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Jethro Tull-Aqualung- Vinyl Shoot-Out

June 26, 2015 by Bill Hart

In my lead-up to this piece, I mentioned that I often accumulate more vinyl pressings of problematic recordings in search of a good sounding copy; Jethro Tull’s Aqualung is a good example. Some of the quirks in this recording were deliberate, e.g. the “Tannoy” effect (a/k/a the “telephone burble”) on the vocal parts of title track, which is a clever effect; but most copies seem to lack clarity or bass and there is considerable track to track variability in the sound quality. Some of it apparently had to do with adjusting to the acoustics of the large room the band recorded... Read More

Filed Under: Features, Records

LISTENING TO RECORDED MUSIC: A RUMINATION

June 7, 2015 by Bill Hart

The Internet has democratized many things, including the ready availability of music and information about it. It has also changed how we listen to music: from hardware to software to new formats and delivery platforms. Despite my preference for things analog, I support these changes if only because they give artists (performers and songwriters) the ability to reach more audiences and hopefully, in the process, to make some return on their work.   One of the chief complaints about mass-market music delivery is that as technology has improved, sound quality (and consumer’s... Read More

Filed Under: Editorials, Features

Warner Records-The “Green Label” Era (and Beyond)

June 1, 2015 by Bill Hart

Although it did not have the historical legacy of Columbia or RCA, by the late 60’s and early 70’s, Warner was a significant force in popular music. Its roster of talent was impressive and many of the recordings sound great. This “golden era” seemed to coalesce around several key figures and events: Mo Ostin, once Frank Sinatra’s executive and numbers guy at Reprise (Ostin majored in economics at UCLA), was put into place after Warner acquired Reprise Records in the early 60’s; Ostin, who developed the reputation of being very artist “friendly,” brought Lenny Waronker on... Read More

Filed Under: Features

Island Records- The “Pink Label” Era

May 23, 2015 by Bill Hart

People seldom buy albums according to the record label on which the music was released. In retrospect, certain “labels” have come to be associated with great music from a specific era, for stellar sound quality (and occasionally, for both the music and sonics) and achieve a certain “collector’s” status as a result.   There were, to my knowledge, only a few labels that enjoyed this kind of reputation during their heyday- and Island Records- during the era of the so-called “pink label” is one such label. It was a significant independent label (perhaps the most significant... Read More

Filed Under: Features

Buying Used Records-A Primer

April 1, 2015 by Bill Hart

My interview with Robert Croydon of EIL-Esprit, a well-known UK record dealer inspired me to create a set of tips for buying used records. Some of this is common sense, basic knowledge to anybody who collects, so please accept this as nothing more than “blithering insights into the obvious” if you are already an experienced buyer of used vinyl. Consider The Source: Are you buying from a dealer or an individual? The level of knowledge among record sellers varies widely, regardless of whether they are established dealers, individuals trying to unload vinyl that they accumulated or... Read More

Filed Under: Features, In Brief

The True Adventures of Stanley Booth: Dancing with the Devil

March 29, 2015 by Bill Hart

Rock music has always been dangerous; its precursors, from secular black music and the blues in the decades before WWII, to rockabilly and rock and roll of the 1950’s- music that spoke to the travails of the world, of carnality, crime and pain, and all those indecent thoughts and pleasures of life- posed an obvious threat to social conventions.   It wasn’t just a battle between the sacred and profane; it was the fear that the sex, drugs, politics and other uncomfortable subjects would influence and seduce the young. That fear is certainly nothing new- it can be traced to the dawn... Read More

Filed Under: Features

From the Vault-a Chat with EIL, a Top Rare Record Dealer in the UK

March 29, 2015 by Bill Hart

I recently got the chance to talk with Robert Croydon, one of the founders of EIL-Esprit, a well known UK-based purveyor of rare records, memorabilia and older vinyl pressings that, while not necessarily “rare,” are often hard to come by in pristine condition. I thought readers might appreciate the insights of a long-established dealer:       Q: You’ve been in business since 1987- that seems to coincide with the death of vinyl as a mainstream audio medium. Can you tell us a little about how the business started? And what was the core inventory at the outset?   I... Read More

Filed Under: Features, In Brief

A Conversation with Olav Wyper – Creator of the Vertigo Swirl Records

March 20, 2015 by Bill Hart

Vertigo Records, in the era of the ‘Vertigo Swirl,’ is legendary- from its unique ‘swirl’ label, to its eclectic mix of artists, strong musical talent and extremely high production values, to the ‘art’ of the album jackets and the clever album packaging. My introduction to the label came late-this UK label carried the work of some famed artists, like Black Sabbath, but so many of its records- and some of the most desirable ones in my estimation, musically, were recorded by bands like Cressida, May Blitz, Patto, Affinity and Gracious, which are hardly household names. Even fewer... Read More

Filed Under: Features

A Visit to the Library of Congress Audiovisual Preservation Facility

February 5, 2015 by Bill Hart

I’m listening to Les Paul in 1948. His tone is big, rich, and woody- with added percussive accents when he slaps the body of the guitar. What I’m hearing is vivid, real and alive- in a room thousands of miles and more than half a century away from the garage where these recordings were made. We sit in a studio that looks like a cross between an old time record mastering suite and something from the bridge of the Starship Enterprise. There is nobody else in the room but the preservation engineer. Nearby stands a library cart full of old discs, each one holding a single track, or... Read More

Filed Under: Features

Entering the World of the Vertigo Swirl

February 3, 2014 by Bill Hart

I will be devoting some attention to the records released on this label during its heyday- starting in late 1969 and ending in 1973. Some are extremely expensive now owing to their rarity, but others can be had for a reasonable price if you are willing to do a little digging. Rather than start in sequence, with the first release, or pick a well-known record, it makes sense to take  advantage of the Vertigo sampler that was released in 1970 as an introduction to the label. It contains a number of noteworthy tracks, including some that appear on the extremely collectible records; as this two... Read More

Filed Under: Features

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In Brief:

There Is No “Magic Bullet” in Hi-Fi

There Is No “Magic Bullet” in Hi-Fi No Magic Solutions I’ve spent some time on the audio chat fora over the years. Many popular threads these days are devoted to cheap improvements that can be made using audiophile “tweaks” or repurposed non-audiophile products. These can be applied to isolate gear, enhance the signals or connections or otherwise address some perceived problem that, once solved, offers to raise the level of music reproduction. It’s like a cheap solution to upgrade your system: from audiophile fuses, special wires (beyond simply having a high-quality interconnect, speaker wire or power cable) and other tweaks, to contact fluids and other things that you can attach to power sources, equipment, or place in the room (bowls, various harmonizers or active resonators, noise harvesters, etc.) This is apart from room treatment, which is sui generis; that is, every situation is … [Read More...]

Milt Ward Reissue-release date May 6, 2022

Milt Ward Reissue-release date May 6, 2022  Andreas Vingaard, of Frederiksberg Records, dropped me a note that the Milt Ward & Virgo Spectrum record about which much has been written here will be available on vinyl beginning on May 9, 2022. However, several promo emails today, Friday, May 6, 2022 say the record is available NOW via Bandcamp (see link below). The reissue was done with the participation of Milt Ward’s family and includes comprehensive notes in a booklet. Given the price of original pressings, this should be worthwhile even if not taken from the master tape. I plan to get a copy and we’ll do a shoot-out with my “OG” pressing. I’m sure some of you are willing to brook a little sonic compromise to get access to an otherwise very hard to find, expensive spiritual jazz rarity. At the time of this writing there is one copy on Discogs in NM condition for media for over … [Read More...]

Milt Ward Virgo Reissue Coming from Frederiksberg

Although I don't have all the details yet, I have learned that Frederiksberg Records, a small, eclectic label from New York, is in the process of reissuing the hard to find (and even harder to pay for) jazz obscurity, Milt Ward and Virgo Spectrum. You can find out more by keeping tabs on Frederiksberg's Bandcamp page, https://frederiksbergrecords.bandcamp.com   I'm told there is a bootleg out there so be careful. Frederiksberg is doing this project with the participation of the family of Milt Ward, which is to be applauded. Hopefully, this will give more access to a great jazz record at a reasonable price. The Roots album reissue from Frederiksberg (which is sold out on vinyl on the Frederiksberg Records bandcamp site) still appears to be available through some online retailers as a pre-order, so that's another one to jump on now if you can find it-- the original is extremely pricey and … [Read More...]

Clem Snide- Forever Just Beyond

Clem Snide- Forever Just Beyond With a name derived from a character in the same literary work as the band name so famously identified with the Walter Becker-Donald Fagen duo, Clem Snide has an extensive discography, typically cataloged as “alt country.” This latest release is the work of one of its founding members, Eef Barzelay, who was responsible for much of the songwriting and singing. According to his bio, Barzelay suffered some serious bumps in the road during the last decade, including a failing marriage and financial ruin. At the same time, he learned that Scott Avett was a fan and they found inspiration in each other, leading to this album- a collaboration of artistry where Avett and Barzelay share some writing credits and Avett produces. The result is a fresh, upbeat set of tunes that are appealing in their simplicity and refreshing in their sincerity. The band is first tier … [Read More...]

Muriel Grossmann- Reverence

Muriel Grossmann- Reverence Muriel Grossmann continues her quest for musical ascension on Reverence, which was released on vinyl in early December, 2019 on the RR Gems label as a 2 LP set. The compositions are Grossmann’s, and the band is much the same as the group of seasoned musicians with whom she has worked for some time (and detailed in the review of her Golden Rule), but for one notable exception: the addition of a keyboard player who brings that rich, woody Hammond B-3 sound to a series of compositions devoted to Africa. In some ways, Ms. Grossmann’s exploration of the roots of jazz deliberately eschews any superficial attempt to make African music. Instead, she draws inspiration from its influences, which are wide ranging and deep—you can hear rhythm and blues sounds mixed with more traditional African instrumentation and polyrhythms and come away with something that is both … [Read More...]

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