A commentary on early Sweet Jane recordings

Behind The Vinyl: "Sweet Jane" with Margo Timmins from Cowboy Junkies



Cowboy Junkies - Tonight Show 1989



A somewhat younger Margo Timmins!

2020 The Bats, Foothills

Good old jangly pop from The Bats, Foothills. Takes me back to the 80's!

Danny Elfman at his finest

Cowboy Junkies have re-scheduled their 2020 NZ tour (Akld, ChCh, Wgtn) to end of Jan 2021.

Fanboys attend & report please !

DarkLantern blog - darklanternforowen.wordpress.com

Nov 15, 2020 19:22:25 GMT 12 Owen Y said:

Cowboy Junkies have re-scheduled their 2020 NZ tour (Akld, ChCh, Wgtn) to end of Jan 2021.

Fanboys attend & report please !

You may be interested that there's a 500 page band biography coming soon.
Available with a bonus cd from their website or at a better price for book alone at the Book Depository. Due early next year.

The last couple of nights I've been enjoying Caravan, If I Could Do It All Over Again. Cd reissue from 2001 with bonus tracks.

Listening via the Yamamoto headphone amp and Audio Tecnica ATW1000 phones, a combo I haven't used in years. Despite the fact that the AT phones are not the best fit for bedroom listening and creak at every movement, the sound is a delight, 3D soundstage, nice vocal and instrument reproduction , almost perfect for early prog.

"Yamamoto headphone amp and Audio Tecnica ATW1000 phones, a combo"...and what a combo, one of the best I've heard (not to mention the cool looks). Hang on to 'em! 

"I see music as a lifetime affair." [Rory Gallagher]

Over last few days,

Nicolas Jaar's Cenizas just released rhythmic atmospheric electronica. Almost as good as Space Is only Noise.

Massive Attack Mezzanine

Bert Jansch- Jack Orion

Julien Baker - Sprained Ankle. She must be due for a new album soon, here's hoping.

Pearl Jam is best Friday evening jam.

I am a non-recovering audioholic, and Ivor is my higher power.

Again with a sometime impression obsession over a song, more Haim. What a high energy girl band! (OK female, don't go all PC on me:-)

Again with a single track, "Oh, Well".

Three sisters and the drummer.

Here they are at Glastonbury 2014, really putting their all in to it:

I referenced the BBC one in the Technics SP10 vs Luxman PD444 thread, edited it out to replace here:

Haim perform Fleetwood Mac's 'Oh Well' live from the main stage at T in the Park 2014

And then, this timeline discovery, a great live audience capture, 2015? - missed only the first few seconds.

Oh Well - Haim live at Bridgestone Arena (Nashville, September 25th)



And there will obviously be more.

Just a brief fascination!

I’m growing a beard.

I am a non-recovering audioholic, and Ivor is my higher power.

Caravan first self titled on 2001 cd reissue.
Has both mono and stereo versions, much prefer the stereo under headphones.
I

Nov 20, 2020 20:59:45 GMT 12 LinnBoy said:

I’m growing a beard.

That name rang a bell. Then remembered that one of my absolute Americana favourites, Lonesome Bob, played drums in the Ben Vaughn Combo way, way back.

Nov 21, 2020 7:13:45 GMT 12 cooksferry said:

Nov 20, 2020 20:59:45 GMT 12 LinnBoy said:

I’m growing a beard.

That name rang a bell. Then remembered that one of my absolute Americana favourites, Lonesome Bob, played drums in the Ben Vaughn Combo way, way back.

It’s a cracking recording, too.

I am a non-recovering audioholic, and Ivor is my higher power.

I have a few of his albums, all good. Also responsible for the rediscovery of Arthur Alexander...

On lp
Tindersticks, See My Girls, 12" ep
Simple Pleasure double lp reissue.

Tonight under headphones
Tindersticks, Curtains, double cd reissue.

I'm under the spell.

And I always thought Black Friday was any Friday on the 13th of the month...

Reset necessary?...here's a ditty to accompany this 'Black Friday' retail frenzy :

"I see music as a lifetime affair." [Rory Gallagher]

Title explains

😄

I came to Lambchop via their classic albums 'Aw Cmon/No You Cmon' (2004).
Today's recap is from OH(Ohio), another engaging listen (and calming, as I await the no-doubt frenetic cricket matches from both sides of the Tasman this evening )   

"I see music as a lifetime affair." [Rory Gallagher]

After RdM's thread on 'subsonic' bass, I dug out 'Moondance' (listed in the What Hi-Fi? article) & indeed there are substantial basslines through the album.

I picked up this USA LP only recently & I am surprised at the dynamics, stereo imaging & overall good fidelity on this.
I shouldn't be, because it's not unusual for 70s period album to have nice recorded sound. Despite the huge pressing numbers, multiple stampers, etc.

DarkLantern blog - darklanternforowen.wordpress.com

Thanks, Owen.

Possibly my 2nd favourite Van Morrison album after Astral Weeks.

My LP of that though I was disappointed to learn was a known inferior pressing.
Not to hand - I've realised that it's quite difficult to search the LP shelf I built above the TT shelf as it starts about 50mm above head height!
Craning eyesight up, needs focused lighting and maybe a step up foot-stool. [Visions of a steampunk sliding fresnel lens!]

But I do have a flac transcription of the Rhino 180g re-issue of that, with equipment notes.

And of Moondance, flacs of a CD re-issue. Warner Bros. Records 3103-2  Can't find the precise one even from the barcode at Discogs.

Haven't played those in a long time, maybe I should again while I have the temporary sat-sub set-up as the Sony G333ES await surround replacements.


I doubt that the low freq wouldn't be rolled off for the LP though.

(just felt like using a double negative;-)


I seem to recall Stereophile praising a new re-issue of (I thought) Astral Weeks some time back, perhaps in conjunction with those other complex faceted Sony speakers, but maybe that's all mixed up in my mind;- I can't find the relevant article in searching there on Astral Weeks or even Van Morrison- but I think it was the Rhino one.

And my mistake - perhaps I'll edit - I realise I have Rob Wasserman Trios, not the listed Duets, in that subsonic post.

Cheers !!!

After searching through what I had in flacs for Keith Jarrett, I found again and really enjoyed the whole album of
Kekko Fornarelli - ROOM OF MIRRORS

Here's the first track:





Kekko Fornarelli, piano
Luca Bulgarelli, double bass
Gianlivio Liberti, drums

Dec 5, 2020 19:07:06 GMT 12 RdM said:

But I do have a flac transcription of the Rhino 180g re-issue of that, with equipment notes.
...

I seem to recall Stereophile praising a new re-issue of (I thought) Astral Weeks some time back, perhaps in conjunction with those other complex faceted Sony speakers, but maybe that's all mixed up in my mind;- I can't find the relevant article in searching there on Astral Weeks or even Van Morrison- but I think it was the Rhino one.

And my mistake - perhaps I'll edit - I realise I have Rob Wasserman Trios, not the listed Duets, in that subsonic post.

Cheers !!!

www.analogplanet.com/content/exclusive-preview-van-morrisons-legendary-iastral-weeksi-180g-vinyl-0

Dec 5, 2020 22:40:02 GMT 12 Citroen said:

Dec 5, 2020 19:07:06 GMT 12 RdM said:

But I do have a flac transcription of the Rhino 180g re-issue of that, with equipment notes.
...

I seem to recall Stereophile praising a new re-issue of (I thought) Astral Weeks some time back, perhaps in conjunction with those other complex faceted Sony speakers, but maybe that's all mixed up in my mind;- I can't find the relevant article in searching there on Astral Weeks or even Van Morrison- but I think it was the Rhino one.

And my mistake - perhaps I'll edit - I realise I have Rob Wasserman Trios, not the listed Duets, in that subsonic post.

Cheers !!!

www.analogplanet.com/content/exclusive-preview-van-morrisons-legendary-iastral-weeksi-180g-vinyl-0

Thanks, but I still don't think that was the article I remembered.

I'll keep on looking.

Cheers!

Dec 5, 2020 19:07:06 GMT 12 RdM said:

Possibly my 2nd favourite Van Morrison album after Astral Weeks.

But I do have a flac transcription of the Rhino 180g re-issue of that, with equipment notes..

Technical notes of the transcription:

_

Hannl "limited" Record Cleaning Machine with Rotating Brush
Music Hall MMF 9.1 Turntable
Tonearm Pro-Ject 9cc Evo with Pure Silver Wires
Nagaoka MP-500
Brocksieper Phonomax (Tube Phono-PreAmp)
E-MU 0404 external USB 2.0 Audiointerface
Silent Wire NF 5
Wavelab 5 recording software
iZotope RX Advanced 1.21 for 16-bit/44.1kHz convertion

Vacuum Cleaning > TT > Belari > Laptop > Wavelab 5.01 (24/96) > manual click removal
analyze (no clipping, no DC Bias offset) > split into individual Tracks
> resampling and dither to 16-bit/44.1kHz with iZotope RX Advanced > FLAC encoded (Vers. 1.21)

_

A sample first track off the LP from that transcription:

A1 Astral Weeks (it's a flac file, for comment or criticism).

drive.google.com/file/d/1CWzLEIXjEeZafhD2hmJyYozHtOE4LK4N/view?usp=sharing

And A4 last track on that side, see if you can hear inner groove distortion?

A4 Cypress Avenue

drive.google.com/file/d/19P6rlLnZXlopsOxj0ArmDzQ4USiHl5j6/view?usp=sharing

I'm not sure how long these shared links will be available, so grab them while you can.

Purely for artistic technical discussion purposes!  ;=})

A few months ago Astral Weeks was among the records I borrowed from the public library.

It was a new EU pressing, Warners 7 Arts olive green label, no mention of Rhino, no hype sticker.

By itself it sounded decent enough, much like a modern recording but less antiseptic.

But compared to my '79 NZ re-issue the new record lacked the life and magic that makes the original recording so beguiling.

I've also got a 2015 Warners EU CD Chris Bellman remaster that sounds different again

Found my LP.
It's a Warner Bros white label WS 1768 Made in USA.
Somewhere I had gotten the idea that a different colour label was a better print,

Hmm, the green label, it seems.

The Rhino (Kevin Gray master) mentioned here:

forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/best-astral-weeks-on-vinyl.647926/

and from within that

forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/astral-weeks-rhino-reissue-or-wb-green-label-lp.334861/

Astral Weeks and Moondance are two of my all time favourites. Not sure where my vinyl copy of Mooo dance was pressed nor when - WS1835 “marketed b6 WEA Auckland NZ, but no dates or pressing info on label nor cover.

Astral Weeks from memory (it is in the shed with my main collection) is an early nz pressing. Also have it on CD, a1992 Germany pressing.

But my go to listen is “Astral Weeks - Live at the Hollywood Bowl” 2009 recording, on Listen to the Lion Records label - distributed by emi, 50999 6, 93423 1 8
A 2 LP set, spread over three sides with bonus songs on side 4.

Van jazzes things up a bit, and while most of the songs are of similar duration to the original, the opening track goes on for just under 10 minutes.

Edit - paid around $35 new, I see discogs prices are from $95 to $280!

No other vinyl to compare it to, but this version sounds damn fine to me. (2009 Reissue)

Dec 6, 2020 11:50:10 GMT 12 RdM said:

Found my LP.
It's a Warner Bros white label WS 1768 Made in USA.
Somewhere I has gotten the idea that a different colour label was a better print,

Sort of...

A green label with the Warner - Seven Arts logo was a first pressing, usually best sounding 

Later pressings used the Warner shield logo.

With regional variations.

Re-issues used labels willy-nilly.

A guide to Warner labels

cvinyl.com/labelguides/warnerbros..php

Over lunch I compared the flacs above to the various versions I have heard,

1. NZ re-issue lp
2. flacs
3. library EU pressing
4. EU CD re-issue

* back in the 80's i made a cassette dub of a uk pressing that sounded pretty good too