An explanation of the abbreviations used in the domain of collecting vinyl records.
7
7″ means a 7-inch diameter, the smallest diameter used for vinyl records, mainly used for singles, although 7″ EP’s do exist. Mostly recorded at 45rpm, but some older UK records have been recorded at 33 1/3 RPM
10
10″ 10-inch the medium diameter of records, mainly used for EP
12
12″ 12-inch (~31cm) the largest diameter for records, mainly used for LP’s, although 12″ singles exist, so-called maxi-singles.
B
BJ Blank Jacket (cover(
B/W “backed with” or “B-side with” and refers to the b-side of a single
C
CC Cut Corner
CDM La chante du Monde
CH: Cut Hole
CND Club National du Disque
CO Cut Out, deleted item that has been saw cut, clipped or drilled by the record company to prevent it being sold as full price product.
D
DF Les Discophiles Francais
DIE-CUT – A sleeve with a custom cut area or hole, usually intended to reveal a picture disc, coloured vinyl disc or the label, without having to remove it from the sleeve.
DL DeLuxe Cover
DLP Double LP
DMM Direct Metal Mastering during the vinyl records production process the master disc is cut on a copper-coated disc. which produces a high quality audio (audiophile) record, it seems that DMM also improved the lifetime of the vinyl discs
E
EP an EP is a record which has two or three tracks on each side
F
F/A: For Auction, item is for sale on an auction
FOC Fold Out Cover, see: Gatefold cover
FREAKBEAT Freakbeat is the name for rare, collectable, and obscure British Invasion records. Usually, these are rare British blues and garage rock, bands that sounded a bit like the Rolling Stones, Yardbirds, or the Bluesbreakers, but occasionally some of the tougher Merseybeat bands fit this category, too. The criteria for freakbeat is a little vague, and known basically to collectors who specialize in the style, but it generally is fairly obscure British Invasion of all
FS: Factory Sealed, or For Sale
G
G Good, see Vinyl Grading Guide
GF Gatefold Cover, A sleeve folded down the centre to create a double pocket, some may have the opening on the inside (eg Pink Floyd’s Meddle) more commonly the opening is on the outside
GLAMROCK Glam rock is a style of rock music popularised in the 1970s, and was mostly a British phenomenon and confined to larger cities in the U.S. such as New York and Los Angeles. It was distinguished by the costumes and stage acts of the performers rather than any particular aspect of their music. The emphasis was on superficiality and an unabashed embracing of decadence, fame and sexuality, a statement of sorts against such acts as Pink Floyd, King Crimson,
GLITTER ROCK Glitter rock, a short-lived genre in the mid-1970s, was an extreme exploration of the fantasy-side of the reality-fantasy parents of heavy metal. Was staylized by the flashy appearance of the performers. The music merged theatrics and rock music of the early to late 1970’s. There was as well a influence of the idea of alien life and an ever changing image in performance, music and artist in general.
H
HM Harmonia Mundi
HQ 180: High Quality Vinyl LPs which weights 180 grams. The High Quality 180 gram premium format offers a significant improvement in the sound of recordings. The HQ-180 is 50% heavier with 50% more mass, providing a more substantial platform for the phono pick-up system. The result is a more stable, focused image with tighter, deeper bass, crisp transient attack and improved channel separation. The HQ-180 is not only thicker and heavier, the new technology used to press the HQ-180 yields an even quieter surface, providing reduced noise and distortion components
HR Highly Rated, Recommended
I
ITALO DISCO Italo disco was a style of electronic dance music during the 80s. Though many of the artists came from Italy as the name implies, the term is sometimes used for groups in other European countries in conjunction with euro disco. Italo disco had a more synth pop/electro feel to it than American disco, which had funk and soul roots
L
LCFDD Le Club Francais du Disque
LOL L’oiseau Lyre
LP Long Play this is record with more then 4-5 tracks per side
LVDP La Voce del Padrone
LVDSA La Voz de Su Amo
LVDSM La voix de son Maitre
M
MATRIX NUMBER The number or numbers in the run-off groove of a record or around the centre ring on the playing side of a compact disc. Identifies a particular pressing from other pressings of the same item. For example, the only way to tell which mix of Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s ‘Relax’ 12″ you may have (there are three different ones with identical labels) is purely by the matrix in the run off groove. See also: stamper code
MFSL Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab has been the undisputed pioneer and leader in audiophile recordings since the company’s inception in 1977. Established by dedicated audiophiles, Mobile Fidelity’s first and foremost goal was to offer faithfully reproduced high fidelity recordings that would compliment the numerous advances occurring in audio delivery systems. Throughout its history, Mobile Fidelity has remained true to this goal, pioneering state-of-the-art technologies and setting audiophile standards that remain in place today.
MMS The Musical Masterpiece Society
M Mono
N
NC Neutral Cover, neutral sleeve, opposite of picture sleeve.
NM Near Mint, see vinyl grading guide
NOC Non original cover
NO-PS No Picture-sleeve
O
OBI: An OBI is a paper strip which is usually wrapped around the left corner of the LPs or the CDs. The purpose of the OBI is mainly for the translation of the title into Japanese and to give additional information on the product. See our OBILand? Section for more information about OBIs. Obi-strips are very rare on Japanese items dating from before the late 1960s. Related Links: Electric OBILand
OIS Original Inner Sleeve
OOP: Out Of Print, this recording (LP, CD) is no longer produced
P
PH Punch Hole or Promo Hole
PS Picture Sleeve , or picture cover
S
S Sealed
Single: this is a record which has one track on each side
SOB Sticker on Back Cover
SOC Sticker on Cover
S/ST Stereo
Stamper: A stamper is used to “press” the vinyl. Pressing vinyl records over and over again is hard on metal stampers. Causing them to wear out, split, become scratched, etc. For a regular weight LP, one can press approximately 1000 records per set of stampers before we start to lose sound quality. For HQ-180 records, the general rule of thumb is one set of stamper per 500 records, due to the longer cycle time and added pressure needed to make the thicker record. Therefore, if you have larger orders, more stampers are needed to complete that order with the highest quality surface integrity. For instance, no one wants an LP from a stamper where the grooves have been damaged due to overuse.
T
TOC Tape On Cover, or Tear of Cover
TP Test Pressing
U
UNCUT PICTURE DISC An item which when commercially released was a shaped disc, but for test pressing purposes has been left circular with either a clear or coloured surround around the actual picture. Only ever a handful in circulation.
V
VA Various Artists
VG Very Good, see Vinyl Grading Guide
W
WLP White Label Promo. Appears only on vinyl where the label is white and for promotional use only
WHITE LABEL A promotional pressing with a completely blank label denoting it is promo only. May also have unique black on white printed labels with just artist & title information or “A” & “B” symbols. Some white labels have different catalogue numbers to domestic releases.
WOB Writing On Back-Cover
WOC Writing On Cover, or Without Cover
WOL Writing On Label
WSOC Water Stain On Cover
WTB: Want To Buy
