Simply Vinyl was formed in 1997. The aim of the company was to reissue a broad range of classic albums on 180 gram virgin vinyl with 350 gram thick and durable card sleeves. All Simply Vinyl releases would endeavour to reproduce the original analogue sound whenever possible and the original album artwork as closely as possible to the original release. The company places the finished LP into a heavy-duty PVC wallet which is sealed with a customised Simply Vinyl reflective seal.
In September 1997, Simply Vinyl released its first 25 albums which were selected from the Warner Music, Sony Music and Rykodisc catalogues. In March 1998, the company diversified into re-releasing some classic contemporary film soundtracks.
In 2001 the company’s head office moved from Central London to South Wimbledon.
Simply Vinyl has been relaunched and revitalised under new ownership in 2010.
Please note that counterfeit / unofficial releases that pretend to be issued under this label should use Simply Vinyl (2) instead.
Because Simply Vinyl issued 1 to 1 copies of the original, you will often find the Simply Vinyl catalog only in the Runout.
Series:-
S180 Series:
Can be recognized by the ‘SVLP ###’ catalog numbers
Golden (or silver) sticker, 180g Vinyl, recreated artwork and packaging. Sealed in a heavy PVC wallet.
The S160 Series:
Can be recognized by the ‘S160###’ catalog numbers
Silver sticker, 160g Vinyl, recreated artwork and packaging, many with full colour printed inner sleeves. Shrink wrapped to protect the package and all carry the SV seal of approval.
The S125 Series:
Can be recognized by the ‘S125###’ catalog numbers
Silver sticker, 125g Vinyl, Shrink wrapped.
The Death Row Series:
Can be recognized by the ‘DRS#######’ catalog numbers
Really hard to say, if the company releases were based on analogue convertation or from, let's say, CD source, because they were fruitful with their Vinyl issues during the heyday of CD. Even if the latter (CD source for vinyl) is the case, it won't worry me that much, because their mastering for vinyl is usually dynamic, tasty and rich, all while maintaining deadly silence. Their material was pressed at Record Industry, so they can be considered as an Music On Vinyl of it's era. Artwork and packaging overall are very well done, some of the most Hi-Res image quality i've seen for Vinyl. Maybe i am not an audiophile, but i tend to prefer their work most of the time. That is saying enough for me, since i've listened to all the other LPs of "Portishead" (1997), Marilyn Manson's Mechanical Animals/Antichrist Superstar aswell - can't tell that they are worse than the 1st presses. Oh, about PVC sleeves - they are of course harmful if your space is somewhat hot, so either keep the temperature lower or get rid of them the moment you've got any LP by SV.
all I can say is, get rid of the PVC outer sleeves as far as you can. they gonna destroy your vinyl because of the PVC sweat when it is getting older or get a bit of heat. PVC is a killer for your vinyl, even the vinyl standing beside the PVC sleeve are gonna damage on the long run. it is only a matter of time. i just found a part of my collection damaged because of the PVC sleeves.
Gotta say, these are some supremely quiet pressings. Always sound terrific too. Not sure why this label doesn't get more attention. Whatever happened to them......?
Despite what's been said about the questionable source for these pressings - I had purchased many of these in my early collecting days and will give them one thing - some of the quietest vinyl I've owned. I would say that it does often have a quality similar to CD (hence the critiques of the label) but the overall majority of my LP's were also as quiet as CD. Right out of the thick plastic sleeve, a very quiet pop and hiss free listen.
Somnium_Obmutum
August 24, 2021D!XI