What are you listening to right now?

[jsaliga]

Some smokin' hot Columbia 6 Eye Mono pressings...









The Mahler with Bruno Walter conducting the New York Philharmonic is one of my favorite recordings of this work.  The only one that I have that might top it is Otto Klemperer conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf.  But getting back to the Bruno Walter recording...this is a set of two Columbia 6 Eye mono LPs and it is getting a little scarce.  Moreover, there are wide dynamics in this recording and a lot of soft passages, so you will need to find a pressing in pretty good shape; otherwise surface noise could step all over your enjoyment.  I have a near perfect copy but I have to tell you that I bought several not so good ones before I got lucky with this one.

If you happen to find any of these in really nice shape then snap them up.

--Jerome

EDIT: I see that I posted the stereo cover art for the Prokofiev 5th, I have both the mono and stereo pressings.  Didn't feel like scanning the mono cover art.

[tmazz]

This LP looked beautiful but even after cleaning it there was so much noise I placed in my"Out The Door Box"

"Sometimes they say that you eat the bear, but sometimes the bear eats you" - Jim Croce
(5 bonus points to the first person who can tell me which song that comes from.  )

[tmazz]

Soul Vaccination - Tower of Power Live

Legacy CD

From Rick Mattingly, JAZZIZ Magazine
Recorded live in 1998 as Tower of Power celebrated its 30th anniversary, Soul Vaccination displays the band's strengths as well as its weaknesses. The strengths are many, starting with one of the finest horn sections in the business. After all their years together, the three saxes and two trumpets have achieved a blend that gives them the power of a much larger section, and yet they have a tightness that even a smaller horn section would be lucky to achieve. And with the recent return of original drummer David Garibaldi and with the continued presence of bassist Francis Rocco Prestia, the band benefits from one of the great funk/soul rhythm teams of all time. But much of the album lacks a sense of purpose. Rather than using the funky licks and syncopated grooves to bring out the meaning of the song itself - which is the true power behind the type of soul music to which Tower of Power aspires - songs such as "Soul With a Capital S," "Soul Vaccination," "You Got to Funkifize," "What Is Hip?," and "So I Got to Groove" are funk for the sake of funk. And as heartfelt as "Diggin' on James Brown" may be, it's the surface attitude without the inner essence of the Godfather of Soul. Much more successful are tracks such as "Down to the Night Club," where the music combines with the lyrics to create a sense of place, and the ballads "Willin' to Learn" and "You're Still a Young Man," in which the musicians serve the song's emotion.

Samples:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/recsradio/radio/B00000JQFW/ref=pd_krex_listen_dp_img?ie=UTF8&refTagSuffix=dp_img

[tmazz]

Earl Klugh: Life Stories

Warner Bros CD

Samples:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/recsradio/radio/B000002LA5/ref=pd_krex_listen_dp_img?ie=UTF8&refTagSuffix=dp_img

[tmazz]

The Who: Quadrophenia

MCA 2 CD Set

Samples:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/recsradio/radio/B000002P1P/ref=pd_krex_listen_dp_img?ie=UTF8&refTagSuffix=dp_img

[allenzachary]

"Sometimes they say that you eat the bear, but sometimes the bear eats you" - Jim Croce
(5 bonus points to the first person who can tell me which song that comes from.  )

Hard Time Losin' Man

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8Cob3ief1U

[BobM]

Columbia 6 eye - but it's a red label 6 eye and not a grey label. Sounds damn nice (CL850)

Sheherazade - Philadelphia - Eugene Ormandy LP



In general I am finding the grey labels to be awesome performances, but dynamically compressed with a flattened top end and generally uninvolving, so not terribly enjoyable. The red label Columbia 6 eyes have plenty of dynamic range and top end extension. I will focus on these going forward and put the grey labels into the "to be shared" bin.

[satfrat]

Ray LaMontagne: Gossip In The Grain (2008)



Adult contemporary, nice vocal recording. Samples

Cheers,
Robin

[lonewolfny42]

Bettye LaVette - "Scene of the Crime"

[BobM]

Now for something completely different

Erik Truffaz - Saloua (CD)



This is electronica meets progresso electric rock meets screaming guitar meets jazz meets modern reggae meets middle eastern chant/rap meets ambient meets world music meets god only knows how to classify this shit. All I can say is that is changes track to track. If you want to break out of your wholesome little musical rift then I can guarantee there is something on this disk you will like and something you will hate. This guy is prolific andhas quite a few recordings out. I don't have anything else of his so I can't speak for his catalogue.

[BobM]

A natural segue - ambient electronic percussive jazzy stuff

Miles_Gurtu CD

Interesting music no matter how you slice it and definitely on the audiophile must have list for sound quality

[eleazar]

The Big Ball ~ Various Artists



Track listing
http://www.deaddisc.com/disc/Big_Ball.htm

[eleazar]

The Blues Project ~ Lazarus

    LP

[tmazz]

"Sometimes they say that you eat the bear, but sometimes the bear eats you" - Jim Croce
(5 bonus points to the first person who can tell me which song that comes from.  )

Hard Time Losin' Man

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8Cob3ief1U

We have a winner. 

[tmazz]

Columbia 6 eye - but it's a red label 6 eye and not a grey label. Sounds damn nice (CL850)

Sheherazade - Philadelphia - Eugene Ormandy LP



In general I am finding the grey labels to be awesome performances, but dynamically compressed with a flattened top end and generally uninvolving, so not terribly enjoyable. The red label Columbia 6 eyes have plenty of dynamic range and top end extension. I will focus on these going forward and put the grey labels into the "to be shared" bin.

You know all of the six eye label jazz albums that I said sounded so good were also on red labels. I wonder if it is just a coincidence or if you are onto something.