FOR FREE
Here’s to all those who feel the need to work for free in the hopes of making it as an artist. Even though it devalues their work, it could be just a beginning. Only time will tell.
Category: Vinyl / Tunes Blog
THINGS HAVE CHANGED
People are crazy and times are strange
I’m locked in tight, I’m out of range
I used to care, but things have changed
These lyrics are from 2000. Always ahead of his time, Bob Dylan remains the only artist who can write like this.
Yeah, I’m listening to a lot of his stuff lately.
MOBILE FIDELITY CUTS THEIR VINYL FROM DIGITAL FILES!
Well, for the past several years anyway, and maybe longer than that. Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs has just admitted to working from Direct Stream Digital (DSD) copies to cut their LP reissues labeled Original Master Recording on the cover. Wow!
As audiophiles, we knew the MFSL SACDs were made using DSD files. Those are DDD after all.
Not for the LPs… we didn’t know about them not being AAA, until now. Not cool, especially considering their premium pricing. Continue reading “”
NOW WE’RE TALKING
Yamaha Design Lab TurnT Turns Your Smartphone Into a Record Player!
Well, thank goodness that’s available…
IT’S A GREAT TIME TO BE A B.S. ARTIST
Today, everyone seems to be looking for an easy answer. Nobody wants to do the work. So they rely on the loudest person in the room. Problem is, that person is usually so self absorbed that they no longer know when they are lying. What they do know is that it’s easier to plead ignorance or ask for forgiveness when found out.
Back in 1989, there were a trio of women who realized what was what, and they were very talented.
The Roches are three sisters whose voices blend together amazingly well. They are Maggie (baritone), Terre (soprano), and Suzzy Roche (alto). Their albums are full of sly tunes and received some airplay in the ’80s. Here’s a song of theirs I’ve always liked.
&SONS Pioneer Stories – Frank Cassidy
MEGAPHONICS 2022
If you are in England, be sure and check out Megaphonics 22 on Sunday, 29 May, when Boxengasse’s annual air-cooled Porsche event returns for it’s 4th installment.
Here are some quotes from its founder, Frank Cassidy, a man after my own heart – Classic Porsche, Leica and 60’s music. Continue reading “”
10CC : FEEL THE BENEFIT
Great band. Great album, Great song. From 1977, this still works.
Happy Mother’s Day!
WE SKIPPED THE LIGHT FANDANGO
Probably my favorite single ever, released in 1967 and made arguably even better by Annie Lennox on a wonderful sounding LP in ’95. The original recording was used in many films, including the 1989 New York Stories with Nick Nolte. Amazing that it was written 55 years ago by Procol Harum. Sadly, Gary Brooker, who led the band throughout their history, and who co-wrote and sang this classic, passed away on February 19, 2022. He was 76.
A Whiter Shade of Pale by Procol Harum.
EVERYTHING IS IMPORTANT
DON’T ASSUME ANYTHING
Perhaps I could be a life coach. If only I wasn’t so busy. Oh, that brings up another oft-quoted piece of advice, “Be careful what you wish for.”
It’s not enough to memorize this stuff. You have to incorporate it into your daily practice, and anyone who has lived a life of self-awareness knows this to be true.
Maybe I could fulfill this role with a really young person or someone who is not quite sure they know it all. Continue reading “”
JAZZ TO RELAX
I’ve been listening to a lot of jazz lately. It helps me de-stress from all the news coming out of Eastern Europe.
Miles Davis led several quintets over his long career, and I’ve been spinning those records lately.
It’s fun to rediscover your favorite Miles LPs after they’ve been sitting on the shelf for years, From Bags Groove up to In a Silent Way they are all superb. Of course, Kind of Blue is tops, thanks to Bill Evans.
CRIME OF THE CENTURY
The band Supertramp knew a few things. I was fortunate enough to see them in concert during their prime in the mid ’70s (at the height of the Cold War). I clearly remember being impacted by their music’s message about the dangers of power, corruption, and greed.
Nothing much has changed.
Crime of the Century remains an audiophile favorite for a very good reason. When played back in a dark room on a top-flight hifi system, this LP, mastered by the great Ken Scott, will transport you to a place most folks would rather not think about. Look for a MFSL UHQR under #1000 or a Speakers Corner reissue.
WILDFIRE
One night, Michael Murphy, a singer from Texas, dreamt a song complete with lyrics. He composed it with Larry Candler in a few hours that morning. Murphy believes the song came to him from a story his grandfather told him when he was a little boy. Released in February 1975, “Wildfire” became Murphey’s highest-charting pop hit in the United States. It hit #3 on Billboard that week and is considered a classic today.
Happy Valentine’s Day
HERE’S A MUCH BETTER IDEA
The Pro-ject Automat Turntable doesn’t include speakers, but it does include a fully-automatic start-and-stop with a German-made assembly that disengages and decouples while the record plays, thereby preserving the sound from mechanical vibration. I personally use Rega decks, but this option is very appealing.
HERE’S A BRILLIANT IDEA
Please do not play your albums on a turntable with built in speakers. In fact, don’t place your record player anywhere near your speakers. LPs never sound their best that way.
MUSIC REVENUE CHART
For folks who care about such things, here’s an interesting chart adjusted for inflation that shows where each music format has fallen in yearly revenue. LPs peaked in 1978, and CDs peaked in 1999. Only sales of new items are included. Colored vinyl is the new collectible fetish. Elsewhere, physical music formats have remained niche products, with revenue from used sales on-line unaccounted for. The days of finding gold in used record stores are pretty much over. Click on chart to enlarge.
WHILE YOU’RE WAITING
While you’re waiting for the earth to end, here’s a cool turntable to play your carbon based records on. The Brian Eno LED turntable is a collaboration with London’s Paul Stolper gallery.