hear about it.

However the only time I’ve seen a record ruined was with excessive heat and/or excessive time- both likely due to impatient users. I’m playing it cautiously and so far things are going well.

 

[mhardy6647]

So, these do sound like really cool gizmos (although there's just something odd about that "GroovyPouch" moniker... )
Where does one purchase devices of these kinds?
EDIT: Found 'em!

 

[Deli]

So, these do sound like really cool gizmos (although there's just something odd about that "GroovyPouch" moniker... )
Where does one purchase devices of these kinds?

VinylFlat (and GroovyPouch)

FIX WARPED RECORDS | Vinyl Flat

Vinyl Flat | The simple and affordable way to fix your warped vinyl records!

www.vinylflat.com

Also GroovyPouch (of another type of activity)

Men's Vinyl & Leather Wear | Spicy Lingerie

Bring out your wild side with our collection of men's leather and vinyl wear. Shop now at Spicy Lingerie and take your sex appeal to the next level!

www.spicylingerie.com

 

[JP]

Is the groovy ring a wear item? Do you use a timer for the pouch?

 

[Deli]

Is the groovy ring a wear item? Do you use a timer for the pouch?

I imagine there’s a ring out there you could purchase and wear that’s considered kinda groovy….

You could hook the GroovyPouch up to an electric timer plugged into the wall, but I just set a timer on my phone.

 

[mhardy6647]

Compared to other such devices I've seen for sale, these look like very good value if they work well -- and @Deli's posts are supporting the notion that they do indeed (work well).

I had sourced a couple of pieces of tempered glass to try a homebrew flattener-of-last-resort, but never had the cojones to try them (speaking of groovy vinyl pouches...).

 

[Deli]

Compared to other such devices I've seen for sale, these look like very good value if they work well -- and @Deli's posts are supporting the notion that they do indeed (work well).

I had sourced a couple of pieces of tempered glass to try a homebrew flattener-of-last-resort, but never had the cojones to try them (speaking of groovy vinyl pouches...).

Looking at what the cost would have been to replace beloved but warped records in my collection, compared to buying this and putting a little time and effort behind it, if I salvaged enough I’d have been satisfied and okay with any time spent.

Yes, I was a bit hesitant at first.

But… I’ll eclipse the breaking even point, and my expectations are surpassed. I’ll flatten other records that were passable before, plus I can now flatten any new records that come in, and if I find a nice record at a thrift or yard sale that has a warp, I can feel confident I’ll likely be able to salvage it.

I too considered the glass pane in the sun or oven method and I imagine both will work but the addition of the groovy pouch allows me the convenience of a steady temperature and more control of the process. I’ve no regrets.

 

[JP]

I imagine there’s a ring out there you could purchase and wear that’s considered kinda groovy….

Groovy Ring Replacement Pack | Vinyl Flat

This pack is included with the Vinyl Flat. You need to purchase this replacement pack only if you want to replace any of your Groovy Rings or you want to protect your records while using a DIY record flatenning tool. The Groovy Rings are made from a proprietary soft synthetic fabric that...

www.vinylflat.com

 

[Deli]

Groovy Ring Replacement Pack | Vinyl Flat

This pack is included with the Vinyl Flat. You need to purchase this replacement pack only if you want to replace any of your Groovy Rings or you want to protect your records while using a DIY record flatenning tool. The Groovy Rings are made from a proprietary soft synthetic fabric that...

www.vinylflat.com

Oh- I thought you meant wear as accessory- not wear as in wear out!

I guess it could be- but I haven’t noticed any issues. Probably the bigger concern with the felt would be the ring getting potentially dusty or dirty and then the potential for particulate to transfer or mar the record- although I’m not seeing that issue, as the records are cleaned before any trip into the VinylFlat and Groovy Pouch.

Thanks for clarification on your question!

 

[Deli]

Well this Ritual Tension album is putting up a fight. I’m for a third round, and I may need to do a fourth and use a different set of felt pads- the kit comes with three. One for 7”, a 12” full felt pad for most warps, and a 12” with a good portion of the center removed, usually reserved for dished records. A note- I did salvage an extremely dished record early on. Shocking as the dish was pretty severe and it solved that without any damage or playback issues.

I expect the VinylFlat to fix this Ritual Tension record but it looks like the vinyl will put up a fight while the VinylFlat is doing so.

 

[Deli]

Swapped out the full sized felt pads…