The Now Spinning/Recent Purchases Thread
- Thread starter Rudy
- Start date
Bobberman
Well-Known Member
Now that is a perfect tribute and the way to remember Gato. "Caliente" is truly definitive i own the Cd version.and the music truly sizzles.Now spinning Gato Barbieri's Caliente in memory of The Cat's passing today.
The only answer I could give: "It depends."
There are a few ways that a 78 could be transferred to digital. This might help clear up the process.
78s were actually cut in wax, not lacquer (or later, copper, as in DMM--Direct Metal Mastering) as we do in the LP era. The wax would then, in essence, be coated with a very fine application of metal, enough layers being applied so it could be handled--this is the "metal master" and at this point, the grooves are inside-out. From there, another set of discs are made ("mothers") from which the stampers (which are, again, inside out) that pressed the actual records we bought.
When records were pressed, the metal parts were often kept. The "mothers" would theoretically be playable, yet, you would not want to damage something that you could produce more stampers from, provided the mothers aren't too worn out to use. So, in order of the quality (and preferability) of the source, there are three primary ways 78s could be dubbed to digital:
1. A digital dub from a 78 could be from the mothers. Or they are sometimes called, "the metal parts." In essence, not an end product. Because they were usually stored somewhere safe, they would have no wear to them, and be relatively clean. They are the closest you could get to the original source. Some play back very cleanly.
2. Demo records were often made on acetate discs (called "acetates"), and acetates were not usually sold to the public: first, they were like a manually-recorded discs, for which only one would exist; and second, acetates do not wear well. So, if someone had found acetates that were pretty much untouched, they would make a great dub.
3. If these two aren't available, then it is entirely possible that a consumer 78 RPM record could be dubbed.
The Rhino Spike Jones set from the 1990s was made from the metal parts and sounds fantastic--most of the time you wouldn't even know they were from disc. (They made a point of doing it this way, as later dubs that RCA made were horrendous, especially the fake stereo anthology LPs they put out of Spike Jones' music. Or IOW, if Spike Jones was murdering the classics, RCA was putting the last nail in the coffin!
) If dubs are made from metal parts, you may only occasionally hear surface noise--any noise reduction tends to get rid of some noise at the expense of making the rest of the music sound strange. (Once you hear its effects, it's hard to forget.) I have some Perez Prado recordings from the late 40s through the early 50s that in many cases were from 78s, and occasionally you can hear a "swish" each time the disc goes around. These were on the Tumbao Cuban Classics label. Some are rather muffled, and I've heard the same recordings elsewhere that weren't so muffled. So, Tumbao just chose to cut the high frequencies a bit to compensate.
That's it, in a nutshell...
Since I was working from my office at home, I was able to start the morning with some old RCA Living Stereo titles.
LPM-1075, Perez Prado's Mambo Mania. Released in the pre-stereo era. Found a pretty decent copy about a decade ago. This has the smash hit "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White," which had one of the longest runs ever at #1 on the Billboard chart. (It was the hit directly preceding Bill Haley's "Rock Around The Clock" at #1.) When I was a kid, I always thought the cover looked like he was having a heart attack.
LSP-1556 was first: Perez Prado's Prez album. An earlier stereo title. This one sounds surprisingly good, although my copy could be a little better. Side 1 has some nice mambos on it. Where the album really cooks is on Side 2. "Lullaby of Birdland" has some really tight brass staccato notes that are difficult to play--I can imagine how hard Prado rode the band to play those in perfect sync. "Flight of the Bumblebee" is a cool mambo-driven take with some wild trumpet work by Ollie Mitchell. (Prado's bands were always made up of the best of west coast jazz session men, including a young Maynard Ferguson and other Kenton alumni, among others.) "Leo's Special" is a drum feature for Leo Acosta (whose playing reminds me of Shelly Manne).
LSP-2002: Henri Rene, Riot in Rhythm. This one is an east coast big band, with arrangements that are a bit hokey at times (almost too heavy on the bachelor pad/lounge influence there). Some of the tracks do fit the advertised proclamation, "Man, it swings!"
LPM-1075, Perez Prado's Mambo Mania. Released in the pre-stereo era. Found a pretty decent copy about a decade ago. This has the smash hit "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White," which had one of the longest runs ever at #1 on the Billboard chart. (It was the hit directly preceding Bill Haley's "Rock Around The Clock" at #1.) When I was a kid, I always thought the cover looked like he was having a heart attack.
LSP-1556 was first: Perez Prado's Prez album. An earlier stereo title. This one sounds surprisingly good, although my copy could be a little better. Side 1 has some nice mambos on it. Where the album really cooks is on Side 2. "Lullaby of Birdland" has some really tight brass staccato notes that are difficult to play--I can imagine how hard Prado rode the band to play those in perfect sync. "Flight of the Bumblebee" is a cool mambo-driven take with some wild trumpet work by Ollie Mitchell. (Prado's bands were always made up of the best of west coast jazz session men, including a young Maynard Ferguson and other Kenton alumni, among others.) "Leo's Special" is a drum feature for Leo Acosta (whose playing reminds me of Shelly Manne).
LSP-2002: Henri Rene, Riot in Rhythm. This one is an east coast big band, with arrangements that are a bit hokey at times (almost too heavy on the bachelor pad/lounge influence there). Some of the tracks do fit the advertised proclamation, "Man, it swings!"
LSP-1866: The real gem today was a new purchase of what in 1958 was hailed as an incredibly good sounding recording to give your hi-fi a workout; we'd call it "audiophile" today. Dick Schory's New Percussion Ensemble, Music for Bang, Baa-room, and Harp. It was largely unavailable and in high demand especially once the audiophile press got ahold of it. Classic Records reissues it on 180 gram vinyl many years ago, but Analogue Productions reissused their own version of it last year on both 200g vinyl and SACD. (The only thing that surprised me is that they have not offered this in a 2-LP 45RPM set--this would be even better in that format.)
The music might not be everyone's taste (it is probably closest to lounge/exotica/instrumental pop), but the sonics are amazing. The entire percussion array was laid out on stage, with mics capturing instruments up close as well as tons of the hall ambiance. It's easy to see why many today still hold it in high regard.
Here is the stage layout from the session--notice the main combo in the center (two guitars in front, bass, grand piano, drum kit):
The extensive liner notes:
The music might not be everyone's taste (it is probably closest to lounge/exotica/instrumental pop), but the sonics are amazing. The entire percussion array was laid out on stage, with mics capturing instruments up close as well as tons of the hall ambiance. It's easy to see why many today still hold it in high regard.
Here is the stage layout from the session--notice the main combo in the center (two guitars in front, bass, grand piano, drum kit):
The extensive liner notes:
One other notable title got a spin today. This is one album I run hot and cold on, largely because I played it a lot many years ago. But if I ever wanted one truly definitive cut of it, the Mobile Fidelity 45RPM 2-LP set is one of the best out there. They have released this in both stereo (which is the version I have) and mono.
I thought the listing was a bit optimistic when it said "box set", but the album did indeed come in a box, vs. a gatefold jacket, which was unexpected.
Needless to say, the amount of detail on here is incredible. The records had very low surface noise to begin with but, once I ran them through my cleaning process, the surfaces are pretty much dead silent now. All the better to hear the detail with.
I have a Sony Legacy cut of this album also, but I am guessing it is from their DSD master. It still sounds good (and would be a more economical recommendation), but this one is one of the few definitive vinyl versions out there. The original Columbia 6-eye pressing is highly sought after, but good luck finding one that isn't worn or beaten (they are very pricey). Bernie Grundman also cut a set for Classic Records a decade or more ago, and those are also unobtainium.
I thought the listing was a bit optimistic when it said "box set", but the album did indeed come in a box, vs. a gatefold jacket, which was unexpected.
Needless to say, the amount of detail on here is incredible. The records had very low surface noise to begin with but, once I ran them through my cleaning process, the surfaces are pretty much dead silent now. All the better to hear the detail with.
I have a Sony Legacy cut of this album also, but I am guessing it is from their DSD master. It still sounds good (and would be a more economical recommendation), but this one is one of the few definitive vinyl versions out there. The original Columbia 6-eye pressing is highly sought after, but good luck finding one that isn't worn or beaten (they are very pricey). Bernie Grundman also cut a set for Classic Records a decade or more ago, and those are also unobtainium.
Bobberman
Well-Known Member
None other than "THE LATE GREAT JULIUS WECHTER". who replaced Arthur Lyman who was part of Denny's first group before Lyman Left and took most of Denny's group with him.according to what ive read.
I've been listening to the new Cheap Trick, Bang Zoom Crazy...Hello, since I got it last week. MAN is that a good album. You would never guess that these are 60-something guys. They sound just as good as they did in 1978 when they first hit it big. If you like great power-pop-rock, you can't go wrong with this one. The Beatles influence is very evident but they also channel ZZ Top, David Bowie, ELO and a lot of others.
After being so used to "new" stuff by "old" artists be kind of a disappointment, it's nice to have one from these guys which I'd put right up there next to their best work from their heyday.
After being so used to "new" stuff by "old" artists be kind of a disappointment, it's nice to have one from these guys which I'd put right up there next to their best work from their heyday.
Bobberman
Well-Known Member
Chicago still Rocks. They were one of the first rock bands to successfully blend Jazz and Rock together and they had a powerful horn section. I prefer the original lineup with Peter Cetera. ( its still pretty sad how he and the rest of them parted company.)Got a stash of about nine different Chicago LPs--been working my way through those.
I should sit in silence though. I'll have three days of non-stop music ahead this weekend.
jfiedler17
Well-Known Member
It was probably inevitable that Cetera would end up leaving the group. The material he was writing during his last years with them really differed quite a bit from their '70s material and didn't lend itself to horns very easily, for starters, and for some reason, it seems like most bands that have brought in David Foster to produce them usually end up having one of their members make a solo album immediately afterwards. (The same thing happened to The Tubes, for instance; unfortunately, that band never really recovered from Waybill's solo venture.) It's still really sad that they parted company, though, I agree. Even though Chicago and Cetera both made some fairly decent adult-contemporary albums later on, none of those discs ever quite had the magic of any of the Chicago albums they made together, especially anything from the debut album through Hot Streets.
Just got back from a vacation to the Southwest, where I did a lot of record shopping and found a lot of fun obscurities, especially A&M ones like Jimmie Rodgers' Child of Clay and Garland Jeffreys' Ghost Writer. Some other, non-A&M ones I just picked up: Rachel Sweet's Fool Around, Al Jarreau's Glow, the self-titled debut from Pages (an obscure late '70s group featuring several future members of Mr. Mister), the second and last Electric Flag album, The Housemartins' London O Hull 4, Chris Rea's New Light Through Old Windows, and Danny Wilde's The Boyfriend (mid-'80s album by one of the future members of The Rembrandts).
I've got to hear this new Cheap Trick album! I'm definitely a longtime fan of theirs - and a huge power-pop buff in general - and I keep reading good things about this new disc.
Just got back from a vacation to the Southwest, where I did a lot of record shopping and found a lot of fun obscurities, especially A&M ones like Jimmie Rodgers' Child of Clay and Garland Jeffreys' Ghost Writer. Some other, non-A&M ones I just picked up: Rachel Sweet's Fool Around, Al Jarreau's Glow, the self-titled debut from Pages (an obscure late '70s group featuring several future members of Mr. Mister), the second and last Electric Flag album, The Housemartins' London O Hull 4, Chris Rea's New Light Through Old Windows, and Danny Wilde's The Boyfriend (mid-'80s album by one of the future members of The Rembrandts).
I've got to hear this new Cheap Trick album! I'm definitely a longtime fan of theirs - and a huge power-pop buff in general - and I keep reading good things about this new disc.
There's a great article about them in the newest Rolling Stone, too. And their album is in the Billboard top 40...first time in many a year for that.
I never thought about that being a "producer" phenomenon but I can totally see that happening. But another phenomenon was often that anytime a band started getting hits with a lot of "ballads" the lead singer would soon be a soloist.
If I hear one more female vocalist in the next month or two, I'm gonna... 
When you go to an audio show, you end up hearing a lot of Patricia Barber, Diana Krall, Shirley Horn, etc. It gets tiring after about the third room you hear it in--it's all interchangeable. After three days and countless rooms, well...it's almost grating by that point. There were a few other tracks that annoyed the buckshot out of me after hearing the first minute of them, and they were playing in some of the rooms also. (Especially some hack that covered Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely" quite lamely, IMHO.) It was nice to go into the Audio Video Interiors room and hear the high-res "Once In Love With Amy" by Mel Torme (backed by Marty Paich's group) for a change.
There were some bargains to be had at the Marketplace at the show also--ended up with seven rekkids. Music Direct had overstock on some titles for only $15 (normally $35). Others were a few dollars off, as were accessories. Elusive Disc had a 2-LP 45RPM set on clearance also--Rosemary Clooney and Perez Prado, Tabasco, which was released on the ORG (Original Recordings Group) label, mastered by our pal Bernie Grundman. Can't wait to hear it tomorrow. My Living Stereo copy is somewhat clean but isn't perfect. Lots of brass and percussion.
Acoustic Sounds had no discount at the show. Screw 'em. And yet they are running a 15%-off-for-AXPONA sale. Tell me what I'm missing here...
When you go to an audio show, you end up hearing a lot of Patricia Barber, Diana Krall, Shirley Horn, etc. It gets tiring after about the third room you hear it in--it's all interchangeable. After three days and countless rooms, well...it's almost grating by that point. There were a few other tracks that annoyed the buckshot out of me after hearing the first minute of them, and they were playing in some of the rooms also. (Especially some hack that covered Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely" quite lamely, IMHO.) It was nice to go into the Audio Video Interiors room and hear the high-res "Once In Love With Amy" by Mel Torme (backed by Marty Paich's group) for a change.
There were some bargains to be had at the Marketplace at the show also--ended up with seven rekkids. Music Direct had overstock on some titles for only $15 (normally $35). Others were a few dollars off, as were accessories. Elusive Disc had a 2-LP 45RPM set on clearance also--Rosemary Clooney and Perez Prado, Tabasco, which was released on the ORG (Original Recordings Group) label, mastered by our pal Bernie Grundman. Can't wait to hear it tomorrow. My Living Stereo copy is somewhat clean but isn't perfect. Lots of brass and percussion.
Acoustic Sounds had no discount at the show. Screw 'em. And yet they are running a 15%-off-for-AXPONA sale. Tell me what I'm missing here...
Kind of Blue...I played LP#2 from the 45RPM yesterday. "Flamenco Sketches" is my favorite cut on the album, followed by "Blue in Green."
I picked this one up at AXPONA and I have to say Mobile Fidelity did an excellent job cutting this to LP--side one is 26 minutes long. I don't think Miles has ever rocked harder on record!
All of their Miles titles have been quite well received.
I picked this one up at AXPONA and I have to say Mobile Fidelity did an excellent job cutting this to LP--side one is 26 minutes long. I don't think Miles has ever rocked harder on record!
All of their Miles titles have been quite well received.
Well...it's about as I expected it to be.
Sounds like the same original Santana band. (Which it is.) Sounds like the same guitar solo Santana has played for the last 40+ years. "Sueños" is like a modification of "Europa." Everything else sounds vaguely familiar also.
So yeah, the jury's out on whether or not I'd pay for the vinyl version of this...
Sounds like the same original Santana band. (Which it is.) Sounds like the same guitar solo Santana has played for the last 40+ years.
"Sueños" is like a modification of "Europa." Everything else sounds vaguely familiar also. So yeah, the jury's out on whether or not I'd pay for the vinyl version of this...
"It's still fo', but....it's fo', the next day."
I hadn't heard this great track in a few years. Surprised me to hear it played in the ELAC room at AXPONA.
So I've been revisiting the album lately. Great stuff, end to end! Ignore the image in the video--it's dead wrong. It is indeed Terry Evans with Ry Cooder.
I hadn't heard this great track in a few years. Surprised me to hear it played in the ELAC room at AXPONA.
So I've been revisiting the album lately. Great stuff, end to end! Ignore the image in the video--it's dead wrong. It is indeed Terry Evans with Ry Cooder.
Epic record crawl today.
All on vinyl. Crossed many off of my want list, thanks to Encore Records.
Found a Townhouse cut of Genesis Abacab, the Rosie Vela album (in a promo copy yet--it sounds fantastic), two Kevin Eubanks records on GRP (I haven't looked at Face to Face yet, but The Heat of Heat is on Quiex vinyl), the Passion, Grace and Fire record (Al DiMeola, John McLaughlin, Paco de Lucia), a sealed Al Jarreau L Is For Lover (great Nile Rodgers production on that one), Mendes Brasil '86, Michael Franks Blue Pacific (which has three tracks produced by Walter Becker), one of Billy Cobham's records on GRP I've liked (Warning!), a sealed LP of Keep Your Eye On Me, a nice copy of My Abstract Heart, Ben Sidran's On The Cool Side, and two by Jack DeJohnette on ECM--Special Edition, and Inflation Blues.
All on vinyl. Crossed many off of my want list, thanks to Encore Records.
Found a Townhouse cut of Genesis Abacab, the Rosie Vela album (in a promo copy yet--it sounds fantastic), two Kevin Eubanks records on GRP (I haven't looked at Face to Face yet, but The Heat of Heat is on Quiex vinyl), the Passion, Grace and Fire record (Al DiMeola, John McLaughlin, Paco de Lucia), a sealed Al Jarreau L Is For Lover (great Nile Rodgers production on that one), Mendes Brasil '86, Michael Franks Blue Pacific (which has three tracks produced by Walter Becker), one of Billy Cobham's records on GRP I've liked (Warning!), a sealed LP of Keep Your Eye On Me, a nice copy of My Abstract Heart, Ben Sidran's On The Cool Side, and two by Jack DeJohnette on ECM--Special Edition, and Inflation Blues.
Captain Bacardi
Well-Known Member
Well...it's about as I expected it to be.
Sounds like the same original Santana band. (Which it is.) Sounds like the same guitar solo Santana has played for the last 40+ years.
So yeah, the jury's out on whether or not I'd pay for the vinyl version of this...
I downloaded the FLAC files to this album. The music itself is fine. But I don't care for the overall sound of the album. It sounds kind of muddy to me, no real highs in the recording.
My hearing is really screwed up since last weekend--I started getting the scratchy throat late Wednesday, and ever since Friday I've felt like my ears need to pop. Not good when you're at an audio expo.
Mainly it's like missing bass. Better the past day or two but still not back to normal.Just played "Choo Choo" a few moments ago, and have "Sueños" plaaying right now--both sound fine here, considering the shape my ears are in. "Echizo" has some killer bass to it.
The album actually seems to have dynamics too--it's not "smashed" like other recent recordings. I noticed it's not on a major label, so that might have something to do with it.
Two new arrivals today. One is the 180g pressing of Queen's The Game (the only Queen album I like most of the songs on).
The other is a 45RPM ORG Records pressing of Diana Krall's The Look of Love. I already have the SACD of it, but Bernie's cut of this one is really well done. It's so lush, you want to hop into a fuzzy warm bubble bath. I can see why it was all the rage at the audio shows back about a decade ago--Krall's voice records really well, and the simple instrumentation comes through cleanly.
I've had four Original Recordings Group releases now, and all of them have been superb. The other one I got recently was on clearance at the Elusive Disc table at AXPONA--the Rosemary Clooney/Perez Prado album A Touch of Tabasco. I have the original RCA Living Stereo cut, and this one is just worlds better. It really stresses a turntable also--a lot of biting brass and percussion, and Clooney's voice has to punch through it all clearly. This version delineates everything so much better the original. And unlike many unlikely pairings, this one with Clooney and Prado works surprisingly well. "Corazon de Melon" was a hit in South America.
The other is a 45RPM ORG Records pressing of Diana Krall's The Look of Love. I already have the SACD of it, but Bernie's cut of this one is really well done. It's so lush, you want to hop into a fuzzy warm bubble bath.
I can see why it was all the rage at the audio shows back about a decade ago--Krall's voice records really well, and the simple instrumentation comes through cleanly. I've had four Original Recordings Group releases now, and all of them have been superb. The other one I got recently was on clearance at the Elusive Disc table at AXPONA--the Rosemary Clooney/Perez Prado album A Touch of Tabasco. I have the original RCA Living Stereo cut, and this one is just worlds better. It really stresses a turntable also--a lot of biting brass and percussion, and Clooney's voice has to punch through it all clearly. This version delineates everything so much better the original. And unlike many unlikely pairings, this one with Clooney and Prado works surprisingly well. "Corazon de Melon" was a hit in South America.
I grabbed a couple of titles from the HDTracks sale. One I really wanted is a desert island disc for me: Mel Tormé Swings Shubert Alley. I've had the original Verve CD since it was released, and I came across that by way of a Polygram jazz sampler that came out in 1984 (Jazz Like You've Never Heard It Before).
The HDTracks version kills it in every way imaginable.
Back when I bought the CD, I sort of figured that many of these albums just sounded "old." I can't even see that it was reissued in the US on CD under this new mastering. (The flood of unauthorized CD reissues and repackagings is starting to hit this title--I trust nothing anymore.) I went with the 24/192 version, as that is exactly how it was pulled from the master:
It is an incredible sounding album in remastered form. While there is no mistaking its 1960 origins, it is very clean and clear now, capturing every nuance of Tormé's voice, right on par with his last recordings made for Concord. The percussion really stands out here also--for instance, you get to hear the cymbals as they were recorded with that precise attack and decay that CD can't even begin to approach.
The music is classic--I own and enjoy many of Tormé's albums, but this one really hits it out of the ballpark. He demonstrates how the voice can be used as an instrument. Marty Paich's crack outfit is behind him as well, and many of the musicians get to take eight bar solos throughout. They are the cream of the crop of west coast jazz players--without naming names, you can easily pick out Art Pepper, Frank Rosolino, Mel Lewis, Al Porcino, and everyone else involved. These tight arrangements of familiar (and not so familiar) Broadway tunes are still a joy to listen to, 56 years after they were recorded.
...and I can't stop playing it. It sounds that good.
The HDTracks version kills it in every way imaginable.
Back when I bought the CD, I sort of figured that many of these albums just sounded "old." I can't even see that it was reissued in the US on CD under this new mastering. (The flood of unauthorized CD reissues and repackagings is starting to hit this title--I trust nothing anymore.) I went with the 24/192 version, as that is exactly how it was pulled from the master:
It is an incredible sounding album in remastered form. While there is no mistaking its 1960 origins, it is very clean and clear now, capturing every nuance of Tormé's voice, right on par with his last recordings made for Concord. The percussion really stands out here also--for instance, you get to hear the cymbals as they were recorded with that precise attack and decay that CD can't even begin to approach.
The music is classic--I own and enjoy many of Tormé's albums, but this one really hits it out of the ballpark. He demonstrates how the voice can be used as an instrument. Marty Paich's crack outfit is behind him as well, and many of the musicians get to take eight bar solos throughout. They are the cream of the crop of west coast jazz players--without naming names, you can easily pick out Art Pepper, Frank Rosolino, Mel Lewis, Al Porcino, and everyone else involved. These tight arrangements of familiar (and not so familiar) Broadway tunes are still a joy to listen to, 56 years after they were recorded.
...and I can't stop playing it. It sounds that good.
Similar discussions
- Article
- Sticky
- Article