Bill Hart, Author at The Vinyl Press

Trixie Whitley- I’d Rather Go Blind 45rpm 10″ single- Belgian pressing

February 3, 2014 by Bill Hart

Not to be confused with the famous Etta James song, Trixie Whitley (daughter of legendary Texas blueman, Chris Whitley) cut this track early on in her career. Produced by Daniel Lanois, with Brian Blade on drums, the opening drum beats suck you in immediately. Ms. Whitley has the same quality that her father did- an utterly authentic, very musical voice that is the opposite of stylized; instead there is a ‘rip’ in her voice that just grabs you. Do not confuse this with her EP that contains several tracks including this song- find the 45 containing just this one track- it... Read More

James Gang, Best of-

February 2, 2014 by Bill Hart

This old ABC Dunhill compilation (look for the ‘children’s blocks’ logo on the label) sounds great, gives you the hits from the first three albums; some copies even contain the Ravel Bolero passage (in the song ‘The Bomber’) that was excised from later pressings although it is not easy to tell whether it is included in a given copy based on the deadwax or other indicia. Pretty low-rent album art that just adds to the gestalt. Start your Harleys! ... Read More

An Interview-Back Notes

The interview with Cecil McBee has been a long time coming. He is not an outspoken individual but one who found expression in his music. And wonderful it is; he found the hidden lines in compositions that created unexpected melodies that never detracted from the main theme- while staying in his “lane” he created something unexpected in so many recordings. I’m honored to be able to publish this interview, which I did in April of 2025. Mr. McBee was gracious, soft spoken and articulate. At the same time, he seemed somewhat surprised that his body of work (which is considerable) is as highly prized today as it is. I offer this as an unvarnished take from a long conversation with the man, who I feel blessed to have encountered directly and unabridged. Any mistakes are mine. I feel honored to have encountered the man, first hand, in his own words. I hope you find the same joy in reading … [Read More...]

Incoming- Mrs. Henry Keep on Rising

Mrs. Henry Keep on Rising A 21st century rock opera? Recorded to tape? And mastered at Bernie Grundman’s shop? I’ve started to explore this box (3 LPs, 2 CDs and a substantial book) in more depth and plan on interviewing the producer in an upcoming piece. … [Read More...]

Power to the People-Back Up Generator

Shortly after the Texas "big freeze" in February 2021, I contacted various vendors of back up generators. Some did not bother to respond, a few came out, ostensibly to give me a quote and I never heard from them again. One vendor did send me a blank form with a very high total price, without completing the cost analysis for running gas lines, electrical wiring and the other things that are "adds" to the cost of the generator itself. I kicked this around for a while-- given the heat in Central Texas during the summer--110F for days on end, we got constant warnings last summer (2023) to reduce power consumption, lest we suffer rolling blackouts. And then there's the fact that Austin really isn't "built" for freezing temperatures. Black ice with no road crews, downed power lines, and demand that teeters off the edge of power failure catastrophe. I do not want to go into the power grid … [Read More...]

Incoming-Know what I mean?

Cannonball Adderley's "Know what I mean? is a warhorse, to be sure,but one that deserves its reputation. I was prompted to explore a few different pressings as a result of a thread on the Hoffman forum: https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/do-you-have-cannonball-adderley-bill-evans-know-what-i-mean-the-best-sounding-vintage-jazz-lp.1175660/ I used to shop these OJCs as bargains back in the day when Tower Records was thriving. They were a solid entry point into some very good sounding jazz--some of it "straight ahead" but well made, taken from analog masters for the most part and did I say cheap? Back in the day, these were bargain records when they were released, and until the more recent surge in prices of older LPs, could be readily found for little money. The recent Craft reissue cut by Kevin Gray has brought renewed attention to the record. I thought it might be fun to do a … [Read More...]

We’re Back!

We’re Back! Some fresh content for your consideration. Neil Antin did some modest updates to his seminal book on Precision Aqueous Cleaning of Vinyl Records. Neil did not regard these changes as a “new version” so the download is now 3.1 with a “Record of Changes” at the end. I’ve talked to Peter Ulrich, the drummer from Dead Can Dance a few times over the years because I was fascinated by the group. They hit it big in audiophile circles with “Into the Labyrinth” which became a “demo” record with the MoFi release. I got that, but also sought out an original 4AD pressing, and as I delved into their music, bought more original copies- they were not crazy expensive at the time. When Peter told me he was doing a book on the history of his involvement with the band, I was eager to read it. It offers some great insight into a period when this band was inventing new sounds in the post-punk … [Read More...]