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
"The Best Of Don Williams" Volume lll MCA "Me and the Blues Joe Williams" RCA "Things Are Getting Better" Cannonball Adderley with Milt Jackson 45rpm "Going Home" The L.A. Four EW "Louis Armstrong & Duke Elllington" Roulette "Satchmo Play King Oliver" Audio Fidelity 45 rpm
The "Savitri" with Janet Baker. One of my favorites! Not only is it a wonderful performance, it is one of my go to recordings for testing a systems ability to image properly.
I love the Argo "Coronation Anthems" too. Outstanding choices!!
Thanks Slipknot: The Holst "Savitri" is a special recording.One of the best I know of for testing soundstage,complete with moving singers.
I just got a couple of new (NOS)Harmonia Mundis:
"Danses Du Moyen-age" Clemencic/Ensemble Ricore "La Rensaissance Anglais" The English Rensaissance/ Alfred Deller Consort
These are steller recordings in typical Harmonia Mundi style. Open,transparent engaging. The Deller is a real eye opener.
also: English Sacred Music of the 16th Century/ Everest/ a very early Tallis Scholars (1977) Excellent recording from one of the premier professional English choirs
Great impact and tonal color, and a far superior mastering to the earlier 33rpm reissue from Classic Records. While this is a Kenneth Wilkinson engineered recording from 1958, it clearly is an early experiment in multi-miking. And with that multi-miking comes great instrumental impact. Probably why is has been so famous over the years.
Yet, unlike the amazing orchestral sound staging found the the "The Power of the Orchestra" RCA VICS 2659 also engineered by Kenneth Wilkinson for RCA, Witches' Brew has little to no sound stage depth and instruments pull forward to the front edge of the orchestra as the miking knobs are diddled. If you value a natural perspective on the orchestra, by all means get the remarkable "The Power of the Orchestra" in a superb 45rpm reissue from Analog Productions. And value Witches' Brew for the instrumental color and slam it provides with some wonderful pieces of music very nicely performed by Gibson and the New Symphony Orchestra of London. .
I am constantly amazed at how our listening preferences seem to dovetail each others! I have the two Harmonia Mundi recordings you mention above, and "Danses Du Moyen-age" spends a lot of time on my turntable.
I will keep my eye out for a copy of "English Sacred Music of the 16th Century"
As my good friend Rushton just posted, I concur whole heartedly with his assesment of "Witches Brew" and "Power of the Orchestra". Two other reisuues that are seeing of lot of play right now at our house.
Ike & Tina Turner - "River Deep, Mountain High" [A&M '69, rec. '66] The Everly Brothers - S/T [Rhino reissue '85, orig. '58] Gene Clark - "Gene Clark With The Gosdin Brothers" [Sundazed reissue '00, orig. '67] The debut from the ex-lead singer/songwriter of the original Byrds is one the 60's greatest 'forgotten' albums IMHO, a must for any fan of the group and period folk-rock in general. This reissue of the rare LP improves on the original (as well as a prior inferior-sounding Columbia CD reissue) by adding a couple of previously-unreleased gems recorded a half year after the late-'66 album sessions plus a solo acoustic demo. Peter & Gordon - "Hot Cold & Custard" [Capitol '68] John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band - "Live Peace In Toronto 1969" [Apple '70] The Hollies - "Moving Finger" [Epic '70] Neil Young - "Time Fades Away" [Reprise '73] Jacque Brel - S/T [Reprise '62] Albert Collins - "Trash Talkin'" [Imperial '69] Roy Meriwether Trio - "Soup & Onions" [Columbia '66] Charlie Byrd - "Once More! Bossa Nova" [Riverside '63] Duke Ellington's Spacemen - "The Cosmic Scene" [Columbia '59] Ahmad Jamal - "Macanudo" [Argo '66, rec. '62] An atypical Jamal album in that his trio and usual pianistic introspection upon standards make way for exotique tunes and large-band Latin-orchestral arrangements by composer/conductor/bassist Richard Evans. The tiki cover is as groovy as the music (not to mention the sound). John Eaton - "Electro Vibrations" [Decca '69?]
I am at the point where if it is a Harmonia Mundi it is going to be great, but add Alfred Deller and it is a no brainer.
Just got a copy of Vaughn Williams "The Sons of Light" and Hubert Parry's "Ode on the Nativity"/ Teresa Cahill,Bach Choir/Royal College of Music chorus/ London Phil./ Sir David Willcocks. Mr. Wilkinson at work here, but no multi mikings. Indeed it has a wonderfuly wide and well defined sound stage. Sopranos left, altos right gentlemen in between. These are pieces I am not at all familier with, probably because the VW is a secular text, and the Parry is fairly obscure, but wonderful all the same. The soprano solo is magical.
Aerosmith- Rocks. What a great album, not a bad track on it. A little thick sounding...I remember the first time I heard Steven Tyler scream "I'm Baaack". "I HAVE TO HAVE THAT!" I literally yelled out. I was in the back of a friends Aunt's car. It was a bi-centenial edition something. Aerosmith, from that point on, was my favorite band all through junior high. I still love the "old" Aerosmith. I played it for my 3 year old daughter tonight. I think she liked it!
I'm shocked at how great it sounds. I thought that all of the tracks, or most, were digitally recorded, so I didn't expect that much, but the record is fantastic.
Tomorrow is a BIG day - we've added a new member to the Walker Audio turntable family and several of us are descending on him for the day with lots of vinyl in tow. Three Walker owners, one TW-Acustic Raven owner and friends - vinyl nuts all. What vinyl am I hauling with me for the day? Ah, all wonderful stuff:
Royal Ballet Gala Performances, 45rpm reissue The Reiner Sound (Ravel:Rapsodie Espagnole), 45rpm reissue The Jung Trio, Dvorak Trio, Groove Note 45rpm Rossini Overtures, Fone 45rpm Rota, Concerto per archi, I Musici on Fone Lee Morgan, Search for the New Land, Blue Note/Music Matters 45rpm reissue Eric Dolphy, Out to Lunch, Blue Note/Music Matters 45rpm reissue Louis Armstrong, St. James Infirmary, 45rpm reissue Holst, Savitri, Argo Holst, Double Concerto, Lyrita
"Instruments of the Middle Ages and Renaissance" - David Munrow and the Early Music Consort, EMI SLS 988 (a multi-LP collection of short pieces, each highlighting a different instrument or collection of instruments, but marvelous MUSIC, not just demonstration of instrument sound. Includes a marvelous book on the music and the instruments of the middle ages.) .
Cat Stevens "Tea for the Tillerman" MoFI original series of half speed masters circa 1980
Christy Moore "Unfinished Revolution" Wea records Just won this off ebay straight from Ireland. Like all the Christy Moores a wonderful pressings and recording.
Jennifer Warnes "Famous Blue Raincoat" original pressing
Cheap Trick- Dream Police. Rockin' Power-Pop at its best. There are some REALLY great tracks on this LP. Need Your Love, Gonna Raise Hell, Voices, there is not a bad track on it.
Buzzcocks - "Another Music In A Different Kitchen" [UA UK '78] Buzzcocks - "Love Bites" [UA UK '78] Buzzcocks - "Singles Going Steady" [Liberty UK '79] Buzzcocks - "A Different Kind Of Tension" [IRS '80] Buzzcocks - "Parts One, Two, Three" [IRS '80]
Morning after listening, saw 'em again last night in Baltimore, this tour highlighting only the vintage stuff including the first two albums in their entirety (some of the deep cuts on which I've never heard them play live before), tour dates at buzzcocks.com Feeling 16 again!
Chopin - Selected Mazurkas, Nocturnes and a Ballad performed by Ivan Moravec, piano - Connoisseur Society CS 2122 (I confess an abiding love of listening to Ivan Moravec play Chopin. His playing is so intelligent, so beautifully wrought. For me, his interpretations and playing are perfection. Add to this the superb production values brought to these Connoisseur Society recordings by the inimitable producer Alan Silver and you get a marvelous listening experience.)
Oscar Peterson featuring Stephane Grappelli, double LP on Prestige. I often overlook this record in my jazz collection, but tonight I it is hittin the spot. The sweet spot!
Grover Washington Jr. "Winelight" Genesis "Selling England by the pound" Genesis "Wind and Wuthering" Alan Parsons Project "Tales of mystery and imagination" King Crimson "In the court of the Crimson King"
Yardbirds. Originals. Not a mix. Relf, Dreja, McCarty, Samwell-Smith, Topham, Clapton, Beck, Page. WONDERFUL WORK. I was about 12 Y.O. when this music was newly out there. It still rocks big time.
James Newton Howard and Friends (Sheffield Labs) Stomu Yamashta, Steve Winwood, Michael Shrive "Go" Gil-Scott Heron "I am new here" Allman Bros. Live at Fillmore East Mike Greene Band "Mirage"
Rod Stewert - "Never a Dull Moment" (which I found today for for $2.99) Beach Boys - Pet Sounds Van Morrison - Saint Dominic's Preview McCoy Tyner - The Real McCoy
Shostakovitch Symphony #1,"The age of Gold" RCA/ Martinon LSO original 1959 pressing and quite extraordinary.
J.S. Bach "Magnificat" Proprius just arrived from Sweden.Typical Proprius;wonderful, but I like the Kings College reading better.
Sphere "Flight Path" Elektra Musician If you have never heard this LP you owe it to yourself to find one and try it. Amazing recording by T.Monk's old mates.
Pelleas et Melisande collection Phillips/Zinman/Rotterdam phil. A box set of incidental music for the famous play/opera. Sebelius,Faure,Schoenberg. The Faure is a particular favorite of mine and this LP has the rarely recorded soprano solo sung by Jil Gomez.Sublime
Sit: A friend went to see the current Yardbirds with McCarty and Dreja in concert yesterday and gave a very good report -- and he's not even a particularly big fan who owns the old records like I do (I'd planned to attend with him, but unfortunately wound up unable to make it).
Led Zeppelin - II Japanese Promo copy - WOW, best pressing I have ever heard. Like brand new too. I'm sorry I bought it, now that's all I want to buy is these super expensive Japanese pressings.
The Beatles - Beatles Forever (Hey Jude) another sublime Japanese pressing. It was worth the money.
Frank Sinatra - Live in Paris (MFSL) my first Frank on vinyl, a great place to start
Madeliene Peyroux - Bare Bones (MFSL) not my fav album of hers, but still better than most
"Laudate II - Baroque music from the Duben Collection" - DrottingholmBarEns, UppsalaAcKammarkor, Anne-Sophie von Otter - Proprius PROP 7860 (a prize among all of my Baroque music LPs with a young and incomparable Anne-Sophie von Otter) .
I'm listening to some recent acquisitions tonight:
Dire Straits - Dire Straits Mink DeVille - Return to Magenta Mahavishnu Orchestra - The Inner Mounting Flame David Bowie - Hunky Dory Spencer Davis Group - Very Best Of... Dr. John - Gris Gris Bruce Springsteen - The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle
Jack DeJohnette's Special Edition - Tin can alley. I am getting in gear for the show at Montreal Jazz Festival Keith Jarret, Jack and Gary Peacock. I can't wait!
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