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Thank you, Stefan!
If you need further infos, try this link:
http://foetusized.org/cdrot.html
Here's an excerpt from their web site:
"CD rot, also called CD bronzing, is a real but rare problem. These discs have a problem with the aluminum in the disc corroding due to a certain lacquer used in the label, which reacted to chemicals in the disc booklet. These discs were made by Polydor & Du Pont Optical UK Ltd. (PDO), and were generally UK pressings (sold elsewhere only as imports). They were made from the late 80's to the early 90's, but not all discs made by PDO in that time frame exhibit this problem.
CDs with bronzing or rot can be identified visually. The darkening caused by the corrosion starts at the outside edge and progresses inward. Eventually the corrosion will cause sound problems not unlike LP surface noise, which will be worse at the end of the disc (CDs play from the inside to the outside). This is a progressive problem -- once started the disc will continue to deteriorate. PDO discs are distinctive in that they generally say "Made in U.K." or "Made in U.K. by PDO" in the center ring, and have a narrow center clear ring (not the common wider clear ring, and not the full aluminum disc that Polydor makes at their German & US plants).
These discs will generally be replaced by PDO, not by the label or distributor. Those of us in the USA should contact PDO by mail. I sent them a list of CDs I owned that seemed to have the problem, including the ID number from the center ring. They sent me replacements for two of my Coil CDs and asked me to destroy the old discs. The disc above was recently purchased pre-owned via mail and was starting to bronze when it arrived. I will be sending it to PDO someday, when it ceases to work, along with a Julian Cope single that is showing some very strange spotty discolouration (perhaps due to the cardboard sleeve in which it was kept). When returning discs to PDO, send the disc only -- they ask that you do not send any case or packaging that will have to be mailed back.
PDO's mail address is:
Phillips & Du Pont Optical UK Ltd.
Phillips Road
Blackburn, Lancashire BB1 5RZ
England
PDO's email for questions on CD Rot is atburnshelpline@compuserve.com">patburnshelpline@compuserve.com
Other web pages about this subject are:
Hyperion Records explains Bronzing CDs for their customers (includes PDO contact information for folks in the UK)
Classical Net's CD Buying Guide article (includes a list of possibly affected classical music discs by label)
Koussevitzky Recordings Society article on CD Bronzing
"CD Bronze Corrosion Attack!" by Mark Lehman, American Record Guide July/Aug 1998
CD Corrosion: A List of Affected Classical Discs (compiled from several issues of American Record Guide)
Foetus web site's page on CD Rot (mentions the Quilombo disc shown above)"
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My STAR WARS EPISODE 1 ULTIMATE EDITION from Sony went rotten. The playing surface went cloudy white from the outside, gradually travelling inwards. And Sony wouldn't replace it. OK, I'd had it a few years but even so ...
Cheers
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And here's his email address:
atBurnsHelpline@compuserve.com">PatBurnsHelpline@compuserve.com
I'll contact him right after that post; went through my collection to see if there are any other brownies in it. Shrek! There are more of them, some still play OK, but they're still bronzed:
CDs PDO:
Various Composers
Great Epic Film Scores. CNR CNS 5006.
Classic British Film Music. Silva Screen FILMCD 072.
Bernard Herrmann
Moby Dick. For The Fallen. Herrmann/LPO/NPO. Unicorn-Kanchana UKCD2061.
Wuthering Heights. Herrmann/Pro Arte Orchestra. Unicorn-Kanchana UKCD2050/51/52. (3 CDs)
Psycho. Herrmann/NPO. Unicorn-Kanchana UKCD 2021.
It's Alive 2. Silva Screen FILMCD 074. [There's no imprint that it's done by PDO, but who else could it be then?]
Laurie Johnson
The Rose And The Gun. Fly Records FLY CD103.
CDs by OPTI
Pino Donaggio
The Gamble. RCA OST 106.
Jerry Goldsmith
Cassandra Crossing. RCA OST 102.
Ennio Morricone
Voyage Of Terror. RCA OST 101.
Battle Of Algiers. Massacre In Rome. RCA OST 105.
P.S.: These discs, also pressed by PDO are not bronzed (yet):
Herrmann, Welles Raises Kane. The Devil And Daniel Webster. Obsession. Herrmann/LPO/NPO. Unicorn-Kanchana UKCD 2065.
Herrmann, Symphony. The Fantasticks. Herrmann/NPO. Unicorn-Kanchana UKCD 2063.
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Here we go. PDO sent me a message today:
"PLEASE CAN YOU POST ME YOUR CD'S , DO NOT SEND ANY CASES OR BOOKLETS FOR MY ATTENTION:
ANDREA HOYLE
PDO HELPLINE
PHILIPS ROAD
BLACKBURN
LANCASHIRE
BB1 5RZ
ENGLAND
THANKYOU
REGARDS
ANDREA
i will replace with new ones when i receive your bronzed copies thankyou."
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I've received all my replacement CDs by PDO today. They delivered a smooth service. Thank you!
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As for OPTI (Italy), the bronzed CD apparently should be replaced by the labels. After some googling I've found this helpful site:
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~bpl/cdrot.htm
CD's pressed by OPTI. ME. S. in Italy:
(Look for "MANUFACTURED IN ITALY BY OPTI.ME.S" stamped near the hole)
For OPTI.ME.S discs you may be able to get replacements from the labels. See the 1999 March/April issue of American Record Guide for those addresses.
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Has anyone else encountered this?
Yes. Same disc, same problem.
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Posted: |
Aug 19, 2013 - 7:13 PM
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By: |
Jim Doherty
(Member)
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I TOO had this happen to my Cloud Nine GREAT EPIC FILM SCORES disc. This was one of the many CDs pressed by PDO (flip it over and look at the printing on the inner circle). This company has become famous for CDs that have rotted. You'd better check your other Cloud Nines, as I think some others were also pressed by PDO. Also, most of the Herrmann Unicorn CDs were pressed by them as well, and many are rotting.
The only good news I can give you is this: Although perhaps a good last third of the GREAT EPIC FILM SCORES CD would not play on any CD player I had, I tried to extract the tracks into my computer, using three different drives. It turned out that one CD-burner drive I had extracted everything except the next two cuts. From that I was able to make a CDR of the first 24 cuts that played perfectly. HOWEVER, I will say that I did this perhaps three years ago. I just popped that Cloud Nine CD in my player today, and will only play the first four tracks, then the clicking/skipping sets in, so it may be too late to save your copy.
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This seems like a good opportunity to go over the old CD rack and verify that I have good backups of everything on hard drives.
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Posted: |
Aug 19, 2013 - 8:08 PM
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By: |
joec
(Member)
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I TOO had this happen to my Cloud Nine GREAT EPIC FILM SCORES disc. This was one of the many CDs pressed by PDO (flip it over and look at the printing on the inner circle). This company has become famous for CDs that have rotted. You'd better check your other Cloud Nines, as I think some others were also pressed by PDO. Also, most of the Herrmann Unicorn CDs were pressed by them as well, and many are rotting.
The only good news I can give you is this: Although perhaps a good last third of the GREAT EPIC FILM SCORES CD would not play on any CD player I had, I tried to extract the tracks into my computer, using three different drives. It turned out that one CD-burner drive I had extracted everything except the next two cuts. From that I was able to make a CDR of the first 24 cuts that played perfectly. HOWEVER, I will say that I did this perhaps three years ago. I just popped that Cloud Nine CD in my player today, and will only play the first four tracks, then the clicking/skipping sets in, so it may be too late to save your copy.
Yes, my pressing is by PDO. I was able to rip the CD to my computer, but it was an extremely slow process, took 2 hours to complete the last few selections. Now I am able to hear the entire CD. However the last 3 selections have static in the background but no skipping. The CD is no great loss as we already have great re- issues for El Cid, Peking & Roman Empire. But The Circus World soundtrack (the portion most effected) has yet to be issued on CD. This CD is readily available through Amazon. I wonder if it was later re-pressed using better materials?
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I'm in the same boat as Hainshisway, as I have been collecting cds since the 80s, have over 1000 and not one of them has gone "bad" yet with the oxidizing being mentioned. I have noted that some have "swirls" on the discs but nothing that has yet to effect play.
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Luckily Ive never had a CD go bad, knock on wood. 