Backing up these compilations for a regular play is an excellent idea. I have the tapes but find that in being very old they are at risk of getting damaged. The padding under tape detaches or worse the tape sticks to heads. With vinyl you always have scratches. I had the cover only to "U Touch This" hits compilation in 1990. I collected all the MP3's from my PC and created a CD. When I get time I will create a CD version of my favourites like "Screamer" and "Rocka" from 1975. "1982 Out Of The Blue" and "Breakers 82" which will be my first picks.

I burnt 99% of all the 80's compilations onto CD from vinyl about 5 years ago. Photocopied the covers in colour and laminated them, did CD spines and track listing on the back in the same style of the record. Now, that my singles collection has grown, there's a handful of 80's comps that I have all the songs on CD or MP3 and will create them again. Not a big fan of the vinyl sound on CD. Recently I just re did 'Hits Awesome '86' and '1986 Just For Kicks' as I had all the tracks.

Michael, I've done four out of the six countdowns for you, going to do the other two soon.

I'm just wondering, how have you done your vinyl rips? Are they straight vinyl to digital rips, with no noise reduction, and no declicking?. If so, I'd be very interested to grab a copy of 1985 Let's go off you. Though I've got a mint condition of this record, my turntable is out of wack at the moment (belt and needle need replacing), and studio computer is in the process of being replaced.

I've been able to reconstruct most of my 80s comps from my CD and FLAC collection, but 1985 Let's go is a real tough one, with many of the tracks never released to CD, and finding clean 45s are next to impossible. 45s have better dynamics and sound over compilations, as they are microgrooved with low volume.

Hi Mark, I use use "Kickass Torrents" for my MP3's. With the hard to find stuff I go to "YouTube" and download the sound only file.

Hi Frank, thanks for the heads up on the mp3s, but unfortunately I'm not a fan of mp3 (or any other lossy format for that matter) and I avoid all such formats.

My entire library is wave rips either from CDs, Flacs from torrent sites (like kickass torrents - I know good site:) ), or waves ripped from vinyl. I rather a vinyl rip any day over an aac or mp3.

I hope I haven't offended, and appreciate your well intended lead. I have no problem with those who like to listen to mp3s - that's their prerogative, but personally I can't stand them.

I have pretty much every decent compilation from the 80s on cassette or vinyl.

Although they haven't been played in probably 2 decades now.

Hi Mark, thanks for getting onto those Countdown eps so quickly.

In regards to your question, most of that technical stuff is way over my head. I purchased a CD/Record burner back in 2006 (before I owned a computer LoL) and just recorded it straight from vinyl. The blank CD's used are digital audio recordable discs. I can do you a copy if you're happy with that format?

Hi Michael, that would be awesome.

I've got one more DVD to do, and I'll have them sent out when I get your address details?

I haven't got your email yet, so assuming you haven't sent your address yet.

To save you time, don't worry about indexing all the tracks, just transfer the entire album, or each side as one track, and I'll re-rip it and break the tracks up at this end.

I'm assuming you have one of those CD recorders from the 90's, the ones that look like an ordinary CD player, but just with the ability to record?

If you can do 1985 Let's go, I'd be so greatful - This compilation has been a real pain to reconstruct losslessly.

Hi Mark, you opinion is appreciated on the MP3's and I'm not offended. I understand that they are a compressed format and they skip at around 10 seconds before the track ends when you play them on the SD card player.
You appear to be someone who knows his stuff. I see you use the same strategy like me with the DVD recorder. You dub all the Countdowns to DVD discs. Sadly nowadays there are less recorders in the shops compared to PVR's. People in general prefer songs and movies stored on hard drives. I had a play with a Humax base model that was very slick. You could back up the files on an external hard drive and play them on your PC. However you couldn't A-B erase or divide titles. This means that for editing purposes you would have to investigate suitable software and determine whether it produces a decent DVD. Prior to this what level of quality are the MPEG4 TS files it produces?
I still find my two Sony DVD recorders (HX710 and HX890) do the best job.

Some of my faves...

1985 Comes Alive
Choose 1985
1982 Out Of The Blue
1984 The Beat
1985 On Fire
Hits Hot 84/85
1986 Just For Kicks
Summer '87
1982 With A Bullet
1986 Out Now
and many others, not keen on some of the K-Tel type ones.

I want to get hold of them all again eventually on CD/DVD, used to have the majority on vinyl.

Frank, I use the top encoding setting for recording, I think this is about 10mbs, possibly higher. In record mode, I can choose ELP (very ordinary), LP, EP (extended play) SP (short play), and XSP (X super play) which is the recorders best quality. I use XSP for every thing, even when taping the video's off rage.

When it comes to my compilation of the 80s though, this would be a very difficult decision to make, though out of the EMI ones from the late 80s like (Hit Pix 88 Vol 2), and (1989 Be happy) were pretty ordinary.

If i had to choose my favorites, then roughly in this order:

1. Rocktrip 82 (CBS 1982
2. Thru the Roof '83 (CBS) 1983
3. The Breakers (Warner) 1983
4. Keep on Dancing (EMI) 1983
5. Throbbin 84 (Polystar) 1984
6. Heaps of hits 84 85 (CBS) 1984
7. 1984 The Beat (EMI) 1984
8. Just Hits 85 86 (CBS) 1985
9. Turn It Up 85 (CBS) 1985
10. 1985 Hottest on Record (EMI) 1985
11. Squeezed out (K Tel) 1980
12. Instant replay (K Tel) 1979
13. Howlin' for Hits (Concept) 1984
14. 1987 Let's Party (EMI) 1986
15. Explosive Hits 78 (EMI)
16. Summer 87 (Polystar) 1986
17. Gone Troppo (K Tel) 1980
18. 1982 The Winners (Polystar) 1982
19. Turbo Charged Hits (Concept) 1986
20. Starcall hits (Starcall / RCA) 1980
21. Hitwave 82 (Polystar) 1982
22. Choose 85 (EMI) 1984
23. 1986 Way to go (EMI) 1986
24. Straight Ahead (K Tel) 1982
25. Hungry for Hits (Concept) 1987
26. 1986 Just for Kix (EMI) 1986
27. 87 Hots Up (Polystar) 1987
28. 88 Just for Kicks (Polystar) 1988
29. 1985 Let's Go (Starcall) 1985
30. 1980 the Music (EMI) 1980
31. 1981 Over the Top (EMI) 1981
32. Solid R O C K (Concept) 1985
33. Let's do it (WEA) 1990
34. 87 Right on Track (CBS) 1987
35. Summer 88 (WEA) 1987
36. 88 The Winners (WEA) 1988
37. 1989 The Right Stuff (RCA) 1989
38. Hit Pix 88 Vol 1 (EMI) 1987
39. Hits of 89 Vol 2 (EMI) 1989
40. Breakin it up (Concept) 1984

Hi Mark, I did email you last week. I think it was Saturday. Email me and I'll give you my address details and you can give me yours.

I'll do the CD for you ASAP. I don't have a CD recorder from the 90's. Mine was actually purchased brand new back in 2006. It's like a little stereo system with a lift up wooden lid to put the record on the turntable and has speakers on the side with the CD player/burner etc in the middle with controls etc. including the radio. I actually bought it on the fact that the guy at Dick Smith told me that I would be able to burn the radio onto disc. Which it doesn't. I paid about $400 for it back then.

Re the disc, I can either burn it again from the record or burn the disc I did for myself. If I burnt my disc of it, it will have the track breaks or if I recorded it again from vinyl, I'm more than happy to break up the tracks, I just hit the track increment button between each track or I can set it up that when there is silence for a couple of seconds, it automatically puts the breaks in. Let me know what you prefer. I'll also provide the artwork!

Hi Michael, yep, I did get your email, it got lost in the amount of spam that I get.

That all sounds cool, I'll get the discs off within the next few days. If you just do a copy of your disc, that will be fine.

Thanks

Hi guys. Just wondering if anyone is willing to provide copies of some of these CD compilations for me? Please email me if it's a possibility and if there's anything I can help you with in exchange.

Touche xxxx
New Romantic K TEL record. The first compilation I owned on cassette in 1982