Any idea what this goo is on my record?

I have found that it is impossible to visually grade an LP with any accuracy. I have LP's that look beautiful and play horribly and I have LP's that look like they should be noisy and not listenable and are quite pleasing.
Perhaps the record was played with an inferior needle or misadjusted cartridge and has unseen groove ware.
I do use a steam cleaner and it helps, but not as much as the Disc Doctor fluid and brushes. Sometimes, you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

I may try the steam. I'm pretty sure there is someting on the record because the dead wax is also hazy and it looks like there are liquid marks. Dullness from wear would usually be limited to the grooves.

What about using something stronger, like Windex? I can't see what I have to lose other than a really noisy record.

Could be the owner used wet playing technique - water or water/armour-all solution. Should come off with water and bounty towel.

"Water/Armour-All solution"?!! Played wet?! Good grief! That sounds like something out of the dark ages. What on earth was that supposed to accomplish?

Grimace: Most likely the noise is created by release compounds that have hardened over 50+ years to the likes of concrete. No easy solution to the problem, not even steaming works well enought to remove that "concrete".

One note on Steam Cleaning LPs. Just steaming and micro cloth drying is ok for very clean recordings. But, as the guy that perfected and published the merits of steaming in audio mags long before others got on the bandwagon, be careful going solo without record cleaning fluids. Steam alone is not a cure all however, with the proper technique,the correct brushes, a RCM and rinsing, most(not all) substances can be removed. As noted on the Steaming Thread products such as "last" and "Sound Guard" age leaving a hard impossible to remove "concrete" that sounds just terrible. It is for that reason I dumped every MoFi release I had that was "Lasted" at the factory. Complete waste of good money but 30 years ago who knew.