The National Reserve- Motel La Grange You can listen to Sean Walsh and The National Reserve’s Motel La Grange and be reminded of so many different strands of music from the past without being quite able to put your finger on what memories are being tickled. There are elements of the old Bob Seger in the vocal parts, of The Band in their roots Americana vibe, of Little Feat in sheer funk but it’s nowise derivative of any of these; it stands on its own, even if it does bring back memories of something else. If I were a musician, I’d hate to be compared to someone else, even if... Read More
Comus: First Utterance- Part II: Interview with Members of Comus About the Album
Comus: First Utterance– Part II: Interview with Members of Comus About the Album Following the publication here last week of Comus- First Utterance (consisting of an overview of the LP, its reissue and legacy), An Interview with Members of Comus has now been published. It is integrated into the first article as Part II and can be accessed directly (if you already read Part I and want to go directly to the interview(s)) by clicking on the hyperlinked text in the preceding sentence. The interview is really a series of viewpoints from different band members and, like the album... Read More
Comus: First Utterance + Interview with Members of Comus
Comus: First Utterance The folk music revival of the ‘60s not only revitalized interest in traditional music but also sparked the creation of more contemporary sounds that were influenced by the cultural tides and musical shifts of a turbulent decade. Although it was not released until 1971, First Utterance stands today as a “Ur” album of the psychedelic folk movement; it is a wild ride even by “modern” standards, inured to a post-punk, industrial, hip-hop, noise rock sensibility. It must have been shattering to listen to at the time of its release. Roger Wootton... Read More
More Tima- More In-Depth Knowledge on Ultrasonic Record Cleaning
More Tima- More In-Depth Knowledge on Ultrasonic Record Cleaning Readers are probably familiar with the contributions of Tim Aucremann a/k/a Tima on the subject of DIY ultrasonic record cleaning. Tima’s latest installment reflects considerable hands-on evaluation of methods and in-depth research on matters such as water purity and filtering. The latest installment, follow-up #2, is published here. It’s a worthy addition to the knowledge base. A lot of LP owners have jumped on board the DIY RCM approach, but questions abound. If you haven’t read Tima’s earlier installments, I... Read More
Psych Folk
Psych Folk Soon to be published here is the first in a series of articles, essays and interviews about psych or “freak folk.” This sub-genre, which was borne out of the folk revival of the ‘60s, had many progenitors and its influence is even stronger now in contemporary works from a range of artists, including Meg Baird, now associated with the hard psych band Heron Oblivion. I’m not a stickler for genre classifications; to the contrary, during the period when this music was first being created, boundaries were crossed and genres were pretty much ignored, which is one of the... Read More
tima’s DIY RCM – follow-up #2: Compelling Changes – Improved Results
tima’s DIY RCM – follow-up #2: Compelling Changes – Improved Results. by Tim Aucremann It’s been about a year since I built tima’s DIY RCM as described in my original article from the fall of 2017, published here on The Vinyl Press along with follow-up #1. Since that time I’ve cleaned hundreds of records in all conditions: previously cleaned, new, used, and a few abused. My expectations are now very high about what is possible for getting records clean. Not only do most records clean-up nearly noiseless (assuming they are not damaged), I get the job done in a... Read More
The Vinyl Press Goes Digital!
The Vinyl Press Goes Digital! Not for all purposes, all the time, but I resisted the pull of digital media in my main system until now. Why? I didn’t have a very good impression of the sound of CD when it was first introduced. Although I was aware of the improvements wrought by better players, DACs and hi-res, I succeeded in ignoring the audiophile digital side, until now. Why the change? Many of the reissues of rare old albums are taken from digital copies of the master tapes; though I like “all analog,” it simply isn’t realistic if you want to have access to a broader array of... Read More
Two from Ramseur: National Reserve and Ruen Brothers
Two from Ramseur: National Reserve and Ruen Brothers I like the folks at Ramsuer Records- Dolph Ramseur has tapped into something special in his release of a diverse array of music that has one common attribute: it’s genuine. From Ramseur’s much needed reissue of Josh at Midnight to the recent release from the Steep Canyon Rangers, Ramseur is mining various veins of music that don’t seem to share much in terms of genre or style. But, that word “genuine,” probably much overused these days to hype all kinds of stuff, is probably the best way to describe it. The two... Read More
Josefus-Dead Man & SXSW
Josefus-Dead Man & SXSW Before we get to Josefus, and their classic, Dead Man, a precursor album of hard rock that was seemingly lost except to an informed group of fans and enthusiasts, I have a story to tell. As full time resident of Austin, I am now entitled to complain about SXSW.The first few years we were living here during the winter-spring season (and returning to New York for the remainder of the year), we’d “do” SX—take in some shows, go to a few panel discussions and just walk the scene. I’m told, like everything else here, that it was “way better”... Read More
Sabbath’s Heaven and Hell: Your Choice
Sabbath’s Heaven and Hell: Your Choice One of the greatest Black Sabbath albums was delivered after the early albums on Vertigo Swirland subsequent to Ozzy Osbourne’s departure: Heaven and Hell, released in 1980, featuring Ronnie James Dio as vocalist. This album represents a high water mark in the band’s recorded performances, not only for its two sides chockful of rhythmic, driving songs with the heavy riffage characteristic of the best of Sabbath; the album was a fresh take on the classic Sabbath sound that breathed new life into the band. Dio’s involvement didn’t... Read More
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