B B King

There are three things to remember in life...

Never get rid of old vinyl, one day you will find it again and it will put a smile back on your face (even if its a "Did I really buy THIS?" wry smile)

Never leave a football match two minutes before the end (I did that once it was quite a few years ago Birmingham vs West Ham, 0-0, two minutes to play, the match was as dull as ditch water. We decided to leave and find a nice warm pub somewhere. Final score? 2-0.

Never invite members of the Forum round and ask them what would they like to hear and expect to be able to find it in your record collection (even John Peel may struggle at times with this lot).

I can only concur with Rockingdoc on this one. Everybody has something which could be called a "hobby" and for me it's collecting music. There's nothing more exciting than finding something unusual which presses all the right buttons. It's a scattergun approach, I agree, but I'm never stuck for something new to listen to and, in the case of Classical music, it's amazing how different interpretations can completely change one's perspective on even a well known piece.

I'm sure for many on here Hifi is in itself a kind of "hobby". Many would probably count me among them (heck, it's my living!) but really it's just a means of getting the best from the LPs, tapes and discs (not to mention the airwaves) that are out there. Isn't that what we're all trying to achieve?

Nigel,

You have a fair point - as I've said before on this thread there's no way I could start at the beginning of my collection and get through it all before I gracefully retire from this earth. That's not really the point. Thing is, it's a great resource and, as others have pointed out, probably a pretty good investment too (better than the stock-market at present anyway...). I hope that when the big day comes my Children will cherish what I've built up - if not then I trust they will pass it on to somebody who will.

There's no reluctance on our part to give details on our systems - most of you are already aware of the awesome systems owned by Paul and Doug to name but two. For my own part, the main system is going through a state of change at present with all sorts of Naim equipment on loan to evaluate and as such it's not really representative of what I will end up with or what works best together. I ask that you remain patient and eventually all will be revealed....

p.s. "Naim company pension scheme." What's that...?

Alan,

try the aptly named "Spotlight on Lucille" on Ace.

ACE Guy!

“I can concur with John C, BB King, The Vintage Years box set on Ace is a sensational sample of his ealier output on the RPM, Kent and Crown labels. Sound quality is extremely good and the enclosed book is well worth the entrance fee. There are plenty of notes describing the painstaking efforts that went into finding the best tapes from which to re-master the tracks and the whole effort reeks of class. Highly recommended!”

Richard,
I’m glad you mentioned Ace Records, they specialise in reissue stuff and go to great lengths in obtaining the best quality original material to work on.

On new years eve I had the good fortune to meet and chat with Ace’s MD Roger Armstrong. Apparently his own record collection is just as vast as yours, he’s always been an avid collector, always on the look out for vintage vinyl. He’s incredibly knowledgeable about music, particularly R&B.

I was soon well out of my depth, but I just needed to mention another blues great and that was Roger on a roll for the next ten minutes – What a guy!

His only failing was his misunderstanding of what hardware is required to replay music to good effect at home. I mean, imagine using a mixing desk as a preamp?!

I tried to educate him regarding the virtues of some ‘proper’ kit, but despite my best efforts he wasn’t swayed. I think he’s gone beyond the stage of just putting on a record and enjoying the music, he’s too distracted to do that.

Mr Tibbs