In the sixties I worked for CBS and was very familiar with the Record Club operations since I was a financial overseer of Columbia Records operations. Quality of the record was a function of the vinyl mix and stamper run, not whether it was Club product or retail distribution. Record manufacturing was done, as noted at many plants. Quality control of the stampers and other parts of the operation varied considerable. Overall, both Club and Retail product was great. Still have many thousands of records that I received as a perk. By the way, the Club operation never made any real money despite the fact Club records that were offered in promo deals never had to pay royalties.
Record Club vs. Store purchased records
When I was younger (a long time ago in a land far away) I used to acquire some records via Columbia Record Club, Capital Record Club etc. Now, when I listen to some of those lp's they just sound "thin or lacking". Was there a difference in those pressings or were they just not good recordings to begin with. The reason I ask is maybe I should look for replacements (used of course)that weren't from record clubs. All rock titles by the way.