45-rpm Releases from 1990 Onwards

Hi All:

I know that this is a CD forum but I still prefer the little black discs.

Is there a reliable source of information to find out whether or not all hits released after March 1990 (the 45's day of death in Canada...lol!) were released on some sort of 45-rpm disc (either promo or stock)? I have obtained a few singles from the 1990s (my newest being Cher's "Believe"), and I have about a dozen singles from the 1990s, but I would have hoped for more.

Ones I have really looked for are:

Jane Child - Don't Wanna Fall in Love (The 4:04 Remix)
Amy Grant - Every Heartbeart (7" Heart and Soul Mix - Radio Version)
Amy Grant - Good For Me (Good For You Radio Version)
Roxette - Joyride (Radio Version with drum overdubs)

If these were also on some sort of promo 12", that would also be good.

It seems so touch and go with 45s from the 1990s until now. I understand that they are virtually non-existent now, right?

I always get a thrill when i discover that i like a more recent song and that it has come out on 45 rpm. Took me a while to get The Reason by Hoobastank (probably my favorite song of the last 15 years) on 45, but mine is pressed off center!

TomDiehl1 wrote: I always get a thrill when i discover that i like a more recent song and that it has come out on 45 rpm. Took me a while to get The Reason by Hoobastank (probably my favorite song of the last 15 years) on 45, but mine is pressed off center!

So's mine...but it still plays sort of OK!

Sam The Record Man was amongst the last chains to carry 45s in mall shops. It was the last time I ever was able to purchase 45s in a store (after that, I ordered a handful of singles at Stardust Records in Hamilton, and they were imported form the US).

And then, Music World was the last chain I knew of that carried LPs, until December 1990. I do realize that Sam's in Toronto did continue to carry LPs, and so did Cheapies in Hamilton, but I could never find vinyl anywhere else.

As for 45s now, I was surprised to hear about Hoobastank's release. I know Kelly Clarkson had a couple, but I suppose that's about it for 2000 and beyond.

By the way, my Cher 45 of "Believe" was also off-centre. D'oh!


Edited by Jody Thornton

Jody Thornton wrote: And then, Music World was the last chain I knew of that carried LPs, until December 1990. I do realize that Sam's in Toronto did continue to carry LPs, and so did Cheapies in Hamilton, but I could never find vinyl anywhere else. By the way, my Cher 45 of "Believe" was also off-centre. D'oh!

Actually, the major Canadian labels continued to release domestically-pressed 12-inch singles and LPs until at least '92 or '93. By the mid-90s, most vinyl was imported from the US. Any Canadian-pressed vinyl since then has usually been by an independent label.

I think the reason many 45s have been off-center or poor-quality pressings in the '90s is because US labels no longer considered them as a priority. Quite often limited press runs of 50,000 or less were done, primarily for jukebox use. They didn't take as great a care in producing them as they had prior.