Tonight: comparative listening to 33 rpm vs. 45 rpm versions of some of Classic Records' RCA reissues.
So far, there is no contest sonically (did anyone suspect otherwise?).
But, my question in doing this was: "Did the mastering of the 45 rpm versions avoid the hard brittle top end plaguing some of the early 33 rpm issues sufficiently to make it worth the gamble of buying a few more of the 45s to replace other disappointing early release 33s?"
So far, the answer is "YES" for the following LPs (listening to selected tracks on each):
"Clair de Lune" RCA LSC-2326 - the sound of strings on the 33 rpm is brittle in the upper frequencies to the point I don't find it enjoyable to listen to (at least on my system). The 45 rpm does not have this problem: the string tone is smooth and extended. Definitely not polite and rolled off like many of the originals (so don't come here looking for that original "Shaded Dog" sound; this is more like what I expect to hear in an excellent "contemporary" recording. The 45 rpm also has all the other virtues we've come to expect of this media.
"Gonoud: Faust/Bizet: Carmen Suite" LSC-2449 - The 33 rpm version of this is much better, and much more listenable, than I recalled. The top end has some of that brittleness and hard edge to it, but not nearly so much as some others. Just every now and then the massed strings jump out and BITE. Still..., the 45 rpm version is simply soooo muuucch better in so many respects.
"Belioz: Symphony Fantastique" LSC-1900 - MUCH improved string tone on the 45 rpm version. The 33 rpm is not as bad as I recalled, as with LSC-2449; but the 45 rpm is a very distinct improvement in every respect. (And still my favorite performance with a modern orchestra is the Freccia/RPO reissued on Chesky CR 1. (If you can find it and have a choice, get the 180 gram, not the lighter weight first pressing run).
Conclusion? For me I will go ahead with some additional 45 rpm Classic Record purchases (such as the Sibelius/Finlandia LSC-2336 which sounds so sad on the 33 rpm version and is such a GREAT performance and recording, and such as the Reiner/Spain LSC- 2230), but cautiously.
. |
So far
Beethoven "Symphony No. 6" Philharmonia/Klemperer (Angel S 35711)
Miles Davis "Kind of Blue" (Columbia CS 8163) Classic Records 200g reissue
Jennifer Warnes "Famous Blue Raincoat" (Cypress/A&M 0100)
Bill Evans Trio "New Jazz Conceptions" (Riverside 12-223) This version of the trio had Teddy Kotick doing the bass duties |
sade"stronger than pride" "a boy named charlie brown" the juilliard quartet "debussy/ravel ,string quartets" |
Sealed, 180gram Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Simply stunning. |
starting tonight with,Flash "Out of our Hands" then Air "Talkie Walkie" my tv failed to make it thru the hurricaine so ill be listening to music untill payday wed.oh well just the right excuse to buy a new one, |
Ella Fiztgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook, Verve - the lady is incredible! Even through the surface noise of these 50 year old records, I just get lost in her incredible singing. And a supporting cast that includes Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins, Johnny Hodges, Clark Terry, Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Petersen, Ray Brown, and more is nothing to sneeze at. [I'd love to hear the Speakers Corner reissue for even better sound quality: I just can't quite justify the price for the 4LP set. :-( ]
Doc & Merle Watson's Guitar Album, Flying Fish FF301
Joan Baez, Volume 2, Vanguard VRS 9094 - just a wonderful vocalist and her guitar, mono.
. |
|
hello Rushton,american IV :the man comes around,,,2002 american recordings,LLC,man. and marketing by Lost highway records,rick rubin,there is also a box set of his last recordings,but ive only seen it on redbook cd,hopefully theyll release it on lp also,if not i will buy the cds,most of it is prev.unrealesed i believe,powerful stuff!! |
LOL, Slipknot, I think you've become addicted to the Stavinsky/Firebird/Mercury for demonstration purposes (with good reason!).
Raytheprinter: when was "the man comes around on" recorded? Is that one of Cash's Columbia recordings?
. |
johnny cash "the man comes around" the doobie brothers "toulouse street" yes "close to the edge" |
Some friends over today. The feast:
Crosby, Stills and Nash - CSN "Helplessly Hoping"
Donald Fagan - The Nightfly "Walk Between Raindrops"
Allman brothers Band - Fillmore East "You Don't Love Me"
Louis Armstrong - Satchmo Plays King Oliver "St. James Infirmary"
Eva Cassidy - Songbird "Fields of Gold"
Joni Mitchell - Hejira "Coyote"
Dead Can Dance - Into the Labyrinth "Yulunga"
Patricia Barber - Modern Cool "Constantinople"
Stravinsky - "Firebird" Dorati/LSO |
Acoustic Alchemy's "Natural Elements" MCA recording...spooky good! |
So far today:
Rickie Lee Jones: "Rickie Lee Jones"
Rickie Lee Jones: "Pirates" (thanks Sbank !!)
Sonny Rollins: "Way Out West", Analogue Productions 45 rpm reissue
"Die Rohre - The Tube, A Baroque Delight for the Ears" Tacet L74 (all tube recording and mastering chain, delightful Baroque music in every good sound)
Itzhak Perlman & Pinchas Zukerman: "Duets for 2 Violins" - a surprisingly good Angel pressing (S-37406) of this 1977 collaboration. |
Allison Krauss & Union Station- Live |
Ray Brown Trio, "Soular Energy" Pure Audiophile PA-002
Bill Berry, "Shortcake" Pure Audiophile PA-004
(again!)
Whatever Stan Ricker is doing with his revised half-speed mastering process on these Pure Audiophile LPs, the results are simply stunning. I just had to come back to these LPs again tonight both for the superb musicianship and to wallow in the incredible sonics! The inner detail, leading edge transient response and dynamics on these LPs are very special.
. |
Billy Joel - Innocent Man:
Just picked this one up for $1.50 in perfect shape a few weeks ago. Never realized how good some of the Billy Joel albums are. This one is quickly becoming one of my favorite Billy Joel albums. |
Today I installed the 1" Cellular shades as called for by Rives Audio http://www.rivesaudio.com They are insulating room darkening shades. So, I played the standard large orchestral warhorses: Mussorgsky "Pictures At An Exhibition" (RCA LSC-2201/Classic Records reissue) Stravinsky "Firebird complete ballet" (Mercury SR90226/Classic Records reissue) Mendelssohn "Symphony No. 3, Fingal's Cave" (Decca SXL 2246/Speaker's Corner 45 rpm reissue Miles Davis "Kind of Blue" (Columbia CS 8163/Classic Records 45 rpm reissue) As good as things have been sounding, the window treatments have taken it to a whole new level. All the residual glare from the 6ft and 10 ft windows is gone compliments of the 1" insulated cellular shades. |
Today:
John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman, Impulse AS-40, Speakers Corner reissue (from the analogue master tapes)
Fleetwood Mac: Fleetwood Mac
Wild Child Butler, Analogue Productions Original recording, d-to-d. If you like blues and you haven't listened to the APO releases, you are missing some wonderful performances in great sound!
Pettersson, Sym 8, Commissiona/BaltimoreSO, DGG 2531 176. Great music, excellent performance, fanastic recording - this is NOT the typical DGG sound. Recorded under the direction of Robert Wood (Telarc), this recording has a natural soundstage, extended frequency response, very good dynamic range and no obvious mult-miking.
Stravinsky Violin Concerto, Perlman and Ozawa/BSO, DGG. Very nice performance by a young feisty Perlman. Unfortunately, typcial DGG multi-mike mess for sound.
Berg Violin Concerto - wonderful work for lovers of great 20th Century music. From the same LP above.
. |
Ray,
VPI offers the advantage of a platter that fully supports the LP and is sturdy enough to use as a platform for "scrubbing" the surface of the LP using your preferred cleaning fluid and brush (e.g., Disc Doctor or Records Research).
I've used a VPI Model 17 pretty intensively for 18 years, and it still runs like a champ; they are very sturdily built. Either the VPI 16.5 or the 17 would be a great addition.
OTOH, the manual cleaning process with Disc Doctor works pretty well without a vacuum cleaner. The vacuum cleaner adds a lot of convenience, but a more important key to excellent cleaning of your vinyl is using a good cleaning fluid and and good brushes, like the Disc Doctor. I say this after having been a dedicated user of home brew cleaning solutions with my VPI for many years, and being a DD skeptic. NO MORE! After an experience at Lloyd Walker's house, where he took one of my "clean" records, plopped it on top of his VPI 17 and cleaned it with Disc Doctor fluid using a DD brush, the improvement in clarity was so immediately apparent that I become a convert on the spot and have never looked back.
. |
i just bought 180 lps from an elderly woman for 25$ who just wanted to get them out of the house,sinatra ,tony bennett,anne murrey,johnny cash,classical,country,louis prima@kelly smith,ella,some really good stuff!now i need to buy a record cleaner,,,nitty gritty or vpi? |
An afternoon of music with friends; what a treat!
Ray Brown Trio: Soular Energy (Pure Audiophile)
Laudate II (Proprius)
Menotti: Violin Concerto (Reference Recordings)
Rochberg: String Quartet No 3 (Nonesuch)
Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 8, Borodin Qt (Decca)
Shostakovich: Sym 5, Previn/LSO (EMI)
Holly Cole: Romantically Helpless/One Trick Pony (Grooveland)
Supertramp: Crime of the Century/School
All analogue, all vinyl, all great music to share.
. |
Neil Young...On the Beach
Ravi Shanker |
I just finished listening to "Trouble Man" (Tamla T322L). This Marvin Gaye's outstanding soundtrack to the most forgettable movie of the same title.
Maybe it's just my mood, but this is in the top 1% of all my albums. Just a wandering, fabulously inspired performance with an inexplicable ending. Actually parallels his life, I guess. |
Some more digital discs tonight.
Johnny Nash; The Reggae Collection (very highly recommended)
Black Uhuru; Reggae Greats
B.B. King; Lucille (title track only)
Sam Cooke; The Man and His Music |
Rushton,
Another Judy Mowatt title to try is "Working Wonders". This is actually my favorite Judy Mowatt album. And again, a title I would like to hear on your Walker TT. |
Wow, another LP I need to pull off the shelf and play. Haven't listened to The Wall in years, and the system has changed dramatically over that time... Thanks for the reminder! |
Pink Floyd's The Wall, 30th Anniversary Edition. I just picked it up today. On a side note the guy at the store said a Metallica box set is coming out soon on vinyl...sweet! |
Thanks for the offer Rushton, I will definitely look you up sometime. Never been to Philadelphia before, but it is a place I have always wanted to visit.
One note about my recommendations; the Black Uhuru title is pretty funky. It is also pretty spectacular from a sonic point of view. |
Wellfed - Thank you, I've added the Judy Mowartt and Black Uhuru to my browsing list. It's wonderful to be with group of folks who are willing to help introduce each other to new music!
If you're ever in the Philadelphia area, I'd be delighted to have you come by to listen. |
Rushton, Two Reggae titles for you Judy Mowatt - Black Woman Black Uhuru - Dub Factor, The I would love to hear what your table might bring out of the Black Uhuru disc. If you like Black Woman, you would probably like all of Judy Mowatt's titles. I do. If you don't like Black Woman, you might still like some of her other titles. Neither of the above titles are representative of classic Reggae IMO. Two that are Bob Marley - Natty DreadBunny Wailer - Bunny Wailer Sings the Wailers |
Tom Waits - One from the Heart |
Tonight:
Grateful Dead "Live Dead" (Warner Bros. "green lable" R1 74395/180g reissue)
Eva Cassidy - "Songbird" (S&P-501)
Tangerine Dream -"Green Desert" (Relativity 88561-8072) |
Last night it was Mahler's 9th George Solti conducting the London Symphony. |
No music tonight, but, we watched a great movie from Canada called "Rare Birds". Filmed on location in Newfoundland about a little restaurant that is failing. Stars William Hurt. Quirky and very good. |
charles mingus,ah um,,,again///...,,cant get over how good this sounds!! |
Nothing since I am redoing my room treatment. The walls are bare now, so no fun to listen until I'm done.
But I just wanted to comment on what a great thread this is.
Thanks Slipknot1! |
Thanks, Spencer. I'll add this to my list. |
Rush,
Another to add to any short list of Reggae Classics should also include the soundtrack to the the film "The Harder They Come", which is often filed under Jimmy Cliff. Although it features many artists such as Toots and the Maytals, Jimmy usually gets the credit.
Cheers,
Spencer |
Life beyond audio this past week: Olympics coverage is taking precedence for my discretionary time! Some incredible stories happening throughout the competitions.
Glad to hear you like the Doc Watson and Mendelssohn LPs, Joe. They are awfully nice! I still need to get Doc Watson's "Southbound" and the two Cisco reissues of the Joan Baez LPs. Aaggh, my wish list at Red Trumpet is getting longer again.
. |
Doc Watson "Home Again!" (Vagauard VSD-79239/Cisco reissue)
Don't miss this one folks. Incredible, clean, pure recording.
Mendelssohn "Mendelssohn in Scotland Symphony No. 3, Fingal's Cave" Maag/LSO (Decca SXL 2246/Speaker's Corner 45 rpm reissue)
Another great one. This recording is demonstration quality. |
Have the day off, everyone is out of the house (even the dogs). So, we have:
Art Pepper "Meets The Rhythm Section" (Contemporary S7532)
Rhythm Devils (Hart/Kreutzmann) "Rhythm Devils Play River Music" (Passport PB 9844)
Emerson, Lake and Palmer "Trilogy" (Atlantic P-10113A)
ELP "Welcome Back My Friends To The Show That Never Ends" (Manticore MC 3-200)
Shostakovich "Symphony No. 12 "1917"" (Melodiya/Angel SR-40128) |
i just recieved a copy of ,mingus ah um/charles mingus,,,wow,,,great stuff, |
|
Next up:
Grateful Dead "American Beauty" (Mobile Fidelity MFSL 1-014) |
So far:
Tchaikovsky "Romeo and Juliet Overture and Fantasy" Dorati/LSO (Mercury SR90209)
Bach "Brandenburg Concertos 4,5,6" von Karajan/Berlin Philharmonic (Deutsche Grammophon 2531 333) |
Hello Rushton:
Your question is very hard on my brain.
I had to go through my Reggae section to give you an answer.
If I were to buy only two reggae albums, I would buy
1)"Bob Marley and the Wailers Live!" 1975 Island Records ILPS 9376.
2)Third World "You've Got the Power", Columbia FC3774
"Legend" as described by Slipknot, is a fine compilation of Marley's work. I prefer "Live" because I am partial to recordings of live performances, and I prefer the slightert faster tempo at which the songs are played on "Live".
Third World gets a nod, because while the entire album is good, "Try Jah Love" (Side One Track One-written by Stevie Wonder) is an ultimate test of one's groovenosity/life force quotient. If you don't dance or at least get your head bobbing when this track is played at a good volume, you are likely in a coma.
However, don't obsess over the choices. Your approach, IMO is unimpeachable-buy two, play them to death and get them inside you. Then buy just one more/Repeat process.
I have to go blast Third World now.
Happy Listening.
Michael |
Joe, thanks for your recommendations. I'll add them to my "watch list." |
Rush,
If you don't my chiming in here, I really enjoy Bob Marley and the Wailers "Rastaman Vibration" (Island PS 8383)
If you like compilation LPs, "Legend: The best of Bob Marley and the Wailers" (Island A1 90169). This one is nice as it contains some of the Wailers' most recognizable songs: "Jamming", Exodus", "Get Up, Stand Up", "No Woman, No Cry", etc. |
Mknowles, if I were to buy two Reggae records (a genre about which I know nothing), would you recommend "Exodus" as one of the two? And what else?
. |
Tonight, some Reggae.
1. Soundtrack from the movie "The Harder They Come" on Mango Records, Distributed by Island Records. Featuring young Jimmy Cliff, other listed artists are "Maytals", "Melodians", and "Slickers". Snippets of the film plays in my mind's eye every time I hear this album.
2. Exodus- Bob Marley and the Wailers. Good old warhorse sounds fresh still. |
