Added to my collection today 6/4/2017 and a few words about used record grading

Julie Brown - Goddess In Progress.  Every track is a winner but of course the standout track is Homecoming Queen's Got A Gun.

All these albums were purchased from BarnyardOrbit via Discogs

Romanovsky & Phillips - Trouble In Paradise.  An album that was a great help to me growing up and coming out in the 80s.  Helped me realize I could be true to myself and not conform to stereotypes.  Lost Emotions is a truly beautiful track that perfectly captures the desire to express affection in public while being afraid of the consequences.

Romanovsky & Phillips - Emotional Rollercoaster  This duo was able to capture the humor and the humanity of being gay.  Really glad to have both of these albums back in my possession. 

Anthony Newley - Who Can I Turn To And Other Songs From "The Roar Of The Greasepaint"  One of my favorite vocalists who happened to also pen some great songs as well.  You might know him better from movie soundtracks: Dr. Doolittle & Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
 

Little River Band - Time Exposure  This album came out toward the end of my High School years and I just really liked it.  Take It Easy On Me was a fairly big hit. 

Diana Ross & The Supremes* - Diana Ross & The Supremes  Grabbed this one just to have some Supremes on vinyl but should have read the info about it closer.  The whole first side is a mixed melody rather than individual tracks.  Still it was cheap and will fill the gap well enough.

Patricia Kaas - Scène De Vie   This was a big whoops.  I really like some of this album, but mostly it isn't that grand.  All these were "Make An Offer" titles so I had rather impulsively threw a low bid at this.  The seller declined my offer on this one which was a relief.  Then they made a counter offer which I said no to, but then they came back with an even lower offer and I caved.  Of course after all of this once on my turntable I find the grading was not valid and this record was much too noisy to enjoy - so a waste of money on this one.  I should have trusted my gut and stuck to my guns after the sellers initial turn down of my original offer.

I gave positive feedback to BarnyardOrbit because even with the flaws and feeling the Patricia Kaas was unkeepable I felt I got a good deal.  Kaas was partially my fault for going against my intuition.  The only truly bad mistake was not listing a name written on the cover of the Julie Brown record - but we all miss things sometimes.

This brings me to a few words about grading records on discogs and where ever else used vinyl is sold.  If you use the descriptions given for grades it would be dubious to say the least to use VG+ up to M- without at least a partial listening component to the grade as very little to no noise is stated as part of the assessment for those gradings.  Mint of course means new, sealed and therefore they wouldn't be listened to.  I think without a listening of any kind the best you could grade is VG. 

All of the records I got today were graded by the seller as Near Mint - which would mean very little noise but only the Romanovsky and Phillips records met this standard.  Little River Band was only a half step down but the others were VG at best and Patricia Kaas was Fair at best.  (The grades and comments are posted below for reference)

Now the seller, BarnyardOrbit is only doing what they have to as all sellers I have found on discogs routinely grade at least one level better than the vinyl actually is and spend far too much effort grading the covers while seemingly barely glancing at the vinyl.  Otherwise how could you list a media as NM while still filthy let alone with obvious marks but they often do. 

Some sellers on discogs tout that they under grade - but I have found this is generally not a valid comment. 

I have had better luck with individuals selling their collections rather than stores in this regard.  Sometimes a collector hasn't listened to a record in long enough they are misremembering the listening grade but at least they have heard their records before. 

In stores at least we can visually check out the record ourselves and in most cases even listen to it before buying it.  The biggest drawback to stores is limited selection versus discogs rather vast selection. 

I think most sellers will listen/play grade an album that is worth more but they just couldn't possible play grade everything so do they withhold grades of VG+ - NM?  That doesn't seem correct either - so I guess we just have to deal with the situation as it is and as buyers be cautious.  Read seller feedback ratings.  Keep a record of transactions and reuse sellers that you found reliable.  But don't expect records to be better than graded or even as good as graded.  If your expectations are that the album will be overgraded by a level then you shouldn't be disappointed.  I do put a lot of faith in the comments a seller adds.  If they appear to be unique to each record I am much more inclined to purchase than someone that puts "looks barely played" on every entry. 

	Julie Brown - Goddess In Progress (LP, MiniAlbum) (Rhino Records (2) - RNEP 610) Media Condition: Near Mint (NM or M-)  Sleeve Condition: Very Good Plus (VG+)  CAMPY NEW WAVE CLASSIC / NM Clean w/minimal wear. Picture Cover is crisp Intact w/Mild wear. [49727]	$3.50
	Romanovsky & Phillips - Trouble In Paradise (LP, Album) (Fresh Fruit Records (3), Fresh Fruit Records (3) - FF 102, FF102) Media Condition: Near Mint (NM or M-)  Sleeve Condition: Very Good Plus (VG+)  NM looks barely played w/Inner Lyric Insert. LP is NM minimal wear / Lovely copy for a Great Price w/Clean cover. [67231]	$2.50
	Patricia Kaas - Scène De Vie (LP, Album) (CBS - CPL-1102) Media Condition: Near Mint (NM or M-)  Sleeve Condition: Very Good Plus (VG+)  Korean Import Vinyl / Looks well cared for. Comes w/ Lyric Insert. (Mild wear overall) [0]	$6.00
	Anthony Newley - Who Can I Turn To And Other Songs From "The Roar Of The Greasepaint" (LP, Album,... (RCA Victor - LPM-3347) Media Condition: Near Mint (NM or M-)  Sleeve Condition: Very Good Plus (VG+)  NM Vinyl looks barely played w/clean cover. [43383]	$2.50
	Little River Band - Time Exposure (LP, Album) (Capitol Records - ST-12163) Media Condition: Near Mint (NM or M-)  Sleeve Condition: Very Good Plus (VG+)  LP Cover Still has shrink, vinyl looks barely played. [76038]	$2.50
	Romanovsky & Phillips - Emotional Rollercoaster (LP, Album) (Fresh Fruit Records (3), Fresh Fruit Records (3) - FF 103, FF103) Media Condition: Near Mint (NM or M-)  Sleeve Condition: Very Good Plus (VG+)  LP / Looks clean & includes lyric insert (mild wear) [75703]	$2.50
	Diana Ross & The Supremes* - Diana Ross & The Supremes (LP, Comp) (Motown - M5-101V1) Media Condition: Near Mint (NM or M-)  Sleeve Condition: Very Good Plus (VG+)  LP / Disc looks well cared for & barely played [46087]  How To Grade Items Discogs March 06, 2018 10:37 FOLLOW Discogs uses the Goldmine Standard for grading the condition of items listed in the Marketplace. These standards have been expanded by our community of sellers to include definitions of CD-specific gradings. Mint (M) Vinyl Absolutely perfect in every way. Certainly never been played, possibly even still sealed. Should be used sparingly as a grade, if at all.   CD  Perfect. No scuffs/scratches, unplayed - possibly still sealed. Insert/Inlay/Booklet/Sleeve/Digipak: Perfect. No wear, marks, or any other imperfections - possibly still sealed.  Cassette  J-Card is crisp, clean and perfect in every way. Likely sealed. Cassette is brand new, and professionally produced. Used sparingly as a grade, should be free of even the slightest blemishes and/or defects. This grade should be used sparingly, if at all. Near Mint (NM or M-) Vinyl A nearly perfect record. A NM- record has more than likely never been played, and the vinyl will play perfectly, with no imperfections during playback. Many dealers won't give a grade higher than this implying (perhaps correctly) that no record is ever truly perfect. The record should show no obvious signs of wear. A 45 RPM or EP sleeve should have no more than the most minor defects, such as any sign of slight handling. An LP cover should have no creases, folds, seam splits, cut-out holes, or other noticeable similar defects. The same should be true of any other inserts, such as posters, lyric sleeves, etc.   CD Near perfect. No obvious signs of use, it may have been played - but it has been handled very carefully. Insert/Inlay/Booklet/Sleeve/Digipak: Near Perfect. No obvious wear, it may have only the slightest of marks from handling.  Cassette Sleeve should be totally crisp and clean with only the slightest evidence of handling. Tape is likely new, free of any wear or damage. Very Good Plus (VG+)  Vinyl Generally worth 50% of the Near Mint value. A Very Good Plus record will show some signs that it was played and otherwise handled by a previous owner who took good care of it. Defects should be more of a cosmetic nature, not affecting the actual playback as a whole. Record surfaces may show some signs of wear and may have slight scuffs or very light scratches that don't affect one's listening experiences. Slight warps that do not affect the sound are "OK". The label may have some ring wear or discoloration, but it should be barely noticeable. Spindle marks may be present. Picture sleeves and inner sleeves will have some slight wear, slightly turned-up corners, or a slight seam split. An LP cover may have slight signs of wear, and may be marred by a cut-out hole, indentation, or cut corner. In general, if not for a couple of minor things wrong with it, this would be Near Mint.   CD  A few minor scuffs/scratches. This has been played, but handled with good care - and certainly not abused. Insert/Inlay/Booklet/Sleeve/Digipak: Slight wear, marks, indentations, it may possibly have a cut-out hole (or similar). Cassette Sleeve has slight wear, marks, indentations, and/or may possibly have a cut-out hole (or similar). Tape has been taken very good care of and may have light marks or spindle wear. Should play cleanly with minimal noise or degradation. Very Good (VG)  Vinyl Generally worth 25% of Near Mint value. Many of the defects found in a VG+ record will be more pronounced in a VG disc. Surface noise will be evident upon playing, especially in soft passages and during a song's intro and fade, but will not overpower the music otherwise. Groove wear will start to be noticeable, as with light scratches (deep enough to feel with a fingernail) that will affect the sound. Labels may be marred by writing, or have tape or stickers (or their residue) attached. The same will be true of picture sleeves or LP covers. However, it will not have all of these problems at the same time. Goldmine price guides with more than one price will list Very Good as the lowest price.   CD Quite a few light scuffs/scratches, or several more-pronounced scratches. This has obviously been played, but not handled as carefully as a VG+.  Insert/Inlay/Booklet/Sleeve/Digipak: More wear, marks, indentations than a VG+. May have slight fading, a small tear/rip, or some writing. Cassette Sleeve will contain more wear, marks, and/or indentations than a VG+. May have slight fading, a small tear/rip, or some writing. Shell may have heavier marks and wear than VG including plastic discoloration. Should play with some stronger hiss or degradation, but not enough to overpower music. Good (G), Good Plus (G+)  Vinyl  Generally worth 10-15% of the Near Mint value. A record in Good or Good Plus condition can be played through without skipping. But it will have significant surface noise, scratches, and visible groove wear. A cover or sleeve will have seam splits, especially at the bottom or on the spine. Tape, writing, ring wear, or other defects will be present. While the record will be playable without skipping, noticeable surface noise and "ticks" will almost certainly accompany the playback.   CD  There are a lot of scuffs/scratches. However it will still play through without problems. This has not been handled with much care at all.  Insert/Inlay/Booklet/Sleeve/Digipak: Well worn, marked, more obvious indentations, fading, writing, than a VG - possibly a more significant tear/rip. Cassette Sleeve will be well worn, marked, and contain obvious indentations, fading, and/or writing, more so than a VG grade - possibly a more significant tear/rip. Tape will have heavy wear on shell. Felt stopper may be missing. Tape may have minor creasing, but not broken. Must play through, may have heavier degradation that will overpower music. Poor (P), Fair (F) Vinyl  Generally worth 0-5% of the Near Mint price. The record is cracked, badly warped, and won't play through without skipping or repeating. The picture sleeve is water damaged, split on all three seams and heavily marred by wear and writing. The LP cover barely keeps the LP inside it. Inner sleeves are fully split, crinkled, and written upon.   CD  The CD (if it is included) may or may not play some or all of the tracks. See the seller's comments for details. Insert/Inlay/Booklet/Sleeve/Digipak: Very worn. It may have obvious writing on it, it may be ripped/torn, or significantly faded, or water damaged. Cassette  Sleeve will be torn, heavily stained, showing general heavy damage, or will be partially missing. Likewise, tape will be heavily damaged, showing complete fading on the face, crinkled tape, missing screws or teeth, staining, and other heavy wear. Cassette will more than likely not play through.   Standard Jewel Cases: Standard Jewel Cases are not graded as they are replaceable. Generic Within the context of grading items in the Discogs Marketplace, the term "generic" refers to a type of sleeve that is not specific to the release. A generic sleeve is either a plain sleeve or a company sleeve with standard company artwork. A sleeve that is graded as "generic" needs no further grading, as a generic sleeve generally adds little value to the item and can be easily replaced. Sellers can further specify a generic sleeve's condition in the “Item condition comment” field if needed. A seller can also note if the sleeve is a company sleeve in the “Item condition comment” field.	$4.00