Do PVC Sleeves Really Harm Records?
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- čas přidán 6. 03. 2024
- I've heard from several sources that those PVC sleeves meant to protect vinyl records actually harm them. I decided to put it to the test using two records that are previously unplayed, but stored in PVC sleeves for decades.
- Hudba
My original David Bowie Black Star came with a thick PVC inner sleeve that had a nauseating odor. I knew that wasn't normal, so I put it in a mofi sleeve. I took the record out to play some time ago and realized I left the original sleeve in there. I noticed that the sleeve was hazy and had these weird patterns on it. I'm glad I didn't leave the record in there!
It's really sad that the iconic David Bowie album arrived in a PVC sleeve.
Thanks for letting me know. Just checked my copy. Changed out the inner and outer sleeve. No damage to the vinyl thank goodness. Thank again man !
Maybe Bowie did it intentionally so that over the course of several years, the condition would become progressively worse before ultimately expiring, as an ultimate expression of finality. But I guess we’ll never know.
Dude, not only have you educated us on the horrors of PVC sleeves, but also made it very entertaining. Thank you and Bravo!
Thanks!!
I thought your mic was a star trek shirt
I've collected records for ages. Specially obscure, early punk records. Mostly 7 inches... Many of these records came out in really small pressings, many came with xerox sleeves or inserts. I used to store all my 7i records in PVC record sleeves, they looked so cool... After some years I felt those xerox inserts were starting to get "sticky", didn't know what was happening. More time passed, most of those folded inserts are now stuck together, can't even spread them out to read the lyrics or whatever. Some got stuck to the sleeves, some to the record labels! I ended throwing away all those sleeves, but the damage was done. Supposedly it’s all caused by the combination of plastics: xerox toner contains plastic components and pvc is a kind of plastic. Its combination makes them unstable and problems start.
Same problem here with hardcore 7" that was released in 80s.
My condolences. That is heartbreaking. And you tried to make the extra effort to store them right, too.
i have been collecting since 1978 ,.. with records from the teens, 20's 30's stored in simple paper.
all still pristine when i bought them in the 70's ....still are.
all my 60's 70's albums in paper sleeves are still pristine.... paper doesnt react , melt, gas....stain, stink...
anybody with ....any minor chemistry education knows full well that plastics, petroleum, vinyl, polymers, rubber, etc etc etc .... react to each other, or simply effect each other through off gassing , or outgassing.
..some plastic compounds take YEARS to gas out.... paper is 100% neutral against synthetic polymers.
I have proof.
Our boy Rob calling out the trolls before they even get started! 😂
I thought I'd save a few people some time and effort. lol
Classic.
Thank you for the information, Robert! I have only two or three records in sleeves like these and I will change that immediately! Thanks again!
I can confirm that this can hi. I bought The Clash London Calling 12 inch 45 rpm new in 1979. This was an import to the U.S. The paper picture sleeve was in a thick PVC outer. Years later I realized that a cloudy film had covered the vinyl record. I had no idea what caused this until a few years ago. It went through the paper sleeve and onto the record. I live in GA and didn't have AC for years so maybe heat and humidity contributed.
I bought Back In Black on Discogs a few months ago. Seller had the disc in a PVC liner shipped (properly )outside of the cover. It was the summer and when I opened it the liner had adhered itself to the LP and warped the recorded rendering it unplayable.
I'll play them :) Your impersonations are spot on :) I heard about the PVC issue and replaced all mine.
Thank you Sir Robert! I just recused the newer picture disc of The Police Ghost In the Machine, and people, check your David Bowie Blackstar. Mine is fine, luckily don't remember doing it but 8 years ago put in paper
I have a vinyl copy of the 2009 album _Hands_ by British artist *Little Boots* which came in a PVC sleeve to show off its galactic speckled appearance. I did replace it upon receipt with a lined paper sleeve as it is just not the best way to keep vinyl.
Great video, always heard this was a thing it’s nice to have some proof
I took all my picture discs out of the PVC covers last year, I haven't checked to see if they are effected as they probably never sounded good anyway, especially my glow in the dark Kraftwerk 12 inch which always sounded horrible. I had a couple of boxes of donated vinyl and a copy of Sinatra "In the wee small hours" had a PVC sleeve which seems to have adhered itself to the records cover. Soon as I realised it was now a sticky mess I binned it. Anyway all in all could have been a lot worse, there are pictures on line of full boxes of ultra-rare first presses which have all been wrecked, cover and vinyl, by PVC sleeves. Thanks for the content dude.
The sad part is, people actually thought they were protecting the records and sleeves.
This was informative.I have heard about this, but hadn't seen any proof. I still have some records in PVC sleeves, so I will change that.
Hi Robert, I just replaced the thick PVC inner sleeve of David Bowie's Blackstar , indeed the record was already looking a bit cloudy, after 8 years in my collection, but fortunately still played without any problem , thanks for your informative video .
I bought a Vinyl first pressing of P which was the band Gibby Haynes and Johnny Depp put together in 1993. Anyhow, I paid $100 for it on Ebay, and it has a bubble on it and it's that same orange vinyl like the one you showed us. I was heartbroken but at least the bubble is just over one track, and it just skips when it hits that bubble lol. I just framed it in a vinyl frame because the art is pretty cool, and I think it's art that Gibby did for it.
I got rid of all my pvc sleeves a few years back after watching the video by Andrew from Parlogram that you mention. Most of mine are now “naked” as nature intended, except for a few with die cut covers (which catch on the neighbouring LP when removing from the shelf) or ones that have damaged sleeves or flaky spines… those are in poly sleeves now simply to prevent further deterioration!
With that orange shirt and the way the microphone is clipped to it , I thought you dressing up Star Trek style.. lol
Thanks for this. Was surprised how long several RSD releases were issued with these sleeves.
Love the color combination of the orange records and orange shirt!!! PS I’ve never used a PVC sleeve and after your review never will
I have an older picture disc where one of those sleeves actually stuck to the vinyl. The record makes a noise when it hits that spot.
I have an old piece of dj vinyl. I never have listened to more than a few seconds in the 6 years I've had it. And it's hard to even pull or put back in its pvc sleeve because of how much it sticks and resists. The record is on black vinyl, and it's got a very cloudy impression all over it.
I have a “Cry Tough” Poison single on green vinyl that came in one of these sleeves, as well as a Quiet Riot picture disc. Thankfully the Quiet Riot picture disc sleeve was in such bad shape that it just ripped to pieces with hardly any effort, so I had already replaced it. But the one housing my Poison record I still have, so as soon as I can I’ll have to take it out. It’s from 1986 so there’s no saving the vinyl from the hazing now, but what I’m worried about now (thank you by the way for mentioning it, I had no idea) is that it can ruin the records on either side of it. Gotta get that thing out ASAP or at least store it someplace else for now, I just recently got some of Pantera’s early albums from the 80’s that are sitting directly next to it. 😬
Also something I’ve noticed with these sleeves is that they also tend to stick to the vinyl, I’ve always had a really hard time unsticking the sleeve from the record to get it out.
Those Pantera early albums are quite valuable as I'm sure you know.
This would explain why my copy of Metal Machine Music now sounds horrible.
Side 3 is my favorite.
A light scrubbing with bleach and sandpaper will fix that.
acid-free / rice paper sleeves for inner, & poly for exterior...since 1979 :)
It's always great to get an older record that has been housed in an acid-free sleeve for years and years. You can tell the previous owner was educated about record care and the records are usually in pristine condition.
once they come out of those sleeves it's a whole different conversation ..lol......too much partying on my part over the years....but i have enjoyed the hell out of them@@RobertFithen
I had a pvc on my Mott for years
I replaced it recently and it was ok.
My OG copy of The Wall has the paper hype sticker. Whew 😢
Love your videos. I can confirm that pvc sleeves do cause damage. I have two Beatles records - housed in pvc gatefold sleeves. These black vinyl records have a grey haze and when played have a continuous rasping sound throughout the records.
GREAT VIDEO! GREAT PSA for the VC - I am a huge fan of spreading this knowledge! Thank you for giving some REAL WORLD experience on this. @5:33 is a HUGE reason why it's so important - since like you are even showing - a lot of times PVC sleeves come with promo or one off editions - color variants - or singles - so someone might just throw it on the shelf - thinking (rightfully so WTF would I ever listen a REM single???) - but then it screws up your really nice record that is right next to it! Also - if you want a GREAT Mic option - check out the Rode Wireless PRO - it's a little pricey but it has a TON of amazing features (like you dont have to set the volume or worry about clipping!) - or any of the Rode wireless mics they are really great.
Thanks for the info! I will check into that mic.
Do a live stream soon! I'm a vinyl addict and you're the only channel my wife loves 😂
I've been thinking about doing one.
@@RobertFithen nice!!!!
I always assumed it was a heat thing... I had kept my top 5 favorite albums in some nice hard PVC sleeves I had gotten from a bunch of Jermaine Jackson lps. Just swapped em out, only has been 5 years or so so I think I avoided any real damage. It's too bad! Kind of nice to have some harder sleeves to keep vinyl in.
Excessive heat will make it much worse.
I remember when library records came in those. Kept going back to check out Revolver and the soundtrack to "The People Next Door" summer of 1986, lots o plastic!!!!
My library used those, too. They would end up stuck to the covers.
Great job 👏
I bought a Fat Matress record ruined by by a PVC inner. Thank goodness I removed all my PVC sleeves, just put up with ring wear.
I have a 12" single of the Revolting Cocks cover of Do Ya Think I'm Sexy which came in a PVC "squidgy" pack with KY jelly sandwiched between two layers. I stupidly stored it with my other records on a shelf...the KY jelly ended up leaking out and sticking the sleeves of the two records either side to it, so the sleeves of those got ripped when removing them. I was young and stupid at the time.
But the good news is that because of the leakage, the RevCo 12" got stored in a paper sleeve from then on. I'll have to get it out and give it a spin to see how it sounds over 30 years on.
I have a record from 1979 where the PVC has left a film on the record that looks like dish soap. It’s not unusually noisy though.
Back in the 60s, a lot of Columbia records came in PVC bags instead of paper sleeves. Over time, they would stick to the vinyl and really mess it up. I don't know what they were thinking, but I cringe when I find old records in them!
Those things were always hard to get back into the jacket, too, because of the rounded ends.
I recently commented on another video on this topic stating that it had never happened to me. Then I found a 12" all stuck to the pvc cover, It still plays but looks misty. Then I found a huge batch of 2nd hand singles all in pvc covers with the same misty residue on them.
Another example was a 12"pvc sleeve with wrinkles in a circle but not where the label is. I think that the vinyl is slowly degassing and if it can't escape it settles back onto the surface and causes a chemical reaction.
If you buy an old record from the 60's or 70's then it should have finished degassing by now and should be safe to put in a new sleeve but I wouldn't put a new record in an old sleeve, that is a recipe for disaster.
But all of this is subject to Temperature and atmospheric pressure. It rarely happens to my collection as it doesn't get hot in here very often.
After finding out about pvc sleeves I have at least remove all of mine into regular sleeves
The factors are many: original quality of the PVC and of record, storage temperature, pressure, moisture, light, type of inner sleeve or absence of it, other chemicals, ventilation, frequency of playing. I had so many PVC sleeves that I had paid a pretty penny for, thinking that they were providing greater protecting for the records, when they actually ruined them. The degrading PVC polyvynil chloride penetrates even the heaviest sleeves and paper inner sleeves and reacts with the vinyl record.
I bought a batch of those current modern fairly heavy plastic/PVC-type outer sleeves with the big 2-inch or so tuck-in envelope flaps from Fopp here in the UK. I also bought a couple of Small Faces reissues last week and they came in those same type of sleeves. Any reports on effects from these?...wondering if I should dump them. I already got rid of all my 1970's ones. Just checked a few early 60's Cliff Richard lps I found in a charity shop in old PVC sleeves...had forgotten to chuck them but they seem OK.
I think it's PVC and HEAT and TIME that causes the issue/offgassing.
I found a Bonnie Rait lp 1973 about 14 years ago and it was used with the original Warner Brothers plastic sleeve and it bled some sort of fluid on it that hardened up a bit on the lp but I cleaned it off really well and it was great after that with no effects of the sound quality at all and still great today. ..Just find the best cleaner them will remove the plastic residue ..I just used a good cleaning fluid for lps but I may have used Mineral Spirits first ,I cannot totally remember now but Mineral Spirits is not very strong like the White Gas that is used for Lighter Fluid ..Lighter Fluid could melt the vinyl ...I know that Windex will work also without Melting Effects of the vinyl ..Try Mineral Spirits on an old scratched up POS damaged record first and see what it does
Some types of inner sleeves leave crud that can be cleaned off. Unfortunately, the PVC outer sleeves he is showing cause irreparable damage. The gases actually come through the jacket (unless the jacket is laminated, apparently) and then chemically alter the record's surface. It ends up looking "frosted."
@@JWD1992 Yes that probably is the case of it creeping in the pores of the vinyl and binding to it like glue that cannot be removed ..
yes, ty. I am stil curious if a proper ultarasonic cleaning corrects/improves.
also, any record, new or not, that has been sealed 30 + years will need to be cleaned if in orig paper sleeve.(to be fair)
My copy of Judas Priest "Nostradamus" vinyl album came in PVC inner sleeves. The soft type. Ruined the vinyl. Couldn't even play them. Left a slime like coating on the vinyl. Must have been a reaction to the out gassing of the two plastics. Had to throw them out. I sure wish they would reissue that album. Such great music. At least I have it on CD to listen to.
Was wondering if anyone else had the same problem as I had with Nostradamus
Two of the three discs in my Nostradamus boxset are heavily fogged, and that's how they came when new. I would have returned them, but it was a present, and I'm pretty sure the boxsets had all sold out anyway. I don't know how the third disc survived as they were all in the same PVC inners. Haven't played the album for a while, but I seem to remember that the records sounded okay despite looking shit. I keep the records in new Nagaoka-style inners now, but stupidly, I kept the original PVC sleeves alongside them in the box. I'm going to bin them now before I forget.
Robert, I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment here however I didn't here any problems with the audio clips you provided. I'll go back and listen again maybe my old ears didn't catch it first time around.
They actually rot the covers as well.
Until recently, I assumed REM called it quits after Monster, or some time in the late 90s.
I think radio called it quits on them after that for the most part.
I think "Daysleeper" is the last song I remember hearing on the radio from them around the time Bill Berry retired.
What are your thoughts on putting records in the sleeve so you can see the inner sticker and the vinyl itself? I see that a lot at record conventions.
As long as it's not a PVC sleeve. Poly-lined is fine.
I only had three records in PVC sleeves, so I got lucky. I saw Parlogram's video on the dangers of PVC sleeves last year and made sure to get any records I had in PVC sleeves out right away. I kept the PVC sleeves that were original packaging, but put them far away from anything I cared about. My copy of the XTC - Life Begins At The Hop 45 got foggy from the original PVC sleeve with the Garrard turntable graphic. So did my Cowboys International LP. Not sure about my Duran Duran - The Reflex 12" picture disc, but I'm sure it is also fucked. Thankfully all three are easily replaced.
How dare you not listen to all of your records at 130 degrees! But in all seriousness good real world example of PVC sleeve problems.
I've long heard his about the PVC sleeves but I've never bought a picture disc and I don't think I have any other vinyl in PVC sleeves but I will indeed check. Cheers!
Today's video was brought to you by the color orange 🟠🟧🔶🔸🙂
Always amazed that new records are still being shipped with paper sleeves. You pretty much have to replace them to try to avoid scuffs.
Even worse are the posterboard inner sleeves. I can't believe these are still used.
@@RobertFithenI solve that by adding a polylined inner bag to the paper sleeve. The Rolling Stones Mono coloured vinyl box was a good example with those thick card inners. I added poly bags to those. I even made a video about it.
czcams.com/video/B-5B0LLXYb4/video.htmlsi=TCr8koRQBRuuZuKg
😊
@@peterx1957 I've done that for years, but I'm still amazed that record companies still use those hard inners.
This happened to me. It destroyed a few album covers and one side of my album Tommy now looks like a film of oil is covering it. Have you checked the records - if any - which were stored pressed against either side of those two records?
The ones that were stored next to them were older and probably VG+ so it's difficult to tell if there was damage caused by the PVC sleeve. Plus, the records were moved around over the years.
Robert, I've told you before I'm legally blind. And I've been trying to avoid PVC inner sleeves just because of this hoopla around the topic. But I'm not 100% sure if I've come across any or not yet? I think a few LPs that were newer🎉 I got may have had PVC sleeves so I went ahead and just put those sleeves back in the record cover (which may not be a good idea It sounds like) and used my own poly whatever inner sleeve. There was just something different about the texture it felt like to me. Do these PVC sleeves feel thicker or stiffer than the good poly sleeves we use like a 2 or 3 millimeter poly sleeve?
I went ahead and got the 2024 release of Betty Davis Nasty Gal from LITA. It arrived yesterday and is flawless. I don't know if you're going to wind up getting that one but it was pressed at RTI and remastered by Kevin Gray and it sounds spectacular. I think it may have come in a PVC sleeve? I really can't tell and I'm not sure exactly how I'm supposed to tell. It definitely feels more like an outer sleeve for the record cover. Is there an easy way to tell without having to rely on vision whether or not it's PVC? Does RTI ever use them? I wouldn't think so but I don't know.
Brian in Fort Worth 🎶
PVC are thicker than other outer sleeves. Also, they edges are usually very sharp with a couple centimeters a "welded" feel where the front and back have been attached to each other. New ones do not make a crinkling sound. I probably won't get the "Nasty Gal" reissue because it's the one of her releases where I have an original pressing.
@@RobertFithen Thanks Robert. That was a great description and I think I know exactly what to look for now. I don't think that Betty Davis LP was likely put in a PVC inner sleeve by RTI either. I appreciate it!
I've been lucky with the stuff that did come in a PVC sleeve didn't get ruined. After hearing people talking about them I rather just not take the risk
Nice 2m Bronze ❤
I discovered this after watching Andrew’s video, and my pristine copy of Alan Parsons Project’s Stereotomy destroyed the vinyl of that album and the two albums on either side of it.
What a fantastic video have a wonderful day also what is your favorite year from the 2010s ❤❤❤❤❤❤😊😊😊😊😊😊
Probably 2011.
I wonder if Petroleum based cleaner or isopropyl alcohol might help with the sound
I don't have experience with that myself, but have heard from others that it doesn't really help.
The records and shirt look more apricot than orange.
Like the scarf in "You're So Vain".
I had to buy a pressing of a record not in a pvc sleeve, TALES FROM THE HARDSIDE!!!
I wonder if cleaning the records would help?
You should worry about the other gases you give off more.
OMG! You play your records with the lid down? You have only an Ortofon Red? Not a Blue or Black? Geeze - you just don't even know HOW to listen to records! 😆 Robert - anyone that says they listen to ALL of their collection is either lying OR they have a very small collection. It would take me weeks to listen to all my records and months to go through my CDs. Who the hell has that kind of time? Great video (as always) my friend!!
Thanks! It's an Ortofon Bronze, which is above the blue.
Hey Robert, Which Rega is that?
P3
Same
Right From The Start! You are a Hoot! You gotta do that Take off on the Troll/Karens!.........and then I got it " Tales from The Hard side" I love it! I think I got rid of all the PVC Sleeves? After I stop laffing I 'll check!
I like ladies in PVC 😊.
Hopefully in a cool temperature-controlled room. lol
Worst ones I have seen were from those RSD 45s in the Back To Back series. The Flaming Lips was definitely the worst. The sleeve pretty much is adhered to the record. I remember peeling it and was like, omfg, really?!?
I bought An MC5 7" in that series and the same thing happened. Unfortunately the pressing plants either don't know or don't care.
What ruins records is the fact they're not CDs in jewel cases 😆
I use paper inners because I think plastic inners harm vinyl over time ?
It's depends on the material.
YES THEY DO...I WAS A VICTIM. I am replacing 80% of my US CONNIE FRANCIS 45'S and some of my UK CF albums [from 1970's>] ,thankfully nothing rare or mint were damaged. No damage to the pict sleeves thankfully.
So few new records are "quiet "as the pressing process leaves all kinds of crap behind.... how about trying to clean properly 1st with ultrasonic? would be very curious to know if it improves those two. . WOA. NEVER play a new record w/o cleaning it first.
As I stated in the video, these records are from the 90s from Warner Brothers, back when there was much higher quality control in place at pressing plants. Back in the previous century, you didn't need to clean brand new records very often. There may have been the occasional flaw in the vinyl, but nothing like the crunchy, hissing sound on these.
the pvc erased any biohazard music...... success!!! :-)
It didn't erase it, it just added more noise to it. lol
Mofi or quality paper liners only
I deleted a comment I left before watching this. Im now in agreeance
"wow, I'm old" trust me I feel the pain too.
Like going to trivia and a question comes up, category "Retro Music" and guess what the answer was: Nirvana...
Yeah that stings a little...
PS: I've noticed in several recent videos you're going way up in volume... maybe turn it down a little? yeah I'm old ;-)
No offense meant just feedback...
I do turn it down in Adobe -5. That microphone is cheap and has no volume control. I need to get a better one.
@@RobertFithenI'm sorry, the microphone itself is ok to me, I was trying to reference discreetly to the screaming. Robert's volume not the video or the microphone volume.
Here and there it's fine but I noticed it was coming more and more often, that's all. But you do you, ok?
@@RobertFithentalking about microphone, which model were you looking for? I might be able to send one your way.
I have records I’ll will never listen to since I have a shit ton of records. Someone made
A comment to me about that and I told them it’s my money and my collection and GFY
Lol
You should do a video about the worst Elton John albums because there are peope out there that think there's no bad Elton John album and that anyone that says there is must hate Elton John which I find ridiculous because everyone should be allowed to have their own opinions
Fuck me, got work to do !
class action lawsuit anyone?
The fact that they are coloured vinyl could be the reason for the odd pop and click. It's well known that coloured vinyl is often inferior to black.
I have several color vinyl records from the same era and none of them have this noise or discoloration.
@@RobertFithenCorrect Robert. It’s the quality of the vinyl that matters, not the colour.
Colour vinyl is fine. I have quite the collection.
It’s the old style picture discs that sound inferior. Different process.
By the way, thanks for warning the community. I had a very small number of rare records ruined by those hard PVC sleeves, so learned my lesson.
PVC is vinyl, and that's the problem
i have been collecting since 1978 ,.. with records from the teens, 20's 30's stored in simple paper.
all still pristine when i bought them in the 70's ....still are.
all my 60's 70's albums in paper sleeves are still pristine.... paper doesnt react , melt, gas....stain, stink...
anybody with ....any minor chemistry education knows full well that plastics, petroleum, vinyl, polymers, rubber, etc etc etc .... react to each other, or simply effect each other through off gassing , or outgassing.
..some plastic compounds take YEARS to gas out.... paper is 100% neutral against synthetic polymers.
I have proof.
I never had a problem with paper inner sleeves either. Just the harder poster board ones.
Hear all that crackling...Why put up with that when CDs sound perfect without any background noise? 🤷♂️
My Idlewild 45 sounds like shit because of the PVC sleeve
I thought lps were made from PVC.
Why do you have records you don't play? 🤔
I play all my records. I can't stand people who just have records 🤷♂️ Calling out the trolls 😆