Partly true I guess. But for some fairly good reasons as you’re about to find out…

You see, I started building my collection in the second half of the ’80s.
Cassette tapes at first, vinyls a while later and (almost) strictly CDs from 1991 onwards.
[The first album I bought on CD, was Savatage’s “Streets: A Rock Opera”]
Not surprisingly, and like most Hard Rock/Metal fans at that age, I started off with some classics.
AC/DC, Black Sabbath, [several other bands in alphabetical order until we reach ZZ Top].
By the end of 1994 I had everything that is considered essential, from the early works of Deep Purple (1968) to the late 80s Heavy Metal acts.
And that’s precisely where the *problem* lies:
Remember how lousy [packaging-wise, the audio was being transferred directly from the Master Tapes without any processing] those first CD editions were?
2-page booklets with one of them demonstrating “the wonders of the digital era” or providing instructions on how to properly handle the *new* medium was the standard.
Not exactly collector’s items.

On top of that, I must confess that back then keeping an album in perfect condition wasn’t my first priority. I just played the Hell out of them, (some) wear was to be expected.
Including -besides the usual tab indentations and scuffs- occasional exposure to light [resulting in faded spines] and humidity.
Add some not particularly careful friends who borrowed them and thick layers of dust accumulating for the past 20 years, and you have the full picture.

Nowadays, however, for each new addition there’s a (resealable) protective bag waiting as well as proper storage.
In some cases, I only open them ONCE to read the inserts and extract the audio (ring any bells?)
Then off they go to the *vaults* where they remain until the need arises.

Now, picture a 2-decade old (dusty, discoloured cover and all) CD and compare it against a repress/reissue – not necessarily a Deluxe edition with unreleased material or 24-page booklets featuring commentary by the original members.
What would you rather see?
I, for one, think that classic albums, regardless of their original release date, deserve preferential treatment.
As long as the price is right (for instance, the 2009 single disc Sabbath Remasters, “Vol.4” to “Never say die”, were €6.49 each), I will invest.

Anything else you’d like to know?

Thin Lizzy at Wikipedia
“Bad reputation” at RateYourMusic
“Bad reputation” at Discogs
“Bad reputation” at Dynamic Range dB

Record Label: Universal Music Group/Mercury Records
Catalogue Number: 2772693
UPC: 602527726939
Rights Society: BIEM/SDRM [France]
Mastering SID Code: IFPI LV26
Matrix/Runout [Outer Ring]: 06025 277 269-3 01 * 52753850
Matrix/Runout [Inner Ring]: MADE IN GERMANY BY EDC A
Mould SID Code: IFPI 0147

Tracklist:
01. Soldier of fortune [5:17]
02. Bad reputation [3:08]
03. Opium trail [3:57]
04. Southbound [4:27]
05. Dancing in the moonlight (It’s caught me in its spotlight) [3:27]
06. Killer without a cause [3:34]
07. Downtown sundown [4:09]
08. That woman’s gonna break your heart [3:25]
09. Dear Lord [4:27]
Bonus tracks
10. Killer without a cause [BBC session 01/08/77] [3:42]
11. Bad reputation [BBC session 01/08/77] [2:49]
12. That woman’s gonna break your heart [BBC session 01/08/77] [3:28]
13. Dancing in the moonlight (It’s caught me in its spotlight) [BBC session 01/08/77] [3:22]
14. Downtown sundown [BBC session 01/08/77] [3:53]
15. Me and the boys [Soundcheck – Universal monitor mixes] [4:17]
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
*Legal Disclaimer*

FLAC CD-rip nfo
Mirrors:
FLAC level 8 | v1.3.0 [1fichier.com]
FLAC level 8 | v1.3.0 [Anonfiles.com]
FLAC level 8 | v1.3.0 [Mega.co.nz]

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mp3 CD-rip nfo
Mirrors:
mp3 VBR V0 | LAME v3.99.5 [Anonfiles.com]
mp3 VBR V0 | LAME v3.99.5 [Mega.co.nz]
mp3 VBR V0 | LAME v3.99.5 [Solidfiles.com]

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Thenop :
(…)
I, too, suffered from the first wave of CDs, however, I find a lot of these new, *better*, editions to sound truly awful.
Overly compressed et al…
It gets tiresome to the ears. Well, to these old ears anyway…
But they are a joy to watch for sure, even though I still prefer vinyls.

Fortunately, Record Labels are still issuing *untouched* copies of their back catalogue.
There’s even a debate in Music Databases, as to which term should be used to -accurately- describe such editions: “Repress vs Reissue”.

Take David Lee Roth’s “Eat ’em and smile” for instance, originally released in 1986.
A mere look at the Dynamic Range (that is if you don’t completely trust your hearing) is proof enough it hasn’t been *processed* at all.
Not in the slightest degree.
The fan who just picked the repress from the bargain bin, will enjoy the exact same recording as the old-timer 😛 who bought the first CD pressing ages ago.
With the additional advantage of fresh packaging 😉

Charlie :

All FLAC links are dead. Can you please re-upload?
Thanks.

You must be doing something wrong – 1fichier is still working, just checked it a few minutes ago…