Led Zeppelin - Stairway To Heaven
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Audio Audition Vinyl Record Reviews
I want to thank John over at http://www.audaud.com/index.php for the exclusive rights to reprint this great review!
AUDIOPHILE AUDITION focuses on recordings of interest to audiophiles and collectors, with an accent on surround sound for music, and on all hi-res disc formats. Over 100SACD, DVD Video/Audio and standard CD reviews are published during each month, and our archives go back to January 2001.
Jeb Loy Nichols – Parish Bar – Compass Records 4497 150-gram vinyl LP, 41 minutes ****:
When I first dropped the needle to the record I thought I was going to start hearing the Bee Gees or Stevie Wonder, but then warm, thick vocals issued forth. Is it funk? Is it hip hop? Is it dance music? You can decide, but what I can tell you is that it’s got a 70s groove and a contemporary flair at the same time--and it’s pretty good! The second track had a world music/reggae feel except for the harmonica that popped out of nowhere. Jeb’s voice is a little like John Mayer and some of the tracks are like a John Mayer or Jack Johnson track with a bunch of different musical styles blended together all guided by Nichols’ vision. You get the feel that the entire creation process is very organic and natural for Jeb. This record is completely inoffensive and can easily serve as background music for a hip get-together or for a fun, light listening adventure.
The disc comes with a password to download mp3s of the album for free and you also get a piece of frameable artwork. Sound quality of the disc is A/A- and music gets a B+.
TrackList: Countrymusicdisco45; Whole Thing Going On; Just a Country Boy; I’m Blue I’m Lonesome Too; Days Are Mighty; Too Much Not Enough; Satan’s Helper; Foggy Road Ride; My kind; Neath the Cold Ground; So Sad; Dr. Noblio; I Took a Memory to Lunch.
Sonny Rollins – Saxophone Colossus – Prestige OJC 291 mono LP, 40 minutes ***** [Reissue from Concord Records]:
This copy was made from stampers originally cut for DCC by Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray as evidenced by old matrix information that has been scratched out. The only better- sounding copy known to me are the originals cut by Rudy Van Gelder that are available used for upwards of $300. Three of the tracks are original, one a standard, the other the famous theme from Weill’s Three-Penny Opera. The back of the record gives added information on each of the songs and emphasizes the colossal nature of one of the few remaining jazz legends, Sonny Rollins. On this record he is joined by other jazz notables Tommy Flanagan (piano), Max Roach (drums), and Doug Watkins (bass).
I won’t review the music as you can find hundreds of reviews that better express the beauty of this record far better than I can. For music this record is a classic and therefore gets and A+. Sound quality falls somewhere in the A range. Tonal quality is excellent, dynamics are excellent, and that horn…An absolute must for even the newest of jazz neophytes!
TrackList: Moritat; Blue Seven; St. Thomas; You Don’t Know What Love Is; Strode Rode.
Smiley Lewis – …I Hear You Knocking – Pure Pleasure Records Limited PPAN LP9141 180 gram vinyl mono reissue LP, 30 minutes *****:
Personnel on this record are: Smiley Lewis (vocal, guitar), Dave Bartholemew (trumpet), Lee Allen, Herb Hardesty, Alvin “Red” Tyler (tenor saxophones), Clarence Ford (baritone saxophone), Salvador Doucette, Edward Frank, Joe Robichaux, Huey Smith (piano), Justin Adams, Edgar Blanchard, Ernest McLean (guitar), Frank Fields (bass), George French (bass guitar), Robert French, Earl Palmer, Charles “Hungry” Williams (drums).
Overton Lemon (Smiley) Lewis is a blues singer/guitar player who subscribes to the old school of blues and sings in a rough, ragged, hollering voice. He got his start early in clubs in the French Quarter and had his big hit in 1955 with “I Hear You Knocking” (later covered by Dave Edmunds). The piano playing and upbeat sound of this tune is what no doubt propelled it to the top of the charts. Most of the material on the record covers the typical man/woman topics present in a lot of the blues music and there are quite a few standout tracks. “Blue Monday” starts with solid, punchy bass and then comes the horns—wow! This number will appeal to less hardcore listeners of more popular blues music. “Lost Week End” is a perfect example of Lewis’ New Orleans influence while “Real Gone Lover” sounds very similar to “Shake, Rattle and Roll.” This is one great blues record!
This disc was remastered at Abbey Road Studios by Sean Magee. The recording is mono and some times it is hard to focus in on particular instruments within the soundstage due to the age of the recording. Sound ranged from B- to A- depending on the track while Music is a solid A.
TrackList: The Bells Are Ringing; Standing On The Corner; Blue Monday; Down The Road; Lost Week End; Real Gone Lover; Bumpity Bump; I Hear You Knocking; I Can’t Believe It; Hey Girl; One Night; Nothing But The Blues.
Above three reviews -- Brian Bloom
AUDIOPHILE AUDITION focuses on recordings of interest to audiophiles and collectors, with an accent on surround sound for music, and on all hi-res disc formats. Over 100SACD, DVD Video/Audio and standard CD reviews are published during each month, and our archives go back to January 2001.
Jeb Loy Nichols – Parish Bar – Compass Records 4497 150-gram vinyl LP, 41 minutes ****:
When I first dropped the needle to the record I thought I was going to start hearing the Bee Gees or Stevie Wonder, but then warm, thick vocals issued forth. Is it funk? Is it hip hop? Is it dance music? You can decide, but what I can tell you is that it’s got a 70s groove and a contemporary flair at the same time--and it’s pretty good! The second track had a world music/reggae feel except for the harmonica that popped out of nowhere. Jeb’s voice is a little like John Mayer and some of the tracks are like a John Mayer or Jack Johnson track with a bunch of different musical styles blended together all guided by Nichols’ vision. You get the feel that the entire creation process is very organic and natural for Jeb. This record is completely inoffensive and can easily serve as background music for a hip get-together or for a fun, light listening adventure.
The disc comes with a password to download mp3s of the album for free and you also get a piece of frameable artwork. Sound quality of the disc is A/A- and music gets a B+.
TrackList: Countrymusicdisco45; Whole Thing Going On; Just a Country Boy; I’m Blue I’m Lonesome Too; Days Are Mighty; Too Much Not Enough; Satan’s Helper; Foggy Road Ride; My kind; Neath the Cold Ground; So Sad; Dr. Noblio; I Took a Memory to Lunch.
Sonny Rollins – Saxophone Colossus – Prestige OJC 291 mono LP, 40 minutes ***** [Reissue from Concord Records]:
This copy was made from stampers originally cut for DCC by Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray as evidenced by old matrix information that has been scratched out. The only better- sounding copy known to me are the originals cut by Rudy Van Gelder that are available used for upwards of $300. Three of the tracks are original, one a standard, the other the famous theme from Weill’s Three-Penny Opera. The back of the record gives added information on each of the songs and emphasizes the colossal nature of one of the few remaining jazz legends, Sonny Rollins. On this record he is joined by other jazz notables Tommy Flanagan (piano), Max Roach (drums), and Doug Watkins (bass).
I won’t review the music as you can find hundreds of reviews that better express the beauty of this record far better than I can. For music this record is a classic and therefore gets and A+. Sound quality falls somewhere in the A range. Tonal quality is excellent, dynamics are excellent, and that horn…An absolute must for even the newest of jazz neophytes!
TrackList: Moritat; Blue Seven; St. Thomas; You Don’t Know What Love Is; Strode Rode.
Smiley Lewis – …I Hear You Knocking – Pure Pleasure Records Limited PPAN LP9141 180 gram vinyl mono reissue LP, 30 minutes *****:
Personnel on this record are: Smiley Lewis (vocal, guitar), Dave Bartholemew (trumpet), Lee Allen, Herb Hardesty, Alvin “Red” Tyler (tenor saxophones), Clarence Ford (baritone saxophone), Salvador Doucette, Edward Frank, Joe Robichaux, Huey Smith (piano), Justin Adams, Edgar Blanchard, Ernest McLean (guitar), Frank Fields (bass), George French (bass guitar), Robert French, Earl Palmer, Charles “Hungry” Williams (drums).
Overton Lemon (Smiley) Lewis is a blues singer/guitar player who subscribes to the old school of blues and sings in a rough, ragged, hollering voice. He got his start early in clubs in the French Quarter and had his big hit in 1955 with “I Hear You Knocking” (later covered by Dave Edmunds). The piano playing and upbeat sound of this tune is what no doubt propelled it to the top of the charts. Most of the material on the record covers the typical man/woman topics present in a lot of the blues music and there are quite a few standout tracks. “Blue Monday” starts with solid, punchy bass and then comes the horns—wow! This number will appeal to less hardcore listeners of more popular blues music. “Lost Week End” is a perfect example of Lewis’ New Orleans influence while “Real Gone Lover” sounds very similar to “Shake, Rattle and Roll.” This is one great blues record!
This disc was remastered at Abbey Road Studios by Sean Magee. The recording is mono and some times it is hard to focus in on particular instruments within the soundstage due to the age of the recording. Sound ranged from B- to A- depending on the track while Music is a solid A.
TrackList: The Bells Are Ringing; Standing On The Corner; Blue Monday; Down The Road; Lost Week End; Real Gone Lover; Bumpity Bump; I Hear You Knocking; I Can’t Believe It; Hey Girl; One Night; Nothing But The Blues.
Above three reviews -- Brian Bloom
Music News, A Rant & Notes
RIAA Admits Vinyl Sales Are Climbing
Will vinyl ever get back to being the main source for music? Probably not, there are just too many other formats out there. Remember, when vinyl had its heyday, it WAS the format, it was how music lovers obtained their music and the most common form of music distribution. Personally, I think the download is just polluting the music scene, it has cheapened music, especially the 99 cent download. Too much bad music is being produced, it is so easy to post a song on MySpace and sell it; from people who have no clue what good music is. Anyway, here is what the RIAA is saying about the 'return' of our beloved vinyl record:
According to the RIAA’s recently-released 2007 sales report, the American music industry sold 36.6 percent more Extended Play (EP) and Long Play (LP) records than it had in the previous year, increasing vinyl sales revenue by 46.2 percent. CD unit sales, on the other hand, declined 11.7 percent with revenue dropping 20.5 percent during the same period.
=============================
Rare Motown Single "Do I Love You" Is World's Most Expensive Record At $38K
Nidhi Sharma - Celebrity News Service Reporter
London, England (CNS) - A rare 7-inch vinyl single from Motown Records has been sold at a record price for $38,000 thus becoming the world's most expensive record. The single of Frank Wilson's "Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)" is one of only two surviving copies in the world.
Motown head Berry Gordy had the record destroyed when Wilson quit performing music to move into song writing and production. However a couple of copies managed to survive and one of it was sold at auction.
Record dealer John Manship of Leicestershire, England, said the buyer wanted to remain anonymous. The seller, Fife disc jockey and record collector Kenny Burrell, bought his version of the disc from a Canadian record dealer for at a then-record price of $22,000, BBC reports.
The record had previously been obtained from a record processing plant in Detroit, the home of Motown. Manship said about 70 bids had been made for the single.
SOURCE: http://www.allheadlinenews.com
=============================
Woodstock 40th Anniversary
The bill for the Woodstock 40th Anniversary concert and celebration of music in Bethel, New York is starting to take shape. The August 15 show will include Mountain, Ten Years After, Canned Heat, Big Brother and the Holding Company, the Levon Helm Band, Jefferson Starship and Country Joe McDonald.
All of the acts played at the 1969 show except for Big Brother & the Holding Company as Janis Joplin was backed that day by the Kozmic Blues Band. Helm performed as part of the Band and the Jefferson Starship was then the Jefferson Airplane.
=============================
Little Richard's 1970's Reprise Catalog Coming in June
After setting the early standard for Rock and Roll with his Specialty Records output, Little Richard quit the business to study religion. Recording gospel on End, Mercury and Atlantic, he eventually bounded back into rock in 1962 with a tour of England and great exposure with his music recorded by the likes of the Beatles.
In 1970, while a huge hit on the nostalgia circuit, he recorded three albums for Reprise. The Rill Thing, King of Rock and Roll and The Second Coming covered a wide range of styles, which may be one of the reasons they were not well received by the public. Only Freedom Blues, from The Rill Thing, made a showing on the R&B charts, reaching number 28 (47 on the Hot 100) while the followup, Greenwood Mississippi, made it to 85 on the pop list. Only 1971's King of Rock and Roll cracked the album chart, peaking at number 193.
These three albums will be released for the first time on CD with their original track listings on June 23 from Collector's Choice. Music historian Gene Sculatti, author of the Catalog of Cool, contributes liner notes.
The following is from the press release:
The Rill Thing: Little Richard recorded with the Muscle Shoals rhythm and horn sections on his 1970 Reprise debut, which Rolling Stone called “a major artistic triumph,” noting that he “personally arranged, produced and recorded the album with five recently penned originals. The record faithfully exhibits Richard’s maturity as an artist.” The first single, “Freedom Blues,” notched #47 on the pop charts, #28 R&B. Its two additional singles were the Travis Wammack-written “Greenwood, Mississippi,” which stalled at #85, and a non-charting yet inspired version of the Beatles’ “I Saw Her Standing There.” The album also included cover of Hank Williams’ “Lovesick Blues” done up in a New Orleans rhythm and “Dew Drop Inn,” which revisits more conventional Little Richard terrain: the patent scream, rollicking piano and booting sax solo of his earliest hits.
The King of Rock and Roll: The trade ad for this 1971 volume read: “Only Little Richard could top Little Richard.” Joel Selvin, reviewing in Rolling Stone, called the second Reprise set “a most significant chapter in the living legend of the greatest rock ’n’ roll singer ever . . .packed with the sort of stuff good rock is made of.” Richard paired with producer H.B. Barnum (Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, O.C. Smith) here, finding him working closer to the upbeat R&B style of “Tutti Frutti” and “Good Golly Miss Molly,” but performing repertoire culled from the Top 40 of the ‘60s and early ‘70s: “Brown Sugar,” “Joy to the World,” “The Way You Do the Things You Do,” “Born on the Bayou,” and takes on Hank Williams’ ‘I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” Leadbelly’s “The Midnight Special” and Fred Rose’s “Settin’ the Woods on Fire.”
The Second Coming: Little Richard’s third and final Reprise album (although portions of a fourth were recorded and shelved) finds him reunited with Robert “Bumps” Blackwell, producer of his Specialty Records hits in the ‘50s. Four tunes (“Mockingbird Sally,” “Rockin’ Rockin’ Boogie,” “Thomasine” and “Saints”) feature New Orleans musicians who played on Richard’s (and many of Fats Domino’s) original hits: drummer Earl Palmer and sax man Lee Allen. Commenting on “Saints,” an update of “When the Saints Go Marching In,” Blackwell, in his original album notes, explained that their aim was to mix “New Orleans jazz with the horns and guitars creating a big brass sound, with the wah-wah blending in what I call the Isaac Hayes and Bar-Kays rhythmic Shaft attitude.” The album also contains a Little Richard/Sneaky Pete Kleinow co-write, “It Ain’t What You Do, It’s the Way You Do It,” with Kleinow’s pedal steel and Richard on electric piano reminiscent to The Beatles’ “Get Back.”
SOURCE: http://winkscollectibles.blogspot.com
=============================
Vinyl Collective News
Stop by www.vinylcollective.com for some great vinyl!
Vinyl Collective Top 10 Sales of the past Week
1. STREETLIGHT MANIFESTO “Everything Goes Numb” LP white vinyl VC exclusive color
2. THURSDAY “Full Collapse” LP solid brown vinyl
3. LAWRENCE ARMS “Ghost Stories” LP maroon vinyl
4. THE MENZINGERS “Hold On, Dodge” 7″ olive green vinyl
5. STREETLIGHT MANIFESTO “Everything Goes Numb” LP clear red vinyl
5. BAYSIDE “Shudder” LP solid red vinyl
7. BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME “Alaska” dbl LP clear vinyl
8. A DAY TO REMEMBER “Homesick” LP clear green vinyl
9. DARKEST HOUR “Hidden Hands Of The Sadist Nation” dbl LP dark putty vinyl VC excl
10. KAY KAY AND HIS WEATHERED UNDERGROUND “S/T” frosty translucent blue vinyl w/ CD
10. EELS “Hombre Lobo: 12 Songs Of Desire” LP
10. BOMB THE MUSIC INDUSTRY! “Scrambles” LP VC exclusive color
=============================
Patrick Wolf's The Bachelor Cover Art, Release Info
The Bachelor is out June 1 in Europe and the UK on Wolf's BloodyChamberMusic imprint, and June 2 (digitally) and August 11 (physically) in the US, on NYLON Magazine's NYLON Records. If you want to see Wolf on the road, he'll be headining the NYLON Summer Music Tour with Living Thing and The Plasticines.
Will vinyl ever get back to being the main source for music? Probably not, there are just too many other formats out there. Remember, when vinyl had its heyday, it WAS the format, it was how music lovers obtained their music and the most common form of music distribution. Personally, I think the download is just polluting the music scene, it has cheapened music, especially the 99 cent download. Too much bad music is being produced, it is so easy to post a song on MySpace and sell it; from people who have no clue what good music is. Anyway, here is what the RIAA is saying about the 'return' of our beloved vinyl record:
According to the RIAA’s recently-released 2007 sales report, the American music industry sold 36.6 percent more Extended Play (EP) and Long Play (LP) records than it had in the previous year, increasing vinyl sales revenue by 46.2 percent. CD unit sales, on the other hand, declined 11.7 percent with revenue dropping 20.5 percent during the same period.
=============================
Rare Motown Single "Do I Love You" Is World's Most Expensive Record At $38K
Nidhi Sharma - Celebrity News Service Reporter
London, England (CNS) - A rare 7-inch vinyl single from Motown Records has been sold at a record price for $38,000 thus becoming the world's most expensive record. The single of Frank Wilson's "Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)" is one of only two surviving copies in the world.
Motown head Berry Gordy had the record destroyed when Wilson quit performing music to move into song writing and production. However a couple of copies managed to survive and one of it was sold at auction.
Record dealer John Manship of Leicestershire, England, said the buyer wanted to remain anonymous. The seller, Fife disc jockey and record collector Kenny Burrell, bought his version of the disc from a Canadian record dealer for at a then-record price of $22,000, BBC reports.
The record had previously been obtained from a record processing plant in Detroit, the home of Motown. Manship said about 70 bids had been made for the single.
SOURCE: http://www.allheadlinenews.com
=============================
Woodstock 40th Anniversary
The bill for the Woodstock 40th Anniversary concert and celebration of music in Bethel, New York is starting to take shape. The August 15 show will include Mountain, Ten Years After, Canned Heat, Big Brother and the Holding Company, the Levon Helm Band, Jefferson Starship and Country Joe McDonald.
All of the acts played at the 1969 show except for Big Brother & the Holding Company as Janis Joplin was backed that day by the Kozmic Blues Band. Helm performed as part of the Band and the Jefferson Starship was then the Jefferson Airplane.
=============================
Little Richard's 1970's Reprise Catalog Coming in June
After setting the early standard for Rock and Roll with his Specialty Records output, Little Richard quit the business to study religion. Recording gospel on End, Mercury and Atlantic, he eventually bounded back into rock in 1962 with a tour of England and great exposure with his music recorded by the likes of the Beatles.
In 1970, while a huge hit on the nostalgia circuit, he recorded three albums for Reprise. The Rill Thing, King of Rock and Roll and The Second Coming covered a wide range of styles, which may be one of the reasons they were not well received by the public. Only Freedom Blues, from The Rill Thing, made a showing on the R&B charts, reaching number 28 (47 on the Hot 100) while the followup, Greenwood Mississippi, made it to 85 on the pop list. Only 1971's King of Rock and Roll cracked the album chart, peaking at number 193.
These three albums will be released for the first time on CD with their original track listings on June 23 from Collector's Choice. Music historian Gene Sculatti, author of the Catalog of Cool, contributes liner notes.
The following is from the press release:
The Rill Thing: Little Richard recorded with the Muscle Shoals rhythm and horn sections on his 1970 Reprise debut, which Rolling Stone called “a major artistic triumph,” noting that he “personally arranged, produced and recorded the album with five recently penned originals. The record faithfully exhibits Richard’s maturity as an artist.” The first single, “Freedom Blues,” notched #47 on the pop charts, #28 R&B. Its two additional singles were the Travis Wammack-written “Greenwood, Mississippi,” which stalled at #85, and a non-charting yet inspired version of the Beatles’ “I Saw Her Standing There.” The album also included cover of Hank Williams’ “Lovesick Blues” done up in a New Orleans rhythm and “Dew Drop Inn,” which revisits more conventional Little Richard terrain: the patent scream, rollicking piano and booting sax solo of his earliest hits.
The King of Rock and Roll: The trade ad for this 1971 volume read: “Only Little Richard could top Little Richard.” Joel Selvin, reviewing in Rolling Stone, called the second Reprise set “a most significant chapter in the living legend of the greatest rock ’n’ roll singer ever . . .packed with the sort of stuff good rock is made of.” Richard paired with producer H.B. Barnum (Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, O.C. Smith) here, finding him working closer to the upbeat R&B style of “Tutti Frutti” and “Good Golly Miss Molly,” but performing repertoire culled from the Top 40 of the ‘60s and early ‘70s: “Brown Sugar,” “Joy to the World,” “The Way You Do the Things You Do,” “Born on the Bayou,” and takes on Hank Williams’ ‘I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” Leadbelly’s “The Midnight Special” and Fred Rose’s “Settin’ the Woods on Fire.”
The Second Coming: Little Richard’s third and final Reprise album (although portions of a fourth were recorded and shelved) finds him reunited with Robert “Bumps” Blackwell, producer of his Specialty Records hits in the ‘50s. Four tunes (“Mockingbird Sally,” “Rockin’ Rockin’ Boogie,” “Thomasine” and “Saints”) feature New Orleans musicians who played on Richard’s (and many of Fats Domino’s) original hits: drummer Earl Palmer and sax man Lee Allen. Commenting on “Saints,” an update of “When the Saints Go Marching In,” Blackwell, in his original album notes, explained that their aim was to mix “New Orleans jazz with the horns and guitars creating a big brass sound, with the wah-wah blending in what I call the Isaac Hayes and Bar-Kays rhythmic Shaft attitude.” The album also contains a Little Richard/Sneaky Pete Kleinow co-write, “It Ain’t What You Do, It’s the Way You Do It,” with Kleinow’s pedal steel and Richard on electric piano reminiscent to The Beatles’ “Get Back.”
SOURCE: http://winkscollectibles.blogspot.com
=============================
Vinyl Collective News
Stop by www.vinylcollective.com for some great vinyl!
Vinyl Collective Top 10 Sales of the past Week
1. STREETLIGHT MANIFESTO “Everything Goes Numb” LP white vinyl VC exclusive color
2. THURSDAY “Full Collapse” LP solid brown vinyl
3. LAWRENCE ARMS “Ghost Stories” LP maroon vinyl
4. THE MENZINGERS “Hold On, Dodge” 7″ olive green vinyl
5. STREETLIGHT MANIFESTO “Everything Goes Numb” LP clear red vinyl
5. BAYSIDE “Shudder” LP solid red vinyl
7. BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME “Alaska” dbl LP clear vinyl
8. A DAY TO REMEMBER “Homesick” LP clear green vinyl
9. DARKEST HOUR “Hidden Hands Of The Sadist Nation” dbl LP dark putty vinyl VC excl
10. KAY KAY AND HIS WEATHERED UNDERGROUND “S/T” frosty translucent blue vinyl w/ CD
10. EELS “Hombre Lobo: 12 Songs Of Desire” LP
10. BOMB THE MUSIC INDUSTRY! “Scrambles” LP VC exclusive color
=============================
Patrick Wolf's The Bachelor Cover Art, Release Info
The Bachelor is out June 1 in Europe and the UK on Wolf's BloodyChamberMusic imprint, and June 2 (digitally) and August 11 (physically) in the US, on NYLON Magazine's NYLON Records. If you want to see Wolf on the road, he'll be headining the NYLON Summer Music Tour with Living Thing and The Plasticines.