I remember a visit as a boy with my dad to his friend’s house where he played a system with four large, black speakers -one in each corner pointing into the center. I was blown away by music coming from everywhere. I believe the owner was a doctor by trade as my father pointed out that is how he could afford the hi-fi. His son had an old Garrard with a rotatable stylus for 33/78. And a real yellowing, human skeleton under his bed, in a box, all the separated bones. Procured by his dad apparently. We never had a record player in our house, but loved visiting luckier cousins who had a Stereogram cabinet where we would stack up the autochanger with 45s and dig through the new 33 compilations which came out every month. I was fasciated by the mechanics and the way its tubes took time to heat up.
Do You Remember Your First Time?Is It As Good As You Dreamed?
My old man was a bonafide hillbilly preacher.The fallen angel was a musician so music was forbidden in my house..As the oldest son I was "home schooled"& groomed to follow...
His vocation was painter & he had a turn key apartment business prepping move outs for new occupancy..He also performed maintenance at several complexes..
Around my 12th.summer while in forced servitude to the old man,we went to a unit for a sheetrock repair..When the youngish tenant opened the door a sound unlike any I knew existed was floating around the unit...HUGE turntable & massive big black box with a beautiful glass front & big blue meters dancing to the sound of Brown Eyed Girl(IRONIC that it would be a former member of the old mans faith singing!)..The speakers were massive,each sitting perfectly in the corners of the living room..We went about our business & after a blissful 40 minutes we were done...That day I heard the Allman Brothers,Led Zeppelin,The Stones & CCR & I can still close my eyes & picture my old mans face as the Hammer of the Gods No Quarter pounded out!
By the age of 15 I was living on the road & at 18 in the Army...I always swore someday I would sit back while catching a good buzz & listen to sounds that I could float away on.Over the years I've had a few decent budget systems but only now,in this day & age has the budget gear gotten so good that a broken down retired ole army dog such as myself could have sound that truly transcends the environment..There are times when the system & room really does vanish, leaving what Sir Elton John called "solid walls of sound"..I can hear people sneeze from what appears to be the hallway outside my apartment during a classical concert,the squeak of chairs as members shift..Guitars & vocals that float around the room like ghosts...Cello's so dark & haunting they could devour your soul.
It may be a "budget system" but there is nothing budget about the sound,the perfect companion to 12 year old GlenDronach or Macallan Highland Scotch & yea,it is everything I ever wanted...
His vocation was painter & he had a turn key apartment business prepping move outs for new occupancy..He also performed maintenance at several complexes..
Around my 12th.summer while in forced servitude to the old man,we went to a unit for a sheetrock repair..When the youngish tenant opened the door a sound unlike any I knew existed was floating around the unit...HUGE turntable & massive big black box with a beautiful glass front & big blue meters dancing to the sound of Brown Eyed Girl(IRONIC that it would be a former member of the old mans faith singing!)..The speakers were massive,each sitting perfectly in the corners of the living room..We went about our business & after a blissful 40 minutes we were done...That day I heard the Allman Brothers,Led Zeppelin,The Stones & CCR & I can still close my eyes & picture my old mans face as the Hammer of the Gods No Quarter pounded out!
By the age of 15 I was living on the road & at 18 in the Army...I always swore someday I would sit back while catching a good buzz & listen to sounds that I could float away on.Over the years I've had a few decent budget systems but only now,in this day & age has the budget gear gotten so good that a broken down retired ole army dog such as myself could have sound that truly transcends the environment..There are times when the system & room really does vanish, leaving what Sir Elton John called "solid walls of sound"..I can hear people sneeze from what appears to be the hallway outside my apartment during a classical concert,the squeak of chairs as members shift..Guitars & vocals that float around the room like ghosts...Cello's so dark & haunting they could devour your soul.
It may be a "budget system" but there is nothing budget about the sound,the perfect companion to 12 year old GlenDronach or Macallan Highland Scotch & yea,it is everything I ever wanted...