Vinyl Record Cafe's

Ok,

It's a cool place.
After a bit of discussion, I told them I have a huge collection of vinyl and they asked if I would bring some things down. So on Thursday, I am going to play 4 albums in their entirety.

Jeff Beck "Blow by Blow"
The Beatles "Revolver"
Stevie Wonder "Fulfillingness' First Finale"
Bob Marley "Rastaman Vibration"

Good way to kick it off?

It's a really small beatnik kind of place.. couches, but interesting patrons. I met a trombone player who has played Carnegie Hall, and an documentary film maker who is in her late 20's. It's a hip place and they love the idea.

It will just be one spin on the deck. Can't imagine it destroying my records. Technics and I think some kind of Shure cartridge.

Culturally it's very mixed, so I'll do my best to keep the music ethnically diverse.

The next week I am thinking Miles Davis "Bitches Brew" then Santana's first. Follow that with Dylan's Highway Revisited, and then end the night with something more modern like The Smiths "Meat is Murder".

I'll need to play some soul, Aretha, Marvin, and then play some more progressive stuff like Tales from Topographic Oceans.

There is just so much stuff to play it's almost mind boggling.

I don't really listen to much modern music. It sounds too processed and I don't like the digital sound that much. It sounds clean but sterile.

The other reason is that I am still trying to get caught up on all the great music that happened between 1955 and 1980.

Until I have heard all of it, I can't see investing in new music that probably isn't as innovative.

I have zero interest in anything electronica... I have to sense some human interplay between musicians or I lose interest.

It was an amazing success. There must have been nearly 50 people who stopped by and loved it. There were no seats left and people had to stand or some were out on the sidewalk still digging the music. I think Jeff Beck's "Blow by Blow" was the biggest hit of the night. A few younger people said they loved the funky groovy feel of the record. Everyone said the sound was better than anything digital they had heard recently.

I'll be doing it again next Thursday.
I will spin:

ELP "Tarkus"
Rolling Stones "Let it Bleed"
Miles Davis "In a Silent Way"
Ravi Shankar "Live in NYC"

I like vinyl. It sounds so much better and everyone there agreed. I'm motivated to upgrade the system in there. It's not a great system by standards here, but still sounded great compared to Pandora or other digital offerings.

I think there was more to the era of classic vinyl that people understand. I am also a musician and at least for me, the digital era of Pro Tools and digital editing has lowered the bar and allowed too many poor or even no musicians to enter the game. It's brought the quality down considerably.

I have an all analog studio, tape machines, all tube amps and I tracked with a bass player three songs... all first takes. It would have taken a Pro Tools musician weeks to do what we did, and they would never get the live feel and interplay.

I do want to educate people's ears to either the way things should be, or remind the folks of my generation what they have been missing.

The recording of music by musicians should be simple if the players and instruments sound are good and the music is happening.

Record it on tape, mix it on 1/2 track tape, press it on vinyl.

I really do think it was better the old way.

This week 3 I will spin up

Issac Hayes "To be Continued"
Blind Faith
Grateful Dead "Blues for Allah"
The Doors "LA Woman"