What are you listening to and WHY might anyone be interested? (Vol.IX)

The real Chicago :-

This morning, both on vinyl

On 7 1/2 ips 4 track reel.  Still sounding amazingly fresh.

Richard, just out of interest, how do you store your R2R tapes? And how, generally do they hold up to the ravages of time?

Original vinyl

Kevin, I always store them upright in their boxes with the leader wrapped neatly and stuck to the back of the reel.  They're kept in a dark cool but dry store room.  Generally they hold up very well.  Most of the '60s and early '70s reels used a fairly basic Ampex tape.  It's not totally neutral having a distinctive sound signature (very airy, a bit forward and bit hissy, but with a huge soundstage and with a velvety texture to the bass).  The basic Ampex tape that was used is very strong and long lasting if stored correctly.  It resists print-through well and I've never had any shed or snaps whatsoever, unlike the more exotic formulations which are stuff of legend when it comes to falling apart and destroying tape machines. Many of the more advanced formulas had binder issues and would start shedding from the first replay.  You could bake them once, maybe even twice, but after that they've had it.  It's one reason perhaps why reissues these days never quite have the same magic as the original releases - the master tapes are either worn, the binder has deteriorated, or have been baked once too often.  Sometimes it's probably better to go for a copy master or even a digital copy.  Restoration is possible, but it's hugely laborious and it'll never be quite the same as when the tape was fresh. 

Modern advanced formulas are generally a lot better, but there are exceptions and sometimes a rogue batch.  For recording I like BASF SM 911 or SM 468 which suit the Revoxes very well and have so far held up nicely.  Then again, I don't do much R2R recording these days, mostly just play back of a fairly large collection of pre-recorded tapes from the US.

On CD:-

On original 1st press vinyl

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Beat the Devil's Tattoo

One of the best recordings of this opera, with a starry cast down to the smallest roles (Cecilia Bartoli sang Puccini!) and a conductor who knows his away around the work backwards. The remarkable thing is how good Freni and Pavarotti still sounded - both approached their 60th birthday (and you wouldn't know it), and Pav learned the role of Des Grieux specifically for this recording. Recording quality is exceptional.

Cheers,

EJ

Rooting through past Amazon purchases on cloud player

Rather grand

..what does one need more, sun, Saturday newspaper and...

On CD:-

Japanese vinyl

Thanks Richard, most interesting.