Side 1
1. 3rd Planet
2. Gravity Rides Everything
3. Dark Center Of The Universe
4. Perfect Disguise

Side 2
1. Tiny Cities Made Of Ashes
2. A Different City
3. The Cold Part
4. Alone Down There

Side 3
1. The Stars Are Projectors
2. Wild Packs Of Family Dogs
3. Paper Thin Walls

Side 4
1. I Came As A Rat
2. Lives
3. Life Like Weeds
4. What People Are Made Of

Answer: This is a very important question, because the value for sealed albums, especially those from the 1960s, is skyrocketing. Legitimately never-opened albums from the 1960s, and sometimes more recent LPs, can fetch two to four times the price of the same album in near-mint (and opened) condition, and sometimes more.

But many “sealed” albums on the marketplace have been re-sealed over the years and are passed off as never opened. So if you are paying a premium for a vintage sealed album, do so from a reputable dealer who will stand by your purchase.

The 1960s is when the mass sealing of LPs began to take place. In the early 1960s, few albums were sold sealed, but by the end of the decade, almost all new LPs were. In the interim, some interesting compromises were struck: From about 1963-67, some, though not all, records pressed by Columbia came with an open cover and a sealed bag inside the cover that held the record. I think I’ve only ever seen one of these discs “still sealed” over the years.

In 1964, the first year of the British Invasion, many albums were still sold in open covers. I have a Beatles album from that year that still has a “Sears, Roebuck & Co.” price tag on it, affixed to the cover, thus implying the album was sold without shrink wrap.

Anyway, enough of the history lesson and on to the question.

The “loose bag” album by the Trashmen is almost certainly a legitimately sealed album from the 1960s. The earliest sealed albums I’ve encountered have this kind of packaging; I have a vintage Bill Doggett LP on the King label that, though not sealed, still has this kind of loose bag on it.

The Ventures In Space was in print long enough to undergo a label change (from Dolton to Liberty), even though the number stayed exactly the same. So that one isn’t so clear-cut. But 1960s albums tended to have a plastic cellophane seal that gets brittle with age, whereas by the 1970s, the shrink wrap on albums was more “filmy,” like plastic cling wrap. There’s a definite difference in texture between earlier tight seals and later ones. (This is also a good way to distinguish re-sealed LPs.)

Another thing I’ve often found on authentically sealed LPs from the 1960s is a vintage price tag, sometimes generic and sometimes from long-defunct retail stores, such as Korvette’s or Grant’s.

All that said, exceptions exist. Sometimes you have to go by instinct. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

Question: My copy of the Beatles’ 45, Capitol 5407 (“Ticket To Ride”/“Yes It Is”), notes that it’s from the United Artists release “Eight Arms to Hold You.”  At some point did Capitol change the label to reflect that it came from the movie’s released title (“Help!”) or did all copies have the original working title?  Any special value to the 45s showing “Eight Arms” on the label?

Answer:  Every copy of “Ticket To Ride” that was issued on the orange and yellow swirl label contains the reference to “Eight Arms to Hold You.” This was never changed or removed, thus there is no special value attached to the record solely because of the wrong title.

Strangely, the reference to “Eight Arms to Hold You” remained on “Ticket to Ride” 45s for years! Later pressings of the song, including the Capitol “target” label, the Apple label and even the orange Capitol label, still claimed that the single came from “Eight Arms to Hold You.” Not until 1978, when Capitol started re-pressing Beatles singles on purple labels, was the reference to the nonexistent film finally dropped.

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Question: My husband told me when he was younger he used to clean his albums with rubbing alcohol because that was all they had and it didn’t damage them. We have some that haven’t been played in months, and I want the dust removed before I play them. Can I use rubbing alcohol?  

Answer: The short answer: Yes. But there are better ways.  And never, ever use alcohol on a 78.

But I’m getting ahead of myself here. There’s no question that a clean record is a better-sounding record. A clean record also will help your equipment, especially the stylus on your turntable, last longer. And there’s some evidence to suggest that playing a dirty record also will hurt the record in the long run.

Most commercial record-cleaning liquids contain some combination of water, alcohol and a surfactant. Because there is some belief (though it’s not proven) that long-term use of alcohol on records might have a negative effect on the vinyl, some newer solutions don’t use alcohol at all. For short-term use, though, it shouldn’t be a problem. In the olden days, I used to use window cleaner on my 45s and albums, and it worked reasonably well.

The process of cleaning a record isn’t as simple as deciding what liquid to use, however. It’s best to place the record on a clean surface; a couple lint-free towels on a countertop or table will work.

Only clean one side of a record at a time. Apply the liquid liberally to the grooved area; never get it on the label, as liquids can leave residue or cause other damage. The best way to thoroughly saturate a record is to use a very gentle brush, one that won’t scratch the record; indeed, you might want to apply the liquid directly to the brush rather than to the record.

As mentioned earlier, never, ever use an alcohol-based cleaner on a 78! Because of the way the records were manufactured, alcohol can loosen the bonds between the two sides of a 78 and cause them to separate, causing permanent damage. Gentle soapy water is the best non-commercial liquid to clean a 78.

Far more important than what liquid you use to clean the record, though, is how you then remove that liquid. All that gunk that the liquid has loosened is still there, only closer to the surface. Don’t let the wet record dry in the air! Only the liquid has evaporated; the dirt may not be visible, but it remains behind.

The best way to dry a wet record by hand is to use a microfiber-based towel or cloth, an option that didn’t exist a few years ago but is becoming more common. (The best older solution is a chamois-based cloth.) These are better than ordinary bath towels or paper towels because they don’t leave lint or dust behind. If you have trouble finding microfiber towels in the bath section of a department store, try the car-care section, because they’ve become quite popular among car buffs.

After you’ve thoroughly dried one side, repeat the process on the other side.
If you grew up with a turntable in the 1970s and into the 1980s, you probably at some point either had, or knew someone who had, a Discwasher. They consisted of a brush and a cleaning fluid; you applied the fluid to the brush, let the record spin, applied the liquid to the record using the brush, then rotated the brush to clean off the liquid with a dry part of the brush. Many people swore by them, but for some reason, my records often sounded worse after using the Discwasher system than before. But maybe that was just me.

Over time, you may decide that hand-cleaning your records is a pain, especially if you have a large collection. At that point, investing in a record-cleaning machine becomes a good idea. The best ones — two well-known brands are Nitty Gritty and VPI — combine the wetting and drying the record into one continuous process.

Better yet, the drying takes place with a vacuum that sucks the fluid off the record completely. A good cleaning machine, however, requires a significant monetary investment of at least in the hundreds of dollars. But if you have a large collection, it’s worth it.  I never felt that my records were really deep-down clean until I started using a machine a few years ago.

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