# gold records **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 27, 2000, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gold-records/7793 "2000-02-27T02:53:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jayhawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f4b2a3/32.png) [@jayhawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayhawk)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2000, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gold-records/7793/1 "2000-02-27T02:53:00Z")
Are gold records playable, and if so, what material is recorded on them? ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2000, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gold-records/7793/2 "2000-02-27T03:10:00Z")
Welcome jayhawk. As you may or may not have noticed, this message board is subdivided into six areas. This one, About This Message Board, in which you posted your question (one I’ll admit to having wondered about as well) is really devoted to technical stuff related to getting along on the board. You’ll get a much better response, and quite possibly the _real answer_, to your question if you repost it in the forum titled General Questions. ---
**Author:** ![NickyLarson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b2d939/32.png) [@NickyLarson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NickyLarson)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2000, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gold-records/7793/3 "2000-02-27T03:26:00Z")
Gold records are **not** playable. You’ll notice, in fact, the number of track visable on the disc is never usually the same number as on the label. A freind of mine at a radio station in Buffalo pointed that out to me on a copy of the ‘Bat Out Of Hell’ album by Meatloaf back in the '70’s. There were something like eight tracks on the ‘gold’ record, and about five on the label. * * * “I drive way too fast to worry about my cholesterol.” ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2000, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gold-records/7793/4 "2000-02-27T03:45:00Z")
Nicky, While you pointed out a discrepancy between label and disk that is interesting, you don’t necessarily answer the question. Perhaps gold records are not really gold pressings of the album in question, perhaps they’re all just the same Dion and the Belmonts album from 1958. But are they playable (I know, Tuba, I shouldn’t be doing this here - sorry, this is where it happened)? ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2000, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gold-records/7793/5 "2000-02-27T03:46:00Z")
In fact, if you catch this thread, dear, why don’t you move us? Thanks in advance. Regards ---
**Author:** ![NickyLarson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b2d939/32.png) [@NickyLarson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NickyLarson)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2000, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gold-records/7793/6 "2000-02-27T03:53:00Z")
> [@](#): > > While you pointed out a discrepancy between label and disk that is interesting, you don’t necessarily answer the question. Uh, beatle, did you notice my first sentence? P.S. Before anyone asks, no, they’re **not real gold** either. * * * “I drive way too fast to worry about my cholesterol.” ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2000, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gold-records/7793/7 "2000-02-27T04:37:00Z")
OK, Nicky, so what are they? ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2000, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gold-records/7793/8 "2000-02-27T05:29:00Z")
Yes, I noticed your first sentence, let’s see some backup. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2000, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gold-records/7793/9 "2000-02-27T05:58:00Z")
Off to General Questions! your humble TubaDiva Administrator The Straight Dope ---
**Author:** ![SingleDad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9e8a1a/32.png) [@SingleDad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SingleDad)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2000, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gold-records/7793/10 "2000-02-27T07:21:00Z")
My mother (who has a slew of unusual friends) claims she called a record company executive of her aquaintance some years ago and was told all gold records are copies of Montovoni’s (sp?) greatest hits… all eight of them. Not exactly hard evidence, but if you say it with a straight face, you might get away with it. * * * He’s the sort to stand on a hilltop in a thunderstorm wearing wet copper armor, shouting ‘All Gods are Bastards!’ ---
**Author:** ![chief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df788c/32.png) [@chief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chief)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2000, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gold-records/7793/11 "2000-02-28T08:37:00Z")
welcome jayhawk… just curious, how did you get your nickname? * * * Check out my site: [Chief’s Domain](http://www.seas.ucla.edu/~ravi) ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_Bowe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@Doug\_Bowe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_Bowe)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2000, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gold-records/7793/12 "2000-02-28T09:31:00Z")
The gold records I have come across have been playable. They were surplus 45’s and 33 1/3’s sprayed with gold paint, slapped on a wooden trophy and the _label_ of whatever it was supposed to be pasted in the center. I recall hearing that Alice Cooper stuck his gold record on a turntable to discover it was Perry Como.