In addition to the search box to the left (which you can use to search just Mozart -- select "classical" from era and under Composer, select Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) you can go to a page with a single select list for composers only (the page in question is here: http://classicvinyl.com/select/composer)

You also can search by artist, genre, serial number, and a few other ways. For a complete list of options please click here.

(Note: if you reading this from my mobile website, please refer to the directory's drop down list; all search options are listed there.)

As of July 2011, I have catalogued and added to this site about 30% of my inventory. I try to list about ten additional LPs per day. If you are looking for an LP and do not see it here, please let me know, I have a reasonably good idea of what I own and have not yet posted.

Yes, as of January 2011 I am uploading to my online Google photo albums hundreds of images -- including many that I have not made available on the website -- of all the LPs in my inventory, as well as images of labels and in some cases, liner notes or booklets that accompany the LPs. This will allow visitors to scroll through pictures of everything for sale on this site -- this is sometimes more useful than searching for a title, for example. You can access all my online photo galleries here:

https://picasaweb.google.com/classicvinyl.biz

I will be adding images to the albums on a more or less regular basis.

If you are on my mobile site, you can scroll through images by clicking on the "Browse" tab at the top of the window.

Yes, I do. Please contact me with the specific albums you have in mind and I will work with you on an individual basis. Generally speaking, if you purchase one album at full price, you can expect to get a 5% to 10% discount off the cost of the second album, and a 10% to 15% off the price of the third. (Please note that this applies to single LPs only, as opposed to albums which, for example, contain two or more LPs.)

Under optimal circumstances, I would need to see the LP in question to make sure that the quality was more or less on par with what I offer here. Given that that would almost certainly be impossible, I'd have a difficult time matching or beating another shop's price for the same item in the absence of direct access to the LP in question.

In the case of priority mail, yes, you can. There is a flat rate shipping option for priority mail. I can fit comfortably up to 4 individual LPs in a single package and these will ship for a flat fee of $14.50 (as of December 2010) anywhere in the continental USA. Depending on your location, please remember that it may be less expensive to ship regular priority mail for multiple albums in a single package. If you have any questions, please write me.

This site incorporates certain programming technologies (Javascript and Ajax, for example) that are designed to enhance usability and interactivity. Unfortunately, these technologies are not always compatible with older versions of some browsers -- notably, Internet Explorer 5 and 6.

The vast majority of visitors to this site are using the latest generation browsers and are able to navigate this site without difficulty. Please upgrade your browser if you are having difficulties with page loads and other issues. You can view a complete list of browsers available for the Windows operating system here. (Scroll down the page to bypass the advertisement.) Wikipedia has a fairly comprehensive discussion of browsers here.

At the same time, if you are using a recently released browser and are having difficulties, please drop me a line. Thanks, and apologies for the inconvenience.

Some of the LPs that I have listed on this site are one-of-a-kind recordings that you can find nowhere else online; others are out of print or are genuine collectors' items. Other factors that influence the price include the condition of the disc; the structural integrity of the jacket and sleeve that hold the record; the presence or absence of liner notes or booklets, and the condition of same; the identity of the featured artist or conductor (please keep in mind that some of the pianists, in particular, whose names appear on this site probably studied with students of the very composers whose works they perform); where the LP was pressed, whether it is imported and from where; and whether upon visual inspection of both the LP and the sleeve within which it is held that it can be concluded beyond a reasonable doubt that the LP in question has never been placed on a turntable and played.

Additionally, many of these discs were never converted into CD format (this is true of between 70% and 80% of recorded music).

These factors notwithstanding, I am open to any reasonable offer that a customer might wish to make on any album in this collection. To make an offer, please send me an email.

From what I can gather, these unusual recordings -- which were, according to the information on the back of each jacket, published in limited editions of 3,000 each -- were by subscription only. A somewhat detailed discussion of this series can be found here:

http://www.soundfountain.com/concert-hall/concerthall.html

Here is a link to an article in Time magazine from 1946, which gives a little background on the provenance of the series:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,852990,00.html?iid=perm...

You can see the complete listing of CHS recordings listed for sale on this site here:

http://classicvinyl.com/red/vinyl

Some individual photos of the albums and the characteristic red vinyl can be seen here:

I think that the emphasis for MHS was on performance and the introduction of new artists into the public consciousness, as opposed to artwork. The aim was to make as much music available to as many people as possible at a price that everyone could afford. The more exotic the album cover (such as those that comprise the Deutsche Gramophon series), the more costly, I suppose, it would have been to produce and market the LPs.

If you have an LP that you would like to advertise for sale on this store, please contact me. In principle I am open to such an arrangement, but your LP will have to meet certain criteria -- content, quality, condition, etc.

As of this writing (8/17/2011) I believe I have the complete set listed.

Yes, I will be glad to provide more photos of any album listed herein upon request. Please contact me and indicate what you would like (photos of the back cover, for example, or of the liner notes or the vinyl). Please be as specific as possible.

The images that appear in a frame on your screen when you click a thumbnail are sized according to the dimensions of your overall browser window. So, if your browser window takes up only 60% of your desktop, then the image you see will similarly be only 60% or so of its regular size. If you maximize your browser window, then you will see the image full size, and it will not be distorted.

While some of the album jackets listed on this site have water stains on them, the vinyl has not been affected. There may be some slight discoloration of the sleeve that holds the LP, however. Any issues with the vinyl will be in the description of the LP that you see here on the site.

Yes, I can make CDs on an individual basis. Please write me with details of the recording you are interested in.

Most of the album jackets with masking tape (or with some tape residue) belong to the Musical Heritage Society label. The previous owners were subscribers to the MHS series; for those of you who do not know, once you joined MHS, you received in the mail an album (or a cassette), automatically delivered to you according to a pre-arranged schedule. In this case, the albums were simply opened and a piece of tape -- with a number inscribed on it, to designate the shelf on the bookcase where it was to be stored -- was attached. In most instances, the LPs were stored and, it seems -- based on the pristine condition of these LPs and in particular the absence of any markings indicating they were placed on a turntable -- never played.

I have experimented with different approaches to removing the adhesive. The most effective way of removing it -- and this applies especially if the album jacket has a glossy cover -- is to use a product, sold in auto parts stores, that removes tar and pine sap from a car's exterior. There are other products that will do the job as well; this particular one has proven effective in my experience.

I have found that removing the tape may or may not leave a mark, depending on the quality of the album jacket. Removing tape from a jacket with a glossy cover often will leave no evidence that the tape had been there in the first place. If, however, the tape is affixed to an album jacket with a plain paper exterior, then more often than not some residual blemish may remain. The dry residue from the adhesive may be gently scraped off with a razor blade of similarly sharp instrument.

According to an article in Wikipedia, the Grand Prix du Disque is the premier French award for musical recordings. The award was inaugurated by l'Académie Charles Cros in 1948 and offers prizes in various categories. The categories vary from year to year, and multiple awards are often made in any one category in the same year. Awards are made in the categories of Ancient Music, Baroque Music, Blues, Chamber Music, Choral Music, First Recital, French Song, Instrumental and Symphonic Music, Instrumental Soloist (new talent), Jazz, Lyric Music, Modern Music, Opera, Recordings for Children, Vocal Soloist (new talent), and World Music.

I think you are referring to the tags. Clicking on one of those links will redirect you to a page where you can see all LPs that have been tagged with the term you selected.

Those videos are among the recordings I have uploaded to my YouTube account. It is easy to embed the videos in a web page or blog. Just copy and paste the code (you'll see it when you click on the little arrow on the bottom of the video box) and it should show up. More detailed instructions are at the YouTube site.

I think you are referring to the tags. Clicking on one of those links will redirect you to a page where you can see all LPs that have been tagged with the term you selected.

The large block under each of the LP product listings gives you additional choices of music that are directly related to the album that you are looking at (in the case of the image to the left, Tchaikovsky ballet music). Click a tab to see works by the same composer, featuring the same artists or orchestra (the Philadelphia Orchestra in this case) or conductor (Eugene Ormandy), label, etc.

Yes you can. Please send me an email indicating that you wish to be added and I will include you. Thanks.

That is a reasonable question, because that is in fact how many LP stores online operate. But in the this case, the answer is yes, I do own these LPs and they are in my direct, immediate possession (I am looking at them as I write this), which is why I can take additional photos of them (at your request) and email those images to you immediately, and why I can mail the discs to you within 12 hours of your order.

For a full explanation of how I grade LPs, please see the page on my desktop site here and on my mobile site, here.

In short, there is some debate about whether an LP that has been opened can be classified as mint. In my opinion the answer is yes. And I have dozens of satisfied customers who agree.

The mobile version of this website is here:

http://m.classicvinyl.com

In response to questions from visitors who ask: who are you, are you telling the truth about the condition of the LP in which I am interested, and what guarantee do I have that you will send me the LP that I order?

I am a writer, freelance web developer and music aficionado in the Washington DC area. I have been collecting and selling LPs to, and working with, customers around the world for several years. Classic Vinyl is a one-person operation, and I take very seriously my commitment to those who visit this site. I respond to all emails within 24 hours, am always willing to work with those who want to purchase albums, and as a result maintain an excellent reputation with clients who return again and again. I can provide dozens of references from customers from Spain to Sacramento, but if you are in a hurry, you can review my eBay feedback (since 2000) here:

http://myworld.ebay.com/classicvinylbiz

Thanks for asking... I am constantly reviewing my inventory of records and periodically change prices -- almost always down, but in rare instances up. The price adjustment may happen between your visits to this store, or it may happen as you are viewing an LP. For a listing of those LPs whose prices have changed, please click here. You can subscribe to that page if there is an LP you are interested in and want to be notified should its price be altered. (Or you can email me with an offer.)

There is a list of unopened LPs here:

http://classicvinyl.com/sealed

Yes, if you are on my mobile site, please click the link below:

http://m.classicvinyl.com/serial/numbers

If you are on my desktop site, click on the "Categories" tab to the left (in the "Search LPs box) you can find a link that will take you to that page. Or click here:

http://classicvinyl.com/search/serial/numbers

I built this site a couple of years ago. I do web development work in my spare time; for more information please visit my development site here.