I enjoy vinyl and digital (lately, with recent changes, vinyl actually sounds better than digital to me), BUT given what seems an overall preference for analog/vinyl on A'gon, I'm curious what the non-vinyl "1/2" is listening to. I tried to see if this was a previously posted question. Did not seem so.
This evening for me, it's Genesis (definitive edition remaster) "A Trick of the Tail".
I'm sure you know those Beck recordings too. Everything about them is well done...songs, arrangements, musicianship and recording quality. I'm no Beck expert though, anything else of his worth listening to that's along the same "singer/songwirter" lines as these two?
@reubent Agree with you about Dada...a great recording. I remember when it came out. Track getting airplay on WXPN was "Dorina". Not only are the songs good on that whole album but the sound quality is superior. A Bob Clearmountain mastering job, if I recall correctly. Sad that their subsequent albums did not achieve the same level of excellence. (well...in my opinion, anyway). Highway Flower is decent but not as good as Dada.
@nutty - I listened to "Tumbleweed Connection" again tonight. Just awesome..... Thanks again for the bringing it to our attention again. I hadn't heard it in many years and I forgot how great it was.
liquor giants, every other day at a time---the auteur, ward dotson is a fantastic, oddly overlooked pop songwriter whose previous band, the pontiac brothers, was also great in a stonesy/replacementy vein.
@reubent I share your appreciation for Comes Alive. Listened to it a ton back when first released. I no longer have it. I do remember enjoying the songs, the playing and the excitement from the crowd noise. Maybe I need to reacquire it. Many strong, well written songs...Lines On My Face being one of my favorites too. Also, Baby, I Love Your Way, especially the lines:
Clouds are stalking islands in the sun I wish I could buy one Out of season
You like the sonics on that Doug Sax remaster? Nothing better since 1998???
Talking Frampton: I do have the 1975 studio album (Frampton in large block, mostly white letters w/some rainbow colors) in vinyl. Many of the Comes Alive songs are from this. My vinyl is not an original release, unfortunately. The sonics on it are really excellent though for a nothing special 2nd or 3rd pressing...or whatever. (I'll Give You) Money is a great closing track...crank it UP.
In my CD Player tonight - The still incredible "Frampton Comes Alive" 1998 Doug Sax Digital Remaster.
I know this record was mega-popular and was overplayed back in the day, and still to this day. But it was, and is, an influential recording that deserves the acclaim it received.
For me, the slow tracks on the record are the stars - "All I Wanna Be (Is by Your Side)", "Winds of Change" and "Lines on my Face" are the big winners for me.
Glad someone else remembers. Lee is kinda overlooked nowadays. Personally, probably able to appreciate him more now than back when. Started looking tonight at his material on Tidal because of an obit someone posted a link to on Audio Asylum. Turns out Barry "Frosty" Smith, the drummer Lee worked with on several albums, died mid April. More sad news.
Enjoyed your last two posts, oblgny. Just for context, I do have 5 more years than you...but who's counting. You had previously mentioned the EJ 11/17/70 live recording. Remember listening to that back in the early '70s. A good one as I recall, though we'll leave your review out of the discussion. "...feeling my skin crawl in repulsion." - self-editing is commendable. More of it would be a good thing in various A'gon threads.
I could certainly relate to your comments about media preferences or, more correctly, your lack of strong media preference. I'm in the same place. Have LPs I've been lugging around for 40+ years now. Have equipment that's more than adequate for playing those. I enjoy them but not interested in pursuing the zenith of vinyl playback. For the same $ spent, it does seem easier to get great sound from digital. Mostly I buy and listen to digital...whether CDs, ripped files, Spotify, Tidal or internet radio. When the spirit moves to get something on vinyl I'll buy old (first issue if I can afford it) original LPs. There is something about holding a 40 or 50 year old "artifact" that can still generate great sound.
Looked at your system. Seems that many would be happy to own such as their best! let alone as the product of simplification. No slight to your Thiels but I'd love to be able to hear the Kestrels some day.
Okay...blathered on enough. Hope you enjoy more good music with great sound today.
I listen more often digitally than I do analogue simply because digital, server/player/streaming, offers an ease of use that vinyl does not. While the tangible appreciation of vinyl playback still owns a place in my heart, either format serves me well enough to a point wherein disparaging one in favor of the other is without merit.
I began with vinyl and it never left my setup. Even as I gravitated toward the compact disc, essentially mirroring my vinyl catalogue in a hasty embrace of the "new" format, I never had the mind, nor the ears, to find either so utterly superior to the other that one would suffer divorce from my life.
The quality of playback through either source is woefully dependent on the quality of one's equipment - with vinyl being particularly precious regarding the chain. It was said here earlier that it should be "all about the music", so I recently moved from a fairly admirable separates setup to one with an integrated amp, turntable, and player/server. Voila! Easy peasey, and I've since stopped wringing my hands over the loss or gain of a few hertz here or there - if I ever could discern it audibly.
At my gf's house we listen through a Pioneer SX-850 receiver, Pro-Ject cheap-seats turntable, and/or a Marantz CD player through Meadowlark Kestrel speakers. We've weaved our way through her truly awful collection of disco compilation lp's keeping only original artist recordings. Fortunately we're down to about fifteen such examples. We have done the same to her equally awful, yet far more extensive CD library of disco compilations as well. As a means of rewarding her painful decisions resulting in a diminished library, I've been purchasing heavy-gram vinyl copies of her other favorites, Fleetwood Mac, Boston, Earth Wind And Fire. She's also left my house with more than a few Lyle Lovetts, Lucinda Williams, Genesis, and Dave Grusin lp's.
Spinning now on my cdp? "Don't Tell A Soul" - The Replacements. I'm awaiting the arrival of Son Volt's new release for the turntable.
Actually my review, or at least my attempt at a review, was for 11/17/70 not Madman Across The Water. Fortunately I have long since lost that first attempt at becoming a writer, let alone a critic. I remember vaguely re-reading it during my high school years and feeling my skin crawl in repulsion. It was THAT awful.
I just turned 60 late last year. Older and wiser now than ever before, I am thankful that I at least had the sense to pursue other endeavors in which I was better equipped to succeed at. (None of which were obvious at the time.)
I got to see EJ with his original band around the time of Tumbleweed Connection (70-71), and they pleased me greatly. My interest in him soon thereafter evaporated, he appearing to me to be more of an entertainer than an artist, if you know what I mean. Nothing wrong with mere entertainment---I love ABBA!
he's decades past relevance, and was never hip in the first place, but tumbleweed connection is unarguably a great record--just pulled it out to listen to with my jaded ex-skatepunk bride, who wholly agrees with the foregoing. also in queue is steven wilson--hand,cannot, erase--highly recommended prog rock for people like myself that don't especially like prog rock
Nutty - Apology completely unnecessary. You are very welcome here and I've appreciated your posts and input. People talking about what digitally formatted music they are listening to and WHY they like it is what I hoped would happen with this thread. BTW I'm planning to get the remastered Honky Chateau and Tumbleweed Connection from The Classic Years series.
oblgny - Madman Across the Water as an 8th grade record review! Well done. Must say, you are dating ME! 8th grade woulda had to have been been The Beatles or maybe Simon & Garfunkel "Bookends". Why the latter comes to mind is I remember our 8th grade Spanish teacher (younger guy) coming in one day with a copy of Bookends and playing the whole thing for us. Had NOTHING to do with learning Spanish. Based on personal experience years later, am guessing he might have been at a party the night before and had a revelation revolving around that album. It would be a hoot to read your record review now. Post it here!
Thanks everyone for their interest and comments regarding Tumbleweed Connection and other Elton John music and bio. arcam88 recommended this dics while I visited his home a few weeks ago. I've actually been spinning his copy - but was fortunate to pickup my own yesterday at my local shop, Phil's Records. He had the remastered disc in stock.
I like all forms of music media, however the best thing about owning CD's (or LP's) is the cover art and the liner notes. Tumbleweed Connection comes with a 12 page sepia colour book chock full of lyrics, liner notes. In fact, some songs from this albumn have been covered by some well known artist. James Taylor's sister Kate, Rod Stweart, Phil Collins and Sting. This compilation was released in 1995.
"...Gus Dudgeon: All of the tapes used to create these new masters are the original mixes. However, due to the fact that many of the tapes are at least 25 years old, they have "softened up" to varying degrees. So, the sound has been passed the most up to date digital processing equipment, at 20 bit Resolution: namely The Sadie Digital System and Prism Super Noise Shaper. The effects purely to "enhance" rather than "colour" the sound. As the original producer, I would have used this equipment at the time, had it been available for mastering. The very nature of analogue recordings being transfered to vinyl demanded major compromises. With the benefits of digital sound these constraints are removed, and the recordings can be heard much closer to the reproduction we had originally intended..."
Elton has said of 'Tumbleweed Connection' : "Lyrically and melodically, that's one of our most perfect albumns".
Spot-on appraisal of Elton John's earlier and by any measure best output. Only album left out could be "11/17/70", an excellent live in studio recording that I had written a review for my 8th grade English class. (Great record, and one gawd-awful attempt at a record review.)
Personally, I stopped at Madman. After that...well, I lost interest altogether as his stardom exploded.
FWIW on this Elton John topic. Here's a great review posted on Amazon July 15 2013 by one, "Jacktavish" for the Honky Chateau remaster.
"Forget Elton John's Greatest Hits part one. Just buy Madman Across the Water, Tumbleweed Connection, & Honky Chateau to understand why Elton John is a legend. He cranked these three albums out in 2 years!!
It's a blast to hear EJ at the peak of his phenomenal singing: soulful, poppy, but with a rock edge. During this stage, he & Taupin were in love with The Band & Leon Russell, so there is a funkiness, a backbeat, a gospel soul that totally disappears when he becomes a jet-set popstar. For people who hate all the excess & drama that EJ has come to represent, it's a joy to hear him when it was all about the music."
Great comments. Explains for me why I like these and not so much of his later output. I'd include that self-titled, so a "quad" of albums worth having.
WHEN IT WAS ALL ABOUT THE MUSIC - words to live by.
@reubent Hello there. Wow...8 Track tape. Sounds like we might be contemporaries, or at least near-contemporaries, age-wise. I certainly hope you enjoy those Elton John LPs you picked up. Can’t speak to Captain Fantastic. Never owned or listened to that one extensively (after my early dismissal) but I think the other two are great and have held up well. His self-titled LP (color photo of him in profile against black background) and Honky Chateau are very good too. Some striking arrangements played by the accompanying chamber ensemble on the S/T. They too might be worth hunting for in your record store jaunts. I’m thinking I might have to get the re-masters that Nutty is talking about if what I heard of T’weed via Tidal is representative.
@ghosthouse - I owned some of the EJ albums on 8-Track (sorry, analog again!) back in the day and they were hugely popular, so I'm familiar with all of them. Haven't heard any of them in a while. Just saw Nutty's post about Tumbleweed Connection and picked them up during my weekly record store jaunt. Getting ready to put them on now for a first listen in this century.
Hello again N. Found a remastered version of Tumbleweed on Tidal. Last track was Madman Across the Water. Not entirely sure it's the same version as you have but was impressed with the sonics from the get go AND that version of Madman is very very good. It's a little edgier and has more of live jam feel than the one that ended up on the LP of that name. Mick Ronson's guitar adds a lot. Good tip from you. Thanks.
Reubent - even though you are talking vinyl on this digital thread, I'll be interested in what you think about what you got. Since these recordings are pushing 50 years old, figuring you must already know them. Were the buys today first time ever or just first time on vinyl?? Hope you like the music.
@ghosthouse - Well, I also picked up Madman Across the Water and Captain Fantastic while I was record shopping today. All 3 of the EJ LP's I picked up today appear to be original releases, or at least early vinyl, and all are in visually very good condition. I'll know tonight......
@nutty - I picked up Tumbleweed Connection on vinyl when I went to Everybody's Records today. Got a bunch of other stuff while I was at it. Hopefully there will be some gems in the mix and I can report back on them.....
N - Haven't heard the remastered version you refer to but music-wise, his self-titled along with Tumbleweed & Madman are favorites of mine. Some of his best work (not to mention Bernie Taupin's). Played Tumbleweed quite a few times back in the day. Didn't follow him much after Madman and hardly at all after Yellowbrick Road. I remember thinking Capatain Fantastic seemed like a rehash/imitation of his earlier stuff. I'll have to give Tumbleweed a listen this evening. It's been a while. Interesting to read that Mick Ronson played guitar on the original version of Madman that was to be part of Tumbleweed (now included on that remastered version you have).
Last week I potsted this on my thread. If you have never hear it or its been a while, it’s worth spinning. I have The Classic Years remastered in on CD.
Elton John, Tumbleweed Connection.
It is in my opinion some of his best. And the recording is amazing. Stereo separation is fantastic, instruments appear in spaces you can reach out and grab. The background is dead quiet. It also contains the original version of "Madman Across The Water". Highly recommended.
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