The last third of EVERY side of EVERY record suffers from audible Inner Groove Distortion. It is a fundamental, inescapable limitation of the vinyl medium. As a partial ameliorative measure, the cutting engineers painstakingly REMOVE higher frequencies from the waveform gradually as they move into the center of the disc. This is a measurable, audible, undebatable LOSS of information and fidelity. And it HAS to be done on EVERY record.
And it sounds, frankly, like goddamn shit.
Truth. My copy of Aja by Steely Dan suffers from this for sure, and it’s a damn shame because the songs on the outer grooves are perfect.