WHY and What are you Listening to?

[tmazz]

It was meant jokingly... obviously not successfully.   
Dave and I were discussing tone arm pods a couple of years back.  I'd mounted a branch of mesquite to a 1 1/2" slab of lead, drilled it, and made a tonearm pod.  Dave had some ideas he wanted to try with some of his magic anti emf powder and lead shot. And of course, unlike my rather ugly homemade pod, Dave finished it out in walnut veneer and polished it to look like fine furniture.  He messed with it for a good while, but I've had it now for over a year and I sincerely think it adds to the resolution of the arm and system. 
I've often thought that Dave should make a couple of dozen of them and sell them. My guess is that the pod is a one off.

Yes, it is.  I wish I had time to do more things like this, but I am just buried with work and I'm struggling with my arthritis and trying to catch up.. as if!  Never happen.

Well if you stopped designing such damn good products maybe you wouldn't sell so many and would get a change to take a break. 

[P.I.]

Well if you stopped designing such damn good products maybe you wouldn't sell so many and would get a change to take a break. 

My brain is working all of the time and my body is trying futilely to keep up.

I love what I do.  My thing is figuring out what is needed and then researching, building crap that doesn't get there and forging on to find an answer that I am happy with that will do the job, whatever it might be.  I'm a total idiot when it comes to merchandizing, too picky when it comes to hiring an assistant (hint:  any applicants here?) and I have the world's worst time management skills.

I will be raising my prices at the end of the month... materials increases are staggering!

But I digress...

I LOVE what I do:  creating things that reveal the beauty of one of God's greatest gifts ; music.

Thanks, Tom! 

[tmazz]

.........creating things that reveal the beauty of one of God's greatest gifts ; music.

Amen to that!

[tmazz]

Fiddler on the Roof - Original Broadway Cast Recording



RCA Victor LP

This was the first Broadway production I ever attended. My parents took me to see it when I was 8 years old.

It is also the record that opened my eyes to the difference among pressing of a given album, I this particular copy is a 1S pressing that I found in t thrift shop in great condition for the whopping price of 69 cents. I have several other RCA copies of this exact album and none of them come close to this one in terms of SQ. I have a number of other 1S pressings of different RCA albums that I don't think sound particularly better than records made from other stampers, so I can't say that all 1S pressing are the better by far, but this one sure is.

The precision of the sound staging and overall "realness" of the presentation is head and shoulders over all of the other pressings I have, including the 180g reissue that was released a few years ago. I don't know why it is better, but I am just enjoying the fact that it is.

[S Clark]

RCA 1s stampers are worth seeking out, but can get overvalued if bought at full collectors retail.  I find plum label Victrola reissues of collectable LSC records to often be available in early stampers and great values.  For grins, go to Ebay and type in VICS 1s and see what pops up.  Often $8-12 for 1s vinyl... usually an excellent value.  But their prices have been climbing for several years now.
Here's one that I know to be an very fine pressing for really cheap...  https://www.ebay.com/itm/193684319735?hash=item2d187c2df7:g:jrsAAOSwD75fb1Ib
Wow.  Looking deeper, I see that their prices have usually doubled from where they were a year or two ago. 

[S Clark]

Dave Brubeck Quartet "Bossa Nova USA"
In 1963 everyone was jumping aboard the Bossa Nova sound, and Brubeck and crew followed suite. 
But for me, what made Brubeck great was his inventiveness with time signatures, and even a syncopated 2/4 signature doesn't allow for much creativity.  And so it went for Dave as well, not the most inventive of his work, but when Paul Desmond starts to blow, you just really don't care.  All you really want to do is sit back and listen to his tone... so pure, so mellow. 

[malloy]

The Omega Man Unlimited 2.0 CD reissue by Film Score Monthly. Here are the production and track notes. Very interesting: http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/notes/retrograde80127_notes.pdf

Finally got a copy of this limited issue CD. AS I've detailed in an earlier post, this is an underrated, but very collectible (and rare!) album.





The Cult - Live at the Marquee Club in London 1991 Double CD- Hard rock at it's rawest, finest! If you are a fan of Led Zeppelin-esque, straight-up rock, powerful vocals, and guitars, this might be for you.



Space Battleship Yamato original soundtrack. The live action adaptation of the 1970s Japanese animation space opera Yamato, which was better known in the US as "Star Blazers."  Exciting stuff. Got this off Amazon. Great theme!



Paul

[steve]

Just found Lani Gardner doing a great job of singing Dreams.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1LhC1zGouc

cheers

steve

[malloy]

The 1980s Frankie Goes to Hollywood hit, "Two Tribes", produced by Trevor Horn. The Annihilation mix. Spotify and on CD.

Sadly, still very fitting and relevant for the present and it feels like it is the 80s all over again.

A brilliant arrangement with a driving bass line and some nice sampled parts with air raid sirens.

[S Clark]

I like Oscar Peterson, I really do.  But... somehow I get my fill pretty quickly.  And a friend wanted me to listen to his new three record "A Time For Love"  which is a Helsinki concert. 
Oscar is inventive, articulate, and seldom opts for 3 notes when he can squeeze in 8.  Monk is more for me.  Plenty of space to let me think about what he's done.  Bill Evans?  Never hurried, never brings your attention to his virtuosity.  Brubeck?  He's too cool to get in a rush. 
But back to Oscar.  He's a talent, one of the all time greats.  On side two he plays a ballad that is stunningly good.  But I didn't finish side one.  It's like when rock guitarist goes on a show off solo... after 10 seconds I'm bored.
But this three record set is great sound, and very pretty blue vinyl.  But it's not for me.  But I could definitely see how it could be for you.

[malloy]

Kate Bush

Been rediscovering Kate Bush after watching Stranger Things on Netflix.

I was vaguely familiar with her early work from the late 70s, but I somehow never got into her brand of music.




Her singing reminds me of Peking Opera and traditional Chinese singing, but without the discipline nor finesse.

My wife cannot stand her singing, but notes that her voice is "placed" meaning that she is projecting it and she knows how to 'sing.'

Me mum, upon seeing her on tv singing her song "Wow" had asked me, "Is she singing, or is she doing some sort of aerobics?"

I still don't get it.

[P.I.]

 

I like Kate.  A lot.

[malloy]

I like Kate.  A lot.

[Nick B]

Kate Bush

Been rediscovering Kate Bush after watching Stranger Things on Netflix.

I was vaguely familiar with her early work from the late 70s, but I somehow never got into her brand of music.




Her singing reminds me of Peking Opera and traditional Chinese singing, but without the discipline nor finesse.

My wife cannot stand her singing, but notes that her voice is "placed" meaning that she is projecting it and she knows how to 'sing.'

Me mum, upon seeing her on tv singing her song "Wow" had asked me, "Is she singing, or is she doing some sort of aerobics?"

I still don't get it.

Had heard of Kate Bush, but that's about it. Saw her on a few utube cuts, one of which was Wuthering Heights 2. Yikes....  but fortunately saw a few others and she can sing if she wants to. The style and presentation is not my cuppa tea 🤷

[S Clark]

"The Nightfly" by Donald Fagen.  I got a new (to me) interconnect to evaluate.  My cd player has two outputs, so I can compare interconnects simply by switching from Aux1 to Aux2.  "The Nightfly" is very well recorded with lots of info in the guitar work, clapping, cowbells, ect.   
Up for evaluation is an Audio Sensibility Statement OCC silver wire.  Better than most of the run of the mill cables I've got, but can't make up my mind when it's up against Wywires Silver.  And honestly, that's pretty high praise.