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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:
Death Cab For Cutie (recent release)
Narrow Stairs

Barsuk Bark 75 180g LP + Bonus 7" single

Produced by: Chris Walla
Engineered by: Chris Walla and Will Markwell
Mixed by: Chris Walla ( "Long Division" mixed by Alex Newport)
Mastered by: Roger Seibel, SAE Mastering








Review by: Michael Fremer
2009-04-01

The gift of uniqueness can easily become the curse of familiarity, easy identification and in the worst case, self-parody.

The latter hasn’t happened to Benjamin Gibbard, Death Cab’s earnest creative center but on the group’s latest album, he’s safely sticking to the ruts of his signature phrasing, melodic constructions and even subject matter.

Familiarity can breed contempt but not this time, with the band countering with toughened guitar textures and edgier rhythmic drive.

Still, Gibbard’s wrenching earnest preoccupation with passing time and death continue diary-like and that’s probably how the band’s fans want it. Though the subject matter has remained relatively steady, Gibbard’s perspective has broadened and matured, while his lyrics have become more economical and a imbued with a jigsaw puzzle-like connectivity.

He sings about seeking and not finding the meaning in death, he pleas for recognition from an object of his desire, loss of innocence and optimism and one, You Can Do Better Than Me,” that accurately reads the minds of a great many long-married men. How a relative youngster like Gibbard pulled this one from the ether escapes me!

The song’s protagonist has begun to think the couple remains together out of fear of dying alone. He’s morphed through the years into many different people. He’s always out looking and falling in love but ultimately he realizes it’s a fools mission and that no one would appreciate him as much as his wife does, even though he doesn’t think he’s worthy, and besides, the song’s narcissistic kicker goes, (I won’t leave because) “You can do better than me, but I can’t do better than you.”

The last tune, “The Ice Is Getting Thinner,” about an inevitable break-up, is typical Gibbard: his poetry is close to the surface but sufficiently fleet to escape the conventional.

The LP cut by Roger Seibel at SAE is well-pressed, dead-quiet 180 gram vinyl and has the look and feel of either RTI or perhaps even Pallas. My understanding is that Roger no longer cuts AAA so this was sourced from digital, but that was obvious from the numerous studios used for the recording and mixing.

It’s a decent sounding rock recording, sufficiently edgy to communicate the band’s harder edged stance, but also sufficiently well-organized and carefully plotted to be pleasingly coherent.

Die cut packaging, a heavy, full color inner sleeve with lyrics printed large enough to actually read and a 45 single containing demo versions of two tunes (not available elsewhere) make the vinyl version worthwhile.

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


Pick up Michael's DVD's Here:



Copyright © 2009 MusicAngle.com & Michael Fremer - All rights reserved

New Record Collecting Book

Extraordinary Records is the title of a forthcoming book on record collecting by Giorgio Moroder.

“This original collection features the most remarkable vinyl artifacts ever produced: a connoisseur's selection of records in a plethora of colors, shapes, and forms, imprinted with extraordinary effects and images.




“Produced in collaboration with Colors magazine, this book showcases over 400 of the most exceptional records owned by leading collectors Alessandro Benedetti and Peter Bastine. Featuring the recordings of Pink Floyd, Queen, the Beatles, Prince, Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, Bon Jovi and many others, these are rare and valuable records in countless designs and colors - gold, transparent, photo-printed - in a dazzling variety of shapes: butterfly, heart, star, and even a tree-shaped disc.”

Moroder of course is the dude from Italy with the great facial hair and rakes of snyths who founded Musicland Studios, produced great disco records with Donna Summer and more, scored loads of movies, and is generally accepted as one of music’s most influential figures. The book was written with the aid of:




Contributing author Alessandro Benedetti, who “began collecting colored and unusual records in 1981, and now has 8,000 discs, including 1,200 colored vinyl discs. In 1998 his collection won recognition in The Guinness Book of Records. His dream is to open a record museum so he can share his collection with the public.”

And Peter Bastine, “born in 1952, has been a DJ, record seller, and concert organizer. From 1977 until 1998 he collected every kind of picture disc; since then, mostly historical 78rpm records. Today his collection comprises around 8,000 picture discs, and has been the subject of several European exhibitions.”

Extraordinary Records is coming soon on TASCHEN press.

Vinyl Collective Test Pressings

As previously reported, Virgil over at www.vinylcollective.com is having a spring sale. Check out these great discs!:

"Just listed the following test pressngs on our eBay account. Only 1 of each, all starting at 99 cents. All are hand-numbered and hand-written. A few have extras (like Minus the Bear Planet of Ice and Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground). Some of these test pressings are seeing their last opportunity for purchase (both D4 test pressings, the MTB planet of ice, and a few others). Good luck bidding. I hope everyone can get a test pressing they are excited about. Our auctions can be found here."

36 CRAZY FISTS “The Tide” LP TEST PRESSING #/10
A LIFE ONCE LOST “Iron Gag” LP TEST PRESSING #/10
ANDREW JACKSON JIHAD/ COBRA SKULLS “Under the Influence Vol 6″ 7″ TEST PRESSING #/10
AUSTIN LUCAS “Somebody Loves You” LP TEST PRESSING #/20
BOYS NIGHT OUT “Make Yourself Sick” LP TEST PRESSING #/10
DILLINGER FOUR “Midwestern Songs” LP TEST PRESSING #/10
DILLINGER FOUR “Versus God” LP TEST PRESSING #/10
DRAG THE RIVER “Can’t Leave These Strays” 7″ TEST PRESSING #/20
DRAG THE RIVER “Garage Rock” 7″ TEST PRESSING #/20
DRAG THE RIVER “You Can’t Live This Way” LP TEST PRESSING #/10
DRAG THE RIVER ìUnder the Influence Vol. 5_ 7_ TEST PRESSING #/10
DRAG THE RIVER/ THE DENTS “Found All The Parts” LP TEST PRESSING
EVERY TIME I DIE “Big Dirty” LP TEST PRESSING
EVERY TIME I DIE “Gutter Phenomenon” LP TEST PRESSING #/10
EVERY TIME I DIE “Hot Damn” LP TEST PRESSING #/10
EVERY TIME I DIE “Last Night In Town” LP TEST PRESSING #/10
FAKE PROBLEMS / LOOK MEXICO ìUnder the Influence Vol. 1_ 7_ TEST PRESSING #/10
FOXY SHAZAM “Introducing” LP TEST PRESSING #/10
GHOST BUFFALO “The Magician” LP TEST PRESSING #/10
HEAVY HEAVY LOW LOW “Turtle Nipple” LP TEST PRESSING #/10
JOEY CAPE “Bridge” LP TEST PRESSING #/10
JOEY CAPE / JON SNODGRASS ìWho Wants to Get Down?î 7_ TEST PRESSING #/10
JON SNODGRASS “Visitor’s Band” LP TEST PRESSING #/10
JOSH SMALL “Tall By Josh Small” dbl LP test pressing #/5
LAGRECIA “On Parallels” LP TEST PRESSING #/5
LOVE ME DESTROYER “The Things Around” LP TEST PRESSING #/5
MAYLENE & THE SONS OF DISASTER “II” LP TEST PRESSING #/10
MIKE PARK / O PIONEERS!!! split 7″ TEST PRESSING #/10
MINUS THE BEAR “Interpretaciones” LP TEST PRESSING
MINUS THE BEAR “Planet of Ice” dbl LP test pressing #/20
MUSTARD PLUG / BOMB THE MUSIC INDUSTRY ìUnder the Influence Vol. 3_ 7_ TEST PRESSING #/10
NINJA GUN “Restless Rubes” LP TEST PRESSING #/20
NORMA JEAN “Anti-Mother” LP TEST PRESSING #/10
NORMA JEAN 4 x LP Box Set TEST PRESSING #/20
POISON THE WELL “Versions” LP TEST PRESSING #/10
PORTUGAL THE MAN “Church Mouth” LP TEST PRESSING
SCOTT REYNOLDS & THE STEAMING BEAST LP test pressing
SEE YOU NEXT TUESDAY “Intervals” LP TEST PRESSING #/10
SEE YOU NEXT TUESDAY “Parasite” LP TEST PRESSING #/10
SPARTA “Threes” dbl LP TEST PRESSING #/10
STEREOTYPERIDER “Songs In The Keys Of F And U” LP TEST PRESSING #/10
TEENAGE BOTTLEROCKET / THE ERGS! ìUnder the Influence Vol. 4_ 7_ TEST PRESSING #/20
THE JEALOUS SOUND “Kill Them With Kindness” dbl LP TEST PRESSING #/20
THE PLAYING FAVORITES LP test pressing joey cape lagwagon
THE TAKERS “Curse Of A Drunk” 7″ TEST PRESSING #/10
TIM BARRY “Laurel St Demos” LP TEST PRESSING #/5
TIM BARRY “Live At Munford” 7″ TEST PRESSING #/5
TIM BARRY “Manchester” LP TEST PRESSING #/10
TIM BARRY “Rivanna Junction” LP TEST PRESSING #/10
TWO COW GARAGE “Speaking In Cursive” LP TEST PRESSING #/10
USELESS I.D. “Lost Broken Bones” LP TEST PRESSING #/10
V/A “Delicious Vinyl” LP TEST PRESSING #/20
V/A “Revival Road” LP TEST PRESSING #/10
WHISKEY & CO/ NINJA GUN ìUnder the Influence Vol. 2_ 7_ TEST PRESSING #/10

Music News & Notes

MEAT PUPPETS BACK “TOGETHER”

The Meat Puppets are back on the musical map after reuniting in 2006. The group, now a trio with brothers Cris and Curt Kirkwood joined by drummer Ted Marcus, recently inked a deal with Megaforce Records. The label will release their new album, "Sewn Together," on May 12th. The band recently made a welcome and well-received return at Austin's South By Southwest. They'll return with a record release party May 12th at The Mint in Los Angeles, before starting a tour in earnest May 27th in Louisville.

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Motown Premium Audiophile Reissue:

For an exclusive three-week time frame, nine landmark Motown LPs are available to all the independent stores as reissues. Adding to the Motown luster, the top nine audiophile vinyl reissues are pressed on heavyweight 180-gram vinyl in all the original packaging. If you love Motown, even if your father and grandfather loved Motown, the following Premium Audiophile Reissue titles are worth their weight in Motown glory and gold:

Stevie Wonder - "Songs in The Key Of Life"
Jackson 5 - "ABC"
The Supremes - "I Hear A Symphony"
Rick James - "Street Songs"
The Temptations - "Cloud Nine"
Smokey Robinson - "A Quiet Storm"
Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell - "United"
Four Tops - "Reach Out"
Diana Ross - "Diana Ross"

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Mark Your Calanders For Next Week!

Record Store Day Is Approaching! This From The Organizers...


This is the one day that all of the independently owned record stores come together with artists to celebrate the art of music. Special vinyl and CD releases and various promotional products are made exclusively for the day and hundreds of artists in the United States and in various countries across the globe make special appearances and performances. Festivities include performances, cook-outs, body painting, meet & greets with artists, parades, djs spinning records and on and on. Metallica officially kicked off Record Store Day at Rasputin Music in San Franscisco on April 19, 2008 and Record Store Day is now celebrated the third Saturday every April.

More information and locations at www.recordstoreday.com

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Collector's Choice Presents Gary Lewis & The Playboys' Complete Liberty Singles

Collector's Choice Records has announced May 26 date for The Complete Liberty Singles by Gary Lewis and the Playboys. Steve Hoffman is overseeing the mastering of the original recordings and Ed Osbourne is producing and writing the liner notes, including interviews with producers Snuff Garrett and Bones Howe, drummers Hal Blaine and Jim Keltner, singer and Gary's “ghost” voice Ron Hicklin, and even Gary himself.

The original mono singles were taken from the virtually untouched 40-year-old master tapes and includes many B-sides that have never previously been released on CD. Plus, the 2-CD set includes a song that was only released as a promo, Way Way Out.

The 45-song track list for The Complete Liberty Singles is under the cut.

This Diamond Ring
Hard To Find
Tijuana Wedding
Count Me In
Little Miss Go-Go
Doin' The Flake
Save Your Heart For Me
Without A Word Of Warning
Everybody Loves A Clown
Time Stands Still
She's Just My Style
I Won't Make That Mistake Again
Sure Gonna Miss Her
I Don't Wanna Say Goodnight
Green Grass
I Can Read Between The Lines
My Heart's A Symphony
Tina (I Held You In My Arms)
(You Don't Have To) Paint Me A Picture
Looking For The Stars
Way Way Out
Down On The Sloop John B
Where Will The Words Come From
May The Best Man Win
The Loser (With A Broken Heart)
Ice Melts In The Sun
Girls In Love
Let's Be More Than Friends
Jill
New In Town
Has She Got The Nicest Eyes
Happiness
Sealed With A Kiss
Sara Jane
Main Street
C.C. Rider
Mister Memory
Every Day I Have To Cry Some
Rhythm of the Rain
Hayride
Gary's Groove
Something Is Wrong
I Saw Elvis Presley Last Night
I'm On The Right Road Now
Great Balls Of Fire

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Rescue Shelter Boys?

It's almost three decades into their career and the Pet Shop Boys have been asked by animal rights group PETA to rename themselves the Rescue Shelter Boys, CNN reports.

The synthpop duo have declined the “bizarre” request, saying they were “unable to agree” to the name change but “nonetheless think (it) raises an issue worth thinking about” regarding the “cramped, filthy conditions” of pet shops.

I agree, and support PETA and what they try to do, but this goes under the 'inane'- I mean can't they focus their attention on things that will matter?

How do vinyl records and record players work?

Vinyl records fell out of use following the introduction of Compact Discs. However, they are still made in limited numbers, as are record players.

A vinyl record contains a long spiral groove on each side. The sound is encoded into this groove by “wiggling” the groove from side to side in proportion to the sound wave, starting at the outside edge of the record and working inwards.

When the record is played, a pickup transforms the lateral wiggles into an electrical signal which is amplified and played back through headphones or loudspeakers. Inexpensive pickups consist of a sapphire stylus which tracks the groove and is connected to a ceramic piezoelectric material which turns the movement into a tiny electrical voltage.

Because the contact area of the stylus tip is very small, there is massive pressure at the point of contact and a diamond stylus can be used to obtain a longer life than a sapphire stylus will provide. Even a diamond stylus is considered a consumable item which must be replaced from time to time to maintain sound quality, and to avoid damaging the records.

More expensive pickups attach a magnet to the stylus and surround it with a coil which has an electric current induced into it by the movement of the magnet. It’s also possible to reverse this arrangement and use a moving coil pickup, where the coil is attached to the stylus and the magnet is fixed.

The pickup is attached to the tone arm, which carries it along the spiral of the grooves. This arm can be connected to a mechanism which can lower it into position at the start of the record, and return it to its rest stand at the end of playback.

Records come in various sizes, and are designed to rotate at different speeds. A single holds a few minutes of music on each side, and is commonly 7 inches diameter and must be spun at 45 revolutions per minute (rpm). An LP, or “long playing album”, holds 20 or 30 minutes of music on each side, and is 12 inches diameter. An LP is played at 33 and 1/3 rpm. Most record players have a speed selector switch.

Other combinations exist, such as 12 inch 45 rpm records for disco use, and also 10 inch records. A small number of spoken voice records were produced at 16 and 2/3 rpm.

Older records (pre-1960) played at 78 r.p.m. and were made from shellac instead of vinyl. they were usually 10 inches (3 minutes per side) or 12 inches (5 minutes per side)

To avoid loud bass notes causing one groove to “cut across” the next, the bass was de-emphasized and the treble was enhanced. This equalization needed to be reversed after playback. The standard equalization curve was known as “RIAA equalization“.

Stereophonic records (containing two audio channels) were encoded by modulating each side of the groove separately, and at 45 degrees to the vertical. One side of the groove carried the left channel and the other side carried the right channel. In this way, the sum of the channels produces horizontal movement which can be reproduced on monaural (mono) equipment, while stereo equipment has a pickup with two piezoelectric strips or coils (at right angles to each other) so that each channel can be decoded and amplified separately.

Record players were available that could play a stack of up to six sides in sequence; these were known as record changers.

Records suffered from being easily scratched, which could render them unplayable. They also attracted dust into the grooves which produced “clicks” and “pops” on playback. Slight misalignment between the left and right channels in the pickup could lead to crosstalk (the signal from one channel also appearing to some extent on the other channel), and the whole process of mechanical reproduction introduced various kinds of distortion.

The record player could introduce additional artifacts, such as “wow” (variation in rotational speed due to changes in the belt drive tension), “flutter” (faster variations due to motor irregularities), and “rumble” (vibrations from the motor being transferred to the pickup). The stylus could also “jump” from one groove to another if the record player was bumped (or even if someone jumped on the floor nearby), and a damaged groove could cause the record player to “skip”, playing the same groove over and over again.

So it was not surprising that the compact disc rapidly replaced the vinyl record. A few people still collect vinyl because they like its distinctive soft distortion (”analog sound”) as opposed to the sometimes-harsh clarity of the CD, but it’s a niche market.

Interesting write up, I found lots of other goodies at the site, stop by, I think you will enjoy the Q & A features. http://quezi.com/6187