Whats on your turntable tonight?

" It's beautiful and weird. It's Roxy Music defined."

A lot of the experimental and visionary elements of Roxy Music were diminished when Brian Eno departed after the tour supporting "For Your Pleasure" in 1973.  It was still kind of there for "Stranded" but was sorely lacking by the time "Country Life" came along.  The glam rock element had become the dominant theme.  And that certainly didn't make Island Records mad since it sold a lot more records than experimental creativity ever did. 

The Amanda Lear jacket cover for "For Your Pleasure" is classic, along with the music.

I stopped buying Roxy Music albums after "Stranded".

Cluster  “Konzerte 1972/1977”

Brotzmann/Leigh  “Sparrows Night”

William S. Burroughs “Nothing Here Now but the Recordings”

Maki Asakawa  no title

@boxer12 -regarding My Bloody Valentine, I agree, not much of the early stuff I care for.  However, there was a considerable gap, 22 years in fact, between "Loveless" and "m b v".   The gap yielded a matured and creative sound which is hard to compare with their earlier recordings.

For example, "Only Tomorrow": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2FQ3ih0MoE
Kevin makes some amazing sounds with his Fender Mustangs.  Not a lot of effects either.

With MBV signing to Domino, Kevin Shields revealed, to nobodies  surprise, that he's been recording new material which will likely come out later this year.

Bardo Pond, yeah, I have a few of their releases including "Dilate".  They prove good things do come from Philadelphia.  Roy Montgomery did a collaboration with Bardo Pond under the name Hash Jar Tempo.  Worth hunting down if you have a lot of Bardo in your collection.

And look into Roy Montgomery if you haven't already.  Any of his recording, early or contemporary are well worth a listen.

@boxer12-regarding Flying Saucer Attack, I take it you have "Mirror" (2000) which followed "New Lands" (1997).  If this is the only FSA album you have, I might suggest "Distance" (1994) which is a compilation of early 7" releases plus some other gems.  Very creative and listenable.

I like many of the spacey shoe gaze (a term most musicians detest) groups of the 80s~90s, particularly the Bristol groups which includes Flying Saucer Attack, Movietone, Third Eye Foundation, Crescent among others.  During Dave's (Pearce) Bristol days, members of the aforementioned groups often performed with each other.

Dave recorded everything in the analog domain and for the most part avoided any digital doo-dads.  Vocals were meant to be in the background, not necessarily intelligible.  Very lo-fi.

Have you listened to Boards of Canada (especially "The Campfire Headphase)?  Or the last My Bloody Valentine release "m b v" (recently re-released on Domino UK)?   

Blonde Redhead “23” 

Cleveland Steamers “Best Record Ever”

Devo “Hardcore Volume 1”

Flying Saucer Attack “New Lands”

The Bomb “Speed Is Everything”

@bkeske- regarding your tube rolling, are the Mullards you refer to current production black label (made in Russia) or classic production white label (made in England)?

Broadcast  “Tender Buttons”

Yutaka Hirose “S/T”

The Bomb (side project of Jeff Pezzati from Naked Raygun)  “Indecision”

Normal Brain  “Lady Maid”

@boxer12 ++ butthole surfers

Blonde Redhead "Misery Is A Butterfly"

Sleater-Kinney "call the doctor"

Seefeel "(Ch----vox) (REDUX)"

Beethoven Symphony No.3-Mehta/New York Phil.-CBS Master Sound series-IM 35883-1980

Al Hirt “Swingin’ Dixie at Dan’s Pier 600”-Audio Fidelity AFSD5878-1959


Caroliner “Rear End Hernia Puppet Show”-Subterranean Records 1985

Sad Lovers & Giants "Lost In A Sea Full Of Sighs"

David "Microwave" Javelosa "31st Century Lounge Music"

Sleater-Kinney "S/T"

Deerhoof "The Magic"

Scratch Acid "S/T"

Ornette Coleman "Body Meta"

Red Crayola with Art & Language "Kangaroo?"

Bush Tetras "Rituals"

Saccharine Trust "Pagan Icons"

Dug out some from the vault.  All took a spin in the Spin Clean then a trip to the Degritter.

V/A "Bowling Balls from Hell" Clone Records 1980

Swollen Monkeys (RIP Ralph Carney) "After Birth Of The Cool" Cachalot Records 1981

Retro/Trainable split "Double Take" Transcity Records 1981

Dizzy and the Romilars "Daily Dose" Medical Records 1981

V/A "Cleveland Confidential" Terminal Records 1982

@mammothguy54- Fidelity Investments in their ’Change In Plans’ ad campaign uses several shortened versions of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" from Tears for Fears "Songs from the Big Chair. Pretty clear the market (age) group they are aiming for.

Wonder what that cost Fidelity$$?

@bkeske- Did I read further up about you rolling some Brimar 12AU7s in your rig? If so, impressions? Have you tried Funkengroovins (aka Telefunken-original, not current production)? Or RCA "clear top" side getter flashed? Or "real" Mullards (made in England, not the current black label variety made in Russia) ?

@spiritofradio -yeah, "the [far] out sound from way in" (oops, that's the title of a composition by Third Eye Foundation-aka Matt Elliott).

My wife contends it sometimes sounds like the turntable is set to 78 rpm.

Funny, the turntable is only 33 and 45 rpm. 

She must be thinking of the Edison Amberola player.  It spins the cylinders at 160 rpm.  And some of the sounds coming from the cylinders rival what comes from the vinyl.

Putting a recently acquired Degritter to work.....
Caroliner (this version of the band known as Snake Tailed Waxwalker) "Smoke Tour For Lunation"
(for adventurous listeners, a good Caroliner starting point is "Rise of the Common Woodpile")
Windy & Carl "Allegiance And Conviction"
Tuba Skinny "Blue Crime Stomp"
:zoviet*france: "Further Collusion"
Devo "Hardcore Vol. 2"
Destroy All Monsters "S/T" (the Ron Asheton, Niagra era-1982~1984)

Another nod to Detroit area artists,

Windy & Carl "songs for the broken hearted"
Olivia Jean "Night Owl"

@boxer12, Bardo Pond, yeah!
(Who says good music doesn't come from Philadelphia?)

Since PJ Harvey has been mentioned, Stranded Records still has a good selection of her work on vinyl.  I have 2, "Rid of Me" and "4-Track Demos".

https://www.strandedrecords.com/collections/new-arrivals?page=2

With a nod to my former hometown Detroit,

Duende!  "Florence To The Mad Man"

Must Musings "S/T" (label says mono but darn nice recording)

@bkeske, I’ve never drank alcohol.  Impairs my ability to appreciate what I’m listening to.  Gimme a stiff coffee.....

@bkeske, have any of the clubs reopened around Cleveland , like Beachland?  I may be in the area later in the summer.  Always fun to go see a show there.  And then cruise over to Record Den in Mentor the next day for a peek.  One of those places that’s ideal for killing an afternoon on a rainy day.

@bkeske, this version of “Bewitched” is the remastered version pressed by Gotta Groove Records, Cleveland.  Excellent quality, by the way.

https://www.gottagroovestore.com/all-releases/

Luna “Bewitched”

Tuba Skinny “Some Kind-A-Shake”

Lene Lovich “Stateless”

:zoviet france: “Shadow, Thief Of The Sun”

A long gap between posting yet again. 

Terry Fox "Linkage"
His Name Is Alive "Hope Is A Candle"
Plus a few 7"-
Minutemen "The Burning Brothel" split with
Saccharine Trust "My Heart Bleeck Pink Lemonade"
Rocket From The Tombs "I Sell Soul"
Jack Brewer & Kava "Major Punk Statement"

Fully vaccinated (Pfizer, no ill effects) and waiting for the local clubs to open.  That will likely be a long wait.

Cabaret Voltaire "Shadow Of Fear"
Roy Montgomery "324 E. 13th Street #7"
Slap Happy/Henry Cow "Desperate Straights"
V.A. "Southeast of Saturn" (Michigan Shoegaze/Dream Pop/Space Rock)



Merry Christmas everyone.  Hopefully Santa Claus will deliver all those tasty vinyl records you and your turntable have been anxiously waiting for.

@haflerdimwit Wow! Indeed. Amazing to see a Hafler DH-101 mentioned. That was my first preamp 40+ years ago driving a Bryston 2B amplifier into Spendor BC1s. It was replaced with a DH-110 which still resides in my secondary system.

For readers unaware, the Hafler preamps were available in kit form making the overall experience that much better. Remarkably good preamps.

I still have both Haflers but am only using the DH-110 actively.

@slaw  Congratulations Steve on the Vinyl Press review.

After a listening gap because of family matters, I managed a bit of listening.

Flaming Tunes- s/t
Peter Jeffries- “Last Ticket Home”
David Nance- “ More Than Enough”
Robert Fripp- “Exposure” (remastered version)
Tom Recchion- “Oaxaca Dawn/Bamboo”

Turntable was away for an upgrade.  Now back and spinning,


Roy Montgomery “Tropic of Anodyne” (Record “R” in the series)
Autechre “Sign”
Beabadoobee “Fake It Flowers”

"And like @noromance says getting records in the mail is cool !!!"

Yeah, my postal carrier is always intrigued by what records are lurking in those "No Hassle" cardboard shippers.

I felt like spinning lots of 7" records tonight.

Shellac  "Uranus"
Jack Brewer & Kava  "Major Punk Statement"
Human Switchboard  "Fly-In" (Fat Possum Re-release)
Rats In The Louvre  "Red Flag"
Rockets From The Tombs  "I Sell Soul"
The Meatmen  "Happy F*_king Easter, A$$hole"
Mike Watt  "Rebel Girl"
Herschell Gordon Lewis & The Pink Holes  "2000 Maniacs"
Waitresses  "Short Stack" (original 1977 Clone Records disc)
L-Seven  "Insanity" (original 1982 Touch and Go disc)
The Mekons  "Where Were You"
Destroy All Monsters  "What Do I Get?"
Algebra Mothers  "Strawberry Cheesecake"

.....and with that, I should become a DJ at my local college or community radio station.

Roy Montgomery “M” (Darkmotif Dancehall)

The U-Men “X-Mas Concert At Interstate Mall / Live At Club Wow“ (semi-approved bootleg of live recordings by Pere Ubu, probably recorded at Pirate’s Cove on the edge of the beautiful Cuyahoga River in downtown Cleveland, 1978, allegedly 500 pressed)

...nose out of a book, ears warmed up.  Listening to a modification, stepped attenuator, already liking what I hear, wonderful detail and soundstage.  Now, on the table:

The Pathetx “1981” (go motown!)

Roy Montgomery “Last Year’s Man”

The Prefab Messiahs “Peace Love & Alienation” (go wormtown!!)

Deerhoof “Future Teenage Cave Artists”

Avengers “S/T”

Deerhoof "Deerhoof vs. Evil"

Caroliner "The Cooking Stove Beast"
(the complete name for this version of musicians is: Caroliner Rainbow Susans and Bruisins)

Boxer...thanks for the Ubu idea
Pere Ubu "The Modern Dance"

Pere Ubu "New Picnic Time" (Jehovah’s Kingdom Comes!)
Ten Years After "Watt"
Ten Years After "Cricklewood Green"

Oops, totally out of it last night.  I meant “Beth” Gibbons, not Ruth.  Yikes!

Greetings slaw and boxer, been lurking about (can’t go anywhere) but reading more in the evening. Also doing upgrades to my old mono block amplifiers. Plus some long put off projects like a nice enclosure for some neat old GE/Yokogawa analog panel meters (AC Volts, Amps and Frequency). Visual entertainment to compliment the listening.

The new arrival vinyl stack swelled to the point I needed to make a serious effort to listen. So, I’ll spend the next few nights hiding out and listening.
The biggest batch came from muddguts in Brooklyn. A surprisingly good indie label. They are also an art gallery.

boxer, the Ruth Gibbons disc is the recently remastered release. VERY nice!

The last disc for tonight:
The Angry Samoans “Inside My Brain”

Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man “out of season”
(yeah, that Beth Gibbons as in Portishead but without the electronics, ooo-la-la her voice)

Ruth Anderson “Here.”

Kamikaze Palm Tree “Goodboy”

Boards of Canada "the campfire headphase"
Boards of Canada "skam"

Espers “S/T”
Espers “The Weed Tree”
Mekons “The Quality Of Mercy Is Not Strnen” [sic]

@slaw, MyMat ended up resting on top of the stock felt mat.  Seems to work best in that configuration.  Definitely noted detail improvement particularly on the lows.

Hi @slaw

Lately, been reading the stack of books on my desk rather than spinning discs.

Of musical interest, John Seabrook’s book “The Song Machine-Inside The Hit Factory”. 
Took a break tonight and warmed up the tubes and gave the old platter a push.

....and one more record before retiring to my book...

Extended Organ (LAFMS)- “Vibe”

My Bloody Valentine “Lost Tracks and Rare Cuts”

Auditioning newly received MyMat, thanks @slaw.
Broadcast “The Future Crayon”
LAFMS “35 S. Raymond 1976”
(Los Angeles Free Music Society)
Mort Garson “Plantasia-music for plants”
Duster “Contemporary Movement”

75 Dollar Bill  "I Was Real"

Saccharine Trust "the great one is dead"
Roy Montgomery "Scenes From The South Island"

Alan Vega, Martin Rev “Suicide” (1977)
Alan Vega, Martin Rev “Suicide: Alan Vega and Martin Rev” (1980)
Dennis Duck (LAFMS) “Dennis Duck Goes Disco”

Chris & Cosey "Heartbeat"
Pere Ubu "The Modern Dance"

David Byrne & Brian Eno "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts"

Back home and jet lag reversed. Back to normal listening.

"No New York" compilation 1978 (produced by Brian Eno)
James Chance and the Contortions "Sax Maniac"
James White and the Blacks "Off White"

boxer12, caught your post of 10/25 and Tortoise “TNT”.  Excellent pick! I’m still in Japan and suffering turntable withdrawals.  I’m catching up as I have internet access.
As I rode the train a few days back, my trusty iPod treated me to Tortoise “Millions Now Living Will Never Die”.

Ah the Chicago indie sound....

Nothing on the turntable for the next couple weeks as puff is inhaling sweet smells and unsmoggy air in the mountains of far western Saitama Prefecture Japan.  (and praying the 2 approaching typhoons miss this time)
Living off mp3 files in the good old iPod.  Can I stand the strain?