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
La Folia (collection of Spanish Renaissance Dances), Paniagua/AtrmMMadrid, Harmonia Mundi HM 1050 (ATR 0103 reissue)

Villancicos (Spanish country songs), Paniagua/AtrmMMadrid, Harmonia Mundi HM 1025 (Speakers Corner reissue)

Laudate II, DrottingholmBarEns, UppsalaAcKammarkor, Fagius -org, Anna Sofie Von Otter - msop, Proprius PROP 7860

Lee Morgan, Search For The New Land, Blue Note BNLP4169-45 (Music Matters 45rpm reissue)

Johnny Griffin, A Blowin' Session, Blue Note, BNLP1559-45 (Music Matters 45rpm reissue)
The Beatles Red and Blue greatest hits albums. I found them last year, in NM condition, and seldom bring them out. Listing to these, it makes me realize why digital music is so popular. They don't sound 30% as good as my MOFI boxed set (the recordings, the records are pristine), but having all of the greatest hits songs compilated is so convenient.

Actully, I hate to say this, but the remastered 2009 digital recordings, in AppleLossless, played through my Wyred4Sound DAC 2, sound better than these vinyl versions.

Sad to say.
Dvorak "Symphony No. 5 in E minor Op. 95" Kertesz/Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (Decca SXL 2289)

Dave Brubeck Quartet "Time Out" (Columbia CS8192)

Emerson, Lake and Palmer "Emerson, Lake and Palmer" (Cotillion SD 9040)

Copeland "Appalachian Spring" Clark/Pacific Symphony Orchestra (15 ips tape from Reference Recording master - Tape Project)
"La Folia (collection of Spanish Renaissance Dances), Paniagua/AtrmMMadrid, Harmonia Mundi HM 1050 (ATR 0103 reissue)"

Excellent choice. The 'jalopy' pulling up at the end of the LP is stunning, but the entire LP is of reference quality.
I've always heard that this was a recording of a Land Rover, but may just be a myth.
"The 'jalopy' pulling up at the end of the LP is stunning, but the entire LP is of reference quality."
Come Away With Me -Norah Jones
Yes I've posted this LP before, but it is a real come-to LP when you're in the mood for something great. I really think, for myself, it does not get any better than this.
Louis Armstrong, "The Great Chicago Concert, 1956," (Columbia reissue, 1996)
Altan, "The Horse with a Heart," Green Linnett SIF 1095
Ossian, "Seal Song," Iona IR 002
Paco Pena & his Group, "Flamenco puro 'live'," Decca (Speakers Corner reissue)
Ravel "Daphnis et Chloe" Monteux/LSO/Royal Opera House chorus (London CS6140 ORG 45 rpm reissue ORG 105)
Rickie Lee Jones "It's Like This" (Analogue Productions APP 51056) 45 rpm
Dire Straits "Live Alchemy" (Warner Brothers 25085-1)
By golly Slipknot1! I must have been channeling you today, at least in part...

Ravel "Daphnis et Chloe" Monteux/LSO/Royal Opera House chorus (London CS6140 ORG 45 rpm reissue ORG 105)

Ravel "String Quartet in F" Guarneri Quartet, Lancia LMF7002 (recorded in 2000, this performance is an example of the Guarneri performing at their finest level. If you don't have this LP, get it! Fantastic music, exceptional performance, great recording and pressing)

Wagner "Parsifal" Solti/London Philharmic, London OSA 1510 (with a simply amazing cast - just luxuriate in the the voices and the music)
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Melvins "Houdini" and Melvins "Stoner Witch", blue vinyl. Got these plus Soundgarden "Superunknown", orange vinyl double lp, Queensryche "Promised Land", and Stone Temple Pilots "12 Gracious Melodies", purple vinyl, all for ten bucks at a yard sale. The guy said he never played them, only bought them to have them. I'm not into heavy metal, but couldn't pass them by. They are a little collectible, I guess.
All Led-ed night:

Led Zeppelin

II

IV (Ruins album)

Houses of the Holy

Physical Graffiti

all first pressings from Japan. I found a guy in Tokyo and bought most every Led Zeppelin album he had. They are all so pristine. Not a pop, click or hum in the lot. Very little yellowing on any of the covers, but the slight smell of age from the insides. Just a great find. I couldn't be happier.
Dirty Projectors - "Swing Lo Magellan." on the Domino label.

New release on 180 gram vinyl. Fantastic music and recording. Quirky and surprises at every turn. Uses female vocalists almost like instruments. Will be one of indie's best of 2012. Like candy for your speakers and your ears! 10/10.
The recent 180 gram reissue of Paul Simon's Graceland is indeed a very significant improvement over the original DMM mastered LP. We started listening with the cut "Under African Skies" and my wife looked at me, grinned and held two-thumbs-up. I found myself agreeing with Fremer's assessment of the improved sonics: http://www.analogplanet.com/content/igracelandi-twenty-five

Ravel, String Quartet in F, Guarneri String Quartet, Lancia LMF7002 - Superb! Extremely well recorded and played. Lancia is an unknown label to me, and I bought this recent issue with some trepidation for what we might hear, but the lure of the Guarneri was strong. Wow, I am glad I made the leap!

D.Buxtehude, Organ Music, Opus 3, 8103 | played by Margaret Philips on the tracker organ at Lima Church, Sweden, this is a gorgeous recording. It has become very difficult to find these Opus 3 LPs. If you are familiar with this label, you know what to expect: direct to tape via 2-mics, marvelous acoustical environment, competent musicians, incredibly excellent capture of instrumental timbre.
My goodness, I'd forgotten how incredibly good this LP is, from 1977:
Music for Percussion, Vol. 1 - John Elliott Gardiner and the Tristan Fry Percussion Ensemble, Gale GMFD 1-76-004. Music by Chavez, Hovhaness and Serebier.
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My Left amp is blowing fuses... I remain saddened but it is fun browsing over all the members' posts of gorgeous music! We are fortunate that the best music never really goes out of style!
Porcupine Tree, "In Absentia", tonefloat tf102,
Nora Jones, "Not too Late", analog productions,
Led Zeppelin III, Atlantic SD 19128,
The Original Trinidad Steel Band, Electra EKL 139
Elgar, The Dream of Gerontius, Boult/NPO, Watts -sop, Gedda -ten - EMI SLS 987 - a Bishop/Parker masterpiece.

Paul Chambers Quintet, Blue Note 1584, Music Matters 45 reissue

Wild Child Butler, Sho' 'Nuff, Analogue Productions 2015 45 rpm

Dead Can Dance, Into the Labyrinth, Mobile Fidelity reissue
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Grizzly Bear - Shields. 180g gold vinyl. Music 9/10; recording/pressing 6/10

Dead Can Dance -Anastasia 180g. Music 9/10: recording/pressing 7/10

Glenn Hansard - Rhythm and Repose 140g. Music 10/10; recording/pressing 10/10
Listening to Snow Patrol's Final Straw right now. Just finished listening to Jack Johnson's Listen Through The Static but I think that I may finish up my listening tonight with either The Lumnieer's or The Moody Blues Days Of Future Past. Tough choice there.
Mark Knopfler - Shangri-La. 180g double LP. Super quiet vinyl. Music 9/10; pressing/recording 10/10

Dead Can Dance - Toward the Within - 4AD double 140g LP. Great dynamics/small venue live recording; Music 9/10; pressing/recording 8.5/10

Ray Brown / Duke Ellington - This One's for Blanton - Analogue Productions/Pablo 45 RPM double LP; Music 8/10; pressing/recording 10/10.
Tu Fawning - A Monument (LP)
Doors - Morrison Hotel (45 RPM/Analogue Productions)
Palasr, any comments on the sound quality of the Doors - Morrison Hotel (45 RPM/Analogue Productions)?
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Rushton,

I also own the first Doors LP and Strange Days from the 45 RPM series, and I think they both make significant improvements over the originals. My impression of Morrison Hotel is that it may be the best of the lot (thus far) - it really parses the frequency extremes nicely, opens up the soundscape to let the recording breathe dynamically, and removes a lot of grunge I felt always vexed this particular recording. While I never owned any exotic pressings of Morrison Hotel, this 45 absolutely eviscerates the copy I do own. Just my 2 cents.

Tonight: LA Woman
Last night I took the new 45RPM version of LA Woman out for a spin. Nope. I'd pass on this one if you own a nice original with the die-cut/cellophane cover. The original has the music in spades, whereas the 45 leaves something behind - it's rather clinical in its presentation, and I felt there were a few passages where they tried too hard to crank up level, resulting in overload bordering on distortion; the equalization of the low frequencies also seems too bloated for my taste. The original pressing has better balance top to bottom, and captures the essence of the performance better.

For my money, I like Morrison Hotel the best out of the four I bought, closely followed by Strange Days. The first album trails not too far behind, and LA Woman comes in a very distant fourth and is my only regret of the bunch. Good listening.
Listened to this afternoon:

Dvorak, "New World Symphony," Leonard Slatkin conducting the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Telarc DG-10053.
Very slow tempi in the first two movements; worked for me but won't be to everyone's taste. Wonderful sonics -- one of Telarc's best IMO.

Beethoven, "Hammerklavier Sonata," Paul Badura-Skoda performing on an 1824 Fortepiano, Astree AS47.
An absolute treasure, musically and sonically.

Best regards,
-- Al
Listening to a fresh copy of the 10,000 Maniacs - In My Tribe that I ordered a few weeks ago. It sounds really good. It is the MSFL copy. I have always liked this album on CD but had never heard it on vinyl. Glad I bought it. I think it is head and shoulders above the CD copy. Bass seems quite a bit more punchy and it is far more open sounding.
U2 - Achtung Baby

Green Day - Dookie

Talk Talk - It's My Life

Queen - A Day at the Races

The Producers - You Make the Heat
Norah Jones, 'Little Broken Hearts'...Gets better each time I listen to it. A great record.
Just bought the "new" rerelease of PINK FLOYD - WISH YOU WERE HERE on vinyl. So that will be on my turntable.
Anne Akiko Meyers.... "AIR" The Bach Album ... with the English Chamber Orch. Sublime!!!
John Abercrombie - Timeless
I have not listened to this for a while and forgot how good it sounds.

Stan Getz - Jazz Samba
Say no more
Kate Bush - 50 Words for Snow - Snowed in on Wheeler Street
Bonnie Raitt - Streetlights - That song about the Midway and Rainy Day Man
Hall & Oates - Sara Smile
Dire Straits - "On Every Street" - Vertigo 140g vinyl; much overlooked last Dire Straits studio LP. Great sonics, great music. "You and Your Friends" is down right spooky sonically!

Rob Wasserman - "Duets" MCA 140g vinyl; incredible recording, audiophile classic

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - "Best of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds". Mute 180g double LP; if you haven't heard some Nick Cave, you are missing out!
My Polk LSi9s image ambient/electronica/etc. really well, and the Parasound HCA-1500A that I recently picked up really makes them sing - a significant improvement over my old Adcom GFA-545.

As a result, I'm listening to a lot of the aforementioned genre(s)...there's a collaboration between Stephan Mathieu and Taylor Deupree called Transcriptions, that's really a pleasure to listen to, at low/moderate volume, in my smallish room. Kind of can't stop listening to it. Also listening to Mathieu's cd, Radioland. And other things in that vein.

And when I get up tomorrow morning, I'll crank up some Flipper to get my head on straight.
Eric Bibb: 'Rainbow People' on the Opus 3 label. Just thinking, I have had this one for 30 years now, and it gets virtually no play. It is just perfect for those late Saturday nights. Must have been recorded with little or no compression and properly microphoned, as it is very lifelike. I'll start shuffling it more often.
Chris Cornell Songbook. Not likely the best recordings as all were in small theaters along a small tour. Some tracks are brilliant. Mostly acoustic. Brought a turntable on stage for pre recorded segments rather than using dat Saw this tour live and the odd track gets the venue right
Toto IV...old and purchased used. NOT an "a'phile reissue" but very quiet and dynamic. It sounds great. Really enjoying the harmonies on Side 1, Track 3 "I Won't Hold You Back".
Ian & Sylvia, So Much For Dreaming, Vanguard VSD 79241
Johnny Cash, Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison, Columbia CS 9639

A pleasure diving back so many years.
Allegri, Miserere, Guest/Choir of St. John's College Cambridge, Meridian E4577058 45rpm

Lars Erik Larsson:
..Concertino for Double Bass & String Orch
..Liten Serenad
Filharmonins Kammarensemble, SwedishSoc SLT 33187

Marcel Dupre:
..Prelude & Fge in g, op7,3
..Triptyque, op51
Marcel Dupre organ of St. Thomas Church NY, Mercury SR 90169 (Speakers Corner reissue)

Hank Mobley, Quintet, Blue Note BNLP1550-45 (45rpm Music Matters reissue)

The Who, Who's Next, Classic Records reissue

Queen, A Night at the Opera, Elektra 7E 1053
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