Comparing 45s And LPs

Advantages of 45 Records.—As a collector I concentrate on the little 7-inch 45 record today because (in no particular order) of the format's following advantages over LPs:

1. Superior Audio: By their very nature, records that play back at 45 rpm have superior audio to those that play at 33-1/3 rpm (assuming the same recording, the same mastering approach, and the same quality vinyl). This is because a 45 rpm's grooves contain much more information, and they are deeper and less vulnerable to surface nicks. To fit 20-30 minutes of music on an LP, manufacturers must make grooves thinner, shallower, and closer together to avoid audio cross-over. For the same reason, they must tone down the audio level, which is why LPs sound so thin compared with 45s. And it's why the big sound on little 45 records sounds so much better than equivalent LP cuts (examples: Buddy Holly/Crickets singles, 1960s Motown singles). Consider that with today's "vinyl revival," some record companies are starting to press even jazz albums on "45 rpm" albums to take advantage of the superior audio characteristics of spinning at 45 rpm. Yes, this means a one-record LP may require two or more 12-inch records to fit the music at 45 rpm, but the music advantage apparently is worth it. See the Music Matters website as an example. I recently bought "Highway 61 Revisited" by Bob Dylan in this format.
2. More Great Music: There's so much more music available on 45! Of all the recording artists from the 1950s-70s who released music in any vinyl format, the percentage who released LPs is small compared with those who released 45s only. Most record companies, especially small independent labels, would take a bet on an artist by pressing a 45 record, or perhaps several, but unless one of them became a hit, that music never got them an LP contract. And just because a record wasn't a hit doesn't mean it's not worth seeking out today!
   In a quick count of the first two pages of the latest edition of the price guide/discography "Rockin' Records," which is 1,255 pages long, there are 125 artists listed. Of those, 76 artists released only 45 records, no LPs. Using that rough count, one can conclude that only 40% of recording artists ever released an LP and that 60% released only 45s. Considering that "Rockin' Records" contains 68,841 artists (according to the author, Jerry Osborne) who pressed music to vinyl since 1949, this calculation means that more than 40,000 of them never made an LP. And I guarantee you that of those 40,000 artists, a large number made music that's actually worth collecting. But you'll never find it on an LP.
   1. Album Artists on Small Labels: The previous count didn't include artists who did make at least one LP, but who also made a lot of 45s that were never released on LP. This occurred when an artist such as Soloman Burke switched labels and on their new label they only released a 45 or two. Many artists — Soul and RnB artists in particular — switched labels a lot during this period.
3. Concentrated Goodness: 45s pack more musical punch than LPs. Most 45 records really do contain the very best music the artist had to offer. Quite often, the B side is even better than the "hit" side, as most artists used the B side to put their "best foot forward" or to show another side of their sound. By contrast, most LPs — especially from the 1950s and 1960s — have only one or two hits on them, and then lots of filler. Even "really good" LPs by acts like The Eagles, James Taylor, the Rolling Stones, and Joni Mitchell from the 1970s to the present have songs that aren't up to the artist's highest standard, but the time required to "skip" certain songs on an LP is prohibitive. The number of albums that are worth listening to all the way through is actually quite small, while the number of 45s that have two top-notch sides is very high indeed. One of the reasons for the rise of Napster, iTunes and other streaming/file-sharing services beginning around 2000 was consumers' desire for particular songs. Record companies' policy of over-pricing CDs compared with LPs combined with their attempt to kill the single in all its forms (cassingle, 45, CD single) led directly to file-sharing services like Napster. Today, it's easy to buy just the song you want from iTunes (if you're willing to do with compressed audio), and today's consumers can listen to all the songs on an album before buying. The 45 was a format that gave the people what they wanted: Not only one, but often two of the artist's best songs at a fraction of the cost of a (possibly mediocre) LP. Perhaps the 45 will rise again some day to appeal to those of us who like the physical nature of vinyl and who want the best audio possible.
4. Non-LP Edits, Mixes, Songs and Takes:
   1. 45-Only Edits: Often the hit (45 rpm) version of a song was an edited version of a corresponding LP track. Beginning in the late 1960s, some rock artists began to think that the extended jamming their fans loved in concert was appropriate for album cuts as well. (Hence, Iron Butterfly gave you an LP with "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" consuming an entire side. Believe me, buy the single and you'll get the best bits.) Songs became longer, until by the mid-1970s it wasn't unusual to find hit songs clocking well over 4:00 minutes. Thankfully, either the record company, the producer, or the artist recognized that some songs needed to be edited down for the "hit" version, and today you'll only find those excellent edited releases by collecting the original 45s. (Even reissues and compilations typically contain the album version, not the edited-for-radio cut.) Caveat: In rare cases, the edit was a goof — an attempt to edit a song that really had no "fluff" to edit. A good example of this is "Layla" by Derek & the Dominoes. It was first released as an under-3-minute edit that left off the entire instrumental ending that many consider to be the song's best feature. When the company re-released the song in its original 7-minute version, it became a much bigger hit than originally. But in most cases that I know of, edited 45 versions capture the essence of a song without leaving out essential segments. (As a former professional manuscript editor, I know and appreciate the value of tight editing in telling a story as well as, in this case, producing a song.)
   2. Special Promo 45 Edits: Promotional 45 records from this period often had edited versions that are available nowhere else. The most interesting promo 45s are those that have the album (or retail 45) version on one side and an edited-for-radio version on the other. The specially edited versions available on these promotional 45s were typically never made available on retail copies, 45 reissues or on LP compilations. Besides the value of these edited-version nuggets, collecting promos can be especially rewarding since these were the first 45s pressed from a "master" and so have the most pristine audio possible. They were also less likely to have been made using sub-standard vinyl than retail copies.
   3. Previously Unreleased, 45-Only Songs: Many artists (examples: Elton John, U2, Bob Dylan, R.E.M., Elvis Costello, Bruce Springsteen, Beatles) put previously unreleased, non-album cuts on their singles' A and/or B sides, and a lot of these never found their way to a vinyl LP. One of my favorite examples if Joni Mitchell's "Urge For Going," which appeared on the B side of her hit "You Turn Me On, I'm A Radio" but nowhere else on vinyl. Another of my favorites is Springsteen's "Pink Cadillac," which only appears on the B side of "Dancing in the Dark," the debut single from Springsteen's breakthrough LP "Born In The U.S.A."
   4. Rare Takes and Mixes Only on 45: Some 45s have actually different takes or have re-recorded versions with additional or different instrumentation than what appears on the corresponding LP. In some cases, the rare take existed on only a tiny fraction of the record's total press run, as a different take was quickly substituted. One example here is "Shop Around" by The Miracles, which was first released with a different take than the one that became the hit. Typically, these rare "pulled" takes are more valuable than what followed, and they never appeared on the corresponding album or subsequent vinyl compilations. This category also includes songs that were actually re-recorded — completely or in part — when released on as a 45 rpm single. An example of this is "Rock Me On The Water," by Jackson Browne. The 45 version is completely different from the LP version, and today you can only find the real "hit" version of the song by hunting down the original 45. Greatest hits LPs and other compilations almost invariably present the LP version rather than what was the "hit" version on 45. In addition to completely new recordings, many 45s have special mixes that differ from what appeared on the LP. Occasionally, special promos were released with a "new," remixed version of a song — even while the song was still popular. These special mixes typically appear only on the 45, though with the advent of 45 RPM 12-inch singles in the 1970s, a special 45 mix might show up on that format as well.
   5. Censored Lyrics Only on 45: In the 1950s and 1960s especially, radio stations and record companies were sensitive to possibly negative audience feedback to certain words and phrases used in early Rock'n'Roll hits. This resulted in a kind of censorship that made singers go back into the studio and over-dub new lyrics over the ostensibly offensive original. An example of this is "Rhapsody in the Rain" by Lou Christie, which Christie had to re-record some vocals when the line "we were makin' out in the rain" was deemed offensive (the new language was "we fell in love in the rain"). As with rare "pulled" takes, the "censored" version is what appears on the artist's LPs and compilations, and today you can only find the original, un-censored lyrics on the rare original 45s.
   6. Original Mono Mixes: Records from the 1950s and 1960s invariably sound better in their original mono mix than in the primitive Stereo mixes often found on LPs of the day (unless you seek out the Mono LPs). It wasn't until about 1970 that 16-track stereo recording technology introduced in 1968 was in widespread use; it was this leap in technology that made Stereo mixes finally sound good enough to begin replacing Mono mixes as the default on 45 records. You can often find the Mono version of LPs from this period, but companies made Mono mixes available for virtually all singles through the 1970s on their Stereo/Mono promo 45s.
5. Serious Eye Candy: Compared with collecting LPs, 45s offer much more options for "eye candy", resulting from the way they were packaged and promoted. So if you're a collector who values design and is easily smitten by unique, eye-catching art and design, here are some things you get by collecting 45s.
   1. Label Art: Label art from tiny record companies who never pressed LPs adds an eye-candy component not found in LP collecting. Even the labels of larger companies make more of an impression visually on a 45 record, since the label is more prominent.
      
      

      

      

      

      
      

      
   2. Factory Sleeves: Similarly, factory (company) sleeves from small record companies are unique in the world of 45 collecting and again provide an eye-candy incentive. Even large companies seemed to compete among themselves in designing the most attractive sleeves, in some cases changing sleeve designs numerous times over the years. There is no counterpart for factory sleeves in the world of LP collecting, even though a small minority of LPs did come with protective sleeves that weren't either lyric sheets or generic white.
   3. Picture Sleeves: While LPs always came in a sturdy, cardboard-weight sleeve, most 45s came in generic white or brown sleeves. Yet many 45s were released with a limited quantity of picture sleeves, which often contain artwork, band photos and other content that add spice to 45 collecting.
      
   4. Colored Vinyl 45s: When RCA first started making 45s, they had an elaborate system devised to use colored vinyl to designate different markets — e.g., childrens, country, RnB, pop, jazz, etc. They abandoned the system very early on, but record labels continued to release special pressings on colored vinyl throughout the years. Typically, colored vinyl was used for promotional releases, but there are many cases, especially beginning in the 1980s, when specific releases would have part of their press run on colored wax. Examples of the latter include "True Blue" by Madonna and "Purple Rain" by Prince. Collecting colored vinyl 45s is another way to feed your eye-candy impulses, and typically colored vinyl 45s fetch much higher prices than their black-vinyl siblings. As far as I know, record companies did not regularly release colored-vinyl LPs as they did for 45s, though certainly some colored vinyl LPs do exist, so this is an aspect of record collecting unique to 45s.
   5. Promotional Labels: The label designs for promotional 45 records are often different from and even more interesting than the corresponding retail labels. (That said, most record companies used white labels and black ink for their promos, with perhaps a variation in the company logo. So promos with colored ink on the label are relatively rare.) In addition, because some 45s never made it past the promo stage — that is, no retail 45 was ever released if dee-jay response wasn't enthusiastic enough to warrant a retail release — some label designs are unique to promotional releases.
   6. Compact Size and Convenience: Compared with LPs, 45s take up much less space on the shelf and are easier to lug around. Their very portability is one of the reasons for the format's phenomenal success with teenagers in the 1950s and 1960s, and even today, packing up and moving a big 45 collection is a breeze compared with handling a big LP collection. Further, compared with queueing up a particular song on a 33-1/3 rpm LP, playing 45s is much simpler. Both of these factors explains the format's enduring popularity with disc jockeys at both night clubs and catered parties. CDs present the same problem, though they are easier to queue up than LPs.
   7. Greater durability: With their deeper, wider grooves and smaller size, 45 rpm records can take more abuse than LPs and still deliver superior audio. The tightly spaced, shallow and narrow grooves on 33-1/3 rpm LPs means it's much easier to induce a "ding" that will affect the sound than it is with a 45. Styrene 45s start out with superior audio to standard-grade vinyl, but they can degrade quickly on poor equipment. 45s pressed on standard-grade vinyl will last longer, but in my experience they are more susceptible to audio "pops" with light scratches than styrene. Still, a 45's wax, whether styrene or vinyl, can look almost trashed and still sound good all the way through, whereas an LP in similar visual condition is unlikely to be playable. (Again, styrene can be a red flag: It can look untouched but still have distorted audio. This doesn't mean you should shy away from collecting styrene 45s... Just try to find copies that are truly pristine, and you'll be rewarded with audio that's bright, noise-free and clean.)

   8. Advantages of LP Records.—As previously noted, LP collecting will definitely be part of your collecting strategy, since your collection would be incomplete without the many worthwhile LPs that have music not available on 45 rpm. And the format does have its advantages over the 45 record. For example,

      1. Some Genres Best on LP: If you're a fan of jazz, classical or musical soundtracks, in particular, you won't find much on 45 rpm vinyl worth collecting. Those three musical genres have very rarely even pressed a 45, let alone try to generate a "hit" from the music. Of course, there are exceptions, such as "Take Five" by Dave Brubeck, which was a minor hit in the early 1960s. (On the other hand, the arrival of "45 rpm" albums may blunt this advantage.)
      2. More Likely To Retain Sleeves: You don't usually find bins of LPs without their covers, as you do with 45s. As a result, the universe of badly beat-up LPs is small compared with that of 45s. Because 45s came in a relatively flimsy paper cover, users often discarded them and stored them in some other, specially made-for-45s binder. The vast number of un-sleeved 45s that one encounters while 45 collecting makes the hobby especially challenging compared with LP collecting. Don't take this to mean that you won't find plenty of beat-up LPs if you start shopping for them: LPs grooves are more easily damaged, even on good equipment, because they are shallower and more closely spaced, and finding Near Mint or better LP covers can also be challenging.
      3. More Careful Handling: Owners of LPs typically handled them more carefully, and they more often used decent hi-fi equipment to play them on. By contrast, owners of 45s not only discarded their sleeves, they wrote their initials on the labels, or they added numbered stickers to the labels, or they defaced the labels in any number of other ways. This kind of damage is not typically found when collecting LPs. As a result, finding collectable copies of favorite LPs (with un-defaced labels and undamaged audio) is generally easier compared with finding equivalent copies of favorite 45s from the 1950s-60s.
      4. More Music Per Record: Assuming you want to listen to an entire LP, that format is more convenient to play, since one side typically lasts at least 20 minutes, whereas 45s from this period typically run only 2-3 minutes. (Exceptions certainly exist: "Like A Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan was 6 minutes, for example.) To play 45s with similar convenience, you need a 45-changer spindle, like the one shown in the 1950s RCA product (above), but no one makes such a thing anymore.
      5. Larger Format: More Lyrics, Photos and Art: Although many 45 picture sleeves have song lyrics and band photos in addition to special cover art, LPs gave designers a larger canvas to work with, and the results are often truly special. 45s can't compete with LP covers for the kind of eye-candy and information one could cram not only onto the front and back of the cover but into special inserts with full lyrics and more. For example, an album like "Tumbleweed Connection" by Elton John incorporated a 12-page "booklet" with lyrics, photos, and amazing custom artwork.
      6. Album Tracks Unavailable on 45: Although I firmly believe (through experience) that most artists' best work was released on 45 rpm vinyl, it's also a fact that a lot of great music remains locked in the 33-1/3 rpm format. With the rise of college and alternative radio stations in the 1970s, dee-jays delighted in finding obscure but essential music outside of the 45s that record companies released to promote an artist's work. Not only that, but albums were becoming suites of material that couldn't easily be separated into "hit" segments. (Even though "Dark Side of the Moon" is such a suite, the band managed to edit their excellent tune "Money" onto a 45 that's worth collecting in addition to the album.) Until Michael Jackson's "Thriller" LP in 1983, companies were loath to release more than 2-3 singles per album, so a lot of great album tracks got left without a 45 rpm counterpart. Thus, when Bruce Springsteen released a 2-record album chock-full of potential hits ("The River"), Columbia could only find two songs to release on 45 ("Hungry Heart" and "Fade Away"), and one of those was a dud. (45 fans did better with Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A." album, which followed "Thriller's precedent by releasing 7 singles!) Thus, songs like "Sherry Darling," "Crush On You," "I Wanna Marry You," and "Cadillac Ranch" can only be heard by buying "The River." Likewise, it's unconscionable that Atlantic refused to release "Stairway To Heaven" as a commercial 45, making it available only as a promotional release for radio stations. Still, the quantity of such album-only tracks pales in comparison to the vast universe of music available on only 45.

      As noted, I do spring for LPs that have music worth collecting that wasn't released on 45, so I'm certainly not advocating 45s only. Your Rock collection simply wouldn't be complete without the entire Blonde on Blonde album, for example, or without Sgt. Pepper's, Tea for the Tillerman, Blue, or Dark Side of the Moon, to mention just a few. Those are exceptions, however. In general, you get so much more bang for your buck by collecting 45s. Many times, the B sides of those old singles are rare gems you can't find anywhere else.*

      * A point of misinformation: Many casual vinyl collectors (and even those who should know better, such as the, um, inexperienced techies who put together the Discogs website and its arcane guidelines for 45 records) seem to think that most 45s have worthless B sides. This could not be more wrong. With only a few exceptions (singles on Philles Records and some Bubblegum singles), 45s from the 1950s-70s typically have two of the artist's very best songs on them. That's because in the case of U.S. 45s from this period, it wasn't always easy to tell what the A side was (even promos), so 45s offered two great songs hoping one of them would become a hit. Today, any experienced 45 collector will tell you without reservation that B sides are a major reason they collect 45s, and that often the B side has turned out to be better—more enduring musically—than the "hit" side over the long run.