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
Castanets / Cathedral
Beautiful (YMMV) mid-tempo indie rock that is well recorded 
Dan Fogelberg-Souvenirs(Barcode)-Side 2 SQ 4.3
Steely Dan-Can't Buy A Thrill(MCA 37040} Side B SQ 4.3
Morgana King-Looking Through The Eyes Of Love Side B SQ 4.2
Bobby Cole Trio(6 Eye Stereo)-New! New! New! Side 2 SQ 4.3
Dannie Richmond Quartet-ST Side 2 SQ 4.4
Respighi-The Pines Of Rome(Angel AE-34419) Side 2 SQ 4.3
Harrison/Blanchard-Crystal Stair-Side 1 SQ 4.3

FWIW-Can't Buy A Thrill-Original pressing is ABCX-758(Gatefold) is that an audiophile level recording?


New to me MoFi original master recording Pink Floyd DSOM... Japanese pressing. Wow... blows the newer remaster away!
@dayglow This is the version of Can't Buy A Thrill that I have - https://www.discogs.com/Steely-Dan-Cant-Buy-A-Thrill/release/10867802

I wouldn't call it an "audiophile pressing", but it sounded really good. 

I haven't listened to this one for a while or compared them back to back, but looking at my notes in Discogs, I thought it sounded really good - https://www.discogs.com/Steely-Dan-Cant-Buy-A-Thrill/release/9408230
Testing a new tube in my phono psu. A red RCA 5693 driver. Listening to these test records all over again. 

Van Morrison - Astral Weeks
Leonard Cohen - Greatest Hits
Loudon Wainwright lll - vol 1
Jennifer  Warnes - Songs of LCohen
Judy Bright - This is J..B..
I have the original 'Can't Buy A Thrill' ABCX-758 and it is good sounding but doesn't qualify as audiophile.  ABC was sold to MCA (or something like that) and rumor has it that the Steely Dan albums were less sounding from that point forward.  I can't say that I have done an A/B test.  My guess is they both sound quite similar.  Nevertheless, good sound quality but not audiophile for this album.  Later releases were done much better.  Particularly so was greater SQ for 'Gaucho' and 'Aja'.   

Yesterday afternoon...
Steely Dan   'Can't Buy A Thrill'
Rickie Lee Jones   'Pirates'
Traffic   'The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys'
Joel, I'm going to play my MCA copy of Can't Buy a Thrill when I get a chance.  If I remember, I'll report back.  Totally agree about Gaucho and especially Aja.  I think Donald Fagen took things to yet another level with his solo albums, especially The Nightfly.
In this week:

Gillian Welch "Boots No. 2"  3 lp box set/Acony/2020
Valerie June "The Moon & Stars:" (Prescriptions For Dreamers) Fantasy/2021
Blake Mills "Mutable Set"  Verve/2020
Chuck Prophet "Brother Aldo"  Fire Records/1990. 
(a Discogs purchase from Greece)
Matthew Barber & Jill Barber ‎– The Family Album (Outside Music 2016)

Folk rock vibe like Julia and Angus Stone. 
Concerto Amsterdam Plays Hindemith - Die 7 Kammermusiken. Telefunken 3 LP box set 1969. German pressing

Listening to my MCA copy of Can't Buy a Thrill. I'm not doing a back-to-back comparison, but it seems more dynamic than my 1972 copy. That one is a little quieter though, this one is a little more worn.
Hey Jim,
How are you doing? Hope you are healing up well!

Birdy / Fire within
10,000 Maniacs ‎– In My Tribe (Elektra 1987)

It does sound better now than on the LP12 of yore.
I only have one album from Birdy. Young yet very talented. I suspect we'll be hearing more from her. 

Fire! / The hands
@big_greg Somewhat surprised that the MCA 37040 is better the the original ABC pressing of Can’t Buy A Thrill. Many factors could determine which recording is best. Vinyl condition/level of record cleaning system/ Interconnects(better not go there) ect. Maybe the original Japanese pressing could prove best
I should listen to them back to back to be sure, but the ABC copy seemed a little more flat while the MCA copy was more dynamic.
Martinů String Quartet #5 - Janáček Quartet and String Quartet #7 - Vlach Quartet. Supraphon 1980 Czechoslovakia
Guys,

It's been a while since I compared SD "CBAT" lps. I own the Speakers Corner as well as one or two others. I don't remember the Speakers Corner blowing my socks off.
I would be surprised if there are any "audiophile" level versions of Can't Buy A Thrill.  I'm not a producer or recording engineer and wasn't there when they made it, but it was their first album and I don't think it has the same level of production as their later work.  I doubt they had the same freedom or budget or experience they did when they were making Aja.
big_greg  got it right.  The level of engineering put into Can't Buy A Thrill was nowhere near the level that was put into later releases from Steely Dan.  No matter the copy, it can only sound to a certain (limited) level of quality.  It's still good and certainly listenable, just not great.  The music is certainly great, though. 

My copy of Gaucho sounds great.  My copy of Aja by MFSL is much better than my original copy.  The original is a bit dull, but still good.  The MFSL is one of their better issues (not a smiley curve) and sounds wonderful.  I was fortunate to find the MFSL copy last year, in NM condition, for $90 (the lowest price I could find).  I really didn't want to pay $90 but knew that at a later date I would regret passing on it...so I made the purchase.  And I am really glad that I did.  In fact, I'm going to listen to it later today.  Yeah, good idea!  
Arrived today...

Joni Mitchell - Live at Canterbury House. Rhino 2020

What a beautiful package.  Now to listen to it on vinyl and not via streaming....this should be very good.
Sounds great Steve. Sounds so good on very quiet vinyl.....or.....just on vinyl, period. Quiet. Detailed. Puts you right there.
Not a box, more a gatefold, but like a ‘book’, with the second album ‘pouch’ in between the front an back (LP 1 & 3).

Really nice set and presentation. Unfortunately won’t accept any outer protectors I have as it’s so darn thick.
Leonard Bernstein conducts Rachmaninoff - Second Piano Concerto / Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini. The New York Philharmonic Orchestra With Gary Graffman, piano. Columbia Masterworks 1964.