A year and a half, and this thread is still going strong! Some tremendous music has been shared among the various posters. Thank you all.
Today, so far:
Neil Young "Greatest Hits" (Reprise 48935-1) 200 gram
Grateful Dead "Live Dead" (Warner 2WS-1830) both Rhino 200 gram reissue and original pressings
Mark Knopfler/Dire Straits "The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler - "Private Investigations"" (Mercury 987576-7)
Pink Floyd "Wish You Were Here" (Columbia HBL 43453) Half Speed Mastered
Emerson, Lake & Palmer "Brain Salad Surgery" (Atlantic SD 19124) Manticore pressing is better, not quite as tipped up in the HF as this.
After the Rock and Roll:
Mendelssohn "Midsummer Night's Dream" Schubert "Rosamunde" Ansermet/L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (London CS 6186)
More classical music later.... |
Yes, this has been a really nice thread, Joe. It's been a real pleasure to read what others are playing and share some suggestions as we play stuff in our music library. This evening we've been listening to:
Vieuxtemps - "Violin Concerto No. 5"
Bruch - "Scottish Fantasy"
-- Jascha Heifitz and Malcolm Sargent conducting. (RCA LSC 2603-45 Classic Records 45 rpm reissue) Outstanding performance captured in another excellent engineering job by Kenneth Wilkinson. (Another example supporting the argument that the best of the RCA catalog was actually recorded by Decca.)
Paganini - "Il Carnevale di Venezia" and "La Campanella" - Salvatore Accardo -vn, Italiana Chamber Orchestra (Fone 011-45, 45 rpm pressing)
Roy Orbison - "Pretty Woman" - single 12" LP 33rpm/45rpm reissue from Classic Records - a nice demonstration of the benefits of 45 rpm mastering compared to 33 rpm.
Moody Blues - "Every Good Boy Deserves Favor" Threshold THS 5.
Jazz from the Blue Note 45 rpm reissue series from Music Matters and Analogue Productions coming up...
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Kazumi Watanabe, Mobo 1 and 2 |
dream theater- systematic chaos
mudcrutch |
Terrapin Station - Grateful Dead...the title track is really something
Sing to Me Mr. C - Perry Como...wonderful RCA Victor Living Stereo recording from yesteryear. Wonderful sound! Vocals and harmonies that simply shimmer! They don't make 'em like this anymore. The distinctive sound quality makes this a very interesting and worthwhile listen. |
two recent discoveries that I am listening to almost every day now...if you like modern jazz, check out Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band "Season of Changes" and Christian Scott "Anthem". Highly recommended. |
In memory of the passing of Pink Floyd's Richard Wright:
Pink Floyd
"Piper at the Gates of Dawn"
"Meddle"
"Animals"
David Gilmour
"On an Island" |
Yep, "Animals" and "Dark Side of the Moon" for me tonight. Magical albums. |
Spending a final day of vacation listening to some marvelous recordings that demonstrate the value of the time and effort we put into getting our systems to sound as good as we can get them to sound:
Beethoven, Symphony No. 7, Kajski/PolishChmPO, Tacet L 149
(yet again)
Sibelius, Finlandia, Mackerras/LondonPromsO, RCA LSC 2336-45 (Classic Records 45 rpm reissue)
Crosby, Stills & Nash, S/T, Atlantic SD 8229-45 (Classic Records 45 rpm reissue)
Nanci Griffith, The Last of the True Believers, Philo PH 1109
Pierre Cochereau, Triptych Symphony for Organ, played on the organ at Boston Symphony Hall, Aeolian Skinner, Volume XII (mono)
John Coltrane, Blue Train, Blue Note 1577 -45 (Analogue Productions 45 rpm reissue)
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Rushton,
Very nice program for an enjoyable last day of vacation! |
Rush-
Welcome back! I hope you had a good time!
Tonight so far:
Stravinsky "Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments" Ansermet/Magaloff/L'Orchestre De La Suisse Romande (London STS 15048)
Chet Baker "Chet" (Analogue Productions APJ016) 180g reissue of the Riverside
Analog Tape:
Hindemith "Violin Concerto" Oistrakh/Hoernstein/London Symphony (TP-006) 15ips Tape Project tape from the Decca SXL 6035 masters. One of those gems from London's Kingsway Hall, recorded by Kenneth Wilkinson |
Dub Tractor's Hideout. Aerial by 2542. |
Mahler, Symphony No. 5, Barbirolli/New Philharmonia Orchestra, EMI SLS 785 - a marvelous performance and recording!
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Great to be back. Finally obtained a new front end rig. Currently breaking in a new cartridge. This recent setup did not get in the way of a new record I recieved today.
Thorens 125th Anniversary 3 record set. First of all let me say the packaging of this set is phenomenal. A beautiful tri fold cover that when fully open reveals excellent color photographs of Blue Heaven Studios and the birthplace & photograph of Hermann Thorens.
This evening I played only one side which contains all blues selections. The recorded quality of the music and selection of songs were top notch. For me listening to this one side made me forget about audio and just revel in the music. Looking forward to hearing the other sides over the next couple of days. I want to savor this delectable treat. Highly recommended. |
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Whew!!! Three Guitar Virtuoso's. Al Dimeloa, John McLaughlin & Paco Delucia.
"Friday Night In San Francisco" Philips Records. Speakers Corner Reissue. Stellar recording musically and sonically. Want to test the speed of your system? This is the tool. Fun listening how DeLucia & Dimeola transition from playing sketches of Pink Panther theme and sliding right into a funky blues.
Thorens 125th Anniversary Album. Tonight side 5 the theme is Jazz. Excellent. Again recommended as I indicated above. |
"Blood Sweat and Tears"
I hadn't broken this out in years. What a fantastic listen! |
Kraftwerk Electric Cafe
Slayer, South of Heaven
Opeth, Deliverance |
Karlheinz Stockhausen "Sternklang" |
Let's see if we can kick this thread back to life...
Nat "King" Cole "Penthouse Serenade" (Pure Pleasure Analogue PPAN T332)
Nat Cole playing the piano with a trio. Only a couple of vocal cuts on the entire LP. Chad Kassem insisted that I include this with my purchases at RMAF last year, and I am grateful that I listened to him. A beautiful album.
Duke Ellington and Ray Brown "This One's for Blanton" (Pablo 2310-721) Analogue Productions "top 25 jazz" 45 rpm reissue. |
Good to see this thread again tonight!
For me late today: the 45 rpm Cisco reissue of Famous Blue Raincoat, Jennifer Warnes. Yes, it's really, really good. Fellow Audiogoner Elinor encouraged me to get it and was right in his enthusiasm for it! |
Mal Waldron "Impressions" |
Miles' "Ascenseur a L'Echaffaud"... while perhaps never a critical success, I love this soundtrack. |
John Mayall - The Turning Point |
Freddie Hubbard - "Here to Stay" - Blue Note ST-84135-45, Music Matters 45 rpm reissue. Marvelous! Music Matters nails it again with this 45 rpm reissue series.
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Oops... "Ascenseur Pour L'Echaffaud" |
Derek Trucks Band - "already free" |
Lonnie Johnson with Elmer Snowden -- "Blues, Ballads and Jumpin' Jazz" - Analogue Productions APR 3001. Great music making by these long time blues musicians. The interplay between them in the studio will make you feel like they've walked into your music room and settled down on the couch.
Jackie McLean, "Bluesnik" - Blue Note 84067-45 -- yet another superb Music Matters 45 rpm Blue Note reissue.
Hearing these two records come alive on one's system makes all the effort worthwhile.
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Stravinsky chamber music works played by the Boston Chamber Players on DGG 2530 551. DGG's chamber music recordings almost always sonically sonically outclass their orchestral recordings -- this one is excellent!
- Concertina for 12 Instruments
- Octet for Wind Instruments
- Pastorale for Vn and Qt of Wind Instruments
- Ragtime for Eleven Instruments
- Septet (1953)
Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers: "A Night in Tunisia" -- Blue Note 84049-45 -- Another gem from the Music Matters 45 rpm reissue series.
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A favorite listening partner, a glass of port and great music playing. Tonight in honor of the work of the great recording engineer, Marc Aubort: Ravel, "Valses nobles et sentimentales" - Skrowaczewski/MinnO - Vox recording by Marc Aubort reissued by Reference Recordings, RM 1004 Ravel, "Pavane pour une Infante Defunte" and "Le tombeau de Couperin" - Skrowaczewski/MinnO - Vox recording by Marc Aubort reissued by Reference Recordings, RM 1001 Gershwin, "Catfish Row Suite" [arranged by Gershwin from the music of "Porgy and Bess"] - Slatkin/StLouisSO - Vox recording by Marc Aubort reissued by Reference Recordings, RM 1005 Gershwin, "An American in Paris" - Slatkin/StLouisSO - Vox recording by Marc Aubort reissued by Reference Recordings, RM 1005 Great stuff!! With each side, my listening partner goes: "Oh, this sounds really good..." and for good reason. These are outstanding recordings, made even better by the outstanding remastering for Reference Recordings by Doug Sax. Read Michael Fremer's recently published interview with Marc Aubort, plus some good recording history: Elite Recordings: A Conversation With Freelance Recording Engineer Veteran Marc Aubort. |
Rochmaninoff, "Concerto No 3: Symphony of the Air"
Van Cliburn, Piano; 5/19/1958 Carnegie Hall
A treasure given to me by my grandfather this weekend...and I quote, "Try this one on for size." |
The Radiators--Law of the Fish
The Producers--The Producers
Pete Fountain--Pete's Place
The Black Keys--Thickfreakness
Godspeed You Black Emperor--"Lift Your Skinny Fists Like
Antennas To Heaven"
The last on the list was something introduced to me a couple of months ago by a college student working at the local music/head shop a few hundred feet off the campus of Tulane University. I figured what the hell--I'll try it. It reminds me a little of Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here"--it is very mellow and flowing. What a great recommendation! I have listened to it about 10 times already and it gets better with each play. It is a double LP on Constellation Records out of Canada (cst012). It seems to be from the year 2000.
Pepe |
The Miyajima Mono cartridge has breathed new life into my jazz mono recordings. This evenings fare:
Cookin' The Miles Davis Quintet. My second issue blue label prestige outplays the Analog Productions reissue. 50's jazz at its best.
June Christy, Something Cool. Life like vocals. Listen to her sing the title track Something Cool and I Should Care. A nice Ella counterpart. Capitol records reissue by Cisco.
Louis Armstrong plays W.C. Handy. Both joyful and uplifting even after listening to the worlds woes from the Jim Lehrer news hour. Louis sings and plays his heart out. Highly recommended.
Sarah Vaughan, Emarcy records, Speakers Corner reissue. Up front stunning recording. All star lineup with Clifford Brown, Herbie Mann, Roy Haynes and others. Listening to Sarah sing Lullaby in Birdland and April in Paris will steal your heart.
This renaissance in jazz and classical vinyl is an uncommon pleasure of life. |
Berlioz "Requiem" - Shaw/AtlantaSO, Telarc (I prefer the Davis/LSO on Philips, but one learns from different approaches)
Last night:
Berlioz "Les Troyens" - Davis/ROHO-CoventGarden on Philips (great music making)
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Philippe Saisse, "Valerian" Windham Hill |
45s, because my DD TT starts spinning incredibly fast (and continues accelerating - it's really quite scary) when I push 'Start' on 33. Aaaaaargh!!!
So it's been a bit o' Miles, a bit o' Bill Evans, and my only George Benson record, which is a 45. Once I forget about the indignity of the machine trying to create tornado vortices in my living room using a small spiral vinyl groove, they sound quite nice. |
T_bone, which DD table is accelerating? I looked at the lineup in your system thread and you have quite a collection. |
Thanks Albert, the lineup just seems to accumulate as I find pieces to try out. Gotta start tossing some back. I have not re-plinthed anything like you have done with your Technics (though the DP80 is not an original plinth).
The P3 is the one accelerating. I pulled it off the shelf a few days ago in order to listen to it again and imagine my surprise. I tried again just now and I am scared to let it go for more than a few seconds - I don't think I have seen a consumer product that heavy spin that fast - I have new respect for the power of the motor.... :^) In any case, I'm taking it into the local Pioneer Service Center tomorrow morning.
Any thoughts? Ever heard of that happening to a DD motor? |
That same thing happens to Technics DD tables when one of the antique electrolytic caps fail. The good news is new caps are inexpensive, you should probably replace all of them when you go into the unit.
I did that to my MK2 and I'm having it done to my MK3. I suspect your P3 is suffering from the same problem. |
Shadows: Foot tapper EP. One of the first records I bought. Still marvellously fresh, brings me right back to the early sixties.
And - not just tonight, but the last two weeks: the remastered 1970-75 Genesis box, expensive, but very good. To my ears, even more of a positive difference from the originals than with the remastered Doors box (partly, I guess, because the original tapes were in a better condition). |
"Kalenda Maya - Songs & Dances 1200 to 1550" - Simax PS 1017 - one of those LPs that demonstrates that digital recordings on vinyl can sound great.
J.S. Bach "Fantasies" for Harpsichord, played by Alfred Gross in a superb LP from Das Ohr.
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so far-
Pink Floyd "DSOTM" (Harvest SMAS-11163) Purchased in March 1973. A little noisy after all these years, but still my preferred pressing.
Stravinsky "Firebird complete Ballet" Dorati/LSO (Mercury SR90226) 200g 33 1/3 rpm reissue
Next up:
Hugh Masekela "Hope" (Analogue Productions APJ 82020) 45 rpm |
Slipknot - please note your impressions of the Hugh Masekela after you listen to it again.
On the turntable now:
Shostakovich "Symphony No. 6" - Berglund/BournemouthSO, EMI SLS 5177 (fantastic!) - coupled with Sym No. 11 which will be up next.
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Rushton-
I am listening to side 4 as I write this. It's a live recording and it includes an instrumental version of Masekala's best known tune: "Grazin' in the Grass". The quality overall of the recording is very good, perhaps a bit tipped up in the upper frequencies. It is very percussion oriented and the drums are very well reproduced, a good work out for your bass drivers. It's very natural sounding, with good sense of venue (a live recording after all). Each side is about 12 min. long, with an average of two songs per side. Highly recommended for fans. Prior to the purchase of this (based on Chad's insistence at RMAF last October), I was not familiar with Masekala's work beyond "Grazin'". I think will explore more of his music though. |
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Bohuslav Martinů - "String Quartets 5 and 7" - Panocha Qt, Supraphon 1111 2675 (thorny, challenging music - great stuff!)
Josquin Des Pres - "Missa Pange Lingua" - Tallis Scholars, Gimmell 1585 09 (as always, the singing from this group is sublime in one of the great choral works from any age)
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I spent all day Sunday "spinning" (at 15 ips) 8 of the 10 Tape Project tapes. That's 16 reels of analog fun... TP009 Mose Allison "Creek Bank" was delivered by UPS today. Looking forward to spending time with it. |
"The Bosses" Joe Turner and Count Basie,
Dvorak Symphony #2 (Monteux, London),
Donald Byrd's 'Byrd Blows on Beacon Hill' |
Continuing tonight with music of Bohuslav Martinů, but moving to some of his orchestral works:
..Rhapsody Concerto for Viola & Orchestra
..Cello Concerto No. 1
..Sinfonia Concertante for oboe, bassoon, violin and cello and orchestra
courtesy of Supraphon.
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