Michael Fremer Review

I am very proud to continue our new feature (look for this every Friday), music reviews that are written by the senior contributing editor of Stereophile magazine- Michael Fremer. It has been a pleasure to speak with Michael and learn more about audio sound and equipment. In fact, his new DVD, "It's A Vinyl World, After All" has hit the shelves and is selling out very quickly. This is a must have for anybody who loves vinyl, it is a true masterpiece.


Additionally, make sure to stop by his site, www.musicangle.com and bookmark it for further exploration. I certainly want to thank Michael for the exclusive rights to reprint his fantastic material.



ALBUM REVIEW:
Stevie Wonder (REVISED review 2/21/09)
Songs In the Key of Life
Tamla/Speakers Corner 06007 5303833 2 180g LPs+7" EP

Produced by: Stevie Wonder
Engineered by: John Fischbach and Gary Olazabal
Mixed by: N/A
Mastered by: Maarten de Boer at UMG Berliner

Review by: Michael Fremer
2009-03-01




Editor's note: this review has caused quite a dust-up, in part because of the sonic description and in part because of this, which you'll find further down in the text:
"..but the mastering is just plain weird.

A layer of crunchy ice has been added on top and the bass has been boosted, producing a garish sonic mix. The result is an unpleasant edgy grit to Wonder’s voice. You know something's wrong when the triangle on "Love's In Need ..." is louder than Wonder's voice! And believe me, it is.

One would hope an analog source was used, but whatever was the source, this reissue sounds nothing like the original and represents an unnecessary, unwarranted revision that I’m sure would appall Stevie Wonder."

Mastering engineer Maarten de Boer has responded, first on the Steve Hoffman forums:

Steve Hoffman Forums

and then to me personally. Here's what he wrote:

"Being the engineer who mastered and cut this record I think I am the only one who can put this record straight.

1. never will a digital source be used as a master for Speaker Corner records

2. the master is an analog copy run at 30 ips on virgin tape. So if the copy is done correctly it will be pretty close to the original.

3. I did use a very slight touch of EQ, 0,5dB at 700 Hz with a Q of 2.5. Just to enhance depth a bit . This is a typical 70's recording so it is very dry and lacks depth. I had to use the de esser so anybody could play the album without distortion.

4. No dolby has been used and the copy was obviously from a non dolby tape. Believe me after 30 years of disc cutting and mastering I can tell the difference.

5. If I EQ an old analog master there has to be a good reason for that otherwi9se I won't and if I EQ it it will be minimal and it will probably most of the time midrange. EQing low and top is totally useless and ruins practically everything.

What bothers me about this discussion is the amount of presumptions instead of knowledge and fact. One of the problems with vinyl is the playback system and difference in quality and sound between all these systems. I'm glad Mr Grant shows the right way to approach the record as it was cut and mastered. As long as you haven't heard the real master tape and we probably never will you will never know what the truth is. What I can tell you is that for a lot of cuts I do get the absolute original and when I compare these to the original release I am glad they masterd it originally before cutting it."

Maarten de Boer
Emil Berliner Studios

There were many posts on the thread, some accusing me of having "an agenda" (not spelled out, of course) and others telling people that my word shouldn't be taken "as gospel" (no shit!).

My response was this:

"Now that I have Mr. de Boer's email address, I will ask him before presuming anything. However, I don't think my review presumes anything and I don't think Mr. de Boer had aimed that at me. I don't think it's fair to say that I "trashed" the Wonder reissue. I reported on what I heard, comparing the original, the Japanese copy I have and the Speakers Corner reissue.

In my experience, when a reissue sounds very different from an original, it is the reissue that is the revision. This is not always the case, but usually is. If you read a lot of reviews of reissues, you will find that there are many reviewers who are biased against reissues, and of course there are the usual dingbat re-sellers of original pressings who say the same thing, and then accuse me, who sells no records, of having an "agenda."

I have no "agenda" here. There are also reviewers who love everything. I am not one of those reviewers either.

I have never asked anyone to take my word as "gospel," so when I read posters saying "why are you taking Fremer's word as 'gospel' " I agree with them, though I defy them to show me where I've ever claimed to be the light.

I state my opinion and I don't mince words---or at least I try not to.

In this case, the Speakers Corner reissue is much brighter than the original. That is not my opinion, that is a fact. And the brightness is in this one narrow zone.

Now, I am also sure Mr. deBoer has no agenda here other than the truth.

Then the issue becomes, as it has always been, is the master tape "the truth" that should pretty much be transferred to lacquer or DMM untouched? Or is it merely a tool to be manipulated to achieve a particular result.

Often, master tapes include original "notes," wherein the original mastering engineer explains what he did AT THE DIRECTION OF THE ARTIST OR PRODUCER to create the original lacquer from which the original pressing was created.

In that case, an original pressing, not the master tape, should be considered the "original document."

For instance, Sundazed's Bob Irwin told me when he mastered Love's "Forever Changes" for vinyl reissue he consulted the original notes he found. Arthur Lee insisted that the first song on the record start out very low in level and build. It's what Arthur Lee wanted. The tape wasn't produced that way but when Irwin remastered it, he conformed to the artist's intentions.

So if you compare an original gold label Elektra pressing to the Sundazed reissue, you will hear that same slow fade-up (along with dozens of other subtle "moves" found in the notes).

There was a later Elektra "butterfly" pressing mastered by someone who simply rolled the tape. The level is higher at the beginning, more uniform throughout and the cut misses all of what Arthur Lee intended for his record to sound like.

Yet I've read message boards and reviews claiming THAT was the best version of the album because it was the loudest and most dynamic and whatever....too bad it wasn't what Arthur Lee intended.

Now, as for the Stevie Wonder album under discussion here: clearly the Speakers Corner reissue is brighter in one particular region than the original, that produces an icy crust over Wonder's voice and over the voices of the background singers. It literally makes the triangle on the opening tune sound louder than Wonder's own voice!

I have no doubt Mr. de Boer's transfer is faithful (with the exception of the minor EQ tweaks he mentions) to the tape copy he was given to use as a source and we can assume it was a flat transfer and that his mastering produced a result faithful to that tape.

That does not mean, however, that the result is necessarily what Stevie Wonder, or his producers, or whoever was originally responsible for the final vinyl's sound, wanted!

Is everyone with me on this?

So in conclusion:

1) The Speakers Corner reissue was cut from an analog source

2) The Speakers Corner reissue was not a wild "revision" of that source (my wrong presumption that I will revise in my review)

3) The Speakers Corner reissue sounds much different than either an original RCA/Motown or Japanese pressing, being icier and brighter, perhaps in the "Aural Exciter" range (presumption warning) than either of those and also having a more robust bottom end.

4) Without consulting either the original mastering engineer, the original engineer Mr. Orazabal or Stevie Wonder himself (who was at CES in the Venetian Towers and who I have been told will soon take delivery of a pair of Hansen King speakers), it is impossible to determine whether the sound of the original pressing was their intent and that they desired to tame and soften the edge around Wonder's vocals and curtail the bottom end a bit, OR whether those changes happened as a result of sloppy mastering, or technical limitations of the gear at the time (neither of which I believe to be true).

5) I was present at the mastering for Classic's reissue of "Tommy." I brought along an early UK Track original for them to compare to the tape (which was the original master---photo available upon request) and as we rolled the tape and played the record in real time, we discovered that in the original mastering, the tape playback speed was actually increased at certain points to add "excitement." It was decided to reproduce that speed differential in the reissue to remain faithful not to the tape, but to the original LP, which was considered the "document of record."

5) In conclusion: I stand by what I heard as the major tonal differences between the original and reissued "Songs in the Key of Life" --it's not opinion, it is FACT.

6) How these differences will play out on your system or how your senses will react to them, is something I obviously don't know.

7) It was not my intention to trash the reissue. it was my intention to honestly tell you what it sounded like compared to an original and that's what I did.

8) As I wrote in the review, the reissue is pressed on much better, quieter, thicker vinyl. It is a meticulously done reissue in every way and well worth the money if you like the music and if you are prepared for an edgier sound than you might be used to.

9) I DON'T HAVE A FRIGGIN' AGENDA other than trying to be truthful and informative.

I'm Michael Fremer and I approved of this message"

So here's the original review, please consider what Mr. de Boer has written above as "gospel" and discard my conjecture below.

However, I stand by the sound of the reissue. It was never my intention to "trash" the reissue. Just be prepared for it to sound edgier an grittier around the vocals than you might have become accustomed to on the original, that is for sure. And be prepared for far quieter surfaces and improved dynamics.-MF (2/21/09)

Unfortunately, at the time Stevie Wonder released this sprawling career pinnacle in the fall of 1976, RCA’s pressing quality had reached its nadir. It was a Dynaflex world of paper thin, flexible records pressed from what sounded like recycled BIC pens. Yikes! Some youngsters reading this might not even know what a BIC pen is/was!

Tamla/Motown had used RCA’s mastering and pressing facilities from the label’s inception and during the great pressing days of the 1960’s Motown released some great sounding records, thanks to the mastering, pressing and the engineering.

Beginning in the mid 1960’s, most of Motown’s releases were issued in both mono and stereo, which was unusual for a label catering to the “youth market.” Still, the mono releases were more important and often, the stereo versions were delayed and sometimes featured alternative takes. But I’m rambling and writing in the passive tense. Sorry.

It took Wonder over an hour’s worth of material that filled two LPs and a four song 7” EP to get off his chest what was occupying the music of his mind between 1974’s introspective, some would say dark and definitely neglected Fullfillingness’ First Finale and this, his most acclaimed and accomplished work. Mr. Wonder never regrouped after this album to produce anything as masterful as this or the four great albums that preceeded it.

With the state of the world and the tribulations of his people on his mind, Wonder moves between the opener, in which he says that even love is in need of love in 1976 (and that the listener had better send some in “right away” because hate’s going around), and the bleakness of “Village Ghetto Land.”

Wonder doesn’t point fingers: he merely asks “Tell me would you be happy in Village Ghetto Land?” Side one ends with Wonder’s passionate tribute to music generally and Duke Ellington specifically.

The album veers between the personally joyous and tuneful (“Isn’t She Lovely”) to the non-militant pride of “Black Man.” Throughout, Wonder produces wondrous melodies, particularly on the slow movers like “Joy Inside My Tears.”

Both the music and the arrangements move away from the rock and funk of earlier albums towards more complex mainstream jazz and pop.

As with many productions of the era, there was a noticeable decrease in sound quality on this album compared to earlier Wonder releases, though no doubt the engineers thought they were making better sound here with “more”: more compression, more use of effects, more tracks and newer, more complex boards, but what was really happening was less transparency, diminished dynamics, narrower and flatter soundstages and especially less extension. This production sounds closed in, distant and listless. Bass lacks real thrust and extension and there's little shimmer from the cymbals. "Boxy" is the operative adjective.

Add the noisy Dynaflex (or whatever RCA was or was not calling it at the time) and despite the superb music making, I remember being disappointed by the clogged, flat sound, though had I known how bad sound was going to get a few years later, I would have been more than happy with it!

When a Japanese edition arrived at my local vinyl emporium back then I snapped it up and it produced a big improvement in every way. Unlike many Japanese pressed albums, the mastering did not brighten the top and/or cut the bottom and of course the pressing quality was superb.

I wish I could say that this Speakers Corner reissue was revelatory or even excellent but it’s not. Of course the Pallas 180g pressing is perfection and the packaging is absolutely stellar (complete with full-sized booket and 7" 4 song EP), but the mastering is just plain weird.

A layer of crunchy ice has been added on top and the bass has been boosted, producing a garish sonic mix. The result is an unpleasant edgy grit to Wonder’s voice. You know something's wrong when the triangle on "Love's In Need ..." is louder than Wonder's voice! And believe me, it is.

One would hope an analog source was used, but whatever was the source, this reissue sounds nothing like the original and represents an unnecessary, unwarranted revision that I’m sure would appall Stevie Wonder.

It’s very “hi-fi” and might sound exciting or “lively” on a dull system, but it’s plain wrong and difficult to recommend. Speakers Corner usually gets it right. Unfortunately, on this wonderful album, SC gets it very wrong.

In a misguided attempt to inject some life into what was a relatively dull production to begin with Mr de Boer has injected too much bass on bottom and way ice in a very thin region on top.

Copyright © 2008 MusicAngle.com & Michael Fremer - All rights reserved

SOURCE: http://www.musicangle.com Reprinted By Permission


Pick up Michael's DVD's Here:

Classic Rock Videos

The Beatles - Hello Goodbye

Vinyl In The News

Another great story about vinyl, let's hope the trend continues:

Baby, it’s cold inside
Frigid Records prepares for grand opening

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama

By: Brent Thompson

There is no denying technology’s impact on the music industry. The Internet, iTunes, satellite radio and customized ring tones are but a few of the avenues that have brought healthy doses of excitement and fear to the industry. But while it’s convenient to download an album for $9.99 while sitting at your computer, there are listeners out there (myself included) that think sifting through piles of CDs and LPs is a great way to spend an afternoon. Anyone who can relate to the characters in the film High Fidelity understands this notion.

That’s where Ryan and Erin James come into this story. On Saturday, March 14, the couple will unveil Frigid Records, an independent music retailer looking to scratch the itch of local music lovers.

“We just love music and we love collecting vinyl,” Erin James says, speaking by phone. “We were just talking one night on the front porch and we said it would be awesome to have a record store. We said, ‘Well, let’s just do it.’ We got the ball rolling from there – we started calling distribution companies and getting deals with them.”

Fortunately, the couple has realistic expectations for Frigid Records and will slowly bring the store onto the local music retail scene. Currently, the store is housed inside Magic City Motor Scooters at 1305 Second Ave. North. The store can also be found online at www.frigidrecords.com. Though the idea of placing a record store inside a scooter retailer is unusual, James feels the two sides complement each other.

“One of our best friends is Matthew Myers and he owns Magic City Motor Scooters. He said, ‘I have space in the shop – why don’t you just move here for a while?’ So that’s our storefront now and we’re sharing that space with him. We’re into the scooter scene and I think scooters and music go together. We’re definitely wanting to get our own space soon. We’re just really small now and we want to have our own store as soon as we get the money to do it,” she says.

Besides its limited space, Frigid Records has a limited schedule; the duo plans to expand store hours in the coming months. While James acknowledges the challenge of advertising on a limited budget, she feels that Saturday’s grand opening event will be a proper introduction for the store.

“Right now, we only do it on Saturdays from 11 to 5. We both have full-time jobs and go to school. I’m a teacher, so we’ll be open a lot more during the summer. This coming Saturday, March 14, we’ll be open from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. We’re going to have a DJ and a raffle to benefit the APT show, We Have Signal,” she says.

Whether by design or default, an independent record store ultimately forges an identity with respect to specialties and selection. James and her husband have a clear vision for Frigid Records and its niche in the marketplace.

“What we’re striving to do is specialize in punk and hardcore with some psychobilly and rockabilly. Right now, we’ve got a mixed bag of rock and roll. We’ve got some CDs, but mostly vinyl and we want to keep it like that. There are a couple of other record stores in town, but there’s nobody you can go to and get old punk. I know that there are people that want to find really good vinyl. Some people think we’re crazy because people are buying MP3s now, but there will always be that core group of people that really cares about vinyl and wants to keep it alive,” James says.

To speak with James is to feel her unbridled enthusiasm for music and her desire to share that passion with like-minded listeners.

“When we decided to do this, we knew we weren’t going to make a lot of money,” she says. “We just want to give people an opportunity to get really good music. We’re both obsessive about music, so I get happy when somebody comes out and buys a record because I know they’re going to go home and be blown away by that album.”

Frigid Records is located inside Magic City Motor Scooters, 1305 Second Ave. North. The store is open every Saturday 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. You can become a fan of the store on Facebook or visit www.frigidrecords.com

SOURCE: http://www.bhamweekly.com

Music News & Notes

Ciara's 'Fantasy Ride' Official Cover Art


An official cover art for Ciara upcoming third studio album "Fantasy Ride" has come out. The cover art mainly shows a close-up look at the singer with her name and the title of her new album attached on the corner of the artwork.

"Fantasy Ride" was previously slated for U.S. release on April 7. Produced by T-Pain, The-Dream, Ne-Yo and Justin Timberlake, the record has been pushed back and now set to be released across America on May 5.

==========================

That's Your Opinion

Van Morrison told The New Yorker that the Beatles seem to be a major turning point for music in the U.S. but says they just weren't that important historically in the U.K.

"I don't think 'pre-Beatles' means anything, because there was stuff before them. Over here, you have a different slant. You measure things in terms of The Beatles. We don't think music started there. Rolling Stone magazine does, because it's their mythology.

"The Beatles were peripheral. If you had more knowledge about music, it didn't really mean anything. To me, it was meaningless."

==========================

Aerosmith Music

Aerosmith is set to hit the studio later this month to begin work on their new, Brendan O’Brien-produced album, Blabbermouth reports.

“I’m really quite impressed with some of the new music we’re putting together — we’ll have a true-to-the-spirit-of Aerosmith record on our hands,” guitarist Brad Hamilton said.

This Date In Music History- March 13

Birthdays:

Mike Stoller of the Leiber & Stoller writing team ("Hound Dog," "Jailhouse Rock") was born today in 1933.

Neil Sedaka (1939)

David Draiman- vocals- Disturbed (1973)

U2 bass player Adam Clayton (1962)


They Are Missed:

Lyn Collins, one of James Brown's "Funky People," died in Los Angeles in 2005 (age 56). The singer, nicknamed the "Female Preacher," was sampled on Rob Base & D.J. E-Z Rock's hit "It Takes Two."

Judge Dread (Alex Hughes) died after collapsing on stage during a performance in Canterbury in 1998. He achieved 10 UK hit singles during the 70's.


History:

The Elvis Presley album was released today in 1956. Most cite it as the first million-selling album.

The Kinks released "Tired of Waiting for You" in 1965.

The Four Seasons started a three week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1976 with “December 1963, (Oh What A Night),” the groups 5th US #1, also their only UK #1 hit.

"Live at Massey Hall," an album documenting Neil Young's '71 solo concert in Toronto, was issued in 2007. "This is the album that should have come out between "After the Gold Rush" and "Harvest," says Young.

Rick Nelson recorded "Travelin' Man" in 1961.

On this week's Cash Box chart in 1965, the Beatles held down the top four positions, with "Eight Days a Week" at #1. (the groups 7th US #1 hit). Meet the Beatles has become the all-time best-selling album in the U.S., having sold 3.5 million copies already.

Also in 1965- Eric Clapton left the Yardbirds over their new "pop" direction.

In 1999, Cher started a four week run at #1 on the US singles chart with “Believe,” making Cher the oldest woman to top the Hot 100 at the age of 53.

Police feared a Beatles connection when a terrorist organization calling itself Revolutionary Force 9 takes credit for three bombings in New York in 1970.

In 1987, the first cassingle was released and it's ... Bryan Adams' "Heat of the Night."

The Recording Industry Association of America introduced its awards for record sales in 1958. The Beatles hold the record for being awarded the most with 76 platinum certifications.

Johnny Preston was at #1 on the US singles chart in 1960 with “Running Bear,” also #1 in the UK.

Working at Abbey Road studios in London in 1967, six members of Sounds, Inc. recorded the horn parts for The Beatles song ‘Good Morning Good Morning’ (three saxophones, two trombones, and one french horn).

Harry Nilsson was at #1 on the UK singles chart in 1972 with his version of The Peter Ham and Tom Evans song 'Without You'. The song was also a #1 for Mariah Carey in 1994.

The Jackson 5 moved from Motown to Epic Records in 1976 and amend their name to the Jackson's.

Rush released “Fly By Night” in 1975.

A drunken John Lennon and Harry Nilsson (also wasted) were forcibly ejected from the Troubadour in L.A. in 1974. The fun-loving pair throw a few punches before hitting the pavement. This is another of Lennon’s “Lost Weekend” adventures while separated from Yoko Ono.

Here's an unlikely combination. Black Sabbath, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Sex Pistols and Blondie are inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2006. Sabbath is introduced by Metallica frontman James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, who say, "Sabbath is and always will be synonymous with Heavy Metal." Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne calls the honor "an achievement I'm really proud about." Kid Rock inducts Skynyrd then performs with the band. The night also has Deborah Harry refusing to let former members of Blondie perform with the group. The event takes place at New York's Waldorf-Astoria.

Classic Rock Vidoes

Penny Lane - The Beatles

Music News & Notes

My Morning Jacket EP

In celebration of Record Store Day on April 18th, My Morning Jacket is set to release their live EP Celebración De La Ciudad Natal exclusively to independent retailers. The seven-song disc was recorded at two of MMJ’s favorite locales in their native Louisville, Kentucky: The Waterfront Park venue and Ear-X-Tacy record store.

==========================

New Radiohead Tour/Music

Radiohead are in talks for a summer tour and hitting the studio again.

“We are working on new material. We’ll be doing some more recording. It’s business as usual,” guitarist Ed O’ Brien told the BBC. “We’ve sort of finished the bulk of In Rainbows touring. We will be doing a little bit of touring in the summer, watch this space!”

==========================

Late Night Music Battle

Last week, it was five straight nights of U2 on David Letterman. Now, Jay Leno has taken up the battle by booking Prince for three straight nights from March 25 to 27 to promote his two new albums, LOtUSFLOW3R and MPLSoUND. He'll then be back on May 28for Leno's final late night show.

==========================

Bret Michaels Autobio

Bret Michaels is scheduled to release his autobiography, "Roses and Thorns: The Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy to My Reality," in June via Simon & Schuster.

Michaels told Billboard, "It will give people the untold story. It gives you the sex, the drugs, the rock 'n' roll, but it also gives you the diabetes. It gives you every aspect of my life and what I'm going through. I think it's pretty frank."

New Information Released on Woodstock Ultimate Collectors Edition

The 1970 Oscar winning documentary Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace and Music is both Blu-Ray and on DVD in an Ultimate Collector's Edition. Release date is June 9 but people going to SXSW will get the chance to get a first look at the new Hi-Def picture and sound on March 21.

The DVD will have two extra hours of rare performance footage featuring 18 new performances as never before seen from 13 groups, including Joan Baez, Country Joe McDonald, Santana, The Who, Jefferson Airplane, Canned Heat, Joe Cocker and five (Paul Butterfield, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Grateful Dead, Johnny Winter and Mountain) who played at Woodstock but never appeared in any film version.

A third hour of bonus material also on the Ultimate Collector's Edition includes a featurette gallery showcasing interviews with Martin Scorsese, producer Michael Lang, director Michael Wadleigh, Hugh Hefner, Eddie Kramer (the concert’s original chief on-site engineer and producer-engineer for Jimi Hendrix) and others who chronicle the making of the festival and the film. Included are such segments as 3 Days in a Truck, No Rain! No Rain! and Living Up To Idealism. Additionally, exclusive to Blu-ray, a Customize Your Own Woodstock Playlist from the 18 bonus performances and other special features like Media Center, My WB Commentary and Live Community Screening.

The Ultimate Collector's Edition will be packaged in a unique giftbox, numbered as part of a limited run with an array of collectibles that include a 60+ page reprint of a Life magazine commemorative issue, a lucite lenticular display of vintage festival photos, festival memorabilia and an iron-on patch with the classic dove and guitar Woodstock emblem.

SOURCE: http://winkscollectibles.blogspot.com

Vinyl Down Under

Music lovers in the groove as vinyl makes a comeback


As the market for CDs continues to shrink in the face of increasingly popular digital downloads, the humble LP is making a comeback.

ARIA music sales figures showed vinyl sales in 2008 jumped a massive 97 per cent to move 10,000 more records than the previous year, while CD album sales continued their downward trend to drop 11 per cent.

While sales of almost $400,000 give vinyl just 0.1 per cent of the $426 million Australian music market, vinyl aficionados are sure the upward trend will continue.

78 Records manager Andrew de Lang said his music store had experienced a “couple of hundred per cent increase” in vinyl sales over the past few years as records moved out of the dusty cupboard where they were relegated in the 1990s and back into the mainstream.

He said the popularity of records was being driven by bands such as U2 and Coldplay releasing LPs with free digital download codes alongside CDs and major music labels re-releasing classic albums on vinyl.

“This whole retro thing is coming around again and it’s fantastic,” Mr de Lang said. “I can only see the trend for this going upwards, given how major music companies have embraced this format and records are a hip thing to have, especially for those kids who never had them but their parents did.

“CDs are now considered old technology; they are great for portability and we have all loved them over the years but there has always been something important about the vinyl record.

“There’s something you can’t get from a CD, it’s the artwork, the lyrics sheet, the warmth of sound played through a good set of speakers.

“If it keeps people buying music for music’s sake rather than illegal downloading, then that’s fantastic.

Mr de Lang said modern turntables were also integrated with mp3 players.

LINDSAY McPHEE

Source: http://www.thewest.com.au

Hail Vinyl!

For all the bad news about the independent record stores, this is a welcome sight...Hail Vinyl!

For the record, Taylor’s downtown newsstand, bookstore to stay open

by Kelley Chambers
The Journal Record

OKLAHOMA CITY – Hal Priddy Jr. had plans to retire this year, even if that meant closing his downtown newsstand that has been around since 1913.

But about two years ago Priddy began selling plaques with celebrity photos at Taylor’s News Stand & Book Store that were created by Clyde Kemper. Kemper would eventually become instrumental in the next chapter for Taylor’s.Kemper and business partner Paul Pennell this month began moving record albums into the back of Taylor’s, at 133 W. Main St., with plans to purchase the store. The deal is set to close in April.

“There’s not going to be much of a change in the store at all,” Pennell said. “We thought it would be silly to change the name because it’s been here so long.”

Customers who stop by daily for newspapers, magazines and sundries will find the same selection. If they also happen to be looking for an LP of the Beatles or the Jackson 5, they will also be in luck.
Priddy and his father purchased the store from the Taylor family in 1970. In 1996 Priddy bought out his father.

In 1996 Priddy moved the store to its spot on the lower level of Main Street Parking and four years later added 2,500 square feet for a total of about 6,000 square feet.

The LPs are now mostly in the 2,500 square feet at the back along with sports and music photos and mementos.

For many years Priddy stocked more than 100 newspapers from around the country. As it became more expensive to get those papers here in the 1990s, he began scaling back the offerings.

“You buy newspapers non-returnable,” Priddy said. “We were very frugal as far as what we bought and how many we bought.”

Today Taylor’s carries fewer than 20 daily and Sunday newspapers, books and a wide selection of magazines.

John Kennedy, with Irish Realty, owns Main Street Parking and lured Priddy to the current space after being a customer of his for many years.

“Hal is one of our favorite tenants ever and we will miss him when he retires,” Kennedy said. “It’s important for downtown to have a store like Taylor’s.”

Priddy will keep his other business running trucks to Dallas each evening to pick up the The New York Times for distribution in Oklahoma.

Pennell began seriously collecting records in 2003 when Rolling Stone released its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. A quick perusal of his collection yielded 11 of the 500.

He spent the next few years amassing a huge collection of records, many of which weren’t on the list.

Garage sales, thrift stores and estate sales were a gold mine for finding records to fill in his collection.
“I got good at finding records that way,” Pennell said. “I started getting some really good records and some really rare stuff.”

Kemper, a friend and neighbor, had also started collecting records and the two got the idea to one day open a store.

“I said to Clyde, ‘if you put your records with my records we’re going to have a complete record store,’” Pennell said.

In conversations with Priddy, Kemper knew he was looking to retire and sell Taylor’s. After he talked with Pennell, they decided they could open their record store inside an established business knowing that most people stopping by would still be there for books and magazines.

Since moving about 10,000 records into the store over the past few weeks, vinyl aficionados and those with a touch of nostalgia have stopped by to browse records from the last 50 years.

Most of the albums are priced from $10 to $15, but there are also some treasures.

Pennell has a rare version of Bob Dylan’s 1966 double-album Blonde on Blonde, priced at $250. He also has a collection of rare singles by Elvis Presley and the Beatles locked in glass cases.

Priddy said Taylor’s has weathered many ups and downs in the city and he is pleased the legacy will continue.

“We survived the Depression selling newspapers,” he said. “It would be foolish not to carry that on.”

SOURCE: http://www.journalrecord.com/

World's Largest Led Zeppelin Collection Acquired by Rockaway Records

Led Zeppelin LPs, 45s, concert programs and T-shirts are just a few of the collectors' items recently acquired by Los Angeles-based Rockaway Records. The fast-selling memorabilia is now available both in store and online at www.rockaway.com.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) March 11, 2009 -- Rockaway Records is thrilled to announce its recent purchase of one of the world's largest Led Zeppelin collections. The collection includes more than one ton -- 2,500 pounds -- of Led Zeppelin records (LPs and 45s), CDs, books, magazines, concert programs and tickets, T-shirts and memorabilia. A small part of the collection is on sale at Rockaway's online store, www.rockaway.com, while the bulk of the collection is available at the Rockaway Records retail store in Los Angeles.

Zeppelin fans, collectors and others interested in owning a piece of rock history must hurry -- the collection is selling fast.

The new inventory of Led Zeppelin vinyl and memorabilia is only a fraction of the wide ranging items available from Rockaway Records. For more than 30 years, the store has sold CDs, DVDs, posters and other items to fans and collectors worldwide. Rockaway's inventory is constantly changing. The store's buyers travel around the world looking for music memorabilia and are seldom outbid on high quality collections.

Rockaway's retail store is probably best known for having one of the greatest selections of used CDs and DVDs in Los Angeles, with the average price of a CD or DVD around $5. The online store, www.rockaway.com, is known worldwide for having the best selection of rare and collectible vinyl (LPs and 45s), posters, awards and memorabilia. Rockaway.com sells all types of music from the 1950s to the present, but its specialty is classic rock, featuring an incredible selection of rarities by the Beatles, Beach Boys, Led Zeppelin, Alice Cooper and Frank Zappa.

Since its inception, Rockaway has sold some of the world's rarest records and memorabilia, including the 2008 sale of a Beatles record for $80,000. The record was a 1966 sealed mint-condition original first state stereo "butcher cover" that came from the collection of Alan Livingston, president of Capitol Records in 1966.

Records, concert programs and other memorabilia and items from the recently acquired Led Zeppelin collection are available at the Rockaway Records' retail store at 2395 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90039 in the Silverlake area. Rockaway Records is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, visit www.rockaway.com.

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7th Annual Record Fair & Other Delights in Chicago

Chicago Independent Radio Project hosts one of the Midwest's largest record fairs April 18-19, 2009. The CHIRP Record Fair & Other Delights attracts vinyl enthusiasts and music lovers from across the country with its live music and wide range of merchandise. All proceeds go toward establishing a new independent radio station in Chicago.

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) March 11, 2009 -- The Chicago Independent Radio Project (CHIRP), announces its 7th annual Record Fair & Other Delights, a can't-miss event for music lovers and vinyl enthusiasts from around the country. The Record Fair will take place at the Chicago Journeyman Plumbers Union on April 18th and 19th. In addition to featuring nearly 100 dealer tables and a wide range of entertainment, the fair benefits the Chicago Independent Radio Project, an organization committed to bringing a brand new community radio station to Chicago.

The CHIRP Record Fair & Other Delights' dealers range from genre specialists with rare records to generalists with something for everyone. The music selection isn't limited to vinyl - CDs, DVDs, and 8-tracks abound, and the vendor lineup is rounded out by a unique selection of poster artists and crafters.

This year's expanded entertainment lineup includes performances by Dreamend, Ben Fasman of Gutter Butter, Jake Austen, Ceiling Stars and Steve Krakow, in addition to DJs, dancers, and other surprises. A variety of food and alcohol vendors help to make this a fun event for everyone, not just vinyl collectors.

The fair was born as a benefit for WLUW-FM, once Chicago's community radio station, now being turned into a students-only learning lab by Loyola University. WLUW's former managers and volunteers formed CHIRP to ensure that community radio would continue, grow, and flourish in Chicago, and the Record Fair is now the organization's primary fundraiser.

The CHIRP Record Fair & Other Delights runs Saturday, April 18th and Sunday, April 19th from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Admission is $7, or $5 with an ad, flyer or April 18th-dated receipt from a local independent record store. A special $25 pre-admission session from 8:00-10:00 a.m. on Saturday allows collectors early access to the dealers and offers unlimited access all weekend long. Chicago Journeyman Plumbers Union is located at 1340 W. Washington in Chicago. More information is available at http://www.CHIRPrecordfair.com.

CHIRP is a non-profit organization formed to bring a new community radio station to Chicago. The station will be independently owned and operated by the group and will provide a voice for independent music and views. In order to apply for a new station, CHIRP is working to reform FCC rules and lobby Congress to pass the Local Community Radio Act, opening up new frequencies for low power FM radio licenses in urban areas. Such signals are currently restricted to rural and exurban areas.

Capitol Vinyl

Capitol/EMI's 'From The Capitol Vaults' Vinyl Campaign Continues June 16 With 11 Classic, Standout Albums

Remastered Titles Presented on Limited Edition, 180-Gram Audiophile Quality Vinyl with Original Artwork and Packaging

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., March 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Put the needle in the groove! Capitol/EMI's high quality "From The Capitol Vaults" U.S. vinyl campaign continues on June 16 with the limited edition release of 11 classic, standout albums from the label's celebrated catalog on 180-gram vinyl.

Capitol/EMI's June 16 "From The Capitol Vaults" releases, all previously out of print on vinyl, include The Beach Boys' Sunflower and Surf's Up, Merle Haggard's Mama Tried, Megadeth's So Far, So Good... So What!, Plastic Ono Band's Live Peace In Toronto 1969, Red Hot Chili Peppers' Freaky Styley, Mother's Milk, and The Uplift Mofo Party Plan, Roxy Music's Country Life and Stranded, and The Specials' self-titled album.

Capitol/EMI launched its "From The Capitol Vaults" campaign on September 2, 2008 with 13 classic titles, all previously out-of-print on vinyl. Included in the series' debut were A Perfect Circle's Mer de Noms, The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds, Coldplay's Parachutes, A Rush Of Blood To The Head, and X&Y, Radiohead's Pablo Honey, The Bends, OK Computer, Kid A (two 10" 140-gram LPs), Amnesiac (two 10" 140-gram LPs), and Hail To The Thief, R.E.M.'s Document, and Steve Miller Band's Greatest Hits 1974-78.

On September 30, the campaign continued with the release of Jimi Hendrix's incendiary 1970 concert album, Band Of Gypsys, on fiery red 180-gram vinyl, and John Lennon's chart-topping 1971 studio album, Imagine, on 180-gram vinyl.

An additional 13 titles were released on October 28, including The Band's Music From Big Pink and The Band, The Beach Boys' Endless Summer, John Lennon's Rock 'N' Roll, Paul McCartney & Wings' Band On The Run, Megadeth's Peace Sells and Rust In Peace, Queensryche's Operation: Mindcrime, Roxy Music's For Your Pleasure and Roxy Music, Stray Cats' Built For Speed, and The Verve's Urban Hymns.

On February 24, Ben Harper's entire Virgin Records catalog was released by EMI Music in limited edition, 180-gram vinyl packaging. Nine Ben Harper albums, all previously out-of-print on vinyl, have been restored to the format with Harper's supervision. The LPs were released in deluxe packaging with carefully replicated artwork and two live EPs also made their vinyl release debuts.

On April 21, 12 Radiohead EPs will be released on 180-gram vinyl for the first time as part of the popular "From The Capitol Vaults" series, including "2 + 2 = 5," "Creep," "Fake Plastic Trees," "High & Dry," "Just," "Karma Police," "My Iron Lung," "No Surprises," "Paranoid Android," "Pyramid Song," "Street Spirit (Fade Out)," and "Drill."

All "From The Capitol Vaults" titles feature carefully replicated artwork and packaging true to their original single or gatefold jacket LP releases. More "From The Capitol Vaults" titles will soon be announced.

For more information, visit http://fromthecapitolvaults.com.

JUNE 16, 2009: "FROM THE CAPITOL VAULTS" [artist / title (configuration)]
The Beach Boys / Sunflower (1 LP, single jacket)
The Beach Boys / Surf's Up (1 LP, single jacket, lyrics sheet insert)
Plastic Ono Band / Live Peace In Toronto 1969 (1 LP, single jacket,
spiral-bound 1970 calendar with photos)
Megadeth / So Far, So Good... So What! (1 LP, gatefold jacket, printed
sleeve with lyrics)
Merle Haggard / Mama Tried (1 LP, single jacket)
Roxy Music / Stranded (1 LP, gatefold jacket, new cover art poster)
Roxy Music / Country Life (1 LP, single jacket, printed sleeve with
lyrics, new cover art poster)
The Specials / The Specials (1 LP, single jacket)
Red Hot Chili Peppers / Freaky Styley (1 LP, single jacket)
Red Hot Chili Peppers / Mother's Milk (1 LP, single jacket)
Red Hot Chili Peppers / The Uplift Mofo Party Plan (1 LP, single jacket)

The day the music died: Long Island Sound closed for good Saturday

By Brendan O'Reilly

Long Island Sound was more than just a record store.

For many, it was a meeting place where they could always run into a friend or strike up a conversation about music with someone new.

For owner Gary Madison, it was his life and his livelihood.

But on Saturday night, Mr. Madison shuttered the Sound for the very last time, after 37 years of selling records on Jobs Lane in Southampton Village.

“Increasing rents and declining sales are not the best business model,” he said in the same matter-of-fact manner he displayed throughout an interview months ago when he explained all of the challenges his store faced, like competing with big-box stores and the growing trend of music being downloaded from the internet.

That last Saturday morning at the Sound, and into the evening, the music was playing louder than normal. Food delivered from Paul’s Italian Restaurant and Kathleen’s Bake Shop, offered as farewell presents, sat on the counter, and punch was served to disappointed old friends and customers who came to say goodbye and reminisce about the years spent at Long Island Sound.

Mr. Madison said he didn’t expect the outpouring of thanks and well-wishes he’s received since posting a “Closing Sale” sign in the window a couple weeks ago.

“I guess after 37 years, people remember,” he said.

Mr. Madison has had, and closed, shops in East Hampton, Riverhead, Smithtown and Westhampton over the years. Now that the Southampton branch is out of business as well, he said, he’s out of the music business, but might try to find a job in retail.

“It was tough for a while ...” Mr. Madison said. “Now that it’s done, it’s done.”

Hundreds of customers came through the store on Saturday. As many as 50 crammed in at one time that afternoon, Mr. Madison said.

“It used to be like this, in the heyday, every Saturday,” he said, but it hasn’t been that way since the 1980s.

“The way the music industry is going, these kinds of stores can’t exist anymore,” Peter of Hampton Bays said as he was browsing Mr. Madison’s selection on Saturday. He had already set aside a couple dozen CDs to buy and was still looking for more.

Peter—who refused to give his last name, saying he wants to keep his 70,000-record-strong music collection safe—said he has been collecting music for 55 years and has known Mr. Madison for most of them. He hasn’t been able to drive himself around for the past few years, so he hasn’t made it into the Sound for a while, but he was there twice in the final week to grab some finds while he still could.

“There’s a music guy ...” Mr. Madison said of Peter. “There’s no more guys like him. That era’s over.”

Fred Weinfurt of Water Mill, who was at Long Island Sound on Friday browsing the vinyl and holding a copy of the 30th anniversary re-release of Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon,” said he can’t imagine where he’ll buy music now.

“He’s been coming in here 30 years, and I don’t think he’s bought anything but Pink Floyd,” Mr. Madison said.

The closing was also a family affair for Mr. Madison, whose wife, Nina, and children, William and Stephanie, joined him for the last day. Every member of the Madison clan has worked at the Sound at one time or another. In fact, Ms. Madison started as a customer. Then Mr. Madison hired her to sell T-shirts, and a few years later they married.

William, now 19, worked at the store every weekend between the ages of 7 and 13. Stephanie, 17, worked there up until the final day. “We used to fight about who got to come to work with dad,” she said.

William, a student at Boston University, said that after all these years his father’s friends are still telling him about how they used to come into the store and see him on the counter in a baby carrier.

Both Madison kids said they have been hearing all kinds of stories about the Sound from their father’s old friends and customers, some who came from as far as upstate New York or even out of state for the final weekend. Several talked about getting their first record or first tape from the shop.

Stephanie called the situation bittersweet. If the store stayed open, things were only going to get harder, she said.

Her mother, though sad to see it go, said she thinks good can come of change and promised the family would move on.

Ms. Madison also predicted the entire retail music industry would be gone in five years time.

“It’s not just a small-town phenomenon,” said Jim Curcio, a Sound customer for 10 years.

Mr. Curcio splits his time between Southampton Village and Manhattan, and he pointed out that Tower Records in the city went out of business, and now the Virgin Megastore has met the same fate.

It’s still unbelievable to see it happen to Long Island Sound, he said. “This is the end of an era.”

Mr. Madison has always been there to make a recommendation or track down an album for him, Mr. Curcio said. “I have a really odd taste in music, and if I couldn’t find it here, I’d talk to him about it and he’d get it for me.”

Dave “Chug-a-Mug” Raynor of Southampton Village said he’s been coming to the Sound ever since it first opened. The first year, when the shop was located across the street, he rode his bicycle there. The next year, the store had moved into 76 Jobs Lane, and Mr. Raynor started driving. Then he came to the Sound for eight-track tapes to play in his Plymouth Barracuda.

Mr. Raynor was at the Sound on Saturday reminiscing with Debbie Dillon of Shinnecock Hills and Bill Dunn of Southampton Village.

“In the wintertime, we’d play basketball in here,” with a rolled up ball of tape, Mr. Dunn recalled. He’ll also remember the Sound for the concerts Mr. Madison promoted at Southampton College, he said. They saw Marshall Tucker play for just five or six bucks, he said.

Ms. Dillon, who used to work a few storefronts down Jobs Lane at The Driver’s Seat, said she and her co-workers would head to the Sound while on break to visit Mr. Madison. “It was sort of like a little community here on Jobs Lane,” she said.

In addition to being a big part of the social life, Ms. Dillon said Mr. Madison was always generous and lending a hand to fund-raisers. “Gary’s an icon here in Southampton Village,” she said. “He’ll be sorely missed.”

“We didn’t want to give it up,” said Long Island Sound manager David Weinhardt. He admitted that he didn’t think Southampton would last much longer after the East Hampton store closed.

That store went out of business three years ago and reopened inside East Hampton Video for about 15 months before the Sound finally left East Hampton for good. Once the Sound vacates 76 Jobs Lane, the women’s clothing store Norahs, currently up the block, will take over the premises.

Monday afternoon, Mr. Weinhardt, who’s worked with Mr. Madison since 1975, packed in the Southampton store with help from two veterans of the old Sound in East Hampton, Craig Wright and Robert Matz, who both worked there on and off for more than 14 years.

As they took inventory and filled bins with CDs and other remains of the store, The Rolling Stones’ “Lady Jane” rung out over the speakers: “I’ve done what I can, I must take my leave.”

SOURCE: http://www.27east.com

Classic Rock Videos

The Beatles - Strawberry Fields Forever

Mr. Music

I am continuing our new feature: Ask "Mr. Music." Now in its 23rd year of syndication (1986-2008), Jerry Osborne's weekly Q&A feature will be a regular post every Wednesday from now on. Be sure to stop by Jerry's site (www.jerryosborne.com) for more Mr. Music archives, record price guides, anything Elvis, buy & sell collectibles, record appraisals and much more. I thank Jerry for allowing the reprints.

FOR THE WEEK OF MARCH 2, 2009

DEAR JERRY: I could use some help sorting out the confusing and different versions of Barbra Streisand's “Funny Girl.”

Is the one in the film the same as used in the stage show?

Overall, how much musical crossover is there between the two shows?
—Dana Brookfield, Evansville, Ind.

DEAR DANA: A chronological recap of this “Funny” saga is the best way to sort things out.

January 13, 1964: The curtain goes up for the first time as “Funny Girl” begins six weeks of pre-Broadway tune-ups — three at Boston's Shubert Theatre followed by three in Philadelphia at the Forrest Theatre.

Meanwhile at Columbia's New York studio, Streisand records “Funny Girl,” a tune that should have been the show's title but was inexplicably cut from the program. Its logical spot in the show — the next to last song — is taken by “The Music That Makes Me Dance.”

March 10, 1964: “Funny Girl” previews on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theatre, with 16 more evaluation performances to follow.

March 26, 1964: “Funny Girl” officially opens. By the time the show closes (July 1, 1967) 1,348 performances will have been given.

March 28, 1964: “People,” the first song from the stage show released as a single (Columbia 42965), enters Billboard's Bubbling Under the Hot 100 list at No. 108.

April 4, 1964: After three flops, Barbra's fourth single, “People,” moves up to No. 100, marking her Hot 100 debut. By the end of June “People” reached its peak at No. 5 on both Billboard and Cash Box.

This same month, the “Funny Girl” Original Cast Recording (Capitol 2059) is released — sans the title track of course.

September 19, 1964: Though scrapped from the show, a single of the original recording of “Funny Girl” (Columbia 43127) makes its chart debut. Many suspected this recording's real purpose, based on the title alone, was to promote the show.

On the flip side is “Absent Minded Me,” a delightful track also written for, but cut from, the stage show. It later ended up on Barbra's “People” album.

The “Funny Girl” 45 eventually made the Top 10 but only on the adult-oriented MOR (Middle-of-the-Road) charts.

September 19, 1968: Columbia Pictures released the film version of “Funny Girl,” with Streisand again cast as Fanny Brice.

Besides a newly-written “Funny Girl” tune, this one a ballad, the movie contains five other songs not used in the stage show: “Roller Skate Rag”; “The Swan”; “Second Hand Rose”; “Pink Velvet Jail,” and “My Man” (the original title of the film).

In the Broadway show but not in the film are: “Cornet Man”; “Who Taught Her Everything”; “I Want to Be Seen with You Tonight”; “Henry Street”; “Find Yourself a Man”; “Rat-Tat-Tat-Tat”; “Who Are You Now”; “The Music That Makes Me Dance.”

All of which leaves just seven songs used on both stage and screen: “If a Girl Isn't Pretty”; “I Am the Greatest Star”; His Love Makes Me Beautiful”; “People”; “You Are Woman” (a.k.a. “You Are Woman, I Am Man”); “Don't Rain on My Parade”; and “Sadie, Sadie.”

Hear the original "Funny Girl" here.

IZ ZAT SO? Barbra Streisand's label at the time, Columbia Records, owned the first right of refusal for the 1964 “Funny Girl” Original Cast album … and foolishly chose to pass on it!

Capitol then jumped in and “took a chance” on it.

Of course the LP went Gold and stayed on the charts for about a year.

Lesson learned, Columbia did not relinquish their right to the '68 soundtrack. Its sales doubled that of the Broadway show, spending two years on the charts while attaining Platinum status.