Promo and DJ albums

how old are the lp's? and what type of music is on 'em? there are several varieties of promos and dj releases. most were/are simply pre-production releases of what later was sold to the public. some are releases that never made it to the production stage. yet another kind has markings or "time strips" that were used when the records were played on air. finally, there are some lp's that contain entire "shows," including interviews or other promotional stuff. so-called "white label" or "orange label" promos and radio show lp's ( e.g., "king biscut flower hour") are very collectable. some unreleased promos are also quite valuable, since they are rare. a few promos were, in fact, better pressings than were released. i have, for example, several "quiex" recordings that are marked "promo" that are pressed on virgin vinyl; some of these made their way to the public at large but not many. if you have a score or more of these lp's from your uncle, it would be worth having them "appraised" by a knowledgable collector. BTW, promo/dj copy cd's are also more valuable than "regular" versions but only if they have different (usually plain white) labels and accompaning pre-release jewel box inserts. have fun with this stuff and don't let anybody try to steal it from you. -kelly

dougholdco is absolutely right re the early stamper pressings of dj/promo lp's. indeed, that's a major reason they are more valuable than the "original" releases of the same material. some of the best-sounding recordings of my favorite lp's are promo/dj pressings. two of the best: paul simon, "graceland"; dire straits, "making movies." the colored vinyl releases are also superior in sonic quality than the "regular black ones", if they are on "clear" vinyl (which must be virgin). the marbalized or opaque records are not generally on virgin vinyl and are, thus, no better (except for early stamper versions) than their black counterparts. BTW, you can test whether an lp is on virgin vinyl by holding up to a strong light source; if it's virgin, you can see the light through it.