Reissues make up a huge chunk of the vinyl market, and that’s not inherently a problem. Great music should stay in print. The problem is that the quality of reissues varies wildly, from careful restorations that honour the original to lazy cash grabs that exploit the format’s popularity.

After two decades of selling records, I can usually spot the difference from the product listing alone. Here’s what I look for.

Signs of a Good Reissue

The Mastering Credit

This is the single most important thing to check. A good reissue will tell you who mastered it and, crucially, what they mastered from. Phrases you want to see:

• “Mastered from the original analogue tapes”
• “Half-speed mastered at Abbey Road”
• “Cut by [respected engineer] at [reputable facility]”
• “Remastered from the original master tapes by [named person]”

These details tell you that someone actually went back to the source material and prepared a master specifically for vinyl. That effort translates directly to sound quality.

The Label’s Track Record

Certain reissue labels have earned their reputation through consistent quality. Labels I trust:

Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (MoFi). Despite the controversy around their use of digital transfers in the chain, their vinyl products are generally excellent.

Analogue Productions. Consistently outstanding. Their pressings are quiet, well-centred, and mastered with care.

Music on Vinyl. Hit-and-miss on mastering (they sometimes use whatever digital source is available), but their pressing quality is reliable.

Chapter Music (Australia). Their archival reissues of Australian music are done with genuine love and scholarly attention.

For Australian music specifically, I’d add that Flightless and Ivy League have both done excellent reissue work on their respective catalogues.

The Packaging

A well-done reissue pays attention to packaging. Heavyweight vinyl (usually 180g), quality inner sleeves, accurate reproduction of original artwork, and thoughtful additions like new liner notes or historical context. If the label is investing in the packaging, they’re probably investing in the audio too.

New Liner Notes or Commentary

Reissues that include new essays, interviews, or contextual notes are signalling that someone put thought into the project. It’s not just “press and ship” — it’s a genuine effort to present the music with the context it deserves.

Red Flags for Cash Grabs

No Mastering Credits

If the reissue doesn’t tell you who mastered it or what source was used, be suspicious. The most common cost-cutting measure in reissues is skipping the mastering step entirely and pressing directly from whatever digital file was available. The result is a vinyl record that sounds exactly like the CD or streaming version, with none of the qualities that make vinyl worthwhile.

”Coloured Vinyl Exclusive” as the Main Selling Point

When the marketing focuses entirely on the vinyl colour and says nothing about the audio quality, the colour is hiding the lack of effort everywhere else. A good reissue leads with the music. A cash grab leads with the colour.

Suspiciously Low Pricing

If a “reissue” of a classic album is priced at $25-30 when comparable quality reissues go for $40-50, something has been cut. Usually it’s the mastering or the vinyl weight, sometimes both.

Major Label Catalogue Dumps

When a major label dumps twenty reissues at once with identical packaging templates and no mastering credits, they’re clearing warehouse obligations, not serving collectors. Universal, Sony, and Warner all do this periodically. Some are fine. Many are mediocre.

How to Research Before You Buy

Check the Discogs entry. User comments on Discogs are incredibly valuable for reissues. If the pressing sounds bad, people will say so. If it’s a digital master pressed on vinyl, someone will have figured that out.

Read Steve Hoffman Forums. This community is obsessive about source material and mastering quality. Search for the specific reissue and you’ll usually find detailed analysis.

Ask your local shop. Seriously. Shops like mine handle these records constantly, and we know which reissues are genuinely good and which are pretenders. I’ll always give you an honest assessment.

Listen before committing. If you can hear a reissue in a shop or at a friend’s place before buying, do it. Your ears are the final judge.

My Recent Favourites

Some reissues I’ve been genuinely impressed with recently: the Chapter Music reissue of Mod Con’s Modern Condition (revelatory remastering), the Music on Vinyl pressing of Midnight Oil’s Diesel and Dust (excellent), and Analogue Productions’ run of classic jazz titles (consistently stunning).

Reissues done right are a gift. They make important music accessible to new audiences and give existing fans a better way to experience records they love. But the vinyl market is big enough now that lazy operators can profit from the format’s popularity without doing the work. Stay informed, ask questions, and your collection will be better for it.