Whats on your turntable tonight?


For me its the first or very early LP's of:
Allman Brothers - "Allman Joys" "Idyllwild South"
Santana - "Santana" 200 g reissue
Emerson Lake and Palmer - "Emerson Lake and Palmer"
and,
Beethoven - "Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major" Rudolph Serkin/Ozawa/BSO
slipknot1
An evening with some jazz classics...

Miles Davis "Kind of Blue" - Classic Records reissue
Ray Brown "Soular Energy" - Pure Pleasure
Cannonball Adderley "Somethin' Else" - Classic Records mono reissue
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Correction: the Ray Brown "Soular Energy" is on Pure Audiophile not Pure Pleasure.
Jenny Lewis - 'Acid Tongue' Excellent album, great songwriting and great recording. Title track makes my walls dissappear.
Flairck "Variations on a Lady" (Polydor)
Egberto Gismondi/Nana Vasconcelos "Duas Vozes" (ECM)
Penguin Cafe Orchestra "Music from the Penguin Cafe" (EG Records)
Pretenders - "Pretenders"
Jenny Lewis - "Acid Tongue"
Thelonius Monk -"Live in Italy"
Patricia Barber - "Cafe Blue"
Prefab Sprout - "Steve McQueen"
The Cars - "Candy-O"
Cat Power - "Jukebox"
Duke Ellington - 'Blues in Orbit"
I have been "spinning" a recently acquired collection of RCA and Mercury 2-track 7.5 ips tapes on my R2R deck. The RCAs are Chicago/Reiner classics as well as a large group of Dorati/LSO, Dorati/Minneapolis Mercurys, all in their original boxes.

The acetate is in pretty good shape considering a lot of these tapes are 50 years or so old.
Kenny Wheeler's Deer Wan
Neil Young's After the Gold Rush
Eberhard Weber's Little Movements
DYlan's Planet Waves
Last night listening with friends, the following eclective batch of LPs found their way onto our turntable:

..Rossini, Italian in Algiers Overture, Fone 45
..Kevin Burke, If the Cap Fits, Green Linnett
..Tori Amos
..Janis Ian, Breaking Silence, test pressing from the AP reissue
..Copland, Fanfare for the Common Man, Johanos/DallasSO, Vanguard AP resissue (a great recording by engineer David Hancock)
..Led Zepplin II, Atlantic, RL mastered pressing
..Autumn Yearning Fantasia, Wei Li & Fei Song, FIM LP 003
..Rossini, Sonate a Quattro: No. 3, Philips 4759648
..Leo Kottke, 6 & 12 String Guitars, Classic Records reissue
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Beginning this evening with

Freddie Hubbard's "Here to Stay" Blue Note ST-84135 (Music Matters 45 rpm reissue).

And moving into...

Malcolm Arnold's chamber music with the Nash Ensemble on a lovely three volume set from Hyperion (A66171, A66172 and A66173 - recording engineer Mr. Bear delivers another outstanding set of recordings!).
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Shumann Dichterliebe (1960 RCA shaded dog)
I Robot and Pyramid - Alan Parsons Project
Breathless - Camel
Bing Sings (Readers Digest Box Set)
Listening to a bunch of different pressings of Emerson, Lake and Palmer: "Brain Salad Surgery" and "Welcome Back My Friends To The Show That Never Ends"

BSS pressings include Manticore, US Atlantic, UK Atlantic. Best bass response has been best on the Manticore, but some of the high end seems to be a bit hot, even with fine tuning the VTA
Joe Jackson - "Look Sharp!"
Ella Fitzgerald - "Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie"
Cat Power - "Jukebox"
Nick Cave - "Murder Ballads"
Sonny Rollins - "Way Out West"
Albert King - "Blues Power"
The Clash - "Sandinista!"

Cannonball Adderley - "Somethin' Else" - the Acoustic Sounds 45 RPM remaster which I must say sounds incredible and is the best version of this record I have ever heard.
A Rickie Lee Jones evening:

Rickie Lee Jones, S/T
Pop Pop (the ORG reissue)
Pirates
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My favorite Hugh masekela album.
THE AMERICANIZATION OF OOGA BOOGA
Hugh Masekela
Live At The Village Gate; New York City: November 1965
Hugh Masekela (tp, vcl); Larry Willis (p); Harold Dotson (b); Henry Jenkins (d); unknown (background vcl).

For a discography try this link.
http://dougpayne.com/hmd5569.htm
OMG it's a Montovani night and some favorite film music for a change. The Vocalion reissues of the Montovani discs are a great find for any lovers of strings. Fritz Wunderlich on Polydor will also make a appearence.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Déjà vu
Jimmy Page & Robert Plant - No Quarter
The Beatles - White Album
The Babys-Anthology. I was reading about people’s favorite rock signers and someone mentioned them...Sounds even better than I remembered!
Albert King - Live Wire, Blues Power on Stax

Basie Jam on Pablo

Coleman Hawkins Encounters Ben Webster on Verve

Cannonball Adderley in Chicago - mono recording
Patrick O'Hearn, "Ancient Dreams" Private Music
Rickie Lee Jones, "The Magazine" Warner Bros.
Steely Dan, "Gaucho" MCA Records
I am recording Lps to digital, and the whole of the Spooky Tooth catalogue is on the turntable tonight. This is, politically, a somewhat embarassingly incorrect band that nevertheless had something to say, and especially, good music - even some of the fillers are interesting e g for bass and arrangement work.
Elvis Costello and the Attractions - "Armed Forces"

Steely Dan - "Gaucho"

Patricia Barber - "Companion" MFSL 45 rpm
Bob Dylan's "Together Through Life". It was just released today. I bought the vinyl/ cd combo; got home and car covered.
Miles Davis - Live Friday/Saturday night at the Blackhawk

Original stereo pressing on Columbia. Sounds fantastic.
Johnny & Edgar Winter - 'Together' - Live

Recorded in '76, this was the Winter Bros. at their peak. I was a HUGE fan back in the day (saw Edgar 9 times! 5 with White Trash. Johnny 4 times w/Derringer). They were like a R&R gypsy tribe back then. This recording was basically the Johnny Winter And... Band plus the Edgar Winter group ALL on stage playing together doing old R&R, R&B, & Blues tunes. I think a coupla things prevented this record from having the 'classic' status of let's say, the Allman Bros. Live at the Fillmore. 1st and foremost, the recording quality wasn't the best, the volume setting at the mixing board allowing for borderline feedback and distortion, compared to the Allman's which was/is pristine. That plus on a single 2-sided album the 2nd side is primarily a long stoned blues jam, not a bad thing since again, Johnny was in fine form, but this long jam would've worked just fine if the record was (I wish) a double album, I always felt that as a single album, the time could've been put to better use. All that said, honestly, I'd forgotten how these guys were Rock'n'Roll MONSTAS back then!! Side one closes with a R&R medley consisting of 10-12 'standards' with the Winter Bros. taking turns on each tune, truly smokin'!! Tell ya what, Johnny Winter never seems to get mentioned as one of the all-time greats, his gtr playing rivals Hendrix (he wasn't the whole package like Jimi was in that he lacked Jimi's amazing songwriting abilities but it took me a long time to admit to myself that Jimi at his core was always a bluesman, so was Johnny), and I consider him one of Rock's greatest most distinctive singers. When you add his genius virtuoso brother Edgar to the mix I feel this was a classic 'Supergroup'! Gave the record a quick wash on my trusty ol' Record Doctor and while not an audiophile recording by any stretch, it's a GREAT R&R record! Don't think I've ever seen this on CD so I recorded it last night, tonight I'll transfer to Itunes and get it on the Ipod, it's all good!!;)
For soft listening, try
- Jobim: Wave (audiophile speakers corner LP)
- Lynne: Just a little lovin
Also, looking forward to Amadou and Mariam: Welcome to Mali, on LP, which I've preordered.
Danses Du Moyen-Age - Clemencic Consort and Ensemble Ricercare, Harmonia Mundi HMC 2472 (excellent performances of dance music of the middle ages in outstanding sonics)

Lennox Berkeley, Quintet for Winds & Piano, Meridian E77017

Vienna 1908-1914 - Dorati/LSO, Mercury SR 90316
...Berg - Three Pieces for Orchestra
...Schoenberg, Five Pieces for Orchestra
...Webern, Five Pieces for Orchestra

Horace Parlan, Us Three - Blue Note ST-84037-45, Music Matters 45rpm reissue
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Tonight was old Decca recordings of shorter pieces night-
1. English String Music (including Britten's Simple Symphony)--Britten/English Chamber Orchestra. The King Super Analogue re-issue, pretty heavy in the bass but a very good recording.
2. Espana--Argento/London Symphony Orchestra
3. Rossini Overtures--Gamba/LSO
4. Hindemith-Symphonic Metamorphoses on Themes of Weber (Addabo/LSO)--one of my favorite fun pieces, sadly under-recorded.
Russ, all wonderful performances and recordings. Great choices for an evening!
Jazz tonight:

Kenny Dorham, "Whistle Stop" - Blue Note ST-84063-45 Analogue Productions 45rpm reissue

Art Pepper Quintet, "Smack Up" - Contemporary Records S7602-45 Analogue Productions 45rpm reissue
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Nino Rota, "Concerto per archi" - I Musici, Fone 026J
(Another in the very nicely evolving series of new all analog classical music recordings from Fone Records - engaging music, nicely performed and extremely well recorded - recommended, but with a very limited pressing run this 33 rpm LP will not be available for long.)

Coltrane's "Giant Steps" in the 45rpm ORG label reissue - yes, it's very nicely mastered and pressed, and the 45rpm resolution, air and detail are a huge help in delineating everything going on in these performance. Recommended if the music suits you.
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Last night was:
Dylan At Budokan
Jonathan Edwards, self-titled
ELO, Face The Music (guilty, guilty pleasure)
Grand Funk, Phoenix (original pressing just bought)
Elton John, Empty Sky (orig UK pressing, no better than that US pressing, meh)
Joan Baez, Joan (Just bought for $2.99, flawless, blew me away!)
Joan Baez, Joan Baez (Another $2.99 find)
Joan Baez, Joan (Just bought for $2.99, flawless, blew me away!)
Many of the recordings made for the Vanguard/Vox/Turnabout labels were simply outstanding sonically. The Joan Baez Vanguard records were particularly nicely recorded by one of the great recording engineers: Marc Aubort. (See the Mike Fremer interview with Aubort in which he comments about recording Joan Baez and The Weavers, among other topics.) It's no wonder this LP sounds so good! Congratulations on finding a copy in good condition.
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Today is "mono day". Saxophone Colossus, a bunch of early Miles, Art Blakey, some very early Billie Holliday...
I have been listening to George Melly--"Melly sings Hoagy". I saw him twice and what great shows. Very interesting man.
Today will be a "listening free-for-all" with frineds coming over to share music. By concensus, because everyone will be familiar with the music, the initial line-up to calibrate everyone's ears to our audio system will be:

...a couple of cuts from Hank Mobley's "Soul Train" (Music Matters 45rpm reissue)

...The "Fields of Gold" cut from Eva Cassidy's "Songbird" album

...The last side Stravinsky's "Firebird" from the 45rpm Mercury reissue by Classic Records for a big symphonic piece

From there, the field will be open. Other candidates we considered for calibrating everyone's ears and our system included: Malcolm Arnold's "English Dances" on Lyrita, Stravinky's "Petrouchka" conducted by Danon on Chesky, Ravel's "Rhapsodie Espagnole" with Reiner on Classic's 45rpm reissue, Starker's Bach solo cello on Mercury, Armstrong's "St. James Infirmary" on Classic Records 45rpm, Ella Fitzgerald's "Mack the Knife" or a duo with Armstrong...

What would you have chosen?
Playing all kinds of material last night

Patricia Barber "Companion" (Mobile Fidelity 45 rpm)

Stravinsky "Firebird" Leinsdorf/Los Angeles (Sheffield LAB-24)

Respighi "Ancient Airs and Dances" Dorati/Philhamonia Hungarica (Mercury reissue)

Ella Fitzgerald "Fine and Mellow" (Pablo/APO 45 rpm reissue)

Tom Waits "Swordfishtrombones" (love "Frank's Wild Years")

"Exotic Dances From the Opera" Oue/Minnesota (Reference Recordings/ Tape Project TP-007) 15 ips analog tape. An absolutely stunning recording.

Arnold "Arnold Overtures" Arnold/London Philharmonic (Reference Recordings/Tape Project) 15 ips analog tape.
The Beatles "Help"

Kings of Leon "Only by The Night"

Shelby Lynne "Just a Little Lovin"

The Police "Zenyota Mondata"

The Replacements "Pleased to Meet Me"
Cracker-"Sunrise in the Land of Milk and Honey"
Great cd that I just can't stop listening to!
Various Joe Jackson just going back and forth from early to current. Just interesting how hew writes and works on a subject