In about 1970, RCA began pressing records with a method called Dynaflex.
Around this time, pressing plants were recycling vinyl. The result often was a bit noisy. I have a few pressings from the 70's that have bits of cardboard embedded in the playing surface from old labels.
RCA reasoned they could get away with using pure virgin vinyl if they didn't use so much of it. The result was the ultra-thin dynaflex records. You could flex them like a musical saw blade.
There were naysayers at the time. There were complaints about lack of bass tone. Most of those I've seen reference Bowie's Ziggy Stardust album from 1972. Not a good source for argument, as it's recorded that way. I offer in rebuttal to the bass tone argument Jump Into the Fire on Harry Nilsson's Nilsson Schmilsson release. It shakes the wall when cranked up.
And for those complaining about how thin it is, I say STFU. I never bought into that 180 gram vinyl thing. Let me put it this way. A boat displaces the same amount of water on a lake or an ocean. The amount of material under the surface doesn't make any difference.
And for those complaining it was too thin to filter out turntable rumble, I say get a new turntable or a cork mat.
How do they hold up over the years? A Dynaflex record is responsible for the revelation that CD's weren't all they're cracked up to be. The Bowie catalog coming out on CD was met with excitement. A friend brought over Aladdin Sane for a listen. It sounded shrill. I dug out my Dynaflex for A/B comparison. The vinyl I bought on day of release and played a lot ran circles around the CD.
From then on, when back catalog came out on CD, I'd lie in wait at the used record stores for the vinyl to be returned by some hapless sucker.
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