Durutti Column “Another Setting” Factory 1983
The Selecter “Live In Coventry ‘79” Two Tone 2021 RSD
Goat Girl “On All Fours” Rough Trade UK 2021
The Selecter “Live In Coventry ‘79” Two Tone 2021 RSD
Goat Girl “On All Fours” Rough Trade UK 2021
Showing 50 responses by puffball08
@sourpuss123-Keep your Spin Clean around. When I have very dirty records, I give them a spin in the Spin Clean (with 3 drops of Tergikleen in the tank) prior to a dip in the Degritter. Keeps the filter much cleaner in the Degritter. You might find this article helpful. It covers the ultrasonic tank (the non-removable tank) cleaning plus vinegar flush recommended every 200~300 records depending on how dirty your records are to prevent mold growth-yuk! This information is not in the manual packed with the machine. The vinegar flush is mentioned on Degritter’s website. https://theaudiophileman.com/degritter-vinyl-record-cleaning-machine-ultrasonic-review/ While you’re at it, if you haven’t already read this: https://thevinylpress.com/app/uploads/2021/03/PAC-Vinyl-Records_2021-03-01_pdf.pdf It’s well worth reading particularly the section relating to surfactant usage in the Degritter. Enjoy! |
V/A “Detroit On A Platter” AutoMotive Records 1981 (classic version of “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’” by Destroy All Monsters during the Ron Asheton era in this compilation) Fred Frith “Cheap At Half The Price” Ralph Records 1983 Nels Cline + Devin Sarno “Rise Pumpkin Rise” Volvolo Records 1997 Blonde Redhead “in an expression of the inexpressible” Touch and Go 1998 @boxer12 +1 for Bardo Pond Vol. 1 & 2 |
@boxer12 Tim, did you get the Domino re-release of "m b v" or the original self release version from 2013? I rather accidentally ended up with an original 2013 version in a gatefold jacket which contained the vinyl plus the CD. The interesting thing is, in the liner notes, Kevin Shields went to the trouble of listing both the mastering engineers, vinyl and digital. Kevin's intent with this version appears to demonstrate the difference in sound when the original 2" 24 track analog master tape (they recorded on a Studer A827) was mixed down then mastered separately for analog vinyl and digital CD. Listening to the 2 versions of the same material is quite educational. |
@tomic601 “are you up here ??? Pac nw ?” I wish, but SoCal. We have friends in Surrey and Squamish, BC. If Trudeau carries through with the idea of allowing vaccinated US residents entry into Canada without quarantine, we may be coming up in the fall. If only we’d bought the cabin near Squamish years ago….. |
@flennon "My excitement over a bargain bin find, or sonic excellence is met with "meh". Ah, that "yeah, so?" look. Know it well. Or that chilling look when the postal carrier or UPS delivers the ubiquitous cardboard record shipper. I'll have to sneak in the back door this Saturday, 17 July after RSD drop 2. I'm sure to snag some "wants" at the local record shop. As my wife likes to say, I paid the record store's electric bill for the day (heck, maybe the whole weekend) with what I bought. |
@tomic601 "...coming out of Canada after a long week of fishing together ( with no music ), the Indy College radio station in Bellingham..." KUGS-89.3 by chance? On more than one occasion when I was sitting in the very long line, well past the Peace Arch park in BC, waiting on US ICE at Blaine, KUGS sure passes the time. Of course that’s been nearly 2 years ago. |
@boxer12, Tim, you're welcome, glad you enjoyed "mbv". Maybe today I'll have a chance to get the tape measure out. But laundry and yard work are the rule of the day. When that's done, a load of stuff for Goodwill. Plus, I cracked open another box of goodies from the past. This will take another couple days of sloshing through the Spin Clean then Degritter. Some nice surprises are in there. (Hint: Red Crayola, Lora Logic and Fred Frith) Now, a question for the group. How much does your spouse/significant other appreciate what you listen to? Me, well, my wife isn't very impressed with things like Reagan Youth or Dead Kennedys or even Boards of Canada. But most classical and especially flamenco gets her attention. |
@boxer12, if you enjoy "Suffuse" look into Windy & Carl's "Allegiance & Conviction" (Kranky-2020) While you're at it, go back to Roy's early work like "Scenes From The South Island". The 2019 Yellow Electric re-release contains the original Drunken Fish 1995 release plus another disc of extras. And Dadamah's "This Is Not A Dream" of which Roy composed the music and played guitar. The 2020 Grapefruit re-release contains the original Majora 1992 release plus another disc of extras including 4 singles long out of print. |
+1 Nels Cline, super nice guy, well known and regarded in the local Los Angeles indie community Yoshihide Otomo “Memory Defacement” Japan Overseas 1997 Takahashi Yukihiro “Neuromantic” Alfa/CBS Australia 1981 (Phil Manzanera-guitars and Andy Mackey-sax and oboe from Roxy Music are among the musicians in the group) Sleater-Kinney “S/T” Sub Pop 1995 Carla Bley Band “I Hate To Sing” Watt 1984 Kid Creole and the Coconuts “Wise Guy” Ze/Sire Records 1982 |
@bkeske Brian, ....(at the time a dedicated Dead Head hippy)... Yeah, when I was in college, the Dead were the favorite band of the boozers and stoners. Sounds like you moved along once you discovered The Modern Lovers. For me, it was being introduced to Frank Zappa, Thunderclap Newman and Captain Beefheart. I dropped The Dead and moved right along. It helped that I was working at a television post production facility during that time. Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band dropped by one day to videotape a performance for a local TV station. I became a true convert that day. Now if I could only find the U-Matic video cassette of the performance...... Daniel |
@mammothguy54 I added one precleaning step in the Spin Clean (10 spins each direction) with a tiny bit of Tergitol in the bath water prior to putting the wet record into the Degritter. Yeah, it increases the labor and time but dramatically cuts down on the muck in the Degritter's filter. I can easily go 100 cycles without cleaning the filter element. And even at that point, there's hardly anything trapped in the filter. Plus the filter element doesn't turn yukky brown color so quickly after leaving much of the surface dirt in the Spin Clean. Thanks for pointing out the vinegar system cleaning of the Degritter. I'm about due for that since I've passed 1100 cycles. |
@flennon @slaw Steve makes a good point about US cleaners and the ability to clean them to help prevent mold growth. Regarding the Degritter, it does not store the bath water in the ultrasonic tank within the machine. It pumps the water in (through a removable and cleanable filter) from a removable tank (ABS plastic) and pumps out after each use. The tank holds 1.4l of water. The storage tank has a check valve in the bottom allowing removal and insertion when it is filled with water. The storage tank is dishwasher safe. The ultrasonic tank is shaped in a manner that pulling the filter plug on the side drains what little water remains in the tank, usually doesn't amount to more than a teaspoon of water. In fact, Degritter recommends doing this if you're not using the gadget for more than a few days. If one wants to be doubly sure, the rubberized record guide on top is easily removed. The slot stares down into the ultrasonic tank allowing a wipe if need be. |
@flennon Let me draw a deep breath because I’m going to say what you probably don’t want to hear (hint-$$$$). Before the frightening part, I urge you to check out this document if you haven’t already. https://thevinylpress.com/app/uploads/2021/03/PAC-Vinyl-Records_2021-03-01_pdf.pdf I started the "aqueous" cleaning process as many have with a Spin Clean. For the money, it ain’t bad. Especially if you’re willing to experiment a bit with surfactants added to the bath water instead of using the supplied bath solution. The Spin Clean does quite a good job at removing surface dirt, finger prints and other big stuff. However, it’s impossible to reach into the groove to remove dirt, mould release agent and other microscopic trash. The worst part of the Spin Clean is having to dry the records by hand after spinning them. If you have a mountain of cotton wipers to dry each record, it’s fine. But you quickly run out and that ends your cleaning session for the day. I watched a couple friends wrestle with ultrasonic cleaners that had various kludged up gadgets hung on the side with fasteners that seemed to always come loose sometimes spilling the records into the bath or worse, on the table top or floor depending on their work surface. And after all the heroics, they still had to dry the records by hand I had an opportunity to try a Degritter for a weekend. I was immediately impressed with the build quality of the gadget. It was purpose built to just clean vinyl records, not adapted from various other parts. It was well thought out and executed. I tried cleaning some of the filthiest records from the shed and was amazed at the outcome. Needless to say, the Degritter came in the front door never to leave. |
@boxer12 ...well let me think, who would I sort of compare with Magnetic Fields.... First that comes to mind are The Espers. But their records are not easily found except through Discogs. Their first album "Espers" and second "The Weed Tree" were rereleased a few years ago but sold out quickly. Second is The Incredible String Band, but like Espers, their vinyl takes some concerted hunting to locate especially given they were from Scotland. They were active between 1966~1974 although they did reform in 1999 and finally hung it up in 2006. Third is Pianosaurus. Their self releases on vinyl are even harder to find than Espers. You can probably find the CD "Groovy Neighborhood" fairly easy. |
@flennon
Do you use an ultrasonic cleaner on your records? Lately, I've been bringing lots of 30~40 year old records out of hiding. A ride through the ultrasonic cleaner makes them nearly as quiet as contemporary records. Remarkable how good 40+ year old vinyl can sound when cleaned up. I was blown away listening to Patti Smith's "Easter" (released in 1978) after a through cleaning. I'd forgotten how good the recording and mixing were. As I mentioned earlier, I don't actually use the Sugar Cube to eliminate pops and clicks while listening to vinyl. I use it mostly to speed up creation of digital files, editing track breaks and output. |
@boxer12
+1 Magnetic Fields Expect the unexpected whenever Stephin Merritt is on the turntable. Kind of sad that "Wayward Bus" was the last album Susan Anway would do lead vocals. |
@noromance +1 Junior Wells @flennon- I also have an US record cleaner. Even with that, the SC-2 in "click" monitor mode reveals some residual clicks and pops. If you're only looking to control clicks and pops, the SC-1 does that. The SC-2 adds the ability to record data files and edit then output. Overall, so far, I'm quite amazed how transparent the SC-2 is. Internally, the A-D creates and saves raw files (maybe FLAC) with a sample rate of 196k and 32 bit width. From that file it can output many file types, sample rates (196k maximum) and bit width (16 or 24). I'm still learning the editing part which is done on a tablet, laptop or desktop connected to the SC-2 by WiFi (iOS or Android) or LAN (ethernet). On a laptop or desktop, it's easy to connect through a web browser to access the menus and settings. This is kind of a must because some critical settings are only accessible this way. The editing template is also only accessed this way. Output file management is also done through the web browser interface. The SC-2 can supposedly store up to 4 records (A/B sides) worth of data before you must do something with it or not be able to record more. User can select if the output file is processed for clicks and pops or non-processed. This beats the way I've been creating mp3 or wav files for years. Everything was manual. Now I can save files as FLAC and from that derive all the usual suspects. A huge bonus is access to the Discogs database for track titles and album artwork. That alone cuts my conversion time in half. |
@big_greg, You’re welcome. We learn from each other. The successes and failures are very educational. If you’re considering an Orb, I believe the sole US distributor is Mockingbird Audio. Phillip said I snagged his last DF-01iA+. Deliveries from Orb (based in Osaka, Japan) have been slow lately. I reckon that has a lot to do with COVID lockdowns over the past several months in Japan. Second flattened record of the day spinning as I write, Jan Steele/John Cage “Voices And Instruments” Obscure Records UK 1975 |
Early morning update regarding Orb flattening. Last night before going to bed, I took a chance and baked a replaceable color vinyl 12" in the Orb as a test. The subject: Ben Watt (with Robert Wyatt) "Summer Into Winter" Cherry Red UK rerelease for 2020 RSD. When I received the record and opened it, someone at the pressing plant in the EU (not specific which plant) must have been having a bad day. A-side label was off center and torn at the center hole plus the record itself looks as though it was pulled off the stamper rather violently, probably due to the label being caught on the center hole mandrel in the press. There were 3 distinct ripples radiating outward from the center hole. I didn't open the record for a while after receiving thus a return wasn't possible. So, I set it aside thinking someday I've have the means to flatten it. I placed the badly warped 12" clear blue vinyl record in the Orb at "normal" temp/time (2 hours heat, 2 hour cool). I feared the worst this morning. However, much to my surprise and delight, the record came out with nearly all the wrinkles flattened. The record plays fine on the turntable. |
First group of rescued (flattened with the Orb) records from the shed. Traffic “John Barleycorn Must Die” United Artists second US pressing 1972 Andy Summers & Robert Fripp “I Advance Masked” A&M 1982 Robert Wyatt “The End Of An Ear” CBS-UK 1971 I’m still baking and will post some more about the Orb soon. So far, it well exceeds what I thought was possible to rescue my warped records. |
7" Saturday, I felt the up/down to flip/switch records to be worth the effort. Chris Butler (Waitresses, Tin Huey among others) did a series of 7" recorded on various media other than traditional magnetic tape. The Series was called "The Wilderness Years". Chris produced and released through his "Future Fossil" label. Volume 1: "A Hole In The Sky/Davy's Sister's Home From College" Recorded on Edison Wax Cylinder by Pete Dilg. Volume 3: "The Man In The Razor Suit/The Bottom of a Workingman's Beer" Recorded on a Webster-Chicago (Webcor) wire recorder. The remainder were all released on Clone Records which was from Akron, Ohio. Clone released the remarkable (2) "Bowling Balls" 12" compilations of little known bands outside of the Akron/Kent, Ohio area. Most of us knew/know Devo, but there were a plethora of others waiting for their chance at discovery such as Rubber City Rebels, Tin Huey, Waitresses and Rachel Sweet. Rachel would be discovered by Lene Lovich when she was in Akron. Rachel got included on the Stiff Records Akron compilation (with the "scratch and sniff" tire that exuded the lovely aroma of Akron's air-according to the label) along with several other Akron area bands. These rare 7" finds were courtesy of Dave Ignazio at Square Records in Akron. John Rader "One Step At A Time/Get You Back" Clone 1979 Tin Huey "Puppet Wipes, Cuyahoga Creeping Bent/Poor Alphonso, The Tin Huey Story" Clone 1977 Tin Huey "English Kids/Sister Rose" Clone 1980 The Housekeepers "I Gotta Know/Down The Road" Clone 1981 Tin Huey "Robert Takes The Road to Lieber Nawash/Squirm Your Worm" Clone 1978 Harvey Gold (Tin Huey) "Keep A Close Watch/Armadillo" Clone 1977 |
Beethoven Violin Concerto C major, op61 Jascha Heifetz/Boston Symphony-RCA Red Seal (France) 1969 The Romeros “The World Of Flamenco” 2 disc set-Mercury 1975 Dvorak “New World” Symphony-Eugene Ormandy/London Symphony-Columbia Masterworks 1975 Luciano Pavarotti “Favorite Tenor Arias”-London 1975 Rachmaninov Piano Concerto no. 3 D minor Anatole Fistoulari/London Symphony-London 1982 Human Switchboard “Live” (approved bootleg)-Square Two 1980 |
@tomic601 thanks for the tips. I’ll check with @slaw about flattening. I’ll look into Nitty Gritty and Walker to try and rescue my termite terrorized records. @big_greg Understand about leaving the shrink wrap in place if it is stickered up. However, nearly all what I listen to lacks anything other than a price sticker. And that has been an experience seeing $5.99 records from 1975 ($29.97 adjusted for inflation) and $7.99 from 1979 ($29.63 adjusted for inflation). Not to mention all the record stores that have gone away like Aron’s, Licorice Pizza, Moby Disc, Zed, Play it Again, Tower, etc. etc. Considering what I’ve been paying for 12" lately, seems vinyl prices corrected for inflation haven’t changed much over the decades. Many records I’ve received lately from Bleep and Rough Trade UK have been sent without shrink wrap with the record outside the jacket in a thick (3 mil) anti-static inner sleeve. Both the sleeved vinyl and jacket are placed in a thick (5 mil) outer jacket. My crystal ball says there’s an Orb in my future. |
@mammothguy54, Yeah, Thunderclap Newman, a favorite from college days that got spun a lot on the independent radio station I listened to. Where else could you hear 3 funny Brits playing almost every instrument imaginable including a kazoo. Pete Townshend (under the alias Bijou Drains) playing bass was a plus. Speaking of Sparks, I believe I have "Kimono My House" in the shed. Allegedly the Mael Brothers, Russell and Ron, the principals of Sparks are still making music. |
@boxer12 - "It looks like you have some keepers in that shed. Can I have your wife's phone number please :-) " HA! If my wife knew of anyone interested in my records, she'd gladly arrange to have them removed, when I'm out, of course. Heck, she'd even stuff a locomotive horn in a box and send you off with that as well. I have 2 more boxes to open containing stuff that hasn't seen the light of day for 30+ years. More goodies to come.... Although, I made some rather nasty discoveries. Termites invaded the old shed and ate through some boxes including one with records. They devoured the jacket of one of my prized UK pressings of Pere Ubu's "Dub Housing". To make matters worse, the critters got into the inner jacket and left trails of poop or saliva or whatever it is on the vinyl. It is impossible to remove. Another rude discovery, I'd left the original shrink wrap on some records rather than getting proper outer sleeves. What a mistake! As the name implies, "shrink wrap" over the jackets DOES continue to shrink over time. So, when I pull out a record with a bulging jacket, it's a sure bet the record has a mild kink. OUCH!! Some records respond to pressing with weight for a couple weeks, some don't. The take away is, take the outer shrink wrap off your records as soon as you can. Spend the money to buy proper outer jacket sleeves. |
@tomic601
, My wife would be delighted if you would come sneak a few records out of the shed when I'm not looking. She'd even throw in one of my locomotive air horns, or a kWh meter, or a high voltage porcelain insulator or two. Today's haul from the mysterious shed includes: Robert Wyatt "Ruth Is Stranger Than Richard" Virgin UK 1975 X "Wild Gift" Slash Records 1981 Spirit "The Best Of Spirit" Epic/CBS 1973 Thunderclap Newman "Hollywood Dream" Track/MCA 1973 (produced by Peter Townshend of the Who) Frank Zappa "apostrophe (')" DiscReet Records 1974 (a Quadradisc-my folks had a Quadraphonic system) Waitresses "Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful?" Ze/Polygram 1982 |
More finds from the shed. David Thomas and The Wooden Birds "Monster Walks The Winter Lake" Twin Tone Records 1985 Polkaholics EP no title Utility Grade Records 1983 (this was the Toronto based post-punk band not to be confused with the Polkaholics polka trio band from Chicago) Robert Fripp "The League of Gentlemen" EG-Polygram Canada 1981 Various Artist "Welcome to Dreamland-Another Japan" Celluloid Records 1985 "Welcome to Dreamland" was to Japanese indie music what "No New York" was to the NY indie scene of 7 years earlier. The record proved there was a vibrant indie and experimental music scene flourishing in Japan. Few people outside Japan knew. Fred Frith produced the record. When I bought the record, I had no idea that a decade later I would meet one of the artists who performed on the record in Osaka (while working and living there) and became good friends. |
Digging into the recently released Gang of Four: 77-81 box set on Matador. Excellent remastering, excellent pressings by GZ in the Czech Republic. Listened to “entertainment” and currently have “Solid Gold” spinning. This after a morning of 10”. Gnarcissists “Caught In The Webb” Twompsax “I H8 Me” Prefab Messiahs “Keep Your Stupid Dreams Alive” Mady Gula BLUE HEAVEN “Far Away” |