Rickie Lee Jones "Pop Pop"

I've had Traffic From Paradise on LP since it came out years ago. Its an import- same as Pop Pop. They both have excellent sound- nothing irritating about either one, so long as your arm can track it :)

Female voice is a grueling system test.

Ricki's is one of the more difficult ones for an analog rig to negotiate. Don't think it's only your analog setup however. A female voice can send some horrendously challenging transients to torture an entire system.

The better things are dialed in (from stylus to loudspeakers), the better life is with her.

For years I thought the same thing about Ricki and how "hot" she's been recorded, and while it is on the razor's edge of being out of control, it's analogous to the risks she takes as a performer.

For this reason, I've always tolerated these minor transgressions - because I've been a big fan of most everything she's done.

Now that I have dialed everything in nicely, it doesn't bother me in the least.

Another tough one is the last reprise of "Hard Rain's Gonna Fall" on the reissue of Joan Baez's "Farewell Angelina". Unfortunately, I don't have the original to compare against.

To make matters even more challenging, these are the last few "grooves" on the record side.

While I'm an advocate of setting things up correctly, it's still a music first sort of thing with me. I find that many audiophiles in our tribe will completely overlook a rowdy audience at a live show, but give them one tick or pop on a record and they go absolutely ballistic. I'm not pointing out anyone in this thread (which was initiated out of a quest for knowledge), but rather pointing out the flaws of many of our brethren. We are a strange lot indeed ;-)

Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier

What about compression on It's Like This side D "Cycles"?
The high notes sound not irritating, but I lose the 3-D quality, they sound machine-made rather than human. Anybody else hear this?

I don't hear this on Pop Pop, but I've got the Alto version. Are you talking about the ORG? Not nearly as good in my system at least.

Thanks to all. What I do want to clarify is that I find the entire LP very well done except for her voice on that one track only. And I did notice I may have had it cranked a bit much on the ole volume knob, so I lowered it a bit. From what I can tell is that her voice on this particular track is a bit forward at times, but the accoustic instruments a stellar! Thanks again to everyone's input as I am a bit of a greenhorn when it comes to vinyl.

I have the ORG version and there is some distortion on "I'll Be Seeing You" at the start of the words ...morning.., ...park..., ...always... and...day... It sounds as if she moves slightly closer to the mike and loads it up or ( put proper terminology
here)