The Now Spinning/Recent Purchases Thread

[Cuyler]

I am going to download on Apple iTunes "The Ultimate Rascals" (Atlantic on CD in 1986) & the late Percy Sledge "The Ultimate Collection: When A Man Loves A Woman" (Atlantic on CD in 1987) because the remasters sounded badly recorded!!! There are 40 songs in all!!

How do those original CDs from 1986/1987 sound?

 

[AM Matt]

Poorly remastered!! Also same for the late Otis Redding (until RHINO came along & remastered it)!!!

 

[Cuyler]

Poorly remastered!! Also same for the late Otis Redding (until RHINO came along & remastered it)!!!

I wonder if they have pre-emphasis!

Hmm. That said, a lot of the remasters of older material from the 1960s and earlier tend to be questionable, at best. I feel like I've seen way too many remasters that are either way too loud, or worse, remixes/re-recordings disguised as remasters. We want flat transfers of the original tapes, darn it!

 

[Cuyler]

@AM Matt I just did a search for Percy Sledge. Apparently his album "The Best of Percy Sledge" is Mastered for iTunes ("Apple Digital Master"):

"When a Man Loves a Woman" sounds great here!

 

[Cuyler]

Ooooh @AM Matt this Rascals compilation on Qobuz is in hi-rez:

Time Peace: The Rascals' Greatest Hits, The Rascals - Qobuz

Listen to unlimited streaming or download Time Peace: The Rascals' Greatest Hits by The Rascals in Hi-Res quality on Qobuz. Subscriptions from $10.83/month.

www.qobuz.com

Edit: It sounds really good. "Good Lovin'" isn't as crackly as on iTunes. It has a nice bass sound throughout. It doesn't sound as peak-limited/loud as the same iTunes album.

 

[Cuyler]

Okay, y'all. Qobuz reminded me that "Rise" (the song) is in my favorites list. Time to listen to "Rise" (the album) from the start. (I've never heard the album from start to finish.)

 

[AM Matt]

The song "Groovin'" by The Young Rascals (remaster) is in both MONO in both the MONO & STEREO "Groovin'" albums on Apple iTunes!!

 

[Cuyler]

The song "Groovin'" by The Young Rascals (remaster) is in both MONO in both the MONO & STEREO "Groovin'" albums on Apple iTunes!!

Ooh~ "Groovin'" is in stereo (hi-rez) on Qobuz on "Time Peace" and in mono (also hi-rez) on Qobuz on "Groovin' (mono)." Sounds pretty good I think! (I've never heard this song before but there's really nice stereo separation on "Time Peace" and the mono version is tight--really nice.)

 

[AM Matt]

The song "Groovin'" (STEREO version) also found on "Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary" also on Apple iTunes.

 

[Harry]

Okay, y'all. Qobuz reminded me that "Rise" (the song) is in my favorites list. Time to listen to "Rise" (the album) from the start. (I've never heard the album from start to finish.)

If you choose a CD of RISE, know that there are three main editions. The original A&M was around for years both in the US and Japan, then there was the Shout reissue that jumbled the running order a little bit in order to keep some distance between two takes of both "Rotation" and "Aranjuez". The Herb Alpert Presents version restored the order to the original running order from 1979.

 

[Mr Bill]

....making them even more "sloppy." And the "dying can of that commodity meat" gets me every time....

Wow! Seeing that written out now makes clear to me what I've struggled to understand for nearly 40 years! And holy cow that is damned funny!

True -- The Cramps are what led to Hasil's resurgence (and getting him a record contract with, ironically, I.R.S. Records, the label The Cramps sued to get -- allegedly -- withheld royalties and to get released from)...

--Mr Bill

 

[AM Matt]

By the way, the late Percy Sledge 1966 "When A Man Loves A Woman" album (STEREO version) is fake stereo & does not sound great. Get the MONO one instead!!

 

[Cuyler]

I am really happy, I recently bought two versions of the Carpenters' "Voice of the Heart", both from late-1983 or 1984, matching the matrices up with what I found on Discogs. One is a Japan pressing for the Japanese market, and the other is a Japanese Denon pressing for the American market. Hoping that I've stumbled upon the definitive-sounding versions

 

[Cuyler]

Listening to the Bless the Beasts and Children soundtrack.

I recently got a nifty "tacky roller" to get the bits and dust out of the grooves. I think that's what was needed on this record of mine. Although there are still little clicks and pops, it's better than it was earlier. Additionally, I got a mirror alignment tool and realigned my stylus (again). I think it sounds better tbh.

Bless the Beasts and Children:


Cotton's Dream:

 

[Cuyler]

And the last record I am currently spinning:

Rulers of This World (Recipients of History):


A few interesting stories behind this song... it's never been released anywhere else but as the B-side to Carole King's 1980 re-recording of "One Fine Day." Also, the record lists the title as "Rulers of This World," but the record sleeve lists it as "Recipients of History." I've seen jukebox labels of the day that also label the B-side "Recipients of History." Both lines appear in the song, so it's actually kind of unclear what the true title of the song is. Nonetheless, if you're a "world peace" person like I tend to be, this song makes a statement that is fitting for the Cold War era, with the ever-present threat of nuclear warfare.

This song isn't Carole's best, by any means, but I wanted to share the audio with you folks since it's pretty rare. I hadn't seen a digitized copy online until maybe a couple years ago on YouTube. I uploaded a digitized file to YouTube earlier.

 

[Cuyler]

My 1983 Alfa pressing of "Voice of the Heart" came in the mail today. So amazing! The waveform is different from the AM+ CD I have. There's lots of room to turn the volume up without peaks getting crinkly and scratchy. Very dynamic. I'd reckon a mint copy of the record in 1983 sounded like this.

Scans to come in the Carpenters forum...

 

[Cuyler]

My 1985 Japanese pressing of "The Singles: 1969–1973" also came in the mail today. At long last, I've found the single version of "Yesterday Once More" on an AM+ CD!

Today was such a stressful day at work, but with these new acquisitions, I feel so incredibly lucky and blessed and grateful. Can't wait to share more with you all.

 

[JOv2]

(Western Art Music Survey, 1750-1950: Week XXI -- Bruckner)

 

[Rudy]

Bernie Haitink!

 

[Rudy]

Spinning one last tune before signing off:

 

[JOv2]

(Western Art Music Survey, 1750-1950: Week XXII -- Bruckner)

My 4th week with Bruckner's nine symphonies.

Like virtually all "composers of significance", he was eccentric -- quite so, apparently. His nine symphonies are studies in soundscapes layered with odd melodic motifs, peculiar counterpoint, untimely dynamic bursts, and dissonance...surely trailblazing towards what tends to be called "20th century" or "modernist" music. That he continuously revised his symphonies (and therefore, there are several "versions" of each) suggests an ever-changing, restless nature.

 

[Rudy]

This one might be just a little modern...

 

[Rudy]

And this one is some plain ol' fun.



A lunchtime spin from SACD, by way of Analogue Productions.

 

[AM Matt]

The late B.J. Thomas "Songs" (1973) (download on Apple iTunes) (not the whole album but partial) The first 4 songs which I download!! The song "I've Been Alone Too Long" (by Mark James & Cynthia Weil) is a great song (later done by The Partridge Family in late 1973 from "Bulletin Board"). Also done by Mary MacGregor in 1977 (her remake is not that great).

 

[JOv2]

This one might be just a little modern...

It will be quite awhile before I get to Ives (he's two shelves down from Bruckner). For my nickel, Ives is America's first "all-American" (i.e., non-European) composer -- at least the first such U.S. composer to gain widespread attention using wholly American musical motifs and idioms though I believe this was mostly following his death.