Fruit Bats
The Pet Parade
The Pet Parade
Showing 50 responses by spiritofradio
Speaking of learning experiences, today I’ve spent some time letting one thing lead to another on the streamer. My interest in the band Spiritualized led me to this band I’d heard of but don’t think I ever listened carefully to before: Secret Machines. I read that they opened for Spiritualized on one tour. Their first LP, “Now Here is Nowhere” is seriously good. A little bit space rock but well crafted and very good sounding music. A little progressive, a little alt. Punk but most importantly it rocks. |
@slaw the other day you were saying how you thought you could write volumes about how much you loved a band, The Mountain Goats, if I remember right. I was actually thinking something similar about Quincy Jones Smackwater Jack (On again) How TV and Movie theme songs are somehow as “Americana” as many a contemporary hipster’s folk songs. This record is so sweet, like a confection of its time. Title song by Carole King, Qunicy’s infectious arrangements, Jim Hall, Freddie Hubbard, Joe Sample!, Toots Thielman, Herbert Laws, plenty of Wha Wha pedal and a load of good humor. It’s the sweet sound of youth man and I feel like I could go on and on about it. Feeling part of it. Not serious Jazz of course - Grey’s Anatomy says ‘this is jazzy - but it’s not Jazz’. She tires of my more angular music pretty easily. It’s commercial, yeah, heck, it’s TV themes. But man it’s sweet. |
@slaw re: that video, it’s definitely a thing of historical interest but do manage your expectations about its sound quality. It’s quite bad even by YouTube standards. I don’t know about any restorations or even vinyl issues of any of these sets but it definitely was as musically interesting as Woodstock. Same year. Just didn’t get anywhere near the press coverage and apparently nobody brought a decent tape recorder along (I could just be unaware - maybe - hoping- somebody knows more). |
@grey9hound good to hear about your explorations in analogue space. In my (limited) experience, ProJect makes good stuff but get a bad rap sometimes because they also make it inexpensively. Will be interested to learn about your final choices. BTW, I have “On The Road To Freedom” too. For me it’s from a certain musical vein acquired during high school. Will now dig it out of the basement archives since you’re got me thinking about it. |
Duke Ellington And His Orchestra Masterpieces By Ellington Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers Moanin’ The Best Of Lambert, Hendricks & Ross Wes Montgomery California Dreaming Quincy Jones Smackwater Jack Eumir Deodato Prelude The Bill Evans Trio Portrait In Jazz Carole King Tapestry Mark Knopfler Down The Road Wherever A nice rainy day of easy listening. |
@grey9hound I don’t have as much experience with equipment as the rest of the members here, but I can tell you I absolutely love my Phono Stage. It’s an EAR 834p. It has an impeccable pedigree. It’s a tube-based circuit with a beautiful liquid and golden sound. It’s in your price range and I know you love tubes, so.... you can read a lot about it around the inter webs. I got one because it was used by a music friend who I very much respect and who has owned quarter million dollar systems in the past but became more focused on music and value. I’m extremely pleased with it. |
https://youtu.be/BfaXxbGPeqo 1969 Music Festival in Texas. Includes a set by Tony Joe White. Also Led Zeppelin. |
Yann Tiersen Portrait Mute 2019 I like this fellow’s music. Ambient, cinematic, and more. Always really interesting. What I especially like about this record is that to make it he got family and friends together in a studio and re-recorded certain of their favorites from his (large) catalogue on 24-track analogue tape. Then, he took the tape to Abby Road where it was mastered for direct transfer to vinyl. I suppose there were a few additional steps (but all analogue) along the way to the finished product on my turntable but I have to say this sounds deep and rich and very real here in my room. |
Yeah! I was spinning Beth Hart a couple weekends ago. Will check it out Steve. @dayglow thank you for the helpful response. That record is a favorite of mine. I have just a pp from college days and I believe neither it’s condition nor it’s original potential are very close to that level. Been on my list for an upgrade. You remind me to reexamine my upgrade priorities (right now I feel that I’m too tempted by new issues). Thanks for your thoughtfulness in responding. |
@slaw Glad to hear it. Re: Crack Up. I really like it too. Might be more straightforward music than the previous two. Just been looking for my copy and have somehow misplaced it. At some point (a couple of years ago) I k ow it was in the heavy rotation section... hmmm, misfiled or leant to one daughter or the other maybe. The search will continue. Funny, that hardly ever happens. I tend to think I know where I’ve put them all .... maybe I’ve cracked up |
Carole King Tapestry Mid-70s repress sounds exactly like I remember it this music is so heavily weighted with memory: puppy love, wistful romance, platonic admiration. Early life soundtrack. When it was important to wear Levi’s, a white T shirt, and adidas, and to have respect for the girl who told you this was her favorite record. |
@dodgealum Sorry no , don’t have SACD here , but the record sounded way better than the old CD. More detail and more lifelike. Wooden instruments have much more organic and full tone. It’s very good. It’s a well done digital recording that I always thought was good so, they’re probably both very good. Cool that you like them too. |
Putting Dyanmat on the horns is supposed to help damp them and eliminate ringing. @big_greg Ahh, something you wrap around the outside of the throat. I’ve read about that. Maybe ringing is there on mine and I just can’t hear it, but I’ve never noticed it was an issue. Did you have an issue? I suppose that ringing, along with a lot of other potential problems has a lot to do with amplification. When I hooked up certain receivers to certain Klipsch models I had a lot of problems. Mostly though due to these speakers being extremely sensitive and revealing. The Crites tweeters are particularly that way. |
@geof3 Thanks Bro! Hey, don’t tell anybody but in a fantastic day of mostly listening and in that mostly listening to Progressive Rock of different sorts, I had to stream some. If I’m honest, my vinyl collection is embarrassingly light on heavy prog..... Do you know Karnivool? Ozric Tentacles? The Gathering? Frost? All are plenty tasty. You probably know them. I also streamed Hand Cannot Erase from the aforementioned SW. Man that is a good album. |
@beach2mtn, very cool. That music would be a revelation heard live. I don’t know how old you are but when I went to concerts during that time (not very many since I was home with my kids then) I would be older and was less cool than almost everybody else. I grew out of worrying about that sort of thing later of course, but I missed a lot of good music for about a decade there. |
Before: Mark Hollis Eponymous Abby Road Redux Now: Sibelius Symphony No. 1 from the big blue box of: Berliner Philharmoniker Symphonies 1-7 Simon Rattle 2019 @bkeske, Dude! This is the one! Dynamics, Clarity, Precision, True This makes me think I’m beginning to know the difference between orchestras. This band is definitely north of greatness. |
@big_greg, cool! I have those tweeters (and Crites crossovers) in my Khorns. What does the Dynamat do for the horns? I’ve only ever heard Quartets once and in a very strange situation: Crummy college radio station signal on a not-so-great vintage receiver at the very sweet but equally strange vintage stereo store Audio Specialties in the even more strange town of Portland, Oregon. They had life, I could tell, but discernment was beyond my grasp. Cool that you’re liking them. Say, I have to replace a binding post that got wrecked when Grey’s anatomy tripped on its cable. Maybe you could help me fix it. |