My favorite is thick as a brick for Tull. On reprise.
TheVinylPress.com
As some of you know, I have been pursuing vinyl and audio for a long time, and recently decided to write about it. I launched a site called http://TheVinylPress.com which is devoted to older records that deserve renewed attention. The site launched quietly last month with a feature about the U.S.Library of Congress audio-visual restoration archive, and the latest installment features an inteview with Olav Wyper, the creator of the legendary Vertigo Swirl label. For now, this is a labor of love. I hope you find something worthwhile.*
Bill Hart
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*N.B. The powers that be at Audiogon gave me permission to start a thread about the site.
Bill Hart
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*N.B. The powers that be at Audiogon gave me permission to start a thread about the site.
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On those two Sabbaths, you won’t do better than the old UK Vertigo Swirls, which can get pricey. There are shortcuts- later Spaceship pressings on Vertigo (some of which, for Sabbath, are even more rare than the Swirls), the early WWA label pressings which used the same metal parts as the Vertigos (Sabbath switched labels for their 5th album, to WWA, but some of the early copies were essentially Vertigo lacquers or stampers- they are a fraction of the price). There are also ex-UK Vertigos but those are generally not in the same league as the UK ones, with a few exceptions. I’m very big on the original Vertigo Swirl catalog- Sabbath was my entry point, a place where a lot of people stop. But there’s a lot of obscure, crazy stuff on that label from 1969-1973. Unfortunately, the prices of the uber ones will make your eyes water. |
I haven't updated this thread in a while. There is a book review of the new biography of Morris Levy, which makes for fascinating reading, several album reviews, including the first Lucifer's Friend album, and a comparison of various pressings of Dead Can Dance's Into the Labyrinth- the original 4AD, the Mobile Fidelity done several years ago and a new release by 4AD on vinyl, mastered by Mobile Fidelity. . |
I didn't know much about Josh White, who was playing a distinctive style of blues guitar as early as the '20s and later became a seminal figure in the popularity of the "Piedmont Blues," a mix of fingerpicking and old time string sounds and jazz. White, a celebrity in the years before and after WWII, was also a film star and prominent civil rights activist; his career in the States was hamstrung by being "blacklisted" during the Red Scare. Jac Holzman (Elektra) had the courage to record him during this period and Josh delivered a stunning album-- Josh At Midnight- which is the subject of this piece. Long out of print, the record has recently been redone. Here's the article: [url]http://thevinylpress.com/josh-white-josh-midnight-remastered-ramseur-records-ram-1-811/[/url] Working on this piece has opened new avenues of music for me. |