Vinyl Addict

Basket of Light

2010-04-15T20:43:00.001-04:00

Ambrosia: Nice, nice, very nice

2008-11-16T22:24:00.006-05:00

I had Ambrosia pegged as schlocky prog boffins. Not at all. This is is tight, melodic, certainly proggy, but more like Pink Floyd at their most focused. The opening track 'Nice, nice, very nice' is sung with a heavy Spanish accent by Joe Puerta: I hadn't read up and thought this was a Latin American psych number like Peru's Telegraph Avenue. In fact, Ambrosia are an LA quartet produced by Alan Parsons: this is one of those rare occasions where I'm hooked by a genre I often cringe at.

I picked up their LP with a whole stack of excellent finds last night after Alejandro Escovedo's live show in Northampton MA.

The other winner from this batch is Stevie Wonder's Music of My Mind. Another artist that I had yet to 'get', having found his classic albums cloying. The moog and more introspective tone are sounding really contemporary where Talking Book or Innervisions have yet to grab me.

Ambrosia - Ambrosia [Mastered by Doug Sax at Mastering Labs] $2
Shakti with John McLaughlin - Natural Elements [Columbia white label pressing] $2
Sonny Rollins - Sonny Rollins [Prestige twofer reissue mastered by Rudy Van Gelder] $8
Spirit - Clear [Ode] $4
Spirit - Spirit [Ode yellow label original] $3
Spirit - The Family That Plays Together [Ode yellow label original] $4
Stevie Wonder - Music of My Mind. $5
Suzi Quatro - Your Mama Won't Like Me [Mastered by Chris Blair at Abbey Road] $2
Terry Reid - River [AT/GP] $3
Various - Best of Chess Vocal Groups [Two disc set cut by Greg Fulginiti at Artisan from Doug Schwartz' digital masters] $3

All these were $0.50 each:

Bobby Bare - Where Have All The Seasons Gone
Elvin Bishop - Live! Raisin Hell [Mastered by George Marino at Sterling Sound]
Elvis Costello - The Only Flame in Town [12" promo stamped]
Heaven 17 - The Luxury Gap [Mastered by Frankford/Wayne]
Human League - Mirror Man [UK 12" mastered at the Townhouse]
Ian Matthews - Discreet Repeat [Mastered at Tone Audio]
Johnny Hodges - At the Sportpalast Berlin [Pablo Live two disc promo stamped
KC and the Sunshine Band - Who Do Ya Love [in shrink]
Kotch - Kotch [Sly Dunbar production mastered at Sterling Sound and cut at Speciality]
Modern English - Mesh and Lace [Canadian pressing]
Rod Stewart - Gasoline Alley
Sheena Easton - Best Kept Secret [Future Disc. In shrink]
Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel - Face to Face [Mastered by Ken Perry at Capitol]
Suzi Quatro - If You Knew Suzi [RSO reissue]
Thelma Houston - Ride to the Rainbow [Mastered by Jo Hansch at Kendun]
Thompson Twins - Into the Gap [Mastered at Sterling Sound]
Tubes - The Completion Backwards Principle [Sterling]
Willie Nelson - To Lefty From Willie

Inseperable from my LPs

2008-11-05T21:17:00.004-05:00

From the WFMU Record Fair on October 24 and 25, plus some warm ups at nearby stores before the fair opened. 167 LPs in total, mostly $0.50 or $1, a few $2 or $3, anything more than that I've noted the price. All US pressings unless noted:

ABC – How to Be A Zillionaire [Frankford Wayne TS, so not original Ian Cooper, Townhouse mastering]
Alex Taylor – With Friends and Neighbors [Capricorn pink label]
Art Pepper – New York Album
Art Tatum – Solo Masterpieces Vol. 12
Art Tatum – Solo Masterpieces Vol. 8
Bach / Gould – Toccatas Vol. 2 [Columbia]
Bananarama – Venus [12” Sterling]
Benny Golson – Blues on Down [Milestone twofer]
Beth Carvalho – Ao Vivo [RCA Brazil]
Bill Evans – The Second Trio [Milestone twofer promo] $6
Billy Cobham – Spectrum
Billy Joel – Glass Houses [Sterling TJ, Ted Jensen]
Billy Joel – Stranger [RL]
Blondie – Autoamerican [Columbia]
Blondie – Parallel Lines [‘MCA’ no mention of Steve Hall]
Bob Dylan – Bringing it All Back Home [CBS UK, A1/B1 mono] $10
Bob Dylan – Bringing it All Back Home [Columbia 360 Sound stereo 1A/1A] $3
Bob Dylan – Oh Mercy
Bob Seger – Against the Wind [Wally]
Bobby Bland – Tell Mr Bland [Kevin Gray]
Boston – Boston [Wally]
Byrds – History of the Byrds [CBS UK original orange label]
Carlene Carter – Carlene Carter [‘Wally’ - Wally Traugott, promo]
Carmen McRae – I Am Music [Blue Note, Wall Traugott]
Charlie Parker – The Greatest Jazz Concert Ever [Prestige twofer]
Copland / Copland – Billy the Kid etc [Columbia 3 record box]
Count Basie – Basie in London [Verve trumpeter label]
Count Basie – Count Basie [Brunswick]
Count Basie – One More Time [Roulette deep groove]
Cowboy Junkies – Trinity Sessions
David Bromberg – Midnight on the Water [white label pressing]
David Bromberg – Wanted Dead or Alive [‘Piapi’ ?]
David Johansen – Live it Up [TML-S, no mention of Mike Reese]
Deep Purple – Fireball [WB green]
Desmond Dekker – Compass Points [Stiff, Canadian pressing in shrink, but no mention of Ted Densen and Sterling]
Diana Ross – Touch Me In The Morning [‘Lawson’]
Dinah Washington – A Slick Chick (on the Mellow Side) [Emarcy twofer, ‘Trutone’]
Dinah Washington – Sings Fats Waller [Emarcy original pressing, blue and silver label]
Dion and the Belmonts – 24 Original Classics [Arista 2LP]
Dionne Warwick – The Sensitive Sound of [Scepter]
Don Shirley – Trio in Concert [Columbia]
Doris Day and Andre Previn – Duet [Columbia six eye]
Duke Ellington – 70th Birthday Concert [2LP promo]
Duke Ellington – The Great Bands [Regal UK]
Duke Ellington – The World of… [reprocessed stereo, oops]
Ella Fitzgerald – At the Opera House [Verve trumpeter label]
Ella Fitzgerald – Ella In Hollywood
ELO – Eldorado [TML-S]
Elvin Bishop – Let it Flow [promo Sterling]
Emitt Rhodes – Emitt Rhodes [Dunhill]
Eric Dolphy – Status [Prestige twofer promo]
Eric Dolphy – The Great Concert of Eric Dolphy [Prestige three-fer]
Frank Sinatra – Swing Easy [early Japanese pressing with original US stamper]
Frankie Valli – Timeless [Philips]
Gene Vincent – The Bop Just Won’t Stop
George Jones – Still The Same Old Me [No mention of M. C. Rather or CBS Discomputer]
Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker – Carnegie Hall Concert volume 1 [CTI, ‘Van Gelder’] $4
Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker – Carnegie Hall Concert volume 2 [CTI, ‘Van Gelder’] $4
Grace Jones – Love on Top of Love [12” Wally]
Grace Slick – Manhole [TML]
Graham Parker – Squeezing out the Sparks [Sterling GL, so not original Mark Howlett and Jeff Sanders at Crystal]
Grateful Dead – Workingman’s Dead [WB green label]
Hank Mobley – Reach Out! [‘Van Gelder’ but VG-]
Haydn / Dorati – Symphony No. 92 [London]
Haydn / Heger – Symphony No. 103 [Mercury mono]
Herbie Hancock – VSOP [Columbia twofer WLP]
Howlin’ Wolf – London Howlin’ Wolf Sessions [Sterling, no credit]
Ian Hunter – Live [Sterling George Marino]
James Taylor – Mud Slide Slim [WB green]
James Taylor – Sweet Baby James [WB green]
Janis Joplin – I Got Them Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again Mama! [CBS UK original stereo]
Jethro Tull – Stormwatch [promo]
Jimmy Rushing – Five Feet of Soul [Colpix mono] $3
John Cale – Honi Soit [Sterling, no mention of Jack Skinner]
John Coltrane – Dial Africa [WLP] $6
John Lennon – Plastic Ono Band [UK 1U] $8
Judy Garland – Best of [Decca twofer]
Kenny Burrell – Blue Bash [Verve ‘T’ label]
Kraftwerk – Autobahn [Masterdisk GK, Gilbert Kong] $8
Ladysmith Black Mambazo – Journey of Dreams [Masterdisk DMM, no mention of Bob Ludwig]
Led Zeppelin – I [Classic Records 200g] $25
Led Zeppelin – IV [Classic Records 200g] $25
Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti [Classic Records 200g] $25
Little Feat – Hoy Hoy
Little Milton – Chess Blues Masters Series [2LP Barry Diament] $5
Loudon Wainwright III – Fame and Wealth [Sterling]
Loudon Wainwright III – Tshirt [No mention of Cutting Room and Tom Rabstenek and Tony Stevens]
Luis Bonfa – Tristeza [Verve germany]
Lulu – Lulu
Madonna – Dress You Up [12” Masterdisk]
Madonna – Experss Yourself [12”]
Madonna – Madonna [in shrink, Sterling]
Mama Cass – Dream a Little Dream [Dunhill stereo]
Marcia Griffiths – All Over The World [12” ‘Fullers Sound NH’]
Martha Schlamme – The World of Kurt Weill [MGM]
Mel Torme – Loves Fred Astaire [Bethlehem reissue promo]
Melanie – Photogenic Not Just a Pretty Face [promo]
Microdisney – Crooked Mile [Artisan, no mention of Greg Fulginiti]
Miriam Makeba – The Many Voices of [Kapp stereo]
Miriam Makeba – The Voice of Africa [RCA dynagroove]
Monkees – Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. [Colgems mono]
Moody Blues – Seventh Sojourn [MFSL] $15
Mothers of Invention – Uncle Meat [Bizarre white label pressing] $8
Muddy Waters – Hard Again
Muddy Waters – King Bee
Muddy Waters – Rare and Unissued
Muddy Waters – Rolling Stone
Nancy Wilson – Like in Love [Capitol logo at 12 O’clock, reissue in shrink]
Natalie Cole – Inseparable [Wally]
Neil Young – Hawks and Doves. $4
Patti Smith – Dream of Life [DMM Masterdisk, no mention of Bob Ludwig]
Patti Smith – Gloria [UK 12”] $12
Paul Simon – Paul Simon [DCC No. 592] $25
Pentangle – Reflection
Pete Townshend – Scoop [Timing strip promo]
Peter Paul and Mary – See What Tomorrow Brings [WB gold label mono A1/B1]
Peter Townshend – Who Came First [Track stereo] $8
Prince – When Doves Cry [12”]
Quincy Jones – The Birth of a Band [Emarcy twofer Dennis Drake]
R B Greaves – R B Greaves [ATCO UK]
Randy Weston – Zulu [Milestone twofer][
Ravel / Boulez – Le Tombeau du Couperin
Ray Charles – True to Life
Richard and Linda Thompson – First Light
Richard and Linda Thompson – Hokey Pokey [Sterling, no sleeve]
Richard and Mimi Farina – Reflections In A Crystal Wind [Vanguard bronze mono label]
Richard Thompson – Across A Crowded Room [Sterling no mention of Jack Skinner] $2
Richard Thompson – Live More of Less
Richard Thompson – Strict Tempo $7
Rickie Lee Jones – Flying Cowboys [Precision Lacquer DMM, no mention of Steve Marcussen]
Rita Coolidge – Fall Into Spring [no mention of TML or Doug Sax]
Rita Coolidge – Nice Feelin’ [A&M tan label]
Robert Wyatt – Rock Botton [Virgin UK original] $20
Rodgers and Hammerstein – Sound of Music [Living Stereo original A2 49S]
Rodney Crowell – Street Language [Sterling DMM, no mention of George Marino]
Rolling Stones – Between the Buttons [Decca unboxed stereo] $25
Rosanne Cash – Rhythm and Romance [Sterling, no credit]
Rossini / Gardelli – Barber of Seville [London]
Roy Harper – Bullinamingvase [Harvest UK but warped]
Santana – Life is a Lady / One Chain [12”]
Sarah Vaughan – Vaughan and Violins [Mercury stereo original]
Schubert / Beecham – Symphony No. 6 [Angel]
Simon & Garfunkel – The Graduate [Columbia 360 Sound 1A/1A]
Split Enz – Time and Tide [Townhouse, no mention of Ian Cooper]
Stan Getz – Communications ’72 [Verve ‘T’ label]
Steve Miller – Book of Dreams [ Capitol, no mention of Ken Perry]
Stravinsky / Boulez – Firebird Suitek [Columbia 360 Sound]
Stravinsky / Mehta – Rite of Spring [Columbia]
Supertramp – Even in the Quietest Moments [no mention of Frank Deluna]
Taj Mahal – Satisfied and Tickled Too [promo with radio strip]
Talk Talk – Life’s What You Make It [12”]
Tarzan Boy – Baltimora [12” Masterdisk]
Tim Hardin – The Shock of Grace
Tony Bennet – A Time For Love [Columbia 360 Sound mono]
Traffic – Traffic [Bell Sound]
Triffids – Calenture
Uriah Heap – The Magicians Birthday [Trutone, no mention of Gilbert Kong]
Various – A Jazz Piano Anthology [Columbia twofer 1A]
Various – Fillmore Last Days [CBS, three LP, missing one disc]
Various – Jazz Odyssey, the Sound of Harlem Volume III [Columbia two eye mono three LP box]
Warren Zevon – Sentimental Hygiene [Precision DMM]
Weavers – At Carnegie Hall [Vanguard red label mono]
Who – Face Dances [Sterling TJ, Ted Jensen]
Williams / Boult – Sinfonia Antartica [London mono]
Wings – Wings at the Speed of Sound [Wally]
ZZ Top – Rough Boy [promo 12”]
ZZ Top – Velcro Fly [12” Masterdisk RL, Robert Ludwig]

Brattleboro record shopping therapy

2008-09-30T22:02:00.002-04:00

From Turn It Up Records in Brattleboro, Vermont this afternoon.

These were five for a dollar:

Aerosmith - Rocks
Cars - Candy-O [Sterling, no mention of George Marino]
Dan Fogelberg - Nether Lands ['Masterfonics' but no mention of Glenn Meadows]
Dan Fogelberg - The Innocent Age [Sterling / Columbia NY]
Doris Day - Love Me or Leave Me [Six eye]
Elton John - Honky Chateau
Frank Sinatra - This is Sinatra! [Turquoise label, script written matrix]
Grace Jones - Do Or Die [12" Jose Rodriguez 'JR Sterling']
Herman's Hermits - 15 Greatest Hits [Sterling]
James Taylor - Mud Slide Slim [Artisan, Green Label]
John Renbourn - The Nine Maidens [Flying Fish, no mention of John Dent or The Sound Clinic]
Kris Kristofferson - Who's To Bless [TML-M]
Lois - Strumpet ['KDisc JG' John Golden]
Nancy Wilson - The Nancy Wilson Show [Logo at 12 O'Clock]
Rupert Holmes - Widescreen [Promo, 'Sterling RL' on one side only]
Saturday Night Fever [RSO, Wally Traugott, 'Wally' on four sides]
Uriah Heap - Demons and Wizards ['GK' Gilbert Kong]

These weren't:

Bonnie and Delaney - To Bonnie From Delaney [Sterling LH on one side only] $6
Jimi Hendrix - Cry of Love [Sterling RL] $8
Joe Cocker - S/T. $1.50
Keely Smith - Swingin' Pretty [Logo at 9 O'Clock] $3
Traffic - John Barleycorn Must Die [Sterling 'LH' Lee Hulko] $5
Watersons - Green Fields. $3.50
Watersons - Sound Sound [Topic] $4

And from Monday. These were $1 finds from About Music in Greenfield, Massachusetts:

House of Love - S/T
Jules Shear - The Eternal Return [Sealed. Artisan, no mention of Greg Fulginiti]
Kinks - Word of Mouth [RCA Music Service, so no signature from Robert Ludwig/Masterdisk]
Nile Rodgers - B-Movie Matinee ['Masterdisk RL' on one side only]
Sparks - In Outer Space [Allen Zentz, but no mention of Brian Gardner]
Sugarcubes - Regina [12" Masterdisk HW, Howie Weinberg?]

Enter the GrowRoom

2008-09-03T23:46:00.005-04:00

Ten $1 LPs from GrowRoom in Amherst, MA. GrowRoom sells reggae, but has a few crates of other LPs, mostly with vinyl covered in finger prints and scrapes, and all with the smell of incense.

Aphrohead - Thee Underground Made Me Do It
Eddie Cochran - The Eddie Cochran Singles Album [Bilbo, Dennis Blackham]
Greg Kihn Band - Kihnspiracy [SRC]
Mitch Ryder - Never Kick a Sleeping Dog [Sterling, no mention of George Marino]
Modern English - Ricochet Days
Passport - Garden of Eden [Promo]
Peggy Lee - Pass Me By [Capitol 12 O'clock in shrink]
Robert Gordon w/Link Wray - Fresh Fish Special [Sterling PRC, no mention of Greg Calbi]
Saafi Brothers - Midnights Children
Various - Urgh, A Music War [Just first disc of two]

Turn It Up

2008-08-30T01:52:00.005-04:00

39 records from Northampton MA for a total of $10:

Aerosmith - Toys in the Attic [TML-M]
America - A Horse with No Name [WB green]
Bobbie Gentry and Glen Campbell
Bruce Hornsby and the Range - The Way it Is [Precision]
Chet Atkins - Picks His Best [mono]
Chet Atkins - String Along With [mono]
Chet Atkins - The Other Chet Atkins [Mono]
Cream - Disraeli Gears [AT LW stereo]
Dakota Stanton - The Late, Late Show [Scroll matrix]
Dave Brubeck - Time In [Reissue]
Deep Purple - The House of Blue Light [Sterling, but 'HRM', no mention of Greg Calbi][
Dire Straits - Money for Nothing 12"
Elgar / Boult - Cello Concerto [HMV postage stamp 1973]
Eurythmics - Would I Lie To You [12" Precision]
Frank Sinatra - The Main Event Live [Happy Frank, so ]
Gary Numan - I, Assassin [Atlantic Studios DK, promo]
Genesis - Three Sides Live [Atlantic Studios DK, EDP]
Hank Williams - Ramblin Man [MGM]
Heaven 17 - This is Mine [12" 2U, with poster]
Ian and Sylvia - S/T [Gold label, !C/1A]
JJ Johnson - Pinnacles [David Turner]
Judy Collins - Golden Apples of the Sun [Gold label]
Led Zeppelin - The Song Remains the Same [Goldisc (PR)]
Linda Ronstadt - For Sentimental Reasons [SRC, TML-M TML-X, Doug Sax
Los Lobos - Don't Worry Baby [12"]
Louis Prima - Prima Show in the Casbar [Signed, on Prima Magnagroove Records]
Manitas de Plata - La Guitare D'Or de Manitas [CBS orange UK label, but
Peter Paul and Mary - S/T [Grey mono]
Phil Collins - No Jacket Required [Sterling RL RCA Music Service in shrink]
Rickie Lee Jones - The Magazine [TML-M] two copies
Scorpions - Blackout [Sterling HW]
Sister Sledge - We Are Family [Atlantic Studios DK (PR)]
Stephen Duffy - I Love You [12" UK 2U]
Stephen Stills - S/T [Sohic AT, Artisan, in shrink]
Tom Rush - Late Night Radio [Sterling RL]
Wham - I'm Your Man [12" P (MP)]
Willie Nelson - Pretty Paper (Xmas Album)
Willie Sordill - Please Tip Your Waitress [Masterdisk]
Woodentops - Hypnobeat

-------
From Salvation Army, 99c each:

Doris Day - Wonderful Day [Columbia Special Products limited edition, the precursor of CSP reissue series I assume]
Doobie Brothers - One Step Closer [Kendun-S, Kent Duncan, in shrink]
Reiner - The Reiner Sound [RCA mono maroon label, C1 4S / A2 8S]
Woodentops - Giant [Sterling, P(AP), no mention of Ted Jensen...wow, sounds great]

Dynamite finds

2008-08-21T00:18:00.005-04:00

In a 30 minute dash through a couple of thousand bargain bin LPs, I came up with fourteen for $2.63 total. That's less than $0.19 each. I'll be back.

Patti Smith - Horses [WLP, 'Sterling RL' Robert Ludwig. Beat up though]
Fantastic! This has me nodding along as I listen despite awful crackle and pops. It puts to test the power of wonderful music and sonics over debilitating noise floor. Smith wins here, and I'll eventually pull out my non-white label version, and upgrade to a better WLP.

Monteux/Tchaikovsky - Symphony 5 [RCA Living Stereo 1S]
Sisters of Mercy - Dominion [WLP 12" SRC SF/ATL]
Sisters of Mercy - Lucretia My Reflection [WLP 12" SRC SF/ATL]
My memory of my 3" UK CD single version eclipses this drab US 33RPM promo mastering. I'll need to do a shoot out once I find the CD.
Steve Winwood - S/T
Depeche Mode - Enjoy the Silence [SRC]
Jim Carroll Band - I Write Your Name [AT GP]
Falco - Rock Me Amadeus / Vienna Calling [Frankford / Wayne. Herbie Junior]
Bing Crosby - When Irish Eyes Are Smiling [Still sealed]
Sparks - Fingertips [12" Futuredisc]
Silly Wizard - Live in America [Frankford / Wayne]
Woodentops - Plenty [12"]
Woodentops - Well Well Well [Frankford / Wayne. Herbie Junior...the third record with this mastering credit stamped in the deadwax, one I've never seen before today]
Elis Regina - Trem Azul [Unfortunately reprocessed stereo if I've read the Portuguese correctly]

Back in the USA

2008-08-19T23:24:00.004-04:00

The following were all picked up in a fleeting visit to NYC yesterday evening. After a year away from the City and my favorite store, I had high expectations and was underwhelmed. That said, I came away with a few good finds.

Stan Getz - Captain Marvel [WLP] $2.50.
I'm listening to this right now. I haven't heard the recent Pure Pleasure reissue, but am delighted with this copy, although the vinyl is a little noisy. Miles Davis' band tear it up with Getz on great form.

Rita Lee and Roberto - Bom Bom [Precision LA] $2.50.
Member of Os Mutantes in dubious dance come-back phase in 1985.

Love and Rockets - Earth Sun Moon. $0.50
One of the stronger, atmospheric albums from ex-Bauhaus crew

Eagles - On the border [Sterling LH, Lee Hulko] $0.50

Poco - Legend [Masterdisk] $0.50
Their biggest seller. I want to check out their earlier country albums, and plan on ditching this one - this is more hard rock with spots of soft rock - probably made sense in 1978. I had studiously avoided this band for years until I read Barney Hoskyns Hotel California about the country-rock scene in LA, and made the connection that this was an off-shoot of Buffalo Springfield.

Linda Ronstandt - Silk Purse [Columbia House] $0.50
I'm wondering whether a Capitol pressing would be better than the 1A Columbia House pressing, either way, this is great, the sound is raw with a live feel, and the country-rock cover of Will You Love Me Tomorrow rocks.

Ray Charles - Invites You To Listen [Mono 'LW'] $0.50
I woke up during the cover of 'Yesterday', but this is a snooze-fest. One of the few reviews I could find (Wilson and Alroy) nailed it, and turned up a well-written review site that's been around forever, but somehow I had never read. And what's with Ray's falsetto? Yikes. A positive post on the Steve Hoffman forum is enticing me to give it a proper listening, but I'm flagging, and this has moved to the discard pile.

Broke the mold

2008-08-13T01:41:00.003-04:00

I packed up my turntable nearly 18 months ago for a short term move to London, scraping by on digital music and the occasional live show.

I just returned to the States, and when I opened up the storage unit having left 3000 records neatly boxed in a climate controlled building, I was horrified - the room stank of mold, which quickly ruins LPs. Apparently, a pipe had leaked - arrgh.

Well, I've cleaned the first few hundred, but have lots more cleaning work ahead of me, armed with anti-bacterial spray and lots of paper towels. The photo above is actually from someone else's disaster - only a few of mine were that far gone.

After much box shifting and cleaning (nearly all our possessions were moldy), I have my first night relaxing. What a pleasure to be reunited with records. The bulk of the collection is still in transit, but should all be in place in the next week or so, with a few hundred new acquisitions from London too.

Burlap and Satin

2008-05-12T18:32:00.002-04:00

Another dozen LPs to add to the growing stack, with what reads like a Dolly Parton clunker based on AllMusic's review. I was swayed by a profile in Word or Uncut, and the observation that a lot of her strong albums have tacky sleeves, like White Limozeen. In this case, tacky sleeve, tacky album.

Clive Gregson - Strange Persuasions [Porky] £1
Dolly Parton - Burlap and Satin [Germany] 50p
Elton John - Captain Fantastic [DJM, Arun] £1
Eurythmics - Be Yourself Tonight [Precision SM, Germany] 10p
Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams [Bilbo Tape One] 10p
Genesis - Rock Roots (Genesis to Revelation) 50p
Harry Knilson - Knnillssonn [A Porky Prime Cut/ A Master House Mother] £1
Johnny Cash - Happiness Is You [CBS orange A1/B4] £2
Kid Creole and the Coconuts - Tropical Gangsters [Graeme. Sound Clinic. 1u] 10p
Lindisfarne - Fog On The Tyne [Porky/Peckie, 1u] £1
Modern English - Trick of the Light [Strawberry, Germany] 10p
Pretenders - Get Close [Sterling RL, Germany] 50p

The Cost of Loving Vinyl

2008-05-07T16:54:00.003-04:00

Style Council - The Cost of Loving [JA] £1. A double-45RPM album mastered by Jack Adams. AllMusic indicates that its slick soul-pop - darn. It looks like the first five albums are the ones to pick up. To pay off the title of this post, the cost of loving vinyl is that often curiosity and the appeal of cheap, 'audiophile' recordings, encourage follies like this purchase. After reading Robert Wyatt's plug for The Style Council in Mojo's Paul Weller feature this month, I've determined to pick up all those Style Council albums. Previously, I'd focused just on The Jam, but the Style Council records are available for peanuts, so a low risk experiment.

Echo and the Bunnymen - S/T [German] £2

Fleetwood Mac - S/T [Allen] 50p

Jesus Jones - Right Here, Right Now [12", 1u/1us] 50p

Supertramp - Crime of the Century [Tone] £1. Given the hype around the Speakers Corner reissue of this title, I figured I'd audition a standard UK pressing to see how I like the content before investing $30.

The Colour of Spring

2008-05-05T18:45:00.004-04:00

This haul of 42 LPs and singles from last Friday morning rates as my best of the year. There were a number of gleaming, unplayed records, some more worn, but ones I'd been searching for in playable and affordable condition. And lot's to experiment with for future shoot outs of UK-US-German pressings.

Beatles - Revolver [Mono XEX-605-2/XEX-606-2, flip-back, yellow-black-silver] £19
Beatmasters - Hey DJ / I Can't Dance to That Music You're Playing [Utopia MS] 20p
Bill Haley - Rock Around the Clock [Decca 1970] £1
Blondie - Atomic [12" Out of space out of time, Tone] £1
Blondie - I'm Always Touched By Your Presence Dear [12"] £1
Blondie - Sunday Girl [12", Antone] £1
Bob Dylan - Another Side of [CBS orange label stereo A4/B2] £6
Bob Dylan - The Times They Are a Changin [CBS orange label mono] £10
Depeche Mode - Some Great Reward [TimTom, CBS] £1
Depeche Mode - Speak and Spell [JA TapeOne] £1
Electric Light Orchestra - A New World Record [Allen] £1
Ella Fitzgerald - Gershwin Songbook Vol. 1 [HMV] £1
Elvis Costello - Blood & Chocolate [Bilbo TapeOne, Damont] £1
Elvis Costello - Punch the Clock [Bilbo TapeOne 1u/1u] £1
Fleetwood Mac - S/T [Strawberry G, Germany] £1
Francis Albert Sinatra & Jobim [No anxious Frank on label] £1. One to pitch against the Rhino reissue and US original
Genesis - Foxtrot [Master Room] £1
Japan - Tin Drum [Utopia] £1
Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced? [Mono, Backtrack 10] 20p. An upgrade to a more worn copy of Backtrack 10.
Johnny Cash - A Thing Called Love [CBS orange label, A4/B3] £1
Kate Bush - The Kick Inside. £1
Loudon Wainwright III - Album III [CBS orange label A1/B1] £3
Madonna - S/T [RME, GB, Germany] £1
Moody Blues - A Question of Balance [1W/1W, with poster] £1
Only Ones - Baby's Got a Gun [USA] £3
Paul McCartney - Press to Play [Masterdisk] £1
Pyschedelic Furs - Talk Talk Talk [Townhouse] £1
Rolling Stones - No. 2 [Unboxed mono] £11
Santana - S/T [CBS orange label A1/B1] £3
Sarah Vaughan - Vaughan and Violins [USA black label mono original] £3
Sex Pistols - The Great Rock n Roll Swindle [Tone/Tone/Porky Prime Cut] £3
S-Express- Theme from S-Express [12", Every hour + half/Herbal Tea Casual] 20p
Shadows - Greatest Hits [Columbia mono original 2n/1n] £1
Shadows - S/T [Columbia stereo original] £1
Sisters of Mercy - This Corrosion [12"] 20p
Stranglers - Feline [Townhouse] £1
Stranglers - Off the Beaten Track. £1
Talk Talk - The Colour of Spring. £1
Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak [USA, GK Masterdisk] £3
U2 - Boy [Sound Clinic / Jonz 1u/2u] 20p
Wedding Present - Dalliance [10" #1,133 of 10,000] 50p
Wedding Present - Why Are you Being So Reasonable Now? [12" PR-P] £1

Sweet Dreams Are Made of Vinyl

2008-04-30T18:06:00.004-04:00

This afternoon's vinyl came from Camden, all 12" singles (50p each) apart from the Canadian LP (£1).

Creatures - Right Now [12" promo Utopia]

Curve - Frozen [12" test pressing]

Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams [12" Bilbo Tape One]

Housemartins - Flag Day [12"]

John Cale - Bicycle [12" test pressing]

Louis Armstrong - Satch Plays Fats [Red label Canada 1B/1D]

Neds Atomic Dustbin - Kill Your Television

Paul McCartney - No More Lonely Nights [12"]

I had no luck finding clean copies of Rolling Stones original Decca 45s - they all appear to have been sandpapered or scratched mercilessly, and I looked through perhaps 30 across three stores.

The Darling Buds of May

2008-04-21T20:28:00.004-04:00

The Darling Buds were among the 19 LPs and singles I picked up this afternoon, many for 10 pence each.

All About Eve - Wild Hearted Woman ['JA'] 10p

Bad Livers - Delusions of Banjer [Test pressing] £1. Sassy Austin Texas bluegrass includes a cover of The Butthole Surfers

Darling Buds - Crawdaddy ['The big print giveth / and the small print taketh away' Promo] 50p. Poppy second album from Cardiff indie pin up

Earlies - Morning Wonder: Final [12" one sided promo] 10p. Krautrock meets Spaghetti Western in jam band mode from Texan-UK combo.

Farm - Groovy Train [12", France] 10p

Frazier Chorus - Sloppy Heart [12" 1u] includes cover of "Anarchy in the UK". 10p

Kirsty MaColl - Walking Down Madison [12"] 50p

Kursor Miner - Explosive Piece of Mind [Lo 2002] 10p. Pop electronica from Chichester with Gary Numan influence.

Marc Carroll - World on a Wire [No mention of Chris Blair at Abbey Road] 10p. Gravel-voiced Irish songwriter with piano

Nick Forte - Pasted Lakes ['Saz Mastering'] 10p. Computer music cut up.

Plimsouls - Everywhere at once [US. 'Precision'] 50p. Major label debut by LA soul-punk outfit.

Power of Dreams - A little piece of god [Setanta 12"] Dublin pop-rock band debut EP.

Something Pretty Beautiful [Creation 'Pauls' The Exchange'] 10p

The Underneath - Lunatic Dawn of the Dismantler [El 1985, Porky Prime Cutl £2

Throwing Muses - Firepile [12"] really looking fwd to hearing this one. I hadn't realised that

there were two EP versions of "Snailhead". £2

Various - Through the looking glass 1967. 50p

Was (Not Was) - Are you okay? [Pounda Copymaster] 50p

Wedding Present - Seamonsters [German. Darn, I didn't look. Thought I had the UK pressing] £7

Woodentops - Straight Eight Bushwalker ['Holland Cutting'. The Peel Sessions comp has been on heavy rotation, so now digging into the back catalogue] £2

Sheep farming in Barnet

2008-04-09T18:41:00.004-04:00

More from Toyah among the latest finds: 17 LPs, some today, some from Monday.

Cat Stevens - Numbers [Canada MR, US pressing, no mention of Bernie Grundman] 50p
Genesis - Lamb Lies Down on Broadway [Pecko]£1
Human League - Dare [Townhouse] £1
Jesus and the Mary Chain - Psychocandy [Germany] £3
Madonna - S/T [RL Sterling Germany] £3
Rod Stewart - Every picture tells a story. 10p
Rod Stewart - Foot loose and fancy free [Strawberry (G) Germany] 10p
Santana - Caravanserai [2a/2b Orange label] £1
Scritti Politti - Songs to remember [Utopia] £1
Sisters of Mercy - First Last and Always [German] £3
Squeeze - Frank [Stu] 50p
Supertramp - Even in the quietest moments. 10p
Talking Heads - Naked. £1
Thompson Twins - Into the gap [Sterling, no mention of Ted Jensen, Germany] 10p
Toyah - Minx [Rays] 10p
Toyah - Sheep farming in Barnet [Porky] 10p
Toyah - Warrior Rock [Townhouse SM] 10p

Baltimora - Tarzan Boy

2008-04-04T18:31:00.004-04:00

I picked up 23 records this evening. I noticed that the clerk was repricing the entire stock, something the store does monthly, and I'd picked this bunch before he'd marked them down. That said, I was fine with the original prices, but he went through them all taking them down further. That made my day. Totally un-necessary, but much appreciated. All UK pressings unless mentioned.

Baltimora - Tarzan Boy [12". No mention of Steve Rooke / Abbey Road] 50p. The first tape I made from Bruno Brookes' Radio 1 chart show featured this great tune, along with Madonna 'Into the Groove' and others that I learned by heart. I'm trying to rebuild the whole tape with 12" versions.

Cowboy Junkies - Blue Moon Revisited [12" MPO] £2. A favorite. I wonder how it compares to the Canadian pressing and the Classic Records (45RPM/33RPM)

Cowboy Junkies - Sweet Jane [12" MPO] £2

David Bowie - Rare [Piero Mannucci] £2. I heard this in a store in NY a couple of years back, and really liked the obscure Bowie tracks. The sound was great too, mastered by RCA in Rome. I expect the Italian connection stems from the first track being sung in Italian.

David Fanshawe - African Sanctus. 50p

Debbie Harry - Free to fall [12"] 10p

Deborah Harry - Sweet and low [12". JA, Holland] 10p

Echo and the Bunnymen - Songs to Learn and Sing [German] £1

Genesis - And then there were three [1u/1u] 30p

John Lennon - Double Fantasy [Sterling] £2

John Lennon - Mind Games [1u/1u] £3

June Tabor - Ashes and Diamonds. £3

Luis Bonfa - Meu Querido Violao [Odeon] £3.

Mary Coughlan - Under the influence [DMM Germany] £1

Ofra Haza - Galbi / Im Nin' Alu [12". DMM] 10p. I passed on an Israel pressing of one of her albums - the script and whole package was exotic, so I may be back for that.

Ofra Haza - Wish me luck [12" Ted Jensen, Sterling, Germany] 10p

Prince - Lovesexy [German, no mention of Bernie Grundman] £1

Procol Harum - Procol's Ninth [Sterling RL, 1u/1u] 30p. The signatures on the cover had me going. I really thought I'd stumbled across a signed copy, until I saw a second copy with exactly the same autographs.

Rutles - S/T [USA] £2

Sinead Oconnor - Nothing compares to u [12". Utopia] 10p

Steve Miller - Take the money and run / The Joker (live) [12"] 10p

Teardrop Explodes - Kilimanjaro. £2

Yoko Ono - Season of glass [Strawberry, no mention of The Hit Factory, unless they're one and the same] 10p

Greetings to the New Brunette

2008-03-29T04:28:00.009-04:00

I picked up twenty-three records in Camden yesterday from a bin of £1 LPs and 50p 12"s, all UK pressings unless noted.

Alan Parsons - I Robot [German]

All About Eve - S/T

Billy Bragg - Greetings to the new Brunette [12" MT]

Copland / Rodeo, Billy the Kid [CBS A1/B1]

Dave Brubeck - Newport 1958 [Fontana] First UK pressing of Columbia release

Dorati / Tchaikovsky - 1812 [Mercury mono 'JJ']

Dot Allison - Substance [12" Damont]

Eton Crop - Yes please bob

Eurythmics - Be yourself tonight [Precision SM (Stephen Marcussen), German]

Eurythmics - You have placed a chill in my heart [12", Utopia MS]

Frankie Goes to Hollywood - Relax [12" 1U/3U Sterling]

Housemartins - Sheep [12"]

Mary Coughlan - Tired and emotional [German] Irish singer's debut

Orchestra Makassy - Agwaya

Pretenders - Hymn to her [12", Masterdisk, Damont]

Rod Stewart - Smiler [Keundun]

Soup Dragons - I'm free [12" test pressing 'Pound cutmaster peach' 'Adrenalin'] An anthem for me at the time, just leaving school and going out on my gap year.

Stranglers - Live (X Cert) [Porky] 1977/78 live sets

Toyah - The changeling [Townhouse AW]

Ultravox - Monument the Soundtrack [Townhouse] 'Vienna' live!

Ultravox - Quartet [Townhouse]

Various - The Marquee, 30 legendary years [2LP 1989 digital]

I listened to the CD of this classic rock collection when it came out. Fantastic. I sought out compilations of The Who, Yardbirds, Hendrix, Bowie, The Jam, Stranglers, T Rex, Mott the Hopple, all based on hearing them here first. The LP looks like digital mastering unfortunately (not untypical in 1989).

Woodentops - Giant [Where's my mango crumble / regimental]

Deadwax finds: Tape One, Townhouse, TelDec, Timtom

2008-03-20T18:41:00.008-04:00

I spend an innordinate amount of time looking at the inscriptions on an LP's deadwax to discern who mastered a particular pressing, where it was mastered or pressed, and whether it was a first pressing. The pursuit is very much like train spotting or stamp collecting, but the goal is entirely sensual, the hunt for the breath of life in well-mastered recorded music.

The inscriptions are made by the cutting engineer, and amount to a signature of authorship. The one above is maestro Wally Traugott 'Wly' whose tag is a sign of quality. The cryptic notes that I add next to my LP purchases are typically transcriptions from the deadwax.

This week, I picked up a stack of vinyl from the Record & Tape Exchange (again), and have now exhausted that branch (time to move on to the other branches). All are UK pressings unless noted. A good few are mastered at Tape One by engineers like Bilbo (Dennis Blackham), 'JA' and 'Pound', although its hard to make out the last one, and I'm unclear which engineer that relates to.

David Bowie - Heroes [Bilbo Tape One] £2

David Bowie - Pin Ups [JA Tape One, 1u/1u] £2

David Bowie - Scary Monsters [Townhouse] £2

Echo and the Bunnymen - Porcupine [German] £1

Elton John - S/T [DJM] 10p.

Eurythmics - Touch [DMM Teldec Germany] 50p

Everything But the Girl - Eden [Tim Young, b a1/b2 Tim Tom/CBS, German] 50p

Frank Sinatra - The Concert Sinatra [Anxious] £1

Frank Sinatra & Count Basie [Reprise, anxious Frank, UK] £1

Genesis - S/T ['POUND Ta1PE'] 30p

Heart - S/T [No mention of TML or Mike Reese] 50p

Heaven 17 - Penthouse and Pavement [Bilbo Tape One, 1u/1u] £1

Hollies - Live Hits [Polydor 1976] 10p

Paul Robeson - The glorious voice of... [MFP]

Ry Cooder - The slide area [Strawberry - no mention of Bernie Grundman or A&M]

Tom Jones - At the talk of the town [Decca mono unboxed] 10p

Tom Jones - Delilah [Decca stereo unboxed] 30p

Tom Jones - This is Tom Jones [Decca] 10p

And in Exmouth Market, my local store marked down its £3 bin to £1, and I happened to arrive just as they'd finished making the change.

CDs
Anais Mitchell - The Brightness [Righteous Babe 2007] My son managed to soak this one in his toy sink, so I had to rinse of the dishwashing soap and let it dry before listening.
Anne McCue - Koala Motel [Cooking Vinyl 2006]
Arthur & Yu - In camera [Memphis Industries 2007]
Dave Fischoff - The Crawl [Secretly Canadian 2006]
David Sanchez - Coral [Sony 2004, SACD]
Erin McKeown - Sing you sinners [Nettwerk 2006]
Fever - In the city of sleep [Kemado]
Ghosty - Grow up or sleep in [Broken Horse 2005]
Igor Koshkendey - Music from Tuva [Secret World 1998]
Jackie Leven - Oh what a blow that phantom dealt me! [Cooking Vinyl 2006]

This ones a pleasure. Playful lyrics, confident, simple folk blues from Scottish veteran.
Lightning Seeds - Tilt [Epic 1999]
Liimanarina - Supermarket [Bad Vugum, Finland / Drag City 1995]

These lofi Fins were so ramshackle, that headphone listening was painful. There's not much on them, but the punk Fall / Half Man Half Biscuit shambolic production is intriguing, and of course, there being from Finland.
Maria McKee - Late December [Cooking Vinyl 2006]
Mark Eitzel - Candy ass [Cooking Vinyl 2005]
Richard Butler - Richard Butler [Koch 2006]
Rolling Stones - Bigger Bang [Virgin, Dutch 2005]
Simphiwe Dana - The one love movement. On Bantu Biko Street [Gallo 2006]
Undertones - Dig yourself in deep [Cooking Vinyl 2007] A satisfying listen. There's no "Teenage Kicks", but good powerpop.
Yppah - You are beautiful at all times [Ninja Tune 2006]

Decca classical boxed set bonanza

2008-03-15T05:21:00.006-04:00

The portrait of a grumpy Beethoven graces the cover of one of the hotter Decca titles. The store clerk was surprised that this title was priced so low - he'd seen it go for a lot more (the photo is from a bedraggled, stickered up copy on eBay priced at $80. My shiny copy in London, £4).

In among the pop finds below are eight classical boxed sets on the Decca label. Previously I collected the US RCA Living Stereo (and mono) andMercury Living Presence labels. Now I'm grabbing every UK Decca original pressing I can find, often at charity stores. The UK sellers haven't cottoned on to the collectability of the Decca narrow band pressings. The earlier wide band pressings are well recognised as collector items, even at Oxfam, but the later 60s/70s pressings often sound outstanding, and for many titles are the first pressings, with great talent like Benjamin Britten and Georg Solti as conductors.

ABC - That was then but this is now [12" Townhouse] 10p

Britten / Elgar - Gerontius [Decca SET 525-6] £2

Dorati / Hadyn - Schopfung [Decca D50D] £3

Jam - This is the modern world [Allen] £3

Japan - Tin drum [Artisan?] 30p

John Lennon - Mind games [1u] £2

Julian Cope - Trampolene [12" 1U] 10p

Katrina and the Waves - Walking on Sunshine [12"] 50p

Maazel / Berlioz - Romeo and Juliet [Decca Set 570-1] £4

Munchinger / Bach - Brandenburg [Decca 5BB 1301] 50p

Previn / Gershwin - Rhapsody in blue [EMI ASD 2754] 10p

Prince - When doves cry [12" Damont] £1

Roy Orbison - Mystery Girl [German, no mention of Precision Lacquer or Steve Marcussen] 30p

Schmidt-Isserstedt / Beethhoven - 9 Symphonies [Decca SXLB 6470-5] £4

Solti / Beethoven - Piano Concertos [Decca SXGL 6564-7] £4

Solti / Mahler - Symphony 2 [Decca SET 3225-6] £2

Solti / Wagner - Das Reingold [Decca SET 382-4] £2

Vinyl haul from March 12

2008-03-13T17:39:00.011-04:00

The Record and Tape Exchange had another batch of vinyl bargains yesterday. All are UK pressings unless stated.

BB King - Friends [Quad USA] £1

Bob Weir - Heaven Help the Fool [US Sterling] 50p

Cocteau Twins - Head Over Heels - £1

David Bowie - John I'm Only Dancing [12" 1979] £2. One of my favorite Bowie tracks, although not sure which version here I first heard (1972 or 1975)

Everly Brothers - Golden Hits [Warner green] £1

Everly Brothers - Some hearts [Mercury 1982, Dutch] 30p

Gene Vincent - Rock n Roll masters [1985 Bob Jones] £6. I had this confused with the Bop Just Won't Stop compilation that has had positive reviews. On the upside, someone actually owns up to mastering this compilation, so it could be decent.

Japan - Cantonese Boy [12" Bilbo] 50p

Japan - The art of parties [12" Townhouse] 50p

John Lennon - Rock and Roll [1U/1U] £2

Johnny Cash - Folsom Prison Blues [CBS orange A1/B2] £6

Louis Armstrong - Greatest hits recorded live [Brunswick stereo 1970 2a/1a] £1

Michelle Shocked - Captain Swing [1u/1u. No mention of Precision Mastering in dead wax]
10p

New Order - Confusion 93 [12" Timtom] 50p

Procol Harum - A Whiter Shade of Pale [Classic Records 45RPM 12"] £4

Procol Harum - Whiter Shade of Pale / Salty Dog [Fly Twofer. The debut is a mono stamper 1U/1U but probably the dodgy US mastering] £7

Ray Charles - Do I ever cross your mind [CBS 1984 TML-M] 10p

Robert Johnson - Crossroad Blues [10"Aldabra 'Porky'] £2

Solti / Mahler - Symphonies 4, 8, 9 [Decca narrow band 5 LP box] £3

Stonewall Jackson - Up against the wall [PRT 'Damont'] 30p

Stranglers - Nice in Nice [12"] 50p

Tom Paxton - How come the sun [Reprise 1971 a1/b1] 50p

Various - Backtrack 2 [Track] £2

Various - The Free Design, Redesigned Vol. 2 [Light in the Attic 2004 'Freq'] £1

And a few £1 CDs:
Adult - Gimme Trouble [Thrill Jockey]
Awesome Color - S/T [Ecstatic Peace 2006]
Brakes - The Beatific Visions [Rough Trade 2006]
Black Helicopter - Invisible Jet [Ecstatic Peace 2006]
Bonde do role - With lasers [Domino]
Caroline Martin - I had a hundred more reasons to stay by the fire [Small Dog 2004]
Charlatans - Up at the lake [Universal 2004]
Films - Don't dance rattlesnake [Rough trade 2006]
Fountains of Wayne - Utopia Parkway
Jai-Alai Savant - Flight of the bass delegate [City Slang 2007]
Jenny Toomey - Sings the songs of Franklin Bruno [Misra 2002]
Julie Sokolow - Something about violins [Western vinyl 2006]
Klima - S/T [Peacefrog]
The Loves - Love [Track and field 2004]
Misha - Teardrop sweetheart [Tomlab 2006]
Orbit Service - Songs of eta carinae [Beta-lactam ring 2006]
Rafter - Music for total chickens [Asthmatic Kitty 2006]
Tacticians - Some kind of urban fullfillment [Setanta 2007]
Tenebrous Liar - S/T [Fire 2007]
Various - Wish on a star [Dreamy 2001]
Von Spar - Xaxapoya / Dead voices in the temple of error [Tomlab 2007]
Wolf and Cub - Vessels [4AD 2007]
X27 - Antilove [Narnack]

March 7 vinyl haul from Record and Tape Exchange

2008-03-07T16:33:00.006-05:00

This evening revealed that given enough time the Record and Tape Exchange eventually prices down records to the point where they're a good deal. All of these had the standard R&TE price label where they price down each month, and many had been in the shop for almost a year. They're all UK pressings unless stated, and decent condition vinyl, but covers often worn around the edges.

Charlatans - Indian Rope [12" The Exchange. 'Everyone will want to know me now'] 50p

Charlatans - Then [12"] £1

Cocteau Twins - Tiny Dynamite [12" Townhouse] 50p

Dexy's Midnight Runners - Too Rye Ay [Reissue?] £1

Echo and the Bunnymen - Heaven Up Here - £1

Elvis Costello - Almost Blue [F Beat UK] 50p

Elvis Costello - Don't let me be misunderstood [German 12"] 10p

Elvis Costello - Every day I write the book - 30p

Elvis Costello - Get happy [Tomtom CBS] £1

Elvis Costello - Goodbye cruel world [German] 50p

Elvis Costello - I'm your toy [12"] 10p

Elvis Costello - Spike [German] 50p

Elvis Costello - Trust [Porky Prime Cut] 30p

Harry Nillson - A little touch of Schmilsson in the night [RCA] 50p

Harry Nillson - Son of Schmilsson [RCA] 30p

Harry Nilsson - Aerial Ballet [Stereo original] £4

Inspiral Carpets - Dragging me down [Creation 12" promo] 30p

Inspiral Carpets - Two worlds collide [Creation 12" promo] 30p

John Lennon - Shaved Fish [1U/1U] £2

I'm hoping this is a first pressing, since the stamper is '1u', however, there's more handwritten script, so possibly not.

Leonard Cohen - Songs of Leonard Cohen [Stereo original A2/B2] £2

Microdisney - Town to town [12" - "send all the irish back to ireland / send all the English back to Germany - Townhouse DMM"] 10p

Monsoon - Ever so lonely [Phonogram promo 12"] 30p

Simon and Garfunkel - Bookends [Stereo original, A4/B1] £2

Simon and Garfunkel - Bridge over troubled water [A2] 30p

The Jam - The Gift [Arun] £2.

Incidentally, I saw Paul Weller with two kids (his I assume) in Maida Vale last weekend, the same day he performed at the Roundhouse in Camden.

CD and LP purchases February 2008

2008-02-27T15:54:00.009-05:00

This covers three batches. First in Exmouth Market, £3 CDs, then £1 CDs from Flashback in Islington...

Angie Reed - XYZ Frequency [Chicks on Speed 2005]
Ben & Jason - Hello [Go Beat 1999]
Cat Empire - Two Shoes [Velour 2005/2007] Australian-Cuban party music.
Edwyn Collins - Home Again [Heavenly 2007]
IV Thieves - If We Can't Escape My Pretty... [One Little Indian 2006]
Maazel / Sibelius - Symphony 1, 6 [Decca SXL 6364]
Nobody & Mystic Chords of Memory - Tree Colored See [Mush / Rough Trade 2005]
Patrick Duffy - Luxury Problems [Harvest / EMI 2005]
Quasi - Hot Shit [Domino 2003]
Seafood - Paper Crown King [Cooking Vinyl 2006]
Sinead O'Connor - Theology [Rubyworks 2007]
Stromba - Tales from the Sitting Room [Fat Cat 2005]
Suzy & Maggie Roche - Why the Long Face [Cooking Vinyl 2006]
The Montgolfier Brothers - Seventeen Stars [Poptones 2000]
The Rogers Sisters - The Invisible Deck [TooPure 2006]
The Twilight Sad - Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters [Fat Cat 2007]
The Woodentops - The BBC Sessions [Renascent 2007]
Vashti Bunyan - Some Things Just Stick in Your Mind [Fat Cat 2007]
White Hassle - Your Language [Fargo]

And Decca classical LPs from Haggle Vinyl in Islington:

Britten - Spring Symphony [Decca SXL 2264]
Maazel / Sibelius - Symphony 1, 6 [Decca SXL 6364]
Maazel / Sibelius - Symphony 3 [Decca SXL 6364]
Mehta / Strauss - Also Sprach Zarathustra [Decca SXL 6379]
Munchinger / Suk, Wolf, Strauss [Decca SXL 6533]
Solti / Holst - The Planets [Decca SET 628]
Solti / Strauss - Also Sprach Zarathustra [Decca SXL 6749]

Alan Moore is wrong: In defense of comic books.

2008-02-17T13:29:00.008-05:00

Comic book writer Alan Moore recently slammed his peers for churning out either revenge fantasies or neurotic college student stuff.

This is nothing new. I encountered Moore at a D.R. and Quinch signing in the mid-80s, and he was a grump back then too. Yet it did get me thinking about my current appetite for comics after ten years away, and prompted me to share what I’ve enjoyed about comics in the past year.

I’ve read about two graphic novels a week, making up for lost time, and I’m hooked again. It helps that I’m not paying for them. My local libraries in Westminster have outstanding collections. Free comics means I’m more open minded and apt to try something I wouldn’t pay for.

Vertigo has been consistently good (* for my favourites):

100 Bullets – Ghetto drug wars. Didn’t grab me
Books of Faerie – Weak swords and sorcery in fairy-land
*DMZ – Excellent sci-fi dystopia, when intern reporter loses himself in the warzone of New York City

Exterminators – Bug exterminator gruesomeness
*Fables – Fabulous reimagining of fairytale characters undercover in New York
God Save the Queen – Stylish Brit-pop detective mysticism
Hellblazer – He’s great in Swamp Thing, but his own title doesn’t grab me
Invisibles – Started strong, but lost me half way through volume 1
*Loveless – Strong revenge Western.
*Lucifer – A favourite. The religious theme is fascinating, seeing the eternal battle from the devil’s point of view. The first issue of this and many Vertigo titles is available as a free download. And if you're reading it on a laptop, rotate the PDF 90 degrees and view full screen. Not bad at all.
Stardust - Forgettable
Originals – So-so gang coming of age story set in mod future
Preacher – Grizzly, mystical Western, much less appealing than Loveless
Seaguy – Silly, camp one-off
*Swamp Thing – Vintage Moore. Myth with substance
Transmetropolitan - Forgettable
V For Vendetta – Preferred the film
Vimanarama – Goofy Indian superhero conceit
We3 - Disturbing pet cyborg tragedy

A few from Image Comics:

Astro City – Stylish sci-fi reimaging of superheroism
Bone – Charming fairy tale about three friends away from home
Casanova - Forgettable
*Gødland – Trippy Jack Kirby tribute. Great
Madman – Loopy desperado
Sea of Red – Pirate yarn. Weak
*Walking Dead – Zombies have taken over America. The few humans remaining struggle to survive. I never thought I’d read a zombie comic, but this is one of the top titles in any genre.

And Dark Horse:

300 – Like the film, but without the codpieces, and less camp
BPRD – I’m struggling to remember this one. Need to reread
Hard Boiled – Frank Miller detective stuff. Understandably a one-off
Hellboy – Struggling to remember this one too. Mainly the movie comes to mind.
Conan – I like the barbarian genre, and the Savage Sword of Conan and Dark Horse series are generally great. The original Marvel series doesn’t hold up so well.
The Incredibles
Star Wars: Legacy – Formulaic, but satisfying. I get the sense that the quality is inconsistent across the many Star Wars titles, and certainly don’t need a comic version of the movies

Marvel:

1602 – Amusing to see familiar figures in Elizabethan London, but no great shakes.
Astonishing Xmen – All of the X titles (perhaps half a dozen TPBs) were fun enough, but blended together (Xmen, House of M)
*Runaways – Like Powerpack but with oomph. Great writing. I sped through 30 issues in a couple of evenings.
*New Avengers – Witty writing, and Spiderwoman - wowser
Amazing Spiderman – A few strong story arcs, particularly the one about the mystical side to his powers
*Daredevil – This title has gone from strength to strength with great writers, and the Rykers plotline with Kingpin, Punisher etc. Thrilling
Ghost Rider – Simplistic
Fantastic Four – I’ve dipped into early material with the pocketbook size collection, and a couple of recent TPBs
*Planet Hulk – What fun.
*Shanna the She Devil – Frank Cho sure can draw sexy ladies. Wowser. It looks like a second volume is due, although not sure where they could take the plot line.
Marvel Zombies – Yuck. But I read it.

Various:
*Alice in Sunderland - Now I need to visit Sunderland, centre of the world
*Five is the Perfect Number - Italian mafiosa back from retirement. An elegant, lyrical take on genre standard
Batman: Hush Volumes 1 and 2

*Batman: Dark Victory - Jeff Loeb's work on Batman has been the first time I've cared about this character.

Batman: Black and White

*Battle Pope 1 and 2 - Blasphemous and hilarious

*From Hell - A classic

Many from America's Best Comics:

Tom Strong - Nostalgia for 50s wholesomeness

Promethea - I like the mystical texture, complexity, and arcane references, but found myself drifting off. May require rereading.

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

Tomorrow Stories

Top Ten
*Smax - This barbarian / time-travel oddball title was really fun

There have been dozens more in the past year that I simply can't recall right now. I'm glad to have rekindled a passion for comics, something to share with my brother, and read on the tube or while being interrupted by family.

I wanna be a transmitter. Alan Lomax told me so

2008-02-01T16:08:00.000-05:00

In a 1991 CBS interview, folk musicologist Alan Lomax explained to the CBS interviewer about the wrecking ball effect of the entertainment industry that's unbalanced global cultural equity, and turned twentieth century populations into passive cultural consumers. [Source: Uncut magazine, March 2008]

Lomax's statement got me thinking about my own transition from 'transmitter' to 'receiver' (his terms). I used to paint, write and draw, right into my mid-twenties, and now I'm a salesman who obsesses over music, film, and comics. This used to make me ashamed and regretful, but these days I revel in the art of art appreciation, with only a tinge of regret that I'm a passive cultural consumer. And I take comfort that I write about culture here and on the Steve Hoffman forum, and get active and explorative in my hobbies, so it feels less passive.

That said, my mum was a passionate dabbler in all the arts, my dad conducts, step-mom dances and teaches dance, one brother plays music, another photographs, aunts are all artists. My wife photographs for exhibition, and maintains a great Flickr site. My daughter paints and dances, son dances and draws. In fact, while I used to be one of the most dedicated and prolific artists in the family, I'm now silent. Various family members have voiced surprise and disappointment, half-hearted encouragement to 'get back into it'. There's a strong family distaste for business and respect for art.

My favorite medium is poetry. I haven't written a poem in ten years. I tell myself this is since I used it as self-therapy, and don't have that burning need for therapy any more to fuel the process. And the more I read, I doubt I have anything original or differentiated to add of a quality to warrant attention, or engage an audience.

I know this is all an excuse, and I'm being lazy and cowardly. I expect I'll get back into it. No doubt, I'll be out of practice, and not come up with anything worthwhile for a long time. I give up easily, and lean heavily on deadlines set by workshop groups and courses. But if I persevere, I expect I may come up with something insightful.

£1 CDs from three Soho music stores January 29

2008-01-29T17:21:00.001-05:00

£1 CDs from three Soho music stores on January 29:

Miracle Fortress – Have You Seen In Your Dreams [Secret City / Rough Trade 2007] Two songs from Montreal Brian Wilson fan's full length Five Roses

James Yorkston – The Hills & The Heath [Domino 2007] Four from B-sides compilation Roaring the Gospel for Scottish folkie

Montag – Going Places [Car Park 2007] Stereolab-ish indie-electronica from Quebecoise Vancouver man with many guests

Ocho – Numero Tres [Universal Sound] Nuyorican Latink funk. Suspiciously, they've been heavily discounted for years. But at £1, I had to check this and the previous album out.

Ocho – Ocho II [Universal Sound]

Queen – Innuendo [EMI Japan 1991] The 14th studio album, and final with Freddie Mercury, harking back to prog sound of Night at the Opera. Unfortunately the remastering by Peter Mew uses noise reduction.

The Most Serene Republic – Underwater Cinematographer [Arts & Crafts 2005] Montreal fans of Kid A. "(Oh) god" is a stand-out. Reminds me of Beat Happening's "You're a Godsend", mainly due to the repetition of the title. Anything that repeats "god" fascinates me, particularly in a secular context, where religious content surprises me.

The National Trust – Kings & Queens [Thrill Jockey 2006] Slick 'indie' r&b

Tony Allen – Home Cooking [Planet Woo 2002] Afro-beat drummer's hip hop album

My latest haul today in the 3 CDs for £1 bin

2008-01-18T19:32:00.000-05:00

Poppy & The Jezebels, a Birmingham teen indie girl group is the highlight of my latest haul of CD promos, all 3 for £1

310 - After All [Leaf 2001]

Amandine - Solace in Sore Hands [Fatcat 2007] Swedish Americana, ho hum

Ann Millikan - Featuring the California EAR Unit [Innova 2007]

Avril Lavigne - I'm With You [Arista 2002]

Budnubac - Que Se Yo [Blanco 2004] Latin fun from Nightmares on Wax guy

Crowsdell - Within the Curve [Big Cat 1997]

Enter Shakira - The Zone. Synth funk

James Yorkstown - Woozy With Cider [Domino 2007] Five remixes of narrative track from Year of the Leopard. Overkill?

Jose Conde y Ola Fresca [Mr Bongo 2007] Brooklyn based Cuban rhythms

Oh No Ono - Yes [Morningside 2006] Danish synth funk quintet

Orchestra Baobab - Made in Dakar [World Circuit 2007] Senegalese kings

Photek - Love & War [Sanctuary 2007] Techno-house single from drum n bass maestro

Poppy & The Jezebels - Follow Me Down [Reveal 2007]

Prinzhorn Dance School - Prinzhorn Dance School [DFA] Fall-style tribute

Rosie Thomas - If Songs Could Be Held [Sub Pop 2005]

Samamidon - But this chicken proved falsehearted [Baked Goods 2006] Palace style Americana from Brooklyn

Sixtoo - Jackals and Vipers in Envy of Man [Ninja Tune 2007] Montreal-based hip hop splicing

Soft Hearted Scientists - Take Time to Wonder in a Whirling World [My Kung Fu 2007] Pop folk

Taraf de Haidouks - Maskarada [Crammed 2007] Gypsy knees up, critically savaged

The RG Morrison - Learning About Loathing [Drift Collective] Devonshire Palace style Americana

The Rogers Sisters - Why Won't You [Too Pure 2006] Brooklyn trio, Talking Heads influence

To My Boy - Model [XL 2007] Liverpool power pop

Turner Cody - Quater Century [Boy Scout Recordings] Anti folk

Two Lone Swordsmen - Wrong Meeting [RGC] Gruff dub from Andy Weatherall

Various - A Box of Odd [Thee Sheffield Phonographic Corporation 2004] Sheffield garage comp

Various - Anarchy in the UK: 30 Years of Punk Vol. 1 [Spin 2007]

Various - Classic Rock magazine Best of 2007

Various - Independent [EMI/Virgin/Mute 2008] Solid track from Edwyn Collins' latest. So so rock from Dave Gahan. This 2 CD comp is a freebie at independent record stores

Various - Q magazine Best of 2007

Various - Songlines magazine Oct/Nov 2007

Various - The Lyrichord World Music Sampler [Lyrichord 2000]

Various - Woodstock 99 [Sony 2000, Vic Anseni] Softer second volume from dodgy festival retread

Various - Word Magazine Best of 2007

Vatican DC - Made it Ride [The Red Flag 2007] London punks

Witches Hat - Mastery of the Steel [Emergency Umbrella 2007] From Missouri "Warren Zevon fronts Spinal Tap" - indeed

Spitalfields Record Fair, Jan 9

2008-01-12T05:42:00.000-05:00

After nine months living in London, I had my first decent LP haul. On my way to work, I walked through Spitalfields Market, that had been taken over by a record fair, about 16 dealers, and many £1 bins. All LPs below were £1. Typically, I blog as a I listen to my new finds. In 2008, I have created a severe case of delayed gratification, with over six months before I hear these. This exercise is far too theoretical for my liking.

999 - 999 [UA 1978, Porky Prime Cut]
Debut album by London punks, with classic singles 'I'm Alive' and 'Nasty Nasty'.

Al Stewart – Live, Indian Summer

I've enjoyed Al Stewart's material from this era, lite folk, but uh oh. Allmusic says a professional but uninspiring live set. Another revewier, Michael Testi says not great, but the best way to hear Al Stewart live at his peak.

Bax / Barbirolli – English Tone Pictures [EMI ASD 2305]
AllMusic says 'muted'. The 2007 reissue on CD gets props. This may be the second label as its a semi-circle and not the gold/white label. Hmm. Delius/Dax/Ireland read like heavy going modernist stuff. My dad (a conductor himself) says Barbirolli was a solid conductor.

Bob Dylan – Greatest Hits [CBS orange stereo]
I'd been looking for an original UK pressing of the hits, so this was a pleasing find, adding to my batch of original UK Dylans, with their distinct, warm mastering.

Brahms / Barbirolli – Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Minor [EMI ASD 2353]

Cliff Richards – The Best of Cliff [Columbia SCX 6343]

A regular bargain bin find, AllMusic says that Cliff Richard's third compilation while crammed with hits, doesn't hold up to repeat plays as a collection. I'm curious to hear the Neil Diamond track 'Girl You'll Be A Woman Soon', and the Rolling Stones 'Blue Turns to Grey'. Reading up on his discography, I now have a better idea of what to look for (his debut, earlier comp etc).

Debussy / Barbirolli – Nocturnes [EMI ASD 2442]

Elton John – Goodbye yellow brick road [DJM UK original]

I had read that the UK original was the preferred mastering, but perhaps the 1979 yellow vinyl, or MFSL vinyl beats it based on this thread. I only have the SACD for comparison, and enjoyed the 5.1 mix. I'll pass on the Direct Discs, Speakers Corner, Japanese and MCA pressings. Not sure why I'm pursuing this one as I don't much like the album.

Eurythmics – Don’t Ask Me Why [12”]

Eurythmics – I Need A Man [10”]

Eurythmics – Julia [12”]

My favourite track from the soundtrack to 1984.

Gary Numan – I, Assassin [1982]

AllMusic says, last truly great album for a while, but it looks like his first three (Tubeway Army, Replicas, Pleasure Principle) are the ones to start with.

John Lennon – Imagine [1U]
I'm delighted to find what appears to be the first UK pressing with the first stamper (1U), and George Peckham's mastering credits (Pecko, Peckham). The consensus is that this or the EMI 100th Anniversary pressing are best. This felt like the best bargain of the day for £1.

Kate Bush – Running Up That Hill [12”]
Ah, a wonderful song. And now the definitive way to hear it.

Kirsty MacColl – Don’t Come the Cowboy with Me… [12”]
I remember enjoying this track.

Kirsty MacColl – Electric Landlady

Lindisfarne – Finest Hour [Porky Prime Cut]
Peckham mastered compilation from 1975. They fit the bill for the English folk music I'm drawn to, but have yet to grab me.

Lou Reed – New York [German pressing]
My favorite Lou Reed album, the first I heard (when it was released). No mastering credit for Masterdisk or Robert Ludwig (RL), so I have a lemon, albeit a pristine, beautifully pressed one. There was a second copy there, but also referencing Alsdorf. I may have picked up a US pressing a while back (hard to remember), but if not, this'll be on my wish list. How the sound fares with 58 minutes on a single LP, that's another question.

Louis Armstrong – The Louis Armstrong Story Vol. 3 [Columbia US green]
My third copy of the green label pressing from the 50s, all of which are '1A' stampers. Each purchase has been an upgrade with better condition vinyl. Other masterings include the Davies CD (fantastic), and a 45 RPM boxed set (awful). Next stop, the 78RPM originals.

Magazine – Real Life
Debut by Howard Devoto's post-punk outfit. Critically lauded - looking forward to deciding for myself as I've read about them for years, but never heard anything.

Mahalia Jackson – Welcome to Europe [CBS orange stereo]
A '1a' stamper on the early all orange label. There were a few of her LPs available, and this one had the most compelling line up of material, also since it was recorded in Europe, it seemed more likely to be a definitive mastering on a European pressing (made sense at the time).

Marc Almond – Stories of Johnny

Supposedly harking back to Soft Cell's electronics, loaded with singles, and one of his better efforts. Likely a digital master, since it credits a digital studio, and dates from 1984/85 when that might have seemed like a good thing. AllMusic is generous with their rating of Almond's back catalogue with most awarded four stars or more. Seems like you can't go wrong.

Marc and the Mambas – Untitled [A Porky Prime Cut]
I read that Anthony & The Johnstons cited Marc and the Mambas as his single biggest influence, but (doh) it was the second album, Torments and Torreros that he referenced, not the debut.

Marillion – Misplaced Childhood
Named after Tolkein's Silmarillion, what's not to like. I remember my baby sitter playing the cassette of this when it came out, and knowing somehow (even then) that it was supremely uncool. Then a friend was a huge fan. The gatefold cover art is suitably trippy. The stamper is 1U-1-1 which is odd. Since it was a number 1 album, there are probably hundreds of stampers. I do recall finding 'Kayleigh' a little sickly at the time, certainly overplayed in London. But I'll give them a fresh listen.

Paul McCartney – Give My Regards to Broad Street
The first time I was aware of McCartney, this was his current release. I never heard it, or saw the disastrous film, but certainly heard 'No More Lonely Nights' on the radio. Looks like a rehash of old material. Mixed digitally. No mastering engineer is prepared to take credit for it.

Simon & Garfunkel – Wednesday Morning 3AM [CBS orange stereo A2/B1]
One of their folkiest, and perhaps my favorite, with 'The Sounds of Silence' and 'The Times They Are A-Changin".

Sister Rosetta Tharpe – Spirituals in rhythm [Ember 1965]
This is the UK version of the US Spin-O-Rama release (below):

Steeleye Span – Parcel of Rogues [Chrysalis UK, 3U/4U]
I have a US pressing, and don't really need this one, since it should be the mastering.

The Creatures – Eraser Cut [10” Porky Prime Cut]
The first recording after the Siouxsie & The Banshees split in 1996. This one slipped past me, I only noticed the Anima Animus album that followed.

The Monochrome Set - Love Zombies [Dindisc 1980]
Second album by witty John Peel picks. I hadn't realised that they reformed and published into the mid-1990s.

The Moody Blues – Days of Future Passed [1W/2W]
I'm upgrading a US copy with an almost first UK pressing.

Vaughan Williams / Barbirolli – A London Symphony [EMI ASD 2360]

Vaughan Williams / Boult – Symphony No. 6 [EMI ASD 2329]

Wire – A Bell is a Cup [1988]
The accessible reunion album, supposedly worth checking out.

Chocolate addict in London

2008-01-06T10:50:00.000-05:00

A detour from vinyl addiction, I'm recording my impressions of various dark chocolate bars, mainly so that I don't forget which I liked best, and to force me to do a little research.

First, some background on my interest in chocolate. I grew up just outside London, and at school ate a lot of sweets. I favoured sweets with some chocolate, and my mum gave me one or two bars a day as snacks. The choice varied: Kit Kats, Wispa, Double Decker, cereal bars. At the school tuck shop, I'd supplement by scrounging pennies to buy Yorkies, Dairy Milk, Fruit and Nut, and so forth. And I'd steal from my mum's pantry her Bourneville and Lindt. It was the pantry supply that gave me my first introduction to dark chocolate, something I'd associated with baking. I preferred milk for years. The turning point came in my late teen years. I'd visited Harrod's Food Hall, and the Leonidas, Godiva and other tables there. Leonidas remains some of the best value in Belgian handmade chocolates. Their dark chocolate covered crystalised orange rind was fantastic. I didn't drink coffee or tea, so around 16-18 got my cafeine buzz from increasingly darker chocolates. I also got heavily into connoiseurship and collecting as a lifestyle, whether chocolate, beer, wine, food, the arts (books, film, art, music), travel, etc.

Inter-railing around Europe at 16 for a month gave me access to lot's of great chocolate in Paris, Italy, and inexpensive options in Budapest. My diet was bread, chocolate, cheese and beer.

Later, in New York, I got tired of the Lindt, Suchard, Godiva, etc options, and started experimenting with the niche imports, and boutique American brands (Scharfenberger) that had begun to crop up in the mid-1990s.

I attended the first year of the Chocolate Fair in New York (1997?), and have been most years since. At this point, my interest had become rarified, to the point where I would only eat chocolate of a certain caliber. I favoured bars with higher cocoa content, although have since learned to disregard this as a crucial criteria. The anecdote about Hershey's having to rename their exports to Europe as 'chocolate substitute' as they didn't qualify with enough cocoa content by European standards, was something I often related to mystified Americans who were fine with any old chocolate.

My habit got out of hand a few years ago when I took a 100g bar or two to work every day. The Garden of Eden supermarket was en route to my agency in New York, and I stopped to pick up a stack of bars. The stockist was always on the lookout for new brands, and kept it interesting. Safe bets were Michel Cluizel, Valhrona, but I must have sampled at least two dozen brands, and different varieties of each.

In 2008, I'm back in London where chocolate is twice as expensive as New York. The selection is comparable, and there are a few interesting local artisans: Rococo, and dull, omnipresent options clogging up the shelves like Green and Black.

I've cut back my chocolate habit somewhat, but upped the cafeine through tea and coffee, and pursued connoiseurship in those areas.

A seminal article for me was in the Guardian in 2007, interviewing Chloe Doutre-Roussel author of the Chocolate Connoisseur, a French woman. She disdained product marketed as organic, Swiss, or fair trade for its often poor quality. She didn't eat perfumed, blended, truffled or any sort of chocolate apart from plain bars. Her interest was in the origin of the cocoa, the roasting process, the blending, with everything focused on revealing the qualities of the bean. The purity of her outlook was refreshing and gave me a new sense of focus.

My latest experiment has been on my first visit to Whole Foods on High Street Kensington, which has a fantastic selection of chocolate bars. I picked up five that were new to me:

1. Vintage Plantations 65%, Ecuador, Rancho San Jacinto plantation
Long, nutty, powerful, clean. £2.39 100g

2. Organic Seed & Bean Company, 72% by Nurture Foods, Derbyshire
60 g, £1.49

3. Andre Deberdt, 70%, organic, Le Pontet, France from Ecuador, Sao Tome, Vanatau producers, no plantation listed. £1.89 100g. Burnt, roasted, coffee, long nutty, astringent

4. Prestat 63%, (est. 1902 in London)

5. Pralus, Tanzanie, 75% Forastero, 100g £3.69. Roasted in Roanne, France.
Spicy, woody, floral, long

Just as Michel Cluizel provides an excellent way to sample chocolate originated at different plantations from around the world, I've really been enjoying the Palais Du Thes introduction to the cultures of the world boxed set. Part of the appeal of the single origin cocoa plantations is the vicarious sense of travelling to exotic places. Another fixation of mine is collecting travel destinations (see my Facebook TravBuddy.com widget where I've covered 27% of the world's countries). The same appeal works with tea and the remote destinations: Tibet, Iran, Morocco, Argentina, Japan (all covered in teas that they present in aluminium test tubes in the box).

Tea is such a pleasant experience to refine. I love my Bodum glass and cafetiere. I use the cafetiere not just for coffee, but once well cleaned, for loose tea. The clear glass allows me to see the leaves seeping. In New York, I sourced my tea from McNulty's in Greenwich Village, and a couple of stores in Chinatown. And from Garden of Eden, where they stocked Marriages Freres, Taylors of Harrowgate, Republic of Tea, etc. In London, I've been shopping at Fortnum and Masons and tried their two most expensive first flush Darjeelings, and regular Darjeeling, chai, and most of the line. Not too impressed. And on trips to Paris, I REALLY liked the Castleton first flush Darjeeling prepared in Marriage Freres original store on Rue Bourg-Tibourg. In fact, we stayed across the street. I've been sampling various teas from their line. The Marco Polo flavor is pleasant, and works well in black and Roobois teas. The Darjeeling Master and Imperial blends seem fine. In fact, I've worked my way through many of the 60-something Darjeelings. I'm drawn to the arcane detail of different harvests, various Darjeeling plantations. The draw is similar to the attraction of Bordeaux or Rhone wines, and learning the terroire and the pedigree of various vineyards.

[That's all for now. I hope to come back to this post, decorate with some photos, and write on what drives my connoisseurship in various areas, and how that all ties back to vinyl and my comfort zone between headphones listening to vinyl, with either a glass of wine, or chocolate and tea. I say 'comfort zone', but what characterises it is challenging myself with new sounds, flavours, so a mix of the familiar comforts, and broadening my horizons.]

Cheese.

That's another fantastic food to become expert in. What a journey that's been. As I speak, I'm eating unpasteurised goat's milk cheese from Whole Foods, St Tola's Log NYD (£35/kg) and Sainte Maure de Touraine Mons (£5 for a 3" log). The St Tola doesn't distinguish itself. Too fresh and bland for my palette, which has been spoilt by local dairy's in Collobriere in Provence where I get to pick the age of chevre. Moyen age (somewhere between fresh and dried into a little puck) works for me, and the small producers have more flavourful cheese, more goaty, less homogenised. That said, these chevres are working fine on Carr's Table Water crackers and Cotes du Rhone Villages Reserve 2006 selected by Tesco (£4), a syrah, grenache blend that is great value. Described as 'intense, warm, fruity, full bodied with spicey noets', I don't agree. Not particularly fruity, intense, barely spicey, certainly warm, the grenache gives a flinty note, the syrah a tangy astringency.

To compliment the food and wine, I've switched from Radio 2's interview with Katie Melua, to John Lennon's Shaved Fish, the recent Japanese mini-LP CD which is the first un-mastered version of this album since the original vinyl. Untampered with by Yoko Ono, unlike all but one other of the reissues. And it sounds FANTASTIC.

Speaking of Carr's, I tried fancy crackers. There's an Austrlian brand of water wheels that has a provencal cracker that is light and delicious. At Raoul's, they stock super expensive crackers with all manner of seeds, flavours and so on. But I've come to the conclusion that Carr's blandness is its strength. The cheese's qualities can shine without distraction by flavoured crackers.

It is the blank page upon which the dairy farmer writes his cheese's story.
As an aside, I got fired from House and Garden in 1997 for fact-checking Jay McInerney, and questioning his description of a Gruner Veltliner as acidic (asking the wine producer whether the wine had a particularly high acid content). This offended the subjectivist writer, clearly insecure in his amateur approach to writing about wine. On the one hand, that gig was the most lucrative and cushy in New York. Shame. On the other, the anecdote about the pompous McInerney has provided a great story, and left me fascinated by Gruner Veltliner, compelled to become expert in this wine. Looking back, something good has always come of getting fired. I ought to do it more often.

And now, I've got the Fromagerie down the road in Marylebone, Raoul's, Neal's Yard Dairy, Borough Market. London is great for cheese, and not necessarily more expensive, perhaps since it all comes from France, Italy, etc. That said, I didn't realise how much I missed Monterey Jack cheese from America until I tasted a gourmet version from Whole Foods. Bland, but delicious all the same. And it comes in a Edam-style red wax rind, adding a European charm.

I'm building a home theater room

2007-10-22T04:29:00.001-04:00

I'm planning construction of a home theater room that also serves as a listening room. This is to be part of a new (as yet unbuilt) house. Here are my rough notes so far (I'm meeting with architect and contractor this week, so need to gather my thoughts):

First question was dimensions. The golden mean seems to be 26x16x10 per Cardas. Ideally it'd be trapazoidal, but I'll probably settle for rectangle with acoustic treatments to limit echo off parallel surfaces.
It'll be a room within a room, isolated from the surrounding structure by cavities, insulation, rubber, etc.
The HVAC needs to be as quiet as possible, so low noise air con
Ensure all appliances and heating and other large basement utilities are quiet and as far away as possible from listening area.
Dedicated hospital grade power outlets, separate form those used for lighting, air con or anything outside of core components.
Seating will be four armchair recliners built together in crescent, cloth finish. Not sure i'm ready to commit to two rows of seats but may build raised platform ready for a second set.
Acoustic treatment: Wall to wall carpet, then baffles, bass traps: a balance of absorbing surfaces, and one random surface to break up the sound.
Lighting should be quiet and subtle, but enough to go bright, and see components when required.
Equipment should be in dedicated closet, easily accessible from behind to swap out cables.
Screen: I had thought the largest LCD display available. But am reconsidering projection onto grey screen.
Door needs to be airtight with all-weather seal.

In London without a turntable. New LP wish list

2007-08-10T15:57:00.000-04:00

I've opted not to buy a turntable for my year in London, but I'm still buying used records. In the meantime I'm waiting to return to the US to buy new LPs, and the wish list keeps getting longer.
From Speakers Corner:
Elvis is Back
Lou Reed - Transformer
Louis Armstrong / Oscar Peterson
Sarah Vaughan - S/T
Little Walter - Best of
Coltrane - Impressions

From Pure Pleasure:
Son House
Skip James
Louis Armstrong
Sarah Vaughan
The Only Ones
Country Joe & The Fish - Electric Music for the mind & body
Otis Span
Christine Perfect
Buddy Guy - Going Back to Acoustic

From 4 Men With Beards:
Tim Buckley - various
Nico - Chelsea Girl, Desert Shore
Flying Burrito Bros - Gilded
John Cale - Paris 1919
Wire - Pink Flag, Chairs Missing, 154
Velvet Underground - Another View, Velvet Underground
Big Star - Third
Judee Sill - ST/ Heartfood
Art Blakey & Jazz Messengers

From Rhino / Warner:
Van Morrison - Moondance
ZZ Top
Fleetwood Mac - Rumors
White Stripes - Icky Thump
Joy Division box
Doors ST mono
James Taylor
Wilco
Travelling Wilburys 1, 3
Frank Sinatra - Francis, and Jobim
Ry Cooder - Jazz
Johnny Cash I-V
T Rex - Electric Warrior (need to check mastering)
Violent Femmes - ST?
Depeche Mode ??

From Sundazed:
Van Morrison - Blowin Your Mind
Love - Forever Changes
Byrds?? mono, stereo, various titles
Otis Redding - Otis Blue
Love - For Sail, Love
Taj Mahal - ST mono
Spirit - five albums
Moby Grape - various
Paul Butterfield - East West, In My Own Dream
Gene Clark - Gosdin Bros
Pretty Things - ST
Stooges - Fun House, ST, Raw Power
Mike Bloomfield

From Classic Records:
Neil Young - two lives sets, hits
Blue Note
Hendrix
The Who - Sell Out, My Generation etc
Allman Bros - Filmore
Procol Harum - mono
Roy Orbison

I'll refine the list by the time I'm back in the US to something affordable

I just moved a few thousand LPs to storage

2007-01-25T00:01:00.000-05:00

In the past few weeks I taped up 40 boxes of LPs (I'm guessing about 3000 total). And today I dismantled the shelving too. They're all in a storage unit for the next couple of years, and this makes me sad. The LP collection has become such a huge part of my life, both in the physically imposing sense. They took up an entire wall. And also in the sense of refuge. I'm listening to a CD now, and it just isn't doing much for me. On the upside, its like starting over. I have a few 45s, and will probably receive a few LPs from eBay in the next week or so. There is liberation in removing the collection. "An unbearable lightness of being" (Not what Kundera had in mind, but vinyl is heavy).

2007-01-20T20:01:00.000-05:00

More CDs assessed:

The Adored - A New Language [V2/Sheridan Sq. 2006]
Peppy New Wave/pop-punk. Catchy. A keeper for the while.

Ray Lema - Tyour Gnaoua [Buda/Tinder 2001] Gnawa / Congo for a Western audience. Buda has distributed the Ethiopiques series and Tinder a good batch of African material (though erring on the watered down side). Its hard to tell right away whether this is watered down.

Racine - Number One [PiaK 2004] Wendy James (Transvision Vamps) latest (all her own work), and surprisingly strong, since the sexy indie singles from her prior band felt manufactured. A keeper.

Various - Ride & Pride [Rhino 2000] Initially looked good. Erasure, Depeche Mode, Alison Moyet, BT, Saint Etienne covering Neil Young - mainly in club mixes. In practice, tedious after the first two minutes. Prefer the originals.

Alien Crime Syndicate - Ten Songs in the Key of Betrayal [TOCP Japan 2004] Rockin' good. Worked fine as a soundtrack for packing boxes of LPs.

Skinnyman - Council Estate of Mind [Low Life 2004] The Streets-ish white UK rap. I like the sample of the skinhead movie "Made in Britain". Makes me want to rent that rather than play any more of the CD. The gangster-thing, even UK flavor, doesn't appeal.

Georgia Anne Muldrow - Olesi: Fragments of An Earth [Stones Throw] New soul informed by free-jazz, poetry-slams, black rights, and hip hop from clearly talented singer, multi-instrumentalist-producer. I struggle to really connect with old soul, so new soul, with the digital, hip-hop influence is even more challenging. The trendy label, Stones Throw, caught my attention. No doubt beloved of Other Music, Straight No Chaser, Gilles Peterson etc., which I've come to realize is rarely my thing.

Zodiac Mindwarp - Rock Savage [2005] Likeable hard-rock. Reminds me of hearing them on the Top 40 radio show in the late 80s. Delightfully straightforward and big sounding.

Shed Seven - One Hand Clapping - Demos 2001-2003 [Taste/Japan 2006] Second-rate Brit-indie, but thought demos might be a way to hear something raw. And I'm a sucker for Japanese editions, with the exotic Japanese script on the obi, and exclusive extra tracks. Last hope, the four acoustic tracks...nope. The songwriting just doesn't make an impression on me.

Daara J - Boomerang [Wrasse 2003] What a relief after Shed Seven. Senegalese hip hop, and now while I still can't connect to the songwriting (its in Wolof or whatever), musically this is vibrant. That said, I'll pass. I'm not enjoying rap, even in this fascinating context.

The Open - The Silent Hours [Polydor 2004] Blah rock. Gone.

The Audreys - Between Last Night and Us [Warner Australia 2006] Solid country-folk. A keeper.

Why I'm selling these lousy CDs

2007-01-08T20:46:00.000-05:00

Among the 1000+ mess of CDs, I'm culling. It's my 35th birthday and actually I'm very comfy kicking back with headphones and the more dubious CDs in my collection.

Airport 5. - Life Starts Here [Fading Captain Series] Guided By Voices off-shoot doesn't have the same hooks as the main band. Apart from track 4 "Wrong Drama Addiction". "The Dawntrust Guarantee" promises, but doesn't deliver. These guys need to edit.

Mr Wright - Hello Is Anyone Out There [Le Grand Magistery 2001] El Records pedigree and sophisticated arrangements. "Darling Honey" is a sweet duet. This label's house style has been appealing (Momus etc), but doesn't hold my interest. This is going to be a challenge in many titles I'm reviewing tonight. Tonally, stylistically, they'll be on the mark, but lacking the solid songwriting or something special to warrant a place in my collection. "Coming Home" is nice though. The guitar playing has picked up. "Winter On Harrow Road" is another strong point. It's tempting to rip just the two or three tracks of interest.

Jackie-O Motherfucker - Fig. 5 [Road Cone 1999] This is a monster to review quickly. That's clear before I even put it in. Just extracting it from the packaging is challenging. The name. The politics. Ten seconds into the first track, and I'm intrigued, and know I need more time with this and the next one: Jackie-O Motherfucker - Liberation [Road Cone]

Microstoria - Init Ding [Thrill Jockey 1995] I'd forgotten how warm and enveloping the burbling glitch noises could be. Makes me want to pull out Oval's Systemich. More noodly than others from the discography, and I don't feel the need for more than one or two glitchy discs.

Lithops - Scrypt [Thrill Jockey 2003] The Stylus Magazine review is thoughtful. This is more avant than the Microstoria disc, with some of the same suspects. Again, I'll pass. Both discs are provocative, particularly on headphones, at times a little painful. Perhaps I'm too old (or have moved on somehow) for the Noize music thing, but this, along with Merzbow and others are probably going to be sold. That said "Insections" is as described, an insectoid and fascinating glitch symphony.

The Lonesome Organist - Cavalcade [Thrill Jockey 1999]. Gamelan..hmm. Must be steel drum. Multi-instrumental frantic, zaniness. Clearly a talented guy, but it wears after a while. The title is apt. This is gone.

William Orbit - Pieces in a Modern Style [Warner 2000] I had thought this was dance music, but that's just the second disc with a couple of trance remixes. It's actually performances of new-agey classical. This is gone.

Milton Nascimento - Nascimento [Warner 1997] Opens with samba drums which are refreshing, and not the schmaltz that I've come to expect. But

National Health - Missing Pieces [ESD 1996] Rarities that didn't make into either National Health album. Apart from what sounds like rehearsal noodlings, there are elements of acid-folk that appeal. But overall, this is the noodly prog that I avoid.

New Tweedy Bros - S/T [Ridon 1968] Cute hexagonal foil cover. Ritchie Unterberger sets this up to be a two-hit disappointment. The two high points fall short for me. This is gone.

Muslimgauze - Narcotic [Staalplat] Provocative titles like "Saddams Children" and "Gulf Between Us", but I've wondered if this super prolific artist was somehow appealing more to collectors pf political art and fetishists than dedicated listeners. Based on this album, this isn't holding me. Its an industrial-electronic collage of samples of middle-eastern instrumentation and field recordings. Track 8 "Narcotic" has some interesting panning going on with the bongo percussion, intriguing on headphones.

Richard Thomas - Shoes and Radios Attract Paint [Lo Recordings 1997] The Allmusic reviewer nails it. Thoughtful, fresh, uneasy listening, but not sure I'll listen to it.

This process of finding stuff I don't enjoy, and double-checking that I really won't enjoy it, well, its not very enjoyable. The moment I find something good, I set it aside in the keep pile. Anything remotely bad, gets a good listen. What a masochistic way to spend my birthday, but also satisfying.

Mum - Finally No One Are One [Fat Cat 2002] Pitchfork Media hits the mark by noting that the child's perspective and innocence can be cloying. But perhaps in small doses (I'll keep it for the meantime).

India.Arie - Acoustic Soul [Motown 2001] I thought I had sold this. Somehow it escaped. After a skim I can confirm that the urban-smooth thing just isn't for me.

The Kicks - Hello Hong Kong [TVT 2004] Sound-alike dross. Although "Pretty One" is catchy.

Alice Cooper - Dirty Diamonds [New West 2005] A return to "Billion Dollar Babies" says the reviewer. Hmm. I haven't heard his "classic". Off-putting to read that he's a spokesperson for the Republicans. Allmusic was helpful with a good track by track analysis (handy how they indicate standouts). I'll check out his 70s material when I come across it in the $1 bin, but I'll pass on this. An odd fit for the New West label.

Leon Parker - The Simple Life [Label M 2001] I like the body-percussion acappella of "Caravan". And Joel Dorn has reissued some strong jazz. But I haven't found much contemporary jazz that he's put out standing the test of time. Gone.

It's Tuesday evening, and I'm back at the headphones. David Grubb's The Thicket [Drag City] is first up, but I'm lulled into it, its a pleasure. A few minutes go by without my even pondering reasons to ditch it.

The Gossip - Arkansas Heat [Kill Rock Stars] Sleater Kinney style queer power punk. I've tended to ditch EPs and hold onto LPs, but this one stays despite its brevity.

Fiona Apple - When the Pawn.. [Sony 1999] I find her public persona annoying, and the whole campaign to get her album published. Her songwriting may be too embittered and focused on break ups for me.

John Cage - Four Seasons [ECM New Series 2000] The idea of toy piano is appealing. As always, impeccably recorded. But the discordant thing...perhaps not my thing these days.

Caesars - Paper Tigers [EMI Sweden 2005] The metacritic blurbs talk of filler. The iPod ad track "Jerk it Out" certainly has cool farfisa, but I tend to agree that this is mediocre.

Pearlene - Murder Blues and Prayer [Dim Mak 2003] The hype seems promising of raw Beefheart style blues. In fact, its Jon Spencer-ish grind, and grating (perhaps the mastering is partly to blame, but John Golden usually does a great job). The band's name pays tribute to Son House (also promising), and they cover his "Jinx Blues", they have a great rawk attitude, catchy titles like "Mutilation Boogie", but ...hmm. The title track had me hooked. But that seems to be the high point.

Sakesho - We Want you to Say [Heads up 2005] What was I thinking. Was it the label since it has dabbled in SACD.

Victoria Williams - Musings of a Creek Dipper [Atlantic 1998]

November 10, dollar bin haul

2006-11-10T22:40:00.000-05:00

Inspiral Carpets - This is how it feels. Remix [Mute UK 12"]. I quickly realized I love the single, but don't care to have the vocals removed, and lose the catchy chorus. Back to the bin with this one.

INXS - Shabooh Shoobah [Atco 1982, sealed]

The Kinks - The State of Confusion EP [Arista UK 1984]

Michael Legrand - After the Rain [Pablo 1983]

Slade - You Boyz Make Big Noize [RCA Germany 1987]

Graham Parker - Human Soul [BMG 1989 sealed]

Graham Parker - The Mona Lisa Sister [BMG 1988 sealed]

Marian McPartland Trio - S/T [Capitol hand-written, turqoise label]. This sounds tubey. The vinyl is surprisingly shiny and healthy for this era, and 1956 mono, intimate trio material.

Malvina Reynolds - Sings the Truth [Columbia 2eye stereo 1a/1a. $15] The theme song for the Showtime TV series Weeds uses her wonderful "Little Boxes".

WMFU Record Fair 2006

2006-11-07T22:19:00.000-05:00

For $210, over two days at the WMFU Record Fair (about 8 hours), I found the following 150 LPs. As I listen through them, I'll post thoughts:

Al Stewart - 24 Carrots
Al Stewart - Past Present and Future [Allen Zentz]
Alberta Hunter - Amtrak Blues [Columbia 1980, still sealed]
Art Pepper - Saturday Night at the Village Vanguard [Contemporary]
Betty Wright - Live [TK 1978]
Bill Evans - The Bill Evans Album / Living Time [Columbia twofer reissue]
Bill Monroe - Blue Grass Style [Coral/MCA]
Bill Monroe - Kentucky Blue Grass [Decca 1970]
Bing Crosby - The Best of Bing [MCA Twofer 1977, in shrink]
Black Styl - O Sambo [Sonodisc]
Blondie - Eat to the Beat
Bo Diddley - His Greatest Sides Volume 1 [Chess 1983, Jack Skinner]
Bob Marley - Natty Dread [Sterling to compare with Speakers Corner reissue]
Boston - Third Stage [Masterdisk, in shrink. Columbia House Canada]
Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run [1h/1l...unfortunately early pressing]
Bruce Springsteen - Dancing in the Dark [12" US, Sterling "H" in a circle. Please, someone tell me whose signature that is]
Bruce Springsteen - Darkness on the Edge of Town [TML-M]
Bruce Springsteen - The Wild, The Innocent.. [2ad/2ak]
Bud Powell - The Genius of Bud Powell [Verve]
Carlos Santana /Mahavishni John McLaughlin - Love Devotion Surrender [Columbia 1e/1g]
Charlie Christian - Solo Flight [Columbia 1f/1g. An upgrade]
Charlie Parker - The '46 Concerts. Jazz at the Phil [Verve, but no indication of RL. My other copy says "Trutone PR"]
Chet Atkins - The Other Chet Atkins [LPM]
Christine McVie - S/T [US, Ted Jensen]
Chuck Berry - The London Chuck Berry Sessions [Sterling RL/RL...needs a clean]
Coleman Hawkins etc - The Tenor Sax Album [Savoy 1977 Al Brown]
Cream - Live Cream Volume II [Atlantic]
Crosby Stills & Nash - Allies [Wally]
Dakota Staton - Sings Ballads and the Blues [Capitol script matrix]
David Bowie - Scary Monsters [German to compare with US]
Dinah Washington - Back to the Blues [Roulette]
Doc Watson - Riding the Midnight Train [Sugar Hill 1986]
Donovan - For Little Ones [Epic stereo]
Duane Allman - An Anthology Vol. II [Capricorn]
Duke Ellington - Jazz at the Plaza [Columbia promo 1973]
Eddie Condon - Jam Session [Columbia maroon]
Ella Fitzgerald - At The Opera House [Verve, Trumpet player]
Elliot Lawrence - Plays Gerry Mulligan Arrangements [Fantasy/OJC "GH"]
ELO - Balance of Power
Elvis Presley - Blue Hawaii [LSP 2426]
Erick Friedman - Paganini/Saint-Saens [LSC 2610 shaded dog]
Eurythmics - Revenge [RCA US in shrink]
Fats Domino - Fats Domino [UA 1971 Twofer compilation]
Fats Navarro - Featured with the Tadd Dameron Band [Milestone twofer reissue]
Flatt and Scruggs - At Carnegie Hall [Columbia 2-eye stereo 360]
Fleetwood mac - Bare Trees [Wally 1b/1c]
Flying Burrito Brothers - Gilded Place of Sin [A&M]
Frank Sinatra - The Concert Sinatra [Reprise, serious Frank label]. Great sounding first mono pressing. Tom Port has raved about this particular title, but more on the stereo.
Gene Ammons - Jug & Dodo [Prestige twofer of 1962 material]
Genesis - Selling England By The Pound [Columbia House. 1973]
Gentle Giant - Gentle Giant [Vertigo UK swirl, but beat up]
Gentle Giant - The Missing Piece [Capitol, Wally]
Gerry Mulligan - Mulligan Quartet [in shrink. Fantasy lightning label..never seen that one]
Gerry Mulligan - What is There to Say [Stereo reissue 2b/2b]
Grateful Dead - Seal Your Face [UA 1976]
Grateful Dead - The History of[WLP MGM]
Heart - Magazine [Kendun...who is "JG"?]
Herbie Mann - The Common Ground [Atlantic mono original]
Herma's Hermits - The Best of Vol. 2 [MGM]
Horowitz / Beethoven - Sonata in F Minor [LSC 2366 A1/2s A1/2s, but again Rockaway]
Ian Dury - New Boots and Panties [Stiff UK]
Incredible String Band - Changing Horses [Elektra stereo red label]
James Cotton - Live on the Move [Buddah 1982. Phew. What a back cover photo!]
Jefferson Airplane - Bark [Hollywood 6s/8s...no sign of a mother number]
Jefferson Airplane - Crown of Creation [Orange, upgrade copy]
Jimmy Smith - Bashin' / The Unpredictable [Verve]
Joe Pass - Eximious [Pablo "JH". 1982, but heavy vinyl tan label]
Joe Pass - Montreux 1975 [In shrink, Pablo/RCA Canada]
Johhny Cash - Orange Blossom Special [Columbia 2-eye stereo 360]
Johnny Hodges - 1938-1939 [Columbia/EMI France]
Jose Feliciano - Feliciano [Upgrade copy]
Jose Feliciano - For my Love, Mother Music [RCA 1974, demo, still sealed]
Judy Mowatt - Only a Woman [Shanachie]
June Christy - Something Cool [Script matrix]
Keely Smith - Swing, You Lovers [Dot]
Kevin Coyne - In Living Black and White [In shrink, Atlantic GP]
Kinks - Give the People What They Want [Arista Canada]
Kris Kristofferson - Jesus Was A Capricorn [Columbia/Monument 1973]
Leinsdorf / Bartok - Concerto for Orchestra [LSC 2643 a1/2s a2/2s, but Rockaway]
Leonard Cohen - New Skin for Old Ceremony [Gilbert Kong 2a/2a]
Leonard Cohen - The Songs of Leonard Cohen
Lionel Hampton - Wailin' At the Trianon [CL711, 6eye. I'm assuming there's an earlier pressing. 2d/2a...beat up. Should have passed on this]
Little Feat - Waiting for Columbus [TML-M/TML-S]
Loudon Wainwright III - Unrequited [Columbia 1975 WLP]
Louie Bellson - Dynamite [Concord, but no mention of The Mastering Room on deadwax]
Louis Armstrong - Chicago Concert [Columbia red twofer]
Madonna - Angel / Into the Groove [12", to compare with my Japanese version]
Madonna - Like a Prayer [in shrink. Columbia House Canada]
Manfred Ebanoa [Sonodisc]
Manitas de Plata - At Carnegie Hall [Vanguard stereo]
Manitas de Plata - Guitarra Flamenco [Vanguard stereo]
Maria Muldaur - Southern Winds [Sterling 1978]
Maria Muldaur - Sweet and Low [Tudor 1983]
Maria Muldaur - Sweet Harmony [Warner 1976]
Mariachi Brass / Chet Baker - In The Mood [World Pacific]
Mariachi Brass w/Chet Baker - A Taste of Tequila [World Pacific]
Melanie - Madrugada [Sterling RL]
Melanie - Sunset and Other Beginnings [Arista 1975 WLP]
Merle Haggard - Big City
Merle Haggard - Going Where the Lonely Go
Merle Haggard - Same Train, A Different Time [Capitol Twofer of Jimmie Rodgers covers]
Merle Haggard - That's the Way Love Goes [In shrink]
Mick Fleetwood - The Visitor [RCA 1981]
Miles Davis - Tutu [1a/1a]
Monkees - Pisces, Aquarius [Stereo]
Monteux / Beethoven 6th [LSC 2316 shaded dog]
Morton Gould / Tchaikovsky - 1812 Overture [RCA Living Stereo]
Munch / Bolero [LSC 1984 shaded dog a5/6s b1/10s Indy, but scratched]
Munch / Mendelssohn [LSC 2314 shaded dog a5/3s a4/2s Indy]
Nat Pierce Nonet / Charlie Mariano Sextet [OJC "GH". from Northwestern Uni. Library]
Neil Young - After the Gold Rush [Upgrade vinyl. Awful cover]
Odetta - Odetta at the Horn [Tradition original mono. Perhaps my favorite record cover]
Oliver Nelson - Afro/American Sketches [Prestige green label]
Oscar Peterson - Another Day [BASF/MPS Masterdisk GK WLP]
Paray / Suppe - Overtures [Mercury stereo FR2/FR1]
Paul Simon - Rhythm of the Saints [DMM Sterling, Canada]
Pete Best Band - The Beatle That Time Forgot [Al Brown, Sound Cutting, WLP?]
Peter Paul and Mary - Late Again [W7 D2 1E A2 1F...looks like an odd mix of RCA Rockaway stamper and early WB]
Prince - Parade [Canada "BG"]
Prince - Sign of the Times [12"]
Ray Bryant - Solo Flight [Pablo/ Kendun - RCA Indianopolis]
Reiner / Dvorak - New World Symphony [LSC 2214 shaded dog, a1/9s c1/3s, Indy]
Reiner / Prokofieff - Lieutenant Kije [LSC 2150 b1/24s b1/29s Indy]
Reiner / Schubert [LSC 2516 shaded dog]
Renaissance - Ashes are Burning [Capitol]
Renaissance - Time-line [IRS 1983, in shrink]
Renaissance - Turn of the Cards [RL / PR]
Rolling Stone - Undercover [Warner Canada 1983]
Rosemary Clooney - Sings Ballads [Concord 1985, George Horn, sealed]
Sarah Vaughan - Sings Sweet...and Sultry [Masterseal 1957 mono]
Sergio Mendes - Look Around [A&M]
Shaw / Bach [LSC 2312 shaded dog]
Sparks - Pulling Rabbits Out of A Hat [Atlantic 1974 promo]
Spirit - Spirit [Ode yellow, stereo]
Stan Getz - The Best of Two Worlds featuring Joao Gilberto [Columbia to suss out why its been reissued, by Pure Pleasure or someone]
Stephane Grappelli - Django [Barclay France 1976]
Stevie Nicks - The Other Side of the Mirror [1a/1a "SL"?]
Stevie Nicks - The Wild Heart [Precision, Steve Marcussen]
Taj Mahal - Taj Mahal [Columbia red, stereo]
Taj Mahal - The Natch'l Blues [Columbia stereo 2-eye 1a/1a]
The Band - Moondog Matinee [RL]
The Beach Boys - Spirit of America ["KP" Ken Perry on one side only. otherwise "Jay". Who is Jay?]
The Everly Brothers - Born Yesterday [Mercury Germany/Holland]
Tony Bennett - For Once in My Life [Stereo 2eye]
Van Dyke Parks - Jump [Warner 1984, Mike Reese at TML]
Van Morrison - His Band and..[Green RL]
Various - They All Played Bebop [Columbia NY]
Wilbur de Paris - Marchin' and Swingin' [Atlantic black mono]
Willie Nelson - Stardust
Willie Nelson - The Sound in Your Mind [Columbia]
Willie Nelson - Tougher than Leather

Jennifer Warnes

2006-10-22T09:02:00.000-04:00

Just heard her duet with Chris Hillman (the Byrds) from his new album on WFUV this morning, and thought I should dig up the four LPs I have of her material, and give them a critical listen.

Jennifer Warnes - Best of [Arista 1982 US]

Lousy. Argh. Three tracks in, I have to stop.

Jennifer Warnes - S/T [Arista WLP 1976. "PRC"]

"Love Hurts" is an improvement. The sound (Mastering by Bernie Grundman) is a lot more satisfying, although I think he may have handled the hits also (no credit though). "Round and Round" is sacharine. So, onto the Rolling Stones cover "Shine a Light". Everything I've heard so far just doesn't have much energy. The musicians don't sound engaged. It seems like the Christian theme is important to Warnes, but I'm not feeling the "faith". Skipping straight to the Allmusic recommended track, "Right Time of the Night", also the first track on the hits. And much fuller here. Still watery drivel.

Jennifer Warnes - Shot Through the Heart [Arista 1979, "Mastered at Capitol, HUB"]

Ken Perry has the mastering credit, but the in initials are "HUB". Odd. "I Know a Heartache When I see One" sounds so different from the Hits version, I thought it was a different performance. But I think it just shows Perry's mastering skills.

Elimination round: Which LPs to ditch?

2006-10-19T21:38:00.000-04:00

I'm picking off likely candidates, listening to stuff I picked up for some deluded reason, and never played.

1. Jo Stafford - Jo's Greatest Hits [Columbia 6 eyeCL1228 mono]

Compressed. And distorted. And blah. "Hawaian War Chant" has feisty swing drums. But...Out.
Sure, the six-eye label was sonically often strong (IIRC, the label and female vocalist genre were the draws). An all tube mastering system was still the norm, and these really early mono singles (compiled) sound fine apart from Columbia's sub-standard vinyl, and heavy-handed compression.

2. Red Nichols and His Pennies - Parade of the Pennies [RCA LM 1455]

The typical whiter than white front man for RCA in 1960, but Downbeat magazine have given this their stamp of approval, and Red Nichols trumpet playing has sounded fine elsewhere. Crackly stuff. 1939 recordings reissued, transferred from 78s I assume. Not a terrible transfer, but not something I'd reach for.

3. Squeeze - Babylon and On [A&M 1987 DMM]

Mastering engineer Jack Skinner at Sterling Sound NYC...50 years later. Despite the direct metal master approach, Skinner delivers a punchy 80s sound. Wet Wet Wet-style pop. Really pop, in a bad way. This is gone. Based on Allmusic's reviews, Argy Bargy sounds like the place to start, so I'm not counting them out yet.

4. Squeeze - Singles [A&M US 1982]

OK. Now, I get them. "Goodbye Girl" has song-writing, distinct instrumentation and tonality. Sonically, this is fine. Perhaps the UK pressing is better, but I'm cranking this, and realizing that Squeeze charted for good reason. Its a keeper. Best to get back to more dubious stuff. And yet, the LP is still playing. "Up The Junction"...I hadn't realized this was Squeeze. Great! Keeper

Next is a Phoebe Snow fiesta: 3 LPs, other than the DCC self-titled LP. The only reason I investigated anything as evidently uncool as Snow is that Steve Hoffman mastered her debut.

6. Phoebe Snow - Something Real ["Audiophile vinyl" promo on Elektra 1989, Masterdisk DMM]

White label pressings are so alluring for their sonic potential. And despite not featuring his "RL" this is most likely Robert Ludwig's handiwork, as he is credited in the liner notes. Snow's songwriting is lite-FM dull. So, once again, a sonic pleasure, if a little dated - adult-contemporary 80s power balladeering, but musically, nada.

7. Phoebe Snow - Never Letting Go [CBS 1977 promo Masterdisk, Robert Ludwig "RL"]

Great sound. Really lovely sonics and quiet vinyl. But the music is uninspired. "Garden of Joy Blues" has pleasant guitar and organ. I have to admit I listened all the way through, and it went down easily, but this is out.

8. Phoebe Snow - Second Childhood [Columbia 1976 promo Sterling]

Schmaltzy sax. But I'm intrigued. What is "Two-fisted love"?
Ron Carter on bass on "Inspired Insanity", and Phil Ramone as engineer...and background vocals on "Sweet Desperation". Hmm. Solid sonics. But Dave Sanborn on sax. Can you say "Schmaltz"? Side two is notably louder. Have to turn down the Allmusic recommended track "All Over". OK, so 8 originals, how are the covers? Snow's song-writing just doesn't appeal (in fact, I need to go back to the debut to confirm that there's anything at work with this artist). The standard "Going Down for the Third Time" (what's with the innuendo?) doesn't do much. The electric piano on "There's A Boat..." at least has some distinction, solid Gershwin, but this is gooone.

9. Lena Horne and Harry Belafonte - Porgy and Bess [RCA LOP 1507, from 1959, I think this is stereo, although it doesn't explicitly say]

Engineer Ernest Oelrich from RCA has vocals right in your ear, with the orchestra way back. The Rockaway pressing is a drag. Belafonte sings with such conviction. After the drab Ray Charles and Cleo Laine version, I'm drawn into the story. And then...Horne kicks off "Summertime". Oh mi gosh. Whose the bassist!? This blow away the other versions of Porgy and Bess I have. A keeper.
The cheesey, coffee colored RCA poster stars are amusing.

Picking LPs to sell: The weakest link

2006-10-18T20:12:00.000-04:00

The WFMU record fair is approaching on November 3 - 5, and I'm picking out records to sell to fund the weekend binge. Also, with the house up for sale, it really doesn't make sense to put all the records into storage, so I'll be shopping a few boxes of LPs and CDs around the local stores soon.

This collection has been refined over the past 20 years, with regular pruning and refining, so the inventory gets stronger, and it gets harder to find titles to sell. That said, I find the process of assessing which records to sell really helpful for critical listening. And who knows, I may open up enough space to get the current loose stacks actually onto the overstuffed shelves.

1. Dimitri Tiomkin - Giant: Soundtrack [Capitol grey label mono]

The copy is crackly, despite grading well visually. The top seam split all the way. The music is charming. A classic sountrack that evokes fond memories of the James Dean Western. I love the warm, rich, tubey sound of Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, George Shearing and Judy Garland titles on the original mono Grey label. That makes the label itself appealing as a signal of great sound. But since I put an end to ten years reviewing soundtracks, I've appreciated a few without listening to movie music. And in some ways it feels like work. Giant won't get much play, so this one is out for being a soundtrack, and too crackly.

2. Peter Nero - Piano Forte, The Magnificent Piano of Peter Nero [RCA Living Stereo LSP 2334]

The instrumental "Over the Rainbow" is full of classical pomp, but actually a fun orchestration, and suddenly switches to jazz. Nero's first RCA LP, released 1961, but this pressing looks mid-60s if you compare it with the RCA labelography (7f). The stamper is A1 I 8s, so early, and the sound is fine, if occasionally crackly. The first side has actually been an unexpected pleasure, particularly "My Funny Valentine". What a playful, effusive style. Shame about the occasional distortion, although that may clean up. This is a keeper, and in fact, I'll look out for more Nero.

3. James Newton - Romance and Revolution [Blue Note Digital DMM 1986]

Digitally-sourced vinyl, Direct Metal Mastering, on jazz from within the last 30 years. Three strikes. You're out. But hold on, 4.5 stars from Allmusic. A Mingus composition. A well-constructed artist site. And the dead wax reveals that this was cut at Masterdisk by "TD" (not sure which mastering engineer that would be, not Mike Moran who handled recording)

But all in all I can't get past not really liking jazz from the past 30 years. Or more importantly, preferring jazz pre-1975, and with limited space, and the off-chance that given that this is on Blue Note, and IIRC the Beastie Boys sampled him, it may be worth a few bucks. Its gone.

4. Mario Lanza - Love Songs and Neapolitan Serenade [RCA LM 1188]

A shaded dog reissue of early Lanza. There's a background feedback hum, perhaps a snafu in the mastering. And this is excruciating on various levels. The opinions published on EnjoyTheMusic about RCA monos on any label after the plum are spot on. And somehow I have two copies.

5. Jussi Bjoerling - Jussi Bjoerling in Song [RCA LM 1771]

Like the Lanza, this came in a Nagaoka anti-static record sleeve No. 102. Never seen that sort of sleeve before, but I liked the Japanese audiophile touch, and it signalled that both titles probably had the same owner at one point. No more though. Bjoerling stays. Lanza is out.

Sonically, sure there's crackle, but the rich, full sound overpowers any complaints. Surely the early, all-red, red seal label is a consistent winner.

The Swede, Jussi handles Schubert with grace and vigor, at home with the German and Scandanavian (Sibelius) arias. The "zum ersten kuss" of Liszt's "Es musss ein Wunderbares sein" is particularly moving.

I hadn't realized that the New Orthophonic process dated back this far (the label is 1951-1954).

6. Robert Shaw Chorale - A Mighty Fortress [LM 2199 shaded dog]

The photo, as with all my photos is swiped from someone else. My copy is mono.

"Glorious things of thee are spoken" reminds me of my own choir-boy years [I actually performed at the Royal Albert Hall on one occasion]. But US accent of the choir just don't have the solemn magic for my taste. I'll stick with the Argo UK series. This is gone.

7. Elizabeth Schumann [LCT 1126]

A 1953 reissue of 78s. Her voice has a vulnerable feel, but also great conviction on these lieder from Schubert. But she doesn't hold my attention, or really win me over. Gone.

8. Ten Tenors Ten Arias [LM 1202 plum shaded dog]

Two strikes. Its a reissue, and an opera compilation with various singers. Its hard to master transfers of 78s and the mish-mash of sources with any consistency. And there's Lanza. Strike three.

9. Vladimir Horowitz / Arturo Toscanini - Tchaikovsky Concerto No. 1 [RCA LM 2319 shaded dog]

This poses a problem. Two titans captured in 1943 at Carnegie Hall, and unreleased until 1959. But the sound is poor, and smothers the fierce performance. The Penguin Guide prefers Horowitz's 1941 performance, giving it a rosette despite being transferred from 78s. Gone.

10. Humperdink - Hansel and Gretel [RCA LM2457]

I'm capped out on classical right now, and can't find a good reason to ditch Hansel and Gretel.

King of the $0.50 bin

2006-08-13T10:26:00.000-04:00

Here's the haul from Thursday August 10, and a handful from a yard sale. All $0.50 each:

The Band - Rock of Ages [Capitol- Sterling RL] Major seam splits, and needs a clean, but Robert Ludwig's mastering ought to be satisfying. This is the third The Band "RL" LP for me.

The Grateful Dead - American Beauty [WB green. Second copy for me] Still on the look out for a WLP (saw one last week, but not quite good enough condition to warrant the expense).

Fletcher Henderson - The Fletcher Henderson Story [Columbia 6 eye, 4 LP]. This boxed set must have been around the time Columbia put out the Billie Holiday Golden Years. It comes with a booklet of photos.

Lester Young - Prez & Sweets [Columbia 1979 WLP. In fact, it looks more like a test pressing. No defining marks except the Columbia Records, Pitman NJ, and "Advanced Promotional Copy" text]

Lester Young - It Don't Mean A Thing [Columbia 1981 WLP. Same details as above]

Benny Goodman - The Vintage Goodman [Columbia CL 821 6 eye]

Eurythmics - 1984 [Virgin UK 12"]

The Smithereens - Green Thoughts [Capitol 1988]

Joan Baez - Farewell Angelina [Vanguard gold mono]

Rolling Stones - Tatoo You [Sterling RL]

Odetta - Sings Blues and Ballads [Tradition]

Duke Ellington - Early Ellington [Brunswick]

Ney Matogrosso - Pescador De Perolas [CBS Brazil 1987]

Betty Carter - Whatever Happened to Love? [BetCar 1982]

Johnny Hodges - Hodge Podge [Epic/Columbia 1974]

Esther Borja - Exitos de Ernestina Lecuona [Kubaney, Cuban pressing from 1950s]

Traffic - Traffic [UA 1968]. I much prefer the Low Heeled Spark... album, based on a first listen.

Woody Herman - The 3 Herds [Columbia maroon CL592]

Dave Brubeck - Brubeck Time [CL 622 6 Eye]

Johnny Cash - Legends and Love Songs [Columbia Record Club 1968]

Johnny Cash - From Sea to Shining Sea [CS9447 2 eye stereo]

The Byrds - Untitled [Columbia]. I've been listening this for the past few days, and sides 3 and (particularly) 4 have extraordinary bass. Sides 1 and 2 (the concert sides) were disappointing - murky sound.

The Byrds - Byrdmaniax [Columbia red] Somehow the gospel "Glory Glory" seems odd for the band. The disc itself is VG-, and the crackle may be too bothersome.

Loudon Wainwright III - More Love Songs (Rounder 1986] A folk super-group

Humble Pie - Rock On [A&M US 1971]

And $2@The Guess Who -Share the Land [RCA]

Fats Domino - Lets Play [Imperial]

Dave Brubeck - Southern Scene [CS8235 stereo 6 eye]

King of the dollar bin

2006-07-27T21:35:00.000-04:00

[Joe "King" Currasco, 1985, "During my Mayan Hieroglyphics phase and flying sombreros"]

I'm hiding out in the basement, since ants have taken over the ground floor. The flying ants are swarming around any light source, and restlessly roaming across the windows en masse.

I've found some great $1 bin vinyl since I last posted. Currently spinning is Joe King Carrasco and The Crown's S/T [Stiff/Hannibal 1980]. Currasco's wild Zappa-esque Tex-Mex rock and roll is goofy and loose.

Next up: Bronski Beat's 12" Hit That Perfect Beat (this is a link to a MySpace site just for remixes of this track).

New Order's Kranky 2x12" (London/Warner 2005). I actually liked this single, particularly the club mix, and may need to check out the album. I'd been so let down after Technique (1989) by the follow up album Republic, that I'd avoided New Order for years.

The Sisters of Mercy Dominion 12" [Elektra WLP]. What an outstanding band, really meaty percussion, Goth just didn't get much more gothic and menacing than this.

[Photo: Andrew Eldritch, probably around 1995. The original Dr. Evil]

I recall seeing him in the press tent at Reading 1991, and it was dis-arming (and disappointing) that such a menacing vocalist would seem like a normal bloke up close.

The Communards Don't Leave Me This Way (London/MCA 1985). The mega mix has some fun orchestral moments, thanks no doubt to Jimmy Somerville's partner, the classically trained Richard Coles. I just noticed that The Communards share similar Soviet iconography with The Sisters of Mercy. The Gotham City Mix is fun too. I'm curious to hear the Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes version from 1975.

Arrested Development "Mr. Wendal" (Specialty test pressing 12"). I'd forgotten how idealistic this band was, a charming rap.

The Everly Brothers - A Date With The Everly Brothers (WB gold label stereo 1960). Despite the crackle of this beat up copy, this sounds FANTASTIC. Oddly, the sleeve is mono, the label stereo. I've been really impressed with this duo after the reunion album EB 84, and now the early years are strong. I'll be looking for more of their originals.

Dinah Washington - Dinah 63 (Roulette orange / pink label)

The Oyster Band - Step Outside (Cooking Vinyl / Rounder 1986)

The Don Scaletta Trio - Sunday Afternoon at the Trident (Trident / Verve

Gabor Szabo - More Sorcery (Impulse stereo)

Al Stewart - Modern Times (Chess/Janus 1975). The Allmusic reviewers mention of Lennon-esque melodies, and prog-folk is spot on...after Year of the Cat, I'm really liking this artist.

Little Richard - Lifetime Friend (Warner 1986)

Justin Hayward - Night Flight (Deram 1980)

The Graeme Edge Band Featuring Adrian Gurwitz -Kick off Your Muddy Boots (Threshold 1975)

The Steve Miller Band - Abracadabra (Capitol 1982)

ZZ Top - Eliminator (Warner 1983)

Dire Straights - Making Moves (Warner 1980)

Marty Robbins - Marty's Greatest Hits (Columbia six eye)

The Proclaimers - Sunshine on Leith (Chrysalis 1988)

Jerry Lee Lewis - S/T (Elektra 1979)

Marshall Crenshaw - Good Evening (Warner 1989)

The best Queen of the Night aria [Mozart's Magic Flute]

2006-07-24T18:33:00.000-04:00

[Photo of soprano Erna Berger, nine years after her performance. Source: Sandy Steiglitz]

I've been enjoying a shoot out of various performances of my all-time favorite opera aria. It is the Queen of the Night's from Mozart's The Magic Flute. The high f3 is exhilerating.

Background: I took a CD version of highlights from The Magic Flute travelling with me back in 1990, and listened to it on headphones over and over while travelling through South East Asia and Australia. I've since lost that copy and frustratingly don't recall the details.

A few years back, while systematically watching all the Criterion DVDs through Netflix, I watched Ingmar Bergman's The Magic Flute. I anticipated a chore, since opera seemed to require undue patience, but the movie turned out to make sense of the story, and highlight a gorgeous opera (albeit sung in Swedish).

Since then, I've been collecting different performances of this opera, and the radical differences in interpretation opened my mind to the importance of the conductor. [It helped that for one of these critical shoot outs with the opera, my father, a conductor, clearly articulated the other conductors approaches].

My current favorite is Erna Berger's 1937, Berlin performance under Sir Thomas Beecham. Berger's delivery is the fastest I've heard, but also the most passionate, conveying the urgency.

Its clearly a tough role, technically demanding since few sopranos can consistently reach the high f3, and to convey the evil, vengeful character without characature is challenging. And for one of the most transcendant, beautiful moments in opera to be a mother's directive to her daughter to go kill someone: "A vengeful Hell doth pulse within my heart", once again, not easy.

I'm hoping to add more thoughts on other performances:

1. Karin Ott's 1980 performance for Karajan in Berlin
2. Edita Gruberova's 1978 delivery for Lombard in Strasbourg
3. ...for Solti in Vienna

Yesterday's vinyl haul from the $1 bin

2006-05-27T10:24:00.000-04:00

The highlight so far from yesterday's haul was Frank Sinatra - Swing Along With Me (Reprise original) $5. [This photo is actually somebody else's copy, but the same version]

I've got a good handle on Sinatra''s Capitol years, with originaly pressings, and now I'm branching out into the earlier of the Reprise LPs, first pressings with the tri-color anxious Frank label. These sound rich, full and delightful.

Other finds:

Frank Sinatra - Ring a ding ding (Reprise original) $5
Harry Belafonte - Belafonte Sings the Blues (RCA LOP 1006) $3
Mel Torme - It's a Blue World (Bethlehem / Kenwood Japan) $5

And from the $1 pop bin:

Graham Nash - Songs for Beginners (Atlantic 1841 Broadway)
Jerry Lewis - Monsters (Sun, stereo!?)
Renaissance - Scheherazade (Sire 1975)
Linda Ronstadt - Mad Love (Asylum 1980)
Utopia - Adventures in Utopia (Bearsville 1980)
Supertramp - Paris (A&M 1980)
10cc - Deceptive Bends (Phonogram 1977)
The Supremes - Sing Rodgers & Hart (Motown 1967 mono)
Strawbs - Deep Cuts (Polydor 1976)
Genesis - Wind & Wuthering (Atco 1975)
Kim Wilde - Select (Rak)
Paul Simon - One Trick Pony (Warner 1980)
Miles Davis - Siesta (Warner 1987 Sterling)
Pete Townshend - Deep End Live (Atco 1986)
Count Basie - Kansas City Suite (Forum)
Dean Martin - Welcome To My World (Reprise mono)
The Limeliters - S/T (Elektra)
Roxette - The Look (EMI 12")
The Seekers - Georgy Girl (Capitol)
Stereo Review binaural demonstration record
Rod McKuen - The Beautiful Strangers (Warner 1967 green)
The Monkees - S/T (Colgems mono)
Marillion - Misplaced Childhood (EMI 1985)
Horslips - Short Stories, Tall Tales (Phonogram 1979)
Tony Bennett - Who Can I Turn To (Columbia mono)

Classical (mainly 25c or 50c, but some were a few dollars)

Britten - Pears (London mono)
Beethoven - Ashkenazy (London)
Liszt / Solti (London)
Mozart Cosi Fan Tutte / Solti (London)
Rachmaninov preludes / Ashkenazy (London)
Dvorak / Vienna Octet (London)
Wagner / Solti (London)
Mozart / Ashkenazy (London mono)
Pavarotti / Bonynge (London)
Sutherland / Pavarotti (London)
Franck / Munch (RCA LM 2131)
Berlioz / Munch (RCA LM 2228)
Tchaikovsky / Horowitz (RCA LM 2319)
Ravel / Toscanni (RCA LM 1048)
Vivaldi / Societa Corelli (RCA LM 1880)
Bach / Landowska (RCA LM 2194)
Spanish Song / Angeles (RCA LM 2144)
Strauss / Reiner (RCA LM 2103)
Hmyns / Fox (RCA LM 2099)
Chopin / Rubinstein (RCA LM 2277)
A Mighty Fortress / Robert Shaw (RCA LM 2199)
Cesare Valletti (RCA LSC 2540)
Handel / Stokowski (RCA LSC 2612)
Tchaikovsky / Cliburn (RCA LSC 2252)
Celedonio Romero (Mercury Living Presence)
Williams / Barbirolli (Mercury Living Presence mono)
Tchaikovsky Symphony 1-3 / Dorati (Mercury Living Presence stereo)
The Romeros (Mercury Living Presence mono)
Haydn / Benzi (Mercury stereo)
Tchaikovsky Nutcracker / Bolshoi (Columbia/Melodiya)
Mozart Symphony 40, 41 / Karajan (DG Germany)
Beethoven 5th / Gould (Columbia stereo)
Tchaikovsky / Karajan (Angel)
Nutcracker / NPO (CBS 1978)
Monteverdi / L'Orfeo (Archive)

Latest haul of RCA shaded dogs

2006-04-01T09:53:00.000-05:00

Mario Lanza sings Caruso Favorites (RCA LM 2393) sealed. Once again, I'm being lazy and this is someone else's photo. My copy, bought yesterday, is still sealed by the original 1960s mail order company "Bee Gee", with the $4.98 tag on the shrink, and then mark-down $3.87 sticker over that. And now $0.50 over them all. This is the first sealed golden era RCA LP I've ever found. I'm breaking it open as I write. I'm disappointed to discover its a Rockaway pressing, later stamper, but still a shaded dog label. But it is cool to imagine picking it up new in 1960 and being the first to see the pristine RCA instructional inner sleeve, and fresh vinyl. The sound is rich, and voice (which I'm hearing for the first time) powerful and expressive. Although the Italian orchestra backing Lanza is cheesey, and the vinyl crackly - probably Rockaway poor quality control, or a symptom of 46 years sealed.

My obsession with the RCA label is beginning to pall, as I become more open to the less explicitly "audiophile" labels. I'm picking up a lot of "safe" performances on RCA, and am looking forward to experimenting with the less collectible options (DG Archiv, Phillips, London, Bis, Vanguard, Angel, Parliament, Everest, Westminster). I've been caught up in the reissue mania for Decca SXL, RCA Living Stereo, Mercury Living Presence, and it is time to focus more on performance than engineering.

Yesterday's haul from the $0.50c bin, more RCA shaded dogs:

Best of Mario Lanza (RCA LM 2748)

Jussi Bjoerling in Song (RCA LM 1771)

Mario Lanza Love Songs (RCA LM 1188)

Jan Pierce Hebrew Melodies (RCA LSC 2498). This is prime era RCA Living Stereo from 1961, this copy unfortunately warped, with a crackle despite a VG++ visual grade (so much for RCA "Miracle Surface"). Playing this right after the Lanza/Caruso, the sound is much clearer (thank you engineer Ernest Oelrich), the orchestra (uncredited) powerful, and Pierce's delivery and emotion compelling.

And, non-RCA finds:

Villa-Lobos conducts Villa-Lobos Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 (Columbia 6 eye WLP). $3

Stravinsky conducts Stravinsky ballet (Columbia 2 eye mono) $0.10. This ones for my daughter Maddie, the ballet diva.

Martinon and London Phil. Strauss Le Beau Danube (FFRR mono) $0.10. As above, another budget ballet.

Britten Phaedra (Decca SXL 6847 narrow band) $2. Probably the most exciting find - late period Decca from 1977, but fantastic material.

Carl Nielsen - 12 Songs (Mercury mono) $1. I have the stereo and am curious about the mono.

Bach Cantatas / Kurt Thomas (HMV mono) $1

Cleaning up after the house party [Jimmy Smith]

2006-03-21T00:47:00.000-05:00

This evening's dollar bin finds:

Jimmy Smith's House Party (Blue Note W63rd St. "RVG"). I cleaned this one up, and apart from a light crackle, it has all the tubey hallmarks of prime Blue Note vinyl. I'm getting much more adventurous with 50s vinyl condition-wise. The vinyl appears to be so resilient that anything but gouges can often shine up to play acceptably.

George Shearing - White Satin (Capitol 9 o'clock handwritten)

Nancy Wilson - Welcome (Capitol France)

Dakota Stanton - Dakota at Storyville (Capitol France)

Miriam Makeba - Makeba Sings! (RCA Dynagroove)

Bing Crosby - Feels Good Feels Right (London)

John Lennon & Yoko Ono - Double Fantasy (Geffen- Sterling...oops, a dupe)

Billie Holiday Live (Phoenix 1981 - dubious provenance, not sure if this material is also elsewhere)

Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life (OK, $2 and another dupe, but with the 45 and booklet intact, and still need to check if this is "the one" as far as the deadwax goes)

Bing Crosby - Beautiful Memories (UA Canada)

Trio Irakitan - A Volta (Odeon Brazil mono). A prime example of the great engineering and pressing of 50s/60s Brazilian vinyl. But also an example of the abuse the locals gave vinyl. This era sealed the paper sleeve covers in poly, which means that once you cut away the decaying poly, the picture sleeve is typically pristine.

Agnaldo Timoteo (Odeon)

Morgana - A Fada Loura (Copocabana)

Grateful Dead - Live (WB Green label 2LP)

And $5 @
Billie Holiday - Giants of Jazz (Time Life 3LP - the booklet photos are great)
Charlie Parker - The Charlie Parker Sides - Norman Granz Jam Session (Verve 1977 2LP)

Mercury Living Presence Olympian series

2006-03-08T22:45:00.000-05:00

The Mercury Living Presence mono Olympian "MG" series are consistently excellent. These can often be found in the $1 bin, and can be as strong or even more satisfying than the more collectible stereo "SR" series.

Here's one that really wowed me last night, requiring multiple spins. This is actually a photo of someone else's LP from eBay that's going for about $8 shipped. Mine was $6.50. Both on the steep side.

Reviewer Leonard Norwitz of Enjoythemusic.com wrote an insightful profile of various titles. He also noted a preference for first or third pressings (dead wax stamper shows 1st pressing MR, 2nd FR, 3rd is RFR). And if you've a lightweight stereo arm (as I do) recommends the last pressings (RFR). My copy of the Ravel La Valse is a MR, and previously I'd always thought to seek out the earliest pressings.

As you'll see from Norwitz's profile, the cover art is another draw, typically details from colorful paintings. Also see this encyclopedic review of Wilma Cozart Fine's engineering along with more cover art (mainly at the bottom of the page). The single mic 12 feet above conductor Paul Paray conveys a simplicity, and even a binaural effect with headphones.

The famous stereo titles with the gauche ribbon announcing "stereo" are far less appealing. Here are a selection on AcousticSounds. To get a close up look, click on the cover and click again for a big image. Curious how the more collectible titles aren't as visually appealing or inspiring as the neglected monos.

Ravel's La Valse is stunning and forceful, with Paray driving the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in a delirious waltz-time.

Many of Paray's performances are now also on SACD, but I think without exception these are stereo (in fact, three channel).

Grace Slick - Software [RCA 1984]

2006-02-27T23:05:00.000-05:00

I had few expectations of Grace Slick's Software [RCA 1984]. My Jefferson Airplane completism is kicking in, and this appeared on the surface to be a new low, a symptom of where completism goes terribly wrong. The LP had the added allure of being sealed and $1.

After unwrapping, the dead wax revealed "TML" The Mastering Lab, and the liner notes confirm the excellent Doug Sax as the mastering engineer.

AllMusic didn't seem to rate the LP highly, only 2.5 stars, but upon reading the extensive review, the writer considers this album the strongest Airplane side-project. And to compare "Bikini Atoll" to my favorite Airplane song "Lather", well I had to hear it through. And it ends with a bang.

The album is standard early 80s pop on the one hand - lots of synths and drum , but Slick adds a surreal quality that transcends the period flourishes.

Latest vinyl haul like no other

2006-02-25T22:58:00.000-05:00

Once again, my daughter Maddie was a champ, and we traded off, one toy store for one record store, and traipsed around Manhattan for most of the day with this happy rhythm. The haul was from Gimme Gimme Records. With hindsight, the condition of much of the vinyl was not great. A bunch had clearly been discarded by an audiophile after a clean and left in their VRP rice-paper sleeves. Many of the older titles shared the symptom of the top seam being completely split.

Gene Clark's No Other
(Elektra 1974) $1
VG-, but hoping it cleans up well. I expect the alternate takes will eventually prompt purchase of the 2003 CD.
Edit: 3-21-06. I've cleaned the LP and it plays pretty well. In between tracks there's a intermittent, light crackle, but it doesn't bother me. Bizarrely, the cover is pristine.

Sonny Rollins' Our Man In Jazz
(RCA reissue on Classic Records). $4
Retails at $33, so this was a steal. And a pleasure to hear too. Just three tracks, but Rollins hold my attention. I'm regretting parting with the RCA Rollins box now, but perhaps album by album is the easier way to explore this era.

The Cannonball Adderley Quintet in San Franscico
(Riverside Stereo blue/silver VG-) $7
Having given this a spin now, I'll stick with the SACD, although the Analogue Productions 2x 45RPM version will no doubt remain the definitive. Underneath the crackle is some formidable action, but it may not get another listen (sad).
Edit: 3-21-06. I cleaned the LP, but the marks are definitely damage and not dirt, so I don't expect much of an improvement.

Michael Murray playing the Great Organ in the Methuen Memorial Music Hall
(Telarc Germany 1977 direct to disc). $1

Cat Power's The Greatest
(Matador 2006, mastered by Kevin Gray onto RTI 180g vinyl). $9
Surely this is Matador's cost price for the pressing, given how much RTI must charge. The first side of the LP sounded great, but didn't engage me.

Gaite Pariesienne
(RCA LM-1817). A second copy, but this time the earlier pressing with original cover art. Washed and rice-papered, if an audiophile dumped it they were upgrading, or this particular one sucked.

Grace Slick's Software
(RCA sealed) $1.
The Airplane kick continues, having watched the documentary film last night, I'm gearing up to investigate even the more dubious stretches of Airplane member catalogue.

Keely Smith's Politely
(Capitol rainbow logo at 12pm) $3
Top seam split all the way and vinyl VG, but may clean up. Hmm. Overpaid here. I'm looking to pick up all her material, particularly with Louis Prima.

Big Bill Bronzy and Washboard Sam
(MCA 1986 mastered by Steve Hoffman). $6
At last, replaces an inadvertent Italian MCA pressing.

Bruce Springsteen's Greetings from Asbury Park
The bazillionth opportunity to buy this for a $1 raised its head after all the hype around the Born to Run 30th anniversary, and I buckled. Could have held out for a 1A pressing, ah well.

Elton John's Tumbleweed Connection
I could say this was a $1 audition for the $6 SACD, but the tumbleweed may stop here. Yet to see.
Edit: 3-21-06. Disappointing. No upgrades for this title.

Charlie Parker The Verve Years 1952-54.
(Verve) $4
Remastered by Bob Ludwig. I have the St Nicks set that was the original issue of one of the two discs, and the sonics are muddy to the point of being unlistenable. I'm curious to see if Ludwig managed to make improvements.

Junior Mance's Harlem Lullaby
(Atlantic mono) $4
Giving this a spin now. The monos from this era are hard to find in decent condition, so this VG++ copy is a rarity. Mance plays bluesy jazz on harpsichord. Yowzer. Just wrapping side two. I had thought "St James Infirmiary" would be the draw, but the funkier piano tracks are the stand outs.

Charlie Parker The Complete Savoy Studio Sessions
(Arista 1978) $15.
Rudy Van Gelder remastered, but nagging doubt tells me the latest CD version will be the winner (after the 78s of course).

Jethro Tull's Warchild
(1974 Chrysalis). $1.
George Peckham mastered in UK, and scrawl is in the deadwax on this US version, so I expect that they're similar. Supposedly the MFSL is strong. This LP was strong in places, but not as consistent as Passion Play (my current favorite).

Count Basie's King of Swing
(Clef) $5.
VG. Hard to find any Clefs, let alone any not completely gouged, and this one looks to have promise. Cleaning up vinyl from the early '50s has become something of a pet project. It is so satisfying to see the gunk that comes out of the grooves, and then hear the difference.
Edit: 3-21-06. Upon further inspection, the vinyl didn't really need much of a clean, but got one anyway. No smudgey crud coming off the grooves...shame really.

Ella Swings Lightly
(Verve) $3

Stan Getz - The Chick Corea /Bill Evans Sessions
(Verve twofer remastered by Bob Ludwig) $3

Television Personalities - My Dark Places

2006-02-22T21:50:00.000-05:00

Eight years since the last album, The Television Personalities new LP - My Dark Places (due 2/27/06), has really grabbed me. I had read about the band for years, but am hearing their music for the first time today. I knew they were willfully shambolic, and am familiar with various spin offs and bands that cited them as influences. I get the sense that they were so influential that coming late to their music, it sounds derivative of devotees like The Beat Happening, Felt, Mark Stewart, and The Pastels, but also something boldly silly.

"She Can Stop Traffic" recalls The Beat Happening "She's a Godsend" - a longtime fave. The whole LP has a raw honesty.

I also have the pleasure of hearing it 5 days before release, having picked it up for $0.49 in a local store, the CD housed in a plain white sleeve with only the cryptic scrawl "TVP My Dark Places" to identify it. Luckily, I'd read a rave review, and was on the lookout.

Frontman Dan Treacy has a curious story, trouble with drugs, believed dead, then writing a harrowing blog from prison before this comeback. Not sure where the prison posts are, but he's still blogging. And his fanbase seems committed.

Shopping for ballet on vinyl with Maddie

2006-02-19T22:27:00.000-05:00

My daughter Madeline (3 years old) has been staging performances of the Nutcracker in our living room twice a day, every day, for months now. There's the matinee before "quiet time", and then the late afternoon performance. She asks for cues, like "who's that?" and given the storyline, expresses the story in concord with the music. Maddie is quite professional. She'll insist that she wear her leotard, tights and ballet slippers. Between each movement, she'll exit the stage.

Every week after her ballet class, she incorporates the latest moves into her performance. Her regular audience is her 4 month old brother, who sits transfixed in his bouncy seat or Exersaucer (as the mood takes him).

Maddie started performing to Bernstein's Nutcracker on SACD, and has progressed to the unabridged Dorati on Mercury Living Presence (original pressing). Of course, as her Dad, I'm convinced that she's a genius, and brimming with pride.

More recently, she's been picking up tips from the Kirov Ballet DVD of Sleeping Beauty, which she doesn't tire of watching, despite being 3 hours long.

This evening, we had plotted together to shop for more ballet on vinyl (with Mum and little brother conveniently off to Berlin). I prepped her on the difference between good dogs and bad dogs (RCA Shaded Dog vs. Dynagroove), which she quickly caught on to, also identifying many titles when she spotted a ballerina on the cover.

We spent two hours in the store, and only near the end did she suggest for the first time, that perhaps it was time to move on. Adda girl!

Jefferson Starship Family Galactic Reunion

2006-02-07T20:06:00.000-05:00

[Photo of Grace Slick]

The Jefferson Airplane kick continues. Last week, walking past BB King's Blues Bar on 42nd Street on the way home from work, I saw that Bo Diddley was playing. I'd missed him last year, and his set was almost over. I got to watch through the glass for a couple of minutes and get a flavor of his set and band. Hopefully he'll survive long enough for me to hear him close up.

Looking at the club's upcoming shows, The Jefferson Starship Family Galactic Reunion and Country Joe are slated to play on February 17. Wow. Just after blogging about hearing them in 1992, here they are, just a few blocks away from home.

Given commitments at home, its unlikely that Friday of next week, I'll be at the concert, but its comforting to know that they're close at hand.

Tonight I'm listening to Surrealistic Pillow (DCC vinyl). Ah, wonderful. Certainly a contender with Crown of Creation for their strongest album.

I've relistened to the debut, and am still non-plussed. Then my beat up copy of Volunteers was just too crackly to play. And The Worst of Jefferson Airplane really doesn't work for me. Their material really works best in the original album context. The mastering of this compilation (vinyl original) didn't impress either, and my copy is pristine (another $1 bin find).

The mono After Bathing at Baxters underwhelmed, but tonight my VG condition stereo original 1S Hollywood pressing is actually sounding great. The album's status as pyschedelic masterpiece is making more sense now. I'm just getting to the end of "Won't You Try Saturday Afternoon" as I write. Somehow I picked up a beat up Airplane collection (four titles) from one particular $1 bin, and despite the damage, the music is shining through on all but the orange label Volunteers. Testament to RCA engineers and the sturdy late '60s vinyl...oh, and the music too.

Next stops will be their live material, then the remaining studio albums: Bark, Long John Silver, Bless its Pointed Little Head, and the Jefferson Airplane Loves You 3 CD set for the unreleased material.

Jefferson Airplane - Crown of Creation

2006-01-31T23:59:00.000-05:00

What a pleasure to hear a great album for the first time and really connect with it. I've been working my way through the Jefferson Airplane catalogue, drawn in first by the obvious White Rabbit. And then my interest was piqued by discussion around the mono vs. stereo mixes of Surrealistic Pillow. Next step was the Sundazed reissue of the mono mix, which underwhelmed. And then the DCC stereo, which opened the door for me.

You'd think I'd have learned from the Sundazed experience, but unable to resist a bargain, I found sealed copies of the mono After Bathing at Baxters and Takes Off at Other Music for $7.98 each (they retail at $18.99). Neither album has really made an impact. But this evening, the stereo Crown of Creation (first pressing in only VG condition from the dollar bin) has me enthralled. Right away (and this is always telling), I want to clean up my copy, pick up the expanded CD for bonus tracks, and the Mobile Fidelity LP for comparison. Not to mention picking up more copies of the first pressing to find a quiet one. Ah, the obsessive quality kicks in.

And then there's the Speakers Corner reissue of Volunteers (OK, so I've yet to listen to my first pressing to even know if the material appeals). I've a couple of other as yet unplayed Airplane LPs on the shelf already. Mojo covered Paul Kantner's Blows Against the Empire as a "buried treasure" this month, and that still seems to crop up in dollar bins, so there's more to explore.

The sound effects on Crown of Creation are fun, particularly on headphones. The whole sound takes me back to the Haight in 1992, hearing Paul Kantner's outdoor concert under the Jefferson Starship name in Golden Gate Park. At the time, along with hearing the Grateful Dead, and basking in Beat writer landmarks, this symbolized everything I loved about San Francisco.

Grado rules

2006-01-31T23:45:00.000-05:00

For a long while there, we were a one phonograph household. I had destroyed the Grado cartridge with my noodling, and wasn't ready to drop $80 to replace it. I emailed Grado Labs in Brooklyn to see if there were other options. They suggested sending the cartridge in so that they could check it out.

Well, a few days later, a package arrives from sender John Grado, and they've replaced the cartridge AT NO CHARGE.

That made my week. I popped in the Grado Gold stylus, and was up and running in maybe 15 minutes. It sounded great, even before any burn in.

I'll certainly keep Grado top of mind for cartridges as I explore mono and 78RPM cartridge options.

2005-12-23T22:13:00.000-05:00

I've destroyed my Technics 1200 SL. Supposedly unbreakable. Deejays have demonstrated this by standing on the deck as it spins (not advisable). I began by tweaking the settings. The table is really versatile and allows vertical tracking angle, stylus pressure and anti-tracking force to be changed with simple dials. So, I read the instructions, and balanced the tonearm perfectly, researched the appropriate tracking force for a Grado Gold stylus, and had everything just so. But somehow the sound wasn't quite what I wanted. I recalled seeing grey gunk inside the cart that may have built up over the ten years of play. It actually looks like old vinyl. So, I removed this "gunk", and horror, the record didn't sound. Just a hint of the right channel.

I called upon friend and audio expert Mike Venables, and he suggested a few tests. Confirming that one channel was gone completely, I confirmed this was probably dead in the water. I called NeedleDoctor and talked to a friendly sales rep (Matt), and he confirmed that the gunk was in fact a conductive material to connect the stylus and cart. Yikes.

Well, I got side-tracked talking in talking with Matt, and discussed upgrading the table to handle 78RPM, and buying separate headshells so I could swap out the 78 cart, and even a third cart for mono LPs/45s.

For the first time, I removed the headshell, and it plugs and unplugs with ease. Great design.

Anyway, more to come as I contact Grado, and see if there's a substitute for the magic gunk to get the table playing tunes again.

Kate Rogers covers Smiths and Pixies

2005-11-27T15:21:00.000-05:00

I'm going off topic here, since Kate Rogers has a CD-only, distinctly un-audiophile recording. But after seeing Gouge, the Pixies documentary, and Radiohead commenting that "nobody could cover the Pixies", it was fun to hear Rogers give it a try.

The results are pleasant enough. Certainly a kick to hear such vitriolic music in so soothing an arrangement.

Thank you Vaughn Monroe

2005-11-27T11:03:00.000-05:00

I started listening to the latest $1 bin haul, from my first visit to the recently relocated grouch at Rockit Scientist on St. Marks Place. First, Russ Tolman's Totem Poles and Glory Holes (Restless 1986). The attraction was the Byron Coley blurb on the LP cover describing it as a "real cooter". Had top find out what a cooter would sound like. AllMusic gives it four stars and makes it the AllMusic pick for Tolman. Shame. The LP sonics so bright as to be unbearable.

So, I switch to The Best of Vaughn Monroe (MCA Collectibles 1983). Mastered by Kevin Gray and reissue produced by Steve Hoffman. This duo handled much of the MCA Collectibles series. From what I can tell, based on hearing a handful, they're all outstanding. Monroe is not an artist I'd have pursued without the audiophile pedigree of this particular collection. Musically, I'm not wowed, but its pleasant singer / big band material, and such a relief after the screechy Tolman LP. I've gotten picky enough that I simply cannot listen to sub par mastering. Conversely my appreciation of good mastering with "the breath of life" has me enjoying and seeking out music that is more MOR, mainstream, and resolutely unhip. In fact, since I've become a regular on Hoffman's forum I've been pursuing the most uncool $1 bin artists imaginable.

My $1 bin strategy results in an odd hauls of on one hand Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Judy Collins, Simon & Garfunkel, RCA and Mercury classical, Pablo jazz, and on the other hand Congolese guitar, Algerian Rai, indie rock, experimental, etc. I'm glad that the forum has opened my ears to the obvious. I'm even enjoying Elton John. The way in has been that these mainstream recordings are, in certain pressings, audiophile experiences. I enjoy them first sonically, and often the music that I might have considered schmaltzy, grows on me. The whole idea of cool/uncool music is out the window, and I'm a musical omnivore, enjoying stuff purely on merit. In fact, the prior uncool factor has its own appeal, when my hipster brother raises an eyebrow at my listening to Jethro Tull. Certainly not Pitchfork Media-approved.

Peggy Lee at Basin Street East

2005-11-10T21:58:00.000-05:00

Despite a scratchy surface, my $1 copy of "Basin Street East Proudly Present Miss Peggy Lee, Recorded at the fabulous New York club" (Capitol rainbow mono) is a delight.

A listen to side one compelled me to write something. A vibrant version of her trademark "Fever", a snappy "I Got A Man", phew. Despite being actually recorded in a studio, this has the live pizzazz.

WFMU Record Fair 2005

2005-11-08T22:23:00.000-05:00

With my son being only one month old, my wife is a gem to support my afternoon at the WFMU record fair. She took our kids to a farm with her parents, and I got to attend my favorite record fair. Sunday afternoon is the tail end of the three day event. Most of the treasures are long gone, but dealers are restless and open to haggling.

Highlights of the haul:

Nat King Cole - Love is the Thing (DCC LP)
Elvis Presley - Elvis Presley (RCA mono, 4th version. A later stamper, but shiny vinyl with a book value of $200)
Nat King Cole - The Nat King Cole Story (Capitol rainbow mono)
Frank Sinatra - Close to You (Capitol grey label mono)
Frank Sinatra - A Swingin' Affair (Capitol grey label mono)
Frank Sinatra - Only The Lonely (Capitol grey label mono)
Fiedler - Gaite Parisienne (RCA LM 2267 Mono A 3S H) Rare to see a "H" Hollywood pressing. Supposedly not up to the high standards of the Indianapolis plant, and of course, this was RCA's first big stereo release, and that is typically considered the version to hear. On top of that, the cover art from this 1959 release is not of the original 1954 LSC 1817 version:

That art is much more striking. For this release, the options are daunting: Classic 180g or 200g, 33RPM or 45RPM, SACD US, Hong Kong, Japanese XRCD, US CD, stereo, mono versions, the variations are endless. Well, with my $1 investment, I'm seeing how I like the material. I can hear the audiophile appeal in the realistic percussion, and punchy brass. This is a great "show-off" disc. Perhaps I'm not in the mood for can-can.

Chet Atkins - Chet Atkins in Hollywood (LSP 1993, a Rockaway pressing, later stamper and worse for wear. But lovely material, soothing).
Five Don Shirley LPs (classically trained jazz pianist)
Ian & Sylvia - Four Strong Winds (Vanguard Stereolab black and silver original NM.. Now I can compare with the Cisco reissue, although my sense is the reissue will win out)

I'm delighted to have the energy and time to post again after a month-long silence. Thus far, I've only heard the Gaite Parisienne, and Nat King Cole - The Nat King Cole Story (Capitol rainbow mono). I'd been posting on Steve Hoffman's forum about preferred Cole masterings and material, and I'm finding this collection fairs surprisingly well against the much vaunted DCC gold hits version, where there's overlap. I had expected the difference to be more pronounced.

I'm practicing delayed gratification by not listening to the Nat King Cole - Love is the Thing (DCC LP). I have high hopes as I tend to prefer Cole's albums over the compilations, and the mastering on this is supposedly outstanding. Of course, there's the collector kudos to being able to hear it at all, which is also appealing.

I keep expecting my son to wake up wailing, so I'm off to see how he's doing.

Beth Carvalho - Beth (RCA Brazil 1986)

2005-09-06T22:28:00.000-04:00

Ah, what a wonderful, unexpected find. Mid-80s Brazilian pop often yielded synth-driven, lackluster material and cheesey covers (this cover is no exception). Beth Carvahlo's self titled album "Beth" (RCA Brazil 1986) is old school samba, breezy, recalling whatever quality keeps bringing me back to Black Orpheus. This Brazilian pressing was 99c, and I've played it a lot in recent months. The sonics on this LP are warm and engrossing. While I've yet to A/B a Brazilian versus a US pressing, they clearly did a fine job on many titles.
This is also one of her albums that has been neglected by Allmusic.com and barely touched upon in discographies. Looks like it was reissued on CD in 2001.

Farewell Footlight Records, hello bargains

2005-08-28T21:23:00.000-04:00

Footlight Records just closed their doors today after 30 years in business. Along with all the other vinyl vultures, I was there for the 75% off sale. But it was a sad moment too. Particularly for fans of soundtracks on vinyl, since this collection was comprehensive. I'd been selling review copies of soundtrack CDs to the store for nearly a decade, but never actually bought anything there due to the high prices. But take 75% off, and that's a different story.

Currently spinning is Count Basie & His Orchestra's Best of Basie [Roulette, 1960], a deep groove, first pressing, from the "Birdland Series". The cover boasts "full dimensional sound", and these glorious mono swing numbers are full, warm, foot-tapping fun. Scott Yanow's AllMusic.com review pans the record as redundant revival work without the original soloists. I have a 1950s Decca compilation that covers much of the same tunes from around 1938, with the vaunted soloists (need to check that since liner notes don't list the players). This LP is the gold on black "microgroove" label, so should be a decent comparison. But straight away I know the sonics from twenty years back, are most likely not going to have the satisfying quality of the Roulette LP.

Much as I'm a fan of those soloists (Lester Young et al), a lot of great Basie recordings can be found outside his supposed golden era. Particularly his autumn years on Pablo records (another audiophile bargain). I've found older Roulette titles crackly, and the reissues not so impressive, so it was a pleasure to find a clean, flat (as in, not warped), heavy platter on this label [50c].

Next up, Duke Ellington and His Orchestra At His Very Best (RCA mono LPM-1715). Certainly a stronger pedigree than the Basie, with more vaunted side-men, this late 1959 pressing compiles a few 10" discs from 1940-1944. The stamper is "1S A1 I", and it certainly doesn't get much better than that (first stamper, first matrix, and pressed at the pernickety Indianapolis plant). The collection includes a couple of my favorites, "Black, Brown and Beige", "Creole Love Call" (somehow from 1927), and "Transbluecency". This copy was $3.75, which is on the steep side, but the stamper info hooked me.

Well, there were almost a dozen discs in all. Some hits, some misses, but a good haul. Thanks Footlights.

My opinion of Chicago Transit Authority is forever changed

2005-08-16T00:58:00.000-04:00

My opinion of Chicago Transit Authority is forever changed after an evening of listening to sides 3 and 4 of their debut. This electric jazz freakout suited my late night work session, and warranted repeat plays for a few hours.

Next stop, Speakers Corner's reissue of Argenta's Espana (Decca). My expectations were high given the audiophile credentials, but while pleasant, it couldn't really draw my attention from emails.

Ian & Sylvia's Four Strong Winds (Cisco/Vanguard reissue) was so attention grabbing that I couldn't possibly write emails. Hard panned stereo with Ian in one ear and Sylvia the other make it a curious experience on headphones.

Currently spinning is Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet (Mercury Living Presence). An FR1 pressing (that's the first stamper), $1 from a thrift store. This title was just reissued by Speakers Corner, so it is satisfying to have the original. Despite the occasional tick and mucky appearance, this plays well enough. Romantic, and now commanding most of my attention, since I've stopped with the work emails.

The prospect of only five hours of sleep is sending me bedwards, but this has provided a pleasant wind down.

The Grateful Dead - American Beauty [Green label original]

2005-08-11T22:16:00.000-04:00

Ahhhh. After a long, long work week, the Grateful Dead's American Beauty hits the spot. Does the pressing play a part in this warm bath of analog bliss? Well, the choices are broad: The DVD-Audio in 5.1 or stereo, Rhino Records recent repress, the Warner Bros' 80s reissue, and that sonic holy grail of American Beauties, the WLP (white label DJ promo). I can only claim to have compared the 5.1 mix, and the original stereo pressing. Both are delightful, but the original has the edge, and I'm still scouring eBay for the WLP.

Chicago Transit Authority

2005-08-03T01:24:00.000-04:00

I've moved on from Rubber Soul this evening, to a first UK pressing, Island pink rim label of Richard and Linda Thompsons' I Want To See the Bright Lights Tonight. This has been on heavy rotation since acquiring it from a Canadian eBay seller a few months back. After I asked for a play grade, the seller listened to it, and actually requested that I not buy it, since he enjoyed it so much. He gave me the history of his copy of the LP, buying it in London in 1973, and it evoked that era for him (when I was still in diapers). Anyway, of course I insisted he send it (he had also sold me a first UK Track press of Quadrophenia, so we'd already had a lengthy correspondance about that LP). I offered to send him a CDR of my US Hannibal CD, but he preferred to sulk, and regret having ever listed the LP.

The Thompsons' album never grabbed me on CD, but this pressing lured me into the performance, and I've been eager to revisit their vignettes on a regular basis.

Next up, Chicago's debut, Chicago Transit Authority. The pressing is a Columbia Stereo 1A/1A/1A/1A in near mint condition. $2. The "1A" indicates a first pressing from a first stamper, which typically gives a clearer sound, closer to the test pressings that the artists approve.

Often I'm lured by the vinyl's matrix credentials, a mastering engineer, or record label, rather than the actual music. Sometimes this pays off. In this case, Stephen Malkmus of Pavement referenced this album in an interview, so it had a few things going for it - low investment, solid vinyl credentials, and hipster cred, particularly because later material by the band is held in such low regard. Admiring an album by a reviled band is satisfying for its provocative quality.

I'm warming up to the music. Sonically it delivers, but the jazz-rock thing takes a while to get into. Not sure if I'll listen to all four sides before the prospect of waking up in five hours for work motivates me to try and sleep.

-David

Mono Rubber Soul rocks!

2005-08-03T00:14:00.000-04:00

Just $15 from a seller in Australia, and with a matrix number that tells me its from a tube cut stamper! I'm listening to the mono 1982 pressing of The Beatles' Rubber Soul, and its sonic nirvana.

After ten years of writing record reviews for magazines and books with tens of thousands of readers but no feedback, I've started a blog with the intention of just saying whatever comes to mind about records I pick up from local dollar bins, win on eBay, or read about on my favorite audiophile forum Steve Hoffman's Forum.

I'm hoping that I'll start a dialogue about stuff I care about. It all comes back to the music, to the journey I take when I put on headphones, spin a record and hit the web for nuggets of info, and the hope of finding common ground with fellow travellers. But there's a heap of trainspotter treasure-seeking that can either lead me closer to the music, or down rabbit holes. This includes formats (vinyl, SACD, DVD-A, DTS) and vinyl matrix numbers, pressings, cleaning/restoration, and countless other sciences of the audiophile.

Full disclosure: My job requires that I understand the medium of blogs. So the blog is driven in part by the desire to better understand blogging by writing my own. I never had the commitment to keep a diary. Typically my creative writing depended on deadlines at school or in workshops, so whether I maintain the regular postings of a credible blog remains to be seen.
-David