For those readers new to this column, please read the introductory comments in Part one HERE.
As I mentioned in Part 2 of this series (HERE) in the late 1980s I had an early mid-life crisis. For a variety of reasons, but partly due to being despondent over the poor sound quality of early CD technology and constant news telling us all about the imminent demise of the LP, I decided to refocus and change my lifestyle entirely. Instead of focusing all my attention on audio, record collecting, playing ice hockey and riding my bicycle (up to 300 miles per week) I sold my house (purchased when I was just twenty-four years old), gave away my beloved Acoustat Monitors as an incentive to the real estate agent that brought in a buyer, sold all my furniture and most of my other belongings. I put my records, LP12 and PS Audio 4H in storage along with my bikes, hockey equipment and a few other things. I then bought a thirty-five-foot sailboat and moved aboard, docking it in Marina Del Rey, CA. Though living aboard, it was always kept ready to sail, and pretty much every weekend was spent either day sailing with friends or cruising the California coast, including multiple trips to Catalina Island (about six hours sailing if the winds were good).
During this time I wasn't totally without music. While at the dock and connected to shore power, I had about 75 cassette tapes I recorded from my record collection, using a Sony WM-D6C Walkman Professional that played through an old Advent 300 receiver into a pair of early Linn Kans. The receiver had an excellent tuner and in the Marina we had really good reception, especially for KUSC (91.5 FM), the local classical station. When sailing, the boat had a typical marine audio system with a cassette player and waterproof speakers mounted in the cockpit. Played a lot of Jimmy Buffet tunes on that system!
I still collected a few used records during this time, mostly from thrift shops, garage sales and used record stores. Those went straight to the storage room with the rest of the collection. It was also during this time one of our company VPs, after hearing that I had been seriously into music and audio, gave me his complete record collection. He insisted that after hearing CD for the first time he knew he'd never listen to a record again. I wish he would have given me his Garrard 301 or his Quad 57 speakers and matching Quad electronics. His collection amounted to about two hundred records: some good classical, a fair amount of opera, some decent easy listening and jazz, but a little too much religiously oriented music. All were in excellent condition.
The woman I would eventually marry moved onto the boat with me about two years later, and our child lived his first three-and-a-half years on it, too. In 1997 we decided he needed a stable neighborhood to grow up in, and an opportunity came up to sell the boat at a decent price. We became landlubbers again.
My wife understood that moving ashore meant buying a new system, and we started off with a used BandK ST-140 (original version) and a closeout pair of Sound Dynamics 300ti speakers. I still have those though they don't see much action anymore. The new house had a dedicated listening room and by 1999 I was writing about audio for Listener magazine, and since then I have as I've mentioned many times, focused solely on lower cost, higher value audio gear. That is a story for another time.
(Note: I apologize for the poor image quality of these photos from the early days of this project. At the time I had a defective lens on my Sony DSLR)
Rickie Lee Jones, Rickie Lee Jones
Label: Warner Bros. Records – BSK 3296
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo, Jacksonville Pressing
Country: US
Released: Mar 23, 1979
Genre: Rock, Funk / Soul
Style: Rhythm and Blues
Some artists manage to put out debut albums that just seem like they've been doing this sort of thing for many years, and Rickie Lee Jones' first LP is one of those. The level of attitude, confidence and style is rare on a first effort. To my ears, as solid as her discography has grown to be over the years, this is still her best, or at lest my favorite. Another album purchased immediately after a performance on SNL, this time in April 1979. Been a huge RLJ fan ever since. This is an album that never gets old for me. Even though this was a real audiophile favorite in the 1980s, it never got to a point where I couldn't listen to this album as often as the opportunity arose.
Tracklist
A1 - Chuck E.'s In Love 3:31
A2 - On Saturday Afternoons In 1963 2:35
A3 - Night Train 3:18
A4 - Young Blood 4:07
A5 - Easy Money 3:20
A6 - The Last Chance Texaco 4:08
B1 - Danny's All-Star Joint 4:06
B2 - Coolsville 3:52
B3 - Weasel And The White Boys Cool 6:03
B4 - Company 4:54
B5 - After Hours (Twelve Bars Past Goodnight) 2:15
https://open.qobuz.com/album/o19s2yqy4bjbb
Genesis, Nursery Cryme
Label: Charisma – CAS 1052, Classic Records. CAS 1052
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo, 180g
Country: US
Released: 2000
Genre: Rock
Style: Prog Rock
The first Genesis album with the classic lineup; Gabriel, Hackett, Collins, Banks and Rutherford. Still amazes me after all these years. Not a weak moment to be heard. Though I love all their Gabriel era albums, this is the one I listen to the most and would probably call my favorite. It is worth it just for the song "The Musical Box."
My original US issue Charisma LP that I bought in the early 1970s while in high school always sounded kind of dark, murky, and compressed, but this Classic Records 180-gram reissue cleared that up. Never imagined how good the recording was until I heard this LP.
Tracklist
A1 - The Musical Box 10:26
A2 - For Absent Friends 1:45
A3 - The Return Of The Giant Hogweed 8:10
B1 - Seven Stones 5:10
B2 - Harold The Barrel 2:59
B3 - Harlequin 2:55
B4 - The Fountain Of Salmacis 7:53
https://open.qobuz.com/album/0603497976263
Lee "Scratch" Perry, Master Piece Special Edition
Label: Born Free Records (2) – BF0041
Format: Vinyl, 12", EP
Country: US
Released: 2012
Genre: Reggae
Style: Reggae, Dub
Most 76-year-old guys are probably looking to take it easy, not release kick ass albums like this 2012 LP! I'm no expert in the dub subgenre, though I have listened to plenty of reggae and read plenty about dub and Lee "Scratch" Perry to appreciate this album. This one surprisingly just showed up in the mail one day. There was a short span of time after I published an interview with Leonardo Pavkovic of Moonjune Records where small record companies started sending me new records.
Tracklist
A1 - Soul Man 4:11
A2 - Medusa Dub 11:45
A3 - Mr. Upsetter (Pop Mix) 3:16
B1 - Mr. Upsetter (Dancehall Fusion Mix) 4:47
B2 - Mr. Upsetter 4:19
B3 - Mr. Upsetter (Funky Mix) 3:41
B4 - Forgiveness 5:08
B5 - Forgiveness (Road Of Life Riddim) 3:25
https://open.qobuz.com/album/0603408400429
Gang Of Four, Solid Gold
Label: Warner Bros. Records – BSK 3565
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Los Angeles Pressing
Country: US
Released: April 29, 1981
Genre: Rock
Style: New Wave, Punk
Powerhouse post-punk for the politically and socially observant. I somehow missed Gang of Four's first album (Entertainment!), but I remember driving home from work with KROQ on the radio and hearing "What We All Want" for the first time. I stopped at Tower Records minutes later to buy this album. Although the whole album is excellent, the first side is near perfection for this genre. Superb sound quality, too. A couple years ago I brought this LP to T.H.E. Show here in SoCal, and for the few rooms that were willing to play it, it proved to be a killer demo album! It sounded great on DeVore's new-at-the-time O/Baby speakers.
Tracklist
A1 - Paralysed 3:20
A2 - What We All Want 4:56
A3 - Why Theory ? 2:33
A4 - If I Could Keep It For Myself 4:07
A5 - Outside The Trains Don't Run On Time 3:16
B1 - Cheeseburger 4:04
B2 - The Republic 3:20
B3 - In The Ditch 4:21
B4 - A Hole In The Wallet 4:01
B5 - He'd Send In The Army 4:25
https://open.qobuz.com/album/zscfv5br5bfab
Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Kate & Anna McGarrigle
Label: Warner Bros. Records – BS 2862
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Los Angeles Pressing
Country: US
Released: 1975
Genre: Rock
Style: Folk Rock
I remember reading an article about this album when it was first released, though don't remember what publication it was from, and from how they described it I had to find it and buy it asap. Then I saw them on SNL that pushed me to head to either Record Theater or House of Guitars the next day (April 1977). My original LP was stolen, but I found this good condition used, original copy at a record shop in Florida some years later. Still one of my top ten favorite albums of all time. Until you this album, you've never heard "Heart Like A Wheel" sound so perfect. Linda Ronstadt made it famous, but Anna McGarrigle wrote it. "(Talk To Me Of) Mendocino" ranks as one of my top emotionally evocative songs.
Tracklist
A1 - Kiss And Say Goodbye 2:46
A2 - My Town 2:56
A3 - Blues In D 2:42
A4 - Heart Like A Wheel 3:09
A5 - Foolish You 3:01
A6 - (Talk To Me Of) Mendocino 3:08
B1 - Complainte Pour Ste-Catherine 2:45
B2 - Tell My Sister 3:36
B3 - Swimming Song 2:26
B4 - Jigsaw Puzzle Of Life 2:29
B5 - Go Leave 3:18
B6 - Travelling On For Jesus 2:41
https://open.qobuz.com/album/0081227913861
Genesis, Foxtrot
Label: Charisma – CAS 1058, Classic Records – CAS 1058
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo, 180 gram
Country: US
Released: 2001
Genre: Rock
Style: Art Rock, Prog Rock
Back to 1970s prog rock, this is another Classic Records reissue that let loose the treasure hidden in a mediocre original US release. It seems when most people write about Gabriel era Genesis they tend to focus on this album and the epic track "Supper's Ready" but I like Nursery Cryme and Selling England by the Pound better. However, Genesis of this period was just fantastic from every standpoint.
Tracklist
A1 - Watcher Of The Skies 7:23
A2 - Time Table 4:46
A3 - Get 'Em Out By Friday 8:37
A4 - Can-Utility And The Coastliners 5:45
B1 - Horizon's 1:41
B2 - Supper's Ready (22:52)
B2-1 - Lover's Leap
B2-2 - The Guaranteed Eternal Sanctuary Man
B2-3 - Ikhnaton And Itsacon And Their Band Of Merry Men
B2-4 - How Dare I Be So Beautiful?
B2-5 - Willow Farm
B2-6 - Apocalypse In 9/8 (Co-Starring The Delicious Talents Of Gabble Ratchet)
B2-7 - As Sure As Eggs Is Eggs (Aching Men's Feet)
https://open.qobuz.com/album/0603497976287
Photon Band, Pure Photonic Matter Volume 1
Label: Nod And Smile Records – MVD5725LP
Format: Vinyl, LP, Limited Edition
Country: US
Released: Jun 4, 2013
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock, Indie Rock, Space Rock
This arrived unannounced in the mail at a time when my table wasn't working, and it got filed away and forgotten. The band has been around since the 1990s, but this album is from 2013. Ranging between a 60's psychedelic and 90 indie rock sound, it makes for a decent record. Not the best recording, though, so hard core "sound first" audiophiles should beware. Apparently this was a limited run of just 500 records.
Tracklist
A1 - Thought Crimes (Part 1)
A2 - What You See
A3 - From Eternity (To Here)
A4 - Posi-vibe
A5 - Went To The (Space Bar)
A6 - Found In Space
B1 - Soundings In Fathom
B2 - Believe In Believin'
B3 - ... But I Wanna Know
B4 - Pret-ty Lies
B5 - Don't Feel Bad
B6 - Thought Crimes (Part 2)
B7 - Repose
https://open.qobuz.com/album/bx3hr0aooc2cc
Jerry Read Smith, Tom Fellenbaum, The Strayaway Child
Label: Song Of The Wood Music – 7811
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo, Sheffield
Country: US
Released: 1981
Genre: Folk, World, and Country
Style: Folk, Celtic, Appalachian Music
I've had this album since the early 1980s, and yes, it was from one of Harry Pearson's Superdisk lists. Yes, in the photo you see it is still sealed. However, at the time this photo was taken (October, 2014) I had recently been in Black Mountain, NC visiting an old friend, and as I left his house, just two blocks away, was Jerry Reed Smith's "Song of the Wood" shop! I was going to stop in and check it out, but they had closed for the day already. It made me think of this album and made me wonder why I never opened it. Well, I finally played it and I'm glad I did. Great music (if you like hammered dulcimer and this kind of stuff) and it is a superb recording.
Tracklist
A1 - The Dream 2:40
A2 - The Strayaway Child 3:02
A3 - Martin Wynn's Reel / The Pigeon On The Gate 2:33
A4 - Midnight On The Water / Star Of The County Down 2:51
A5 - The Dancing Dog Jig / The Blarney Pilgrim 3:16
A6 - Lord Inchiquin 2:33
B1 - Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring 3:36
B2 - The Butterfly / Swallowtail Jig 3:24
B3 - Castle Kelly 2:25
B4 - The Southwind 2:17
B5 - Kesh Jig / The Kid On The Mountain 3:17
B6 - Somewhere Over The Rainbow / The Dream 3:58
Not available on Qobuz, but here's a link to purchase a CD issue direct from Song of the Wood https://www.songofthewood.com/product-page/strayaway-child
King Crimson, Larks' Tongues In Aspic
Label: Atlantic – SD 7263
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo, PR - Presswell Pressing
Country: US
Released: 1973
Genre: Rock
Style: Prog Rock
Another LP I've had for over 50 years, since my high school days. I've played it hundreds of times yet it always fascinates me. Not just a long-time favorite album, but a very significant one in the development of my musical tastes. A friend in high school loaned me a copy of this and Genesis's Selling England By The Pound and by the end of that day I was completely hooked on prog rock. It literally changed what I wanted from music from that point on.
I am pretty sure that listening to prog rock was one of the big influences in my getting involved in higher quality audio. This stuff just doesn't make sense if you can't really hear everything that's going on in it. It must be listened to, and makes for lousy background music. The more closely you listen, the more you hear how better systems play the music better and make it more understandable and enjoyable.
Tracklist
A1 - Larks' Tongues In Aspic, Part One 13:36
A2 - Book Of Saturday 2:59
A3 - Exiles 7:37
B1 - Easy Money 7:51
B2 - The Talking Drum 7:28
B3 - Larks' Tongues In Aspic, Part Two 7:10
