The Divine your vinyl of the week

Tales From The Vienna Woods

Decca SXL 6040, 1963 WB 2E/2E

An easy listening record with Strauss Walzes from the Vienna New Year 1962 Concert in the Sofiensaal. Excellent tone, unusually great Soundstage (imaging), ravishingly reverberant overall sound, Karas Zither playing (he made The Third Man music so famous). If side 2 doesn't cheer you up, you've got problems.
Served by FR-66s, Arche HS, Ikeda 9 cart.

Here is my entry.

M-A Recordings new 2 disc limited edition LPs from Argentinian musicians, Sera Una Noche, entitled; La Segunda.

http://www.hpsoundings.com/2013/05/two-limited-edition-lps-from-m-a-recordings/

This release is a great listen. Wonderful sound quality and the music is wonderful. I have been enjoying it since I got it last week. I've played it with a modified Thorens 125 Mk2 with an Origin Live modified RB-250 and Ortofon OM20 Super cart. I've also played it on a Bob Shuster re-built Technics 1200 with a Ortofon headshell and Denon DL-110 cart.

Some of my essentials include:

Charlie Christian with the Benny Goodman Sextet and Orchestra, Columbia CL 652 (recorded 1939-41)

Gene Ammons--Light, Breezy and Moody, Mercury-Wing MGW 12156 (recorded 1947-48)

Johnny Hartman--The Voice That Is, Impulse A-74

Barney Kessel-Vol. 1 Easy Like, Contemporary C3511 (recorded 1953-56)

Only the Hartman is in stereo. The other 3 are in glorious mono. Nevertheless, each LP is a sonic treat as well as a musical delight.

My best record, that I regularly listen to is a decca sxl but re-cut
by Linn ,it is Ravel concerto in G major for piano and orchestra with J Katchen and the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by I Kertesz.
The sound is incredible, you can imagine you are at the concert, you have the air around the players, the dynamic is terrific, width and depth is amazing.You are not at the first raw but in the life I am never at this place at a concert.
I own a lot of decca sxl but the job made by linn is impressive as few records I have are so good.
This version is a reference on music only so you have the bonus of an audiophile recording.
On the other face you have Bartok concerto n°3 for piano and orchestra.
I listen to this one with a heavily tweaked lenco with OL conqueror mkII tonearm and zyx airy 3

Doug Macleod, Come To Find

Audioquest Music AQ 1027, 1994

Well, when someone wants to listen to a vocal killer record, here it is. The Burner. Nothing new can match it, the Artists at the Mastering Desks are gone. A hyped Reissue is available but there are serious differences. It is pale and slow in comparison, the instrumental power in the original AQ Version is much, much more dynamic and overall it misses a lot of high frequency details. To say it very mildly: "Not the real thing..."

Sonny Boy Williamson, Keep It to Ourselves

Storyville SLP 4176, Denmark

Not the common "Shot-In-The-Back-From-A-Jealous-Husband" Blues, this is a top record when you come home after a tough day and you want to come down in 5 minutes. Excellent recording, countless nuances, great, cool, relaxed voice. That's the foot tapping blues record.

La Fille Mal Gardée

London CS 6052, ROHCG / Lanchberry 6W/5W

Very lively, fresh ballet music, loaded with endless Details. It is never boring, full of Power, Pressure, Dynamics, deep Bass, micro Detail, very airy Trumpets and clear attack in the Celli & Violins.
Arthur Lilley made the recording, a masterpiece from Kingsway Hall. a sonic impression to be inside the Hall, you can "see" the walls, you can hear the reflexions from the back. Outstanding.

Rhapsodies from Liszt /Enesco / Smetana

RCA LSC 2471, Stokowski conducts the RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra

2 Words: Monster Soundstage

Records like this were responsible for the comeback of analog in the 90's
starting with a popular track from Franz Liszt to "fasten your seat belts please": Enescu

A Legend