I'm back from AXPONA, and Hatari! is in the house! The 45 RPM cut is superb. This is how good vinyl sounds! It even bests the SACD (also by Analogue Productions). Here it one of the cuts from the album on its second play through my system:
Beyond that, I finally caved and bought the Analogue Productions 45 RPM set of Brubeck's Time Out. The realism is fantastic.
Morrow Audio is a cable manufacturer, but they have also opened their own used record store in their hometown. They brought a portion of a major haul of records that I believe came from a large university library. I found two classical titles (a Bartok "Symphony for Orchestra" on RCA, and a Stravinsky "Le Sacre du Printemps" on the DG label) in nice condition. I also picked up Count Basie Orchestra's Li'l Ol' Groovemaker...Basie! on Verve (which was arranged and conducted by Quincy Jones), and the Pete Fountain A Taste of Honey LP, on the Coral label. I will need to needle drop that title track from Pete Fountain's record--it directly "borrows" the TJB arrangement. The rest of the album is sometimes a bit hokey (typical 60s MOR record in a way) but I haven't heard it in 40 years. It's nice having a scratch-free copy to play now.
I also discovered a lot of new music in the numerous listening rooms at the show. Analogue Productions had released a 12" 45 RPM single with two old Louis Armstrong tracks on it--not my cup of tea by a longshot, but it was popular. Three titles I did like, however, stood out. There was a 2007 record Orbit by Neil Larsen, which features Robben Ford on guitar--a fusion-ey, funky gig that sounds excellent. (The 180g vinyl is unobtainium now, sadly, and the CD long out of print.) Kenny Rankin's album Because Of You was also a stand out (at least the couple of tracks we heard from it). In the Von Schweikert/VAC Amplifiers room, I walked in to a recording of the Poulenc Organ Concerto in G Minor that was stunning.
Beyond that, I finally caved and bought the Analogue Productions 45 RPM set of Brubeck's Time Out. The realism is fantastic.
Morrow Audio is a cable manufacturer, but they have also opened their own used record store in their hometown. They brought a portion of a major haul of records that I believe came from a large university library. I found two classical titles (a Bartok "Symphony for Orchestra" on RCA, and a Stravinsky "Le Sacre du Printemps" on the DG label) in nice condition. I also picked up Count Basie Orchestra's Li'l Ol' Groovemaker...Basie! on Verve (which was arranged and conducted by Quincy Jones), and the Pete Fountain A Taste of Honey LP, on the Coral label. I will need to needle drop that title track from Pete Fountain's record--it directly "borrows" the TJB arrangement. The rest of the album is sometimes a bit hokey (typical 60s MOR record in a way) but I haven't heard it in 40 years. It's nice having a scratch-free copy to play now.
I also discovered a lot of new music in the numerous listening rooms at the show. Analogue Productions had released a 12" 45 RPM single with two old Louis Armstrong tracks on it--not my cup of tea by a longshot, but it was popular. Three titles I did like, however, stood out. There was a 2007 record Orbit by Neil Larsen, which features Robben Ford on guitar--a fusion-ey, funky gig that sounds excellent. (The 180g vinyl is unobtainium now, sadly, and the CD long out of print.) Kenny Rankin's album Because Of You was also a stand out (at least the couple of tracks we heard from it). In the Von Schweikert/VAC Amplifiers room, I walked in to a recording of the Poulenc Organ Concerto in G Minor that was stunning.