While my personal taste and interpretation, thus appreciation of various kinds of music may be different from others, I always appreciate reading reviews from audiophile friends. So I support your proposal.
Would Audiogoners be interested in this?
I’m looking for some feedback from the Audiogon membership on some ideas I have discussed with management regarding the site.
These are to do directly with music and it would be the intention to add something at sometime directly to do with music reviews and possibly release news.
This would clearly be a supplement to the site and not detract from the equipment side of things.
This is still at a very early stage as Audiogon management is very busy working on other things and again please take it as it is meant; as an addition to Audiogon, the main focus will remain with the other aspects of the site.
I’ve found during my time here that many Audiophiles are possibly not up to date with release news and what music is out.
I was thinking if there was an area or postings that they could have a glance at whilst visiting Audiogon that they might find some music news beneficial.
The other part would be more formal reviews of music and in trying to develop this you will see more formal reviews from myself turning up over the coming weeks.
If we could leave the reviews behind for now as I have many ideas on that I would really like feedback on the type of information I’ve got below, this is the news part of things but it is crucial to get feedback, to see if it is the type of thing you might be interested in seeing on Audiogon on a regular basis.
Please respond if you are positive, negative or indifferent.
The bare details will look a bit dry (this can be developed) but hopefully this is the type of information that Audiogoners might be interested in.
The news below is just to get a feel if it’s worthwhile ,it’s pretty brief however IF members do find this worthwhile I can post this type of stuff as it comes up and we’ll see how that develops.
MUSIC NEWS FEB. 2004
Release News
Emmylou Harris: The first five Emmylou Harris albums have been re-mastered and expanded with two bonus tracks per album .The titles are Pieces Of The Sky, Elite Hotel, Luxury Liner, Quarter Moon In A Ten Cent Town and Blue Kentucky Girl and are due on Warner’s at mid-price at the end of Feb.
David Bowie-three of Bowie’s nineties albums have been re-mastered with bonus tracks and will be released by Virgin; Outside, Earthling and Hours are due in March.
SACD versions of Stages and Live are due in July and Let’s Dance later in the year.
March sees the long awaited release of Fleetwood Mac’s classic trilogy of Fleetwood Mac, Rumours and Tusk all newly re-mastered with bonus tracks.
Rumours will have a whole disc worth of extras from the Rumours sessions, Fleetwood Mac will have 4 bonus tracks and the epic Tusk sessions also sees an extra disc of extras.
For fans of the band this should be good news the previous CD incarnations are well below par.
The Waterboys re-release their classic 1985 album This Is The Sea famous for the hit single The Whole Of The Moon re-mastered with a bonus disc of extras from the sessions.
Genesis release The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway on DVD-A later in the summer.
Released by virgin this will include a 5.1 DTS mix and a re-mastered stereo mix supervised by Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford.
Joe Satriani has a new album due on March 31 on Epic called Is There Love In Space?
Bob Dylan has a double disc release of his famous acoustic Halloween gig released later in March on Columbia going under the snappy title of Live1964: Concert At Philharmonic Hall it features Joan Baez on a few tracks.
David Byrne has new solo album released on Nonesuch in March called Grown Backwards.
Spirit-their 1975 double album Spirit Of’76 is available on BGO on CD for the first time,it is released this month.
These are to do directly with music and it would be the intention to add something at sometime directly to do with music reviews and possibly release news.
This would clearly be a supplement to the site and not detract from the equipment side of things.
This is still at a very early stage as Audiogon management is very busy working on other things and again please take it as it is meant; as an addition to Audiogon, the main focus will remain with the other aspects of the site.
I’ve found during my time here that many Audiophiles are possibly not up to date with release news and what music is out.
I was thinking if there was an area or postings that they could have a glance at whilst visiting Audiogon that they might find some music news beneficial.
The other part would be more formal reviews of music and in trying to develop this you will see more formal reviews from myself turning up over the coming weeks.
If we could leave the reviews behind for now as I have many ideas on that I would really like feedback on the type of information I’ve got below, this is the news part of things but it is crucial to get feedback, to see if it is the type of thing you might be interested in seeing on Audiogon on a regular basis.
Please respond if you are positive, negative or indifferent.
The bare details will look a bit dry (this can be developed) but hopefully this is the type of information that Audiogoners might be interested in.
The news below is just to get a feel if it’s worthwhile ,it’s pretty brief however IF members do find this worthwhile I can post this type of stuff as it comes up and we’ll see how that develops.
MUSIC NEWS FEB. 2004
Release News
Emmylou Harris: The first five Emmylou Harris albums have been re-mastered and expanded with two bonus tracks per album .The titles are Pieces Of The Sky, Elite Hotel, Luxury Liner, Quarter Moon In A Ten Cent Town and Blue Kentucky Girl and are due on Warner’s at mid-price at the end of Feb.
David Bowie-three of Bowie’s nineties albums have been re-mastered with bonus tracks and will be released by Virgin; Outside, Earthling and Hours are due in March.
SACD versions of Stages and Live are due in July and Let’s Dance later in the year.
March sees the long awaited release of Fleetwood Mac’s classic trilogy of Fleetwood Mac, Rumours and Tusk all newly re-mastered with bonus tracks.
Rumours will have a whole disc worth of extras from the Rumours sessions, Fleetwood Mac will have 4 bonus tracks and the epic Tusk sessions also sees an extra disc of extras.
For fans of the band this should be good news the previous CD incarnations are well below par.
The Waterboys re-release their classic 1985 album This Is The Sea famous for the hit single The Whole Of The Moon re-mastered with a bonus disc of extras from the sessions.
Genesis release The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway on DVD-A later in the summer.
Released by virgin this will include a 5.1 DTS mix and a re-mastered stereo mix supervised by Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford.
Joe Satriani has a new album due on March 31 on Epic called Is There Love In Space?
Bob Dylan has a double disc release of his famous acoustic Halloween gig released later in March on Columbia going under the snappy title of Live1964: Concert At Philharmonic Hall it features Joan Baez on a few tracks.
David Byrne has new solo album released on Nonesuch in March called Grown Backwards.
Spirit-their 1975 double album Spirit Of’76 is available on BGO on CD for the first time,it is released this month.
64 responses Add your response
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Ben On the surface, this is a good idea, under the surface it could be a fantastic idea if enough input and output of info. could be offered to stretch the past what is now out there at many other sites. It would seem that someone would need to take-charge of an idea like this so as to offer these extras which could be many and only limited by this behind the scene effort. Music after all is what got us in and keeps us in this hobby. I for one, hope you can take this idea and turn it into something more than just general info. This should be a very interesting thread Ben. I have some ideas but will wait for a bit. Dave |
Love the idea in general - however, if not carefully set up or managed, it can result is a forum of constant argument with some contributors assuming the role of an (self proclaimed) expert. Such would serve to discourage participation by folks with a humble opinion of what they can contribute and reduce diversity rendering the site useless. I would find this one of the first places I would visit and I would contribute if I had something worthwhile to say. |
I agree with the people who think this would be a real asset to this site. I am often unaware of things being released that I would like to get. Music reviews would be another good idea. Very few of us have the same tastes, likes, or dislikes but it can be of value to see what someone else has to say about something new. I just noticed yesterday on the http://www.jtull.com that Tull is releasing several more remasters. They are already available in the UK but will not be in the USA till April. I hadn't heard anything about this till yesterday. It would be nice to have someone (hint, hint, nudge, nudge) in the UK to keep the yanks posted on whats new or coming out. I'd vote "Yes." Now remind me again, what was the question? |
Absolutely Ben! Based on our recent discussion I'm sure you'd provide an excellent resource. Newbee makes a valid point (again per our discussion), but I think that tends to happen all over the Gon' (as on any Internet chat site) regardless, and I think it might be difficult to manage without the sense becoming Big Brother. Besides, one can always just skip to another contributor or another thread, or stir up the behive if they prefer. Bring it on Ben! Oh, and when are those cows going to be coming home next ;-) Marco |
I also think it's an outstanding idea. Not only for the reviews but also where to buy etc. Audiophiles are willing to pay a premium for well recorded music but I think we're often taken advantage of. Example: At CES 2003 JVC had a show special on XRCD2's for $20. ea. I had earlier paid $30. direct. One week after the show I was in Borders and found the same XRCD2 that I had just bought(Sarah Vaughan/Send in the clowns) for $14.99. The jacket had a different picture on it but the same XRCD2 inside. |
Ben, I think your idea is a no-brainer. We all buy and sell equipment in order to improve the reproduction of music in our homes. Information on new releases fits in perfectly. I would be particularly interested in information on new releases and re-masters in the high resolution formats (DVD-A, SACD). Thanks for raising the issue! Regards, Joel. |
Does anyone remember the Circus magazine top albums from the 70's. I got alot of my great music from the charts mainly the albums that stayed on top for weeks. Does anyone know if you can get any kind of reprints from those days, Im sure I missed a few great artists that are probably not still around. I wanted to post a question about the old Circus and Hit Parade mags but some might think my posts are kind of "out there" but if a person cant dream, thats such a dull life. Believe me my life is far from dull. Great Idea and I would support. Kelton |
I'm glad to see such a positive response so far, thanks. The release news will be mainly UK based hopefully that won't be too much of a problem most releases cross over, it's more about awareness, I'm prone to importing or mail ordering the odd item myself. Eldatford makes a good point about Classical-it's out with my knowledge to make any kind of judgement on what's worth hearing about. If in terms of release news for other genres please mail me me so we can arrange to perhaps get it organised in a way that might benefit the site. I would see this release news as a monthly thing with the odd bit of general news also if I think it might interest Audiogoners. A few points on the general comments about reviews etc. I am also of the opinion that if this does (and it is an if until it happens as a separate part of Audiogon) happen it HAS to reflect the overall quality of the site. Otherwise there is little point as reviews can be posted anyway. I agree also with some of the concerns voiced above and although like Dave I have a lot of ideas please be aware of two points,the Audiogon owners obviously have to decide the format it takes and also that it will be some considerable time before this happens. I spoke to Arnie on the phone (it's ok I reversed the charges)and I know he likes the idea but would like other contributers as well however it's a way off (June at least before he can look at it in detail). As I said above I do have a lot of ideas how this could work and maybe ways it could become interactive however we are a way away from that at this stage. In the meantime I'll keep working at this,hopefully get some reviews up and post the odd thread with some ideas and look for feedback. Anybody wanting to discuss this with me please mail me at my home e-mail. |
Excellent concept! I subscribe to Stereophile and Absolute Sound just for the music/album/CD reviews. I really don't put much value in the equipment reports. This would be an excellent alternate source. I absolutely would support the idea and contribute in any way possible. Thank you for you efforts Ben, Ed. |
...And all you've been saying: "Hey folks, take a break! Listen to music, share your thoughts if you realy listening to one, enjoy the music, save for a new music, buy some new CDs, DVDs, LPs, cassettes, reels etc...! And the folks would reply: "Yes, Ben, You're right!" but after, continue to finish their wire or tweakin' business... Yes, this is the place for that and many of such only know how it's recorded and sounds on their systems:^( Another words it's better be the saparate site, maybe even clone of 'gon such as photo- or video-..., but the music fortunately isn't gone! |
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Seems to me there always has been a forum called "music" and that most people don't show too much interest in it, music being very secondary to equipment for a real audiophile. At any rate, it could work although I am sure it may not be as quick as the jungle telegraph now in use by folks interested in recorded music. I already have Elusive Disc, Acoustics Sound and I forget the others sending me their regular notices by email of new releases on vinyl, CD and SACDs. I had suggested a collective effort to build up some sort of basic repertoire of the best sounding "classical" music almost two years ago and that was not even met with a yawn. At any rate, the more the merrier, if it can attract other lost souls to exchange on the, hopefully, less controversial subject of music, I'm all for it. |
Great idea! Is it feasible to add a "similar artist" or "similar style" for those of us who need additional direction when adding to our collections? I would buy more CDs, LPs if I knew what I was buying. I know it requires entering the realm of opinion, but I value the opinions of those for whom music is really important. |
Fantastic idea! Let's do it. How the site would be organized is critical. At minimum, I suspect it would be useful to arrange it by music genre and allow for searches based on the artist/composer/title, etc. It would be great to see reviews separated from discussions (like here) but the reviews could be organized to allow for a voting system (e.g,, the star system in other sites, with comments from all participants). Finally, an easy link to sites that allow for listening to the tracks would be handy -- that implies a "manufacturer" list, which would also be great since it's tough to find too many good music sources on the web. Wow! That would be valuable. Thanks Ben. |
It would be interesting to see reviews from people for whom one has been able to develop a level of understanding and respect. Even when I hit the music store there is only so much I can look at, I'm sure I miss a lot. If someone here could recommmend something to check out or buy it would/could be a good exchange of information. There should of course be a "No Loser" policy. ; ) |
Great stuff, thanks for the recent info. A request: Please indicate which format the new releases will be in. Example: Very interested in the Emmylou reissues, hopefully they will most likely be in DVD-Audio since they are coming from Warner. They were probably surprised at how well the recent "Producer's Cut" by Emmylou is selling. |
Daddy0-sorry for not being clearer the Emmylou Harris releases are plain CD I'm afraid. However I'm glad to see that the information above seems news to at least a few 'goners. I'm make it clearer in future news the actual format. The new formats(SCAD/ DVDA) is one aspect I mentioned to Arnie in our brief conversation because it's clear to me many Audiogoners will be interested in that. Again like the music side of things I can't possibly cover everything and this will be part of the challenge of trying to develop something of quality on Audiogon. Certainly I can and will mention releases but I don't have the type of SACD set up to do the format justice in a reviewing sense nor any DVDA capability at all. So yet again this is why Arnie realises several contributors would be neccesary. Another site covers DVDA/SACD very well and I would like to see anything appears on here have a personality of it's own and again be of a high quality. One thing is clear in my mind from reading the replies above it will be impossible to please everybody but I'm glad I've asked the membership because it's helping to form in my own mind the next step in the process. Please be patient and thanks again for taking the time to reply. |
This is an EXCELLENT idea -- after all, music IS the real motivation behind the equipment discussions -- content management and updates could be tricky.... but I suppose you've already addressed that issue. A few years back, jazz reviews had come up -- it's unfortunate that not enough people helped. Let's hope enough members support this effort! |
