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
GRANICUS –s/t; Interview with Woody Leffel
GRANICUS –s/t; Interview with Woody Leffel Hailing from Cleveland, Ohio, Granicus recorded one self-titled album for RCA in 1973 that received little support from the label before the band called it quits. Even today, the album remains relatively obscure among aficionados of hard rock for reasons that remain a mystery: unlike many early hard rock records that have achieved cult status (often, with prices to match), it contains consistent, powerful performances and sounds neither derivative nor dated. I was sufficiently intrigued by the record to reach out to the re-formed band, which... Read More
LLOYD MCNEILL-ASHA AND BEYOND
LLOYD MCNEILL-ASHA AND BEYOND I’ve recently developed this thing for Lloyd McNeill, which started when a dealer friend of mine, Tosca Records, mentioned McNeill’s Washington Suite. What he failed to tell me was that the record was scarce, and good copies are not only hard to find, but quite pricey. I’ve been listening to a lot of spiritual jazz lately but Washington Suite is one of the finest pieces of music I’ve heard. It was composed by McNeill for a ballet in Washington, D.C. and released on McNeill’s private label, Asha. Original copies are truly scarce- not that this has... Read More
Steep Canyon Rangers- Out in the Open
Steep Canyon Rangers- Out in the Open There is something very satisfying about the new album Out In The Open by the Steep Canyon Rangers. Whether it is ease with which they harmonize or their mastery of traditional bluegrass instruments including the mandolin and fiddle, these gentlemen cast a spell of homespun warmth that is both authentic and fresh. The band was an unknown quantity to me, though they’ve won a Grammy and have collaborated with Steve Martin over the years. When I saw an announcement from Ramseur Records about Out In The Open, I was intrigued and asked for a copy. I’m... Read More
Strata-East Reissues from Pure Pleasure
Strata-East Pure Pleasure Reissues It’s no coincidence that my renewed interest in jazz came with my recent discovery of “spiritual jazz,” a form of avant-garde music that blossomed in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. This was a period when, like other creators of music, jazz players and composers sought to push beyond the conventions of established genres. This shift also coincided with the emergence of Afro-centric music, the “Black Power movement” and a deeper exploration of the roots of the black experience in America. One of the most diverse and (at the time)... Read More
Tima’s DIY RCM
Tima’s DIY RCM As a dedicated vinylista, I’ve been cleaning records for over thirty years. Sound familiar? Cleaning techniques and technologies evolved across that time and my approach changed with the times. I’ve been using a Loricraft RC3 point nozzle machine and more recently an Audio Desk System. After reading multiple threads on various audio forums about home made record cleaning kits built around larger volume ultrasonic cleaners, I decided to give that a try. Thanks to all who have gone before me, and especially to Bill at The Vinyl Press and Rob at Audionirvana.org, for... Read More
A Tribute to Quad
A Tribute to Quad Much has been written over the years about Peter Walker’s electrostatic loudspeaker, including the wonderful book assembled by Ken Kessler, Quad: The Closest Approach. I bought my first pair of Quad ESLs in 1973 and learned much about listening in the process of living with them as my main system during the ‘70s and early-mid ‘80s. I never sold my original pair, but after all sorts of experiments with subwoofers and add-on tweeters, I put the original ESL to the side for what turned out to be decades. I switched to a pair of Crosby-modified Quad 63’s,... Read More
Gone to Texas
Gone to Texas I’m long overdue in publishing new material at The Vinyl Press. My mini-travelogue of our journey from New York through the Deep South was part of our transit, a road trip of relocation to Austin, Texas. We landed in Austin on February 1, and with a pretty good sense of the real estate market here (great for sellers, ugly for buyers), we set out with our broker to find a place that appealed. My original intention was to buy something in an international modern vein, but that didn’t happen for a number of reasons. Our “new” house in Austin is circa the 1880’s and... Read More
Songs in the Key of Life-Stevie Wonder National Recording Registry
“Songs in the Key of Life”—Stevie Wonder (1976) Added to the National Recording Registry: 2005 Essay by Bill Hart (guest post)* How does one judge the importance of a work of recorded music? Stevie Wonder’s “Songs in the Key of Life” enjoyed enormous popularity and sales; had a profound influence on other musicians and garnered critical accolades from reviewers. Yet the musical significance of this album is still not fully explained by these conventional measures. The significance of “Songs” as a groundbreaking album seems only to have grown over the years. Its influence is... Read More
Rob Stoner: A Life of Music
Rob Stoner: A Life of Music Few musicians can claim to have opened for the original Jeff Beck Group in ‘68 (with Rod Stewart, Nicky Hopkins and Ronnie Wood), backed Don McLean on his perennial hit and album, American Pie and then helped Bob Dylan reinvent himself (again) in a series of albums and roadshows in the mid-‘70s—in what is now recognized as a peak of creativity for that mercurial troubadour. Rob Stoner did all that by the time he was 27 years old. Stoner didn’t stop there: he played with guitarists as legendary as Chuck Berry and Link Wray, as great as Mick Ronson and as... Read More