Remember the heady days when you first heard the latest vinyl album by The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Metallica or Deep Purple? The magic of vinyl was all the more powerful due to the pristine sound of the record when it was brand new.

Sadly, even the best vinyl does not last forever.  It’s an inescapable fact of life, the more you play your favourite album by The Clash the more the audio quality fades. The pressure of a stylus to a groove is a quite amazing 12 tons per square inch. The music may be timeless, but over time, the friction created as the stylus tracks the groove will wear down even the grooves of your once mighty Black Sabbath albums. There is no escaping the fact needle in the groove is a mechanical operation which will eventually degrade the quality of your precious vinyl.

Fortunately, new vinyl records have plenty of life expectancy. With properly maintained equipment new vinyl records by Queen are designed to be played around 80 times before you will begin to detect any audible impairment. A 180g pressing will inevitably last longer than, a regular pressing. It’s also best practice to avoid playing records multiple times in one sitting. So, go easy on that cherished copy of Demons and Wizards.

One of the main culprits causing excess and unnecessary wear can be a dirty, worn-out stylus, which deforms the grooves and permanently alters the sound. An improperly aligned cartridge or improperly set anti-skate controls can also cause wear. The damage can occur to one or both sides of the groove wall and Nirvana will begin to sound a bit too er… grungy!

Mould which is in the air all around us is another unseen enemy of vinyl. The problem with mould is that it extrudes "roots" into the crevices of the grooves. Mould-damaged records can appear to be in perfect condition; however, you’ll hear a "swishing" sound as the stylus tracks through the infected areas. Your record will sound dead and you certainly won’t be grateful for that.

Eventually, the grooves which house the music of The Stones, Rush or The Sex Pistols will get damaged through regular playing and scratches will occur, clicks and pops will make themselves heard on your favourite albums.  You’ll also notice the tell-tale signs, especially in the higher frequencies such as vocal "S" sounds and the cymbals which will begin to distort. Bear in mind also that worn grooves will also wear your stylus.

 Unhappily the printed cardboard cover of your old album will inevitably become less vibrant as the printer’s ink fades. Unfortunately, even the most lovingly handled cover can become dog eared.  So, there will come a time when it's best to retire a worn record.

Fortunately, help is at hand during this distressing time, as you remember you can always visit codarecords.co.uk to seek out a brand-new copy of The Court of the Crimson King or Hot Rats so your old vinyl friend can retire gracefully while his fresh-faced new offspring does all the hard work.

Hearing the perfect sound of a brand-new copy of your favourite album by Bowie, Fleetwood Mac, U2 or The Eagles, especially one pressed on 180 Gram Heavyweight Vinyl, will transport you back to the glorious day when you first opened the cover to reveal the precious grooves. You can experience once more the magic of the day you heard the power of Led Zeppelin, AC/DC or Guns N’ Roses for the first time.

The great thing about revisiting a new copy of your old favourites is that quality of the sound is now even better than you remembered it, and a pristine new gatefold sleeve is another gem to be treasured anew.

Many of your favourite albums are released in double album format with bonus tracks, so the new vinyl experience just gets better and better. At Codarecords.co.uk you’ll find Jimmy Page has remastered the original Led Zeppelin albums. U2 have been busy at work on their back catalogue and David Coverdale has been working hard as Executive Producer overseeing the re-mastering of the very best of the Whitesnake oeuvre.

The team at Coda Records scours the globe for high quality copies of your favourite albums. So why not treat yourself to a re-union with a rejuvenated old friend today? We promise you won’t be disappointed.