Music Room

Proms Friday 4th Aug (tomorrow) 7:30pm on Radio 3 Ella & Dizzy Centenary tribute Dianne Reeves (voc) James Morrison (tpt) - superb If I still lived around London I would go - couple of box seats left - I think it will be superb !?

All Photobucket has stopped publishing the pictures on here and now request a monthly fee for that service - what are you guys using as service for displaying your pictur s ?

I haven't listened to these 2 albums ( Crime of the Century and Crisis What Crisis? What Crisis) for years, but really fancied doing so last night. Sadly, I discovered that the 15+ year old CD's that I own and have ripped are of the typically execrable early CD transfer variety and are virtually unlistenable. I'm hoping that better versions are now available. Can anyone advise on which are the best digital reissues to go for?

I remember in the 1970s Ivor Tiefenbrun demonstrated that the turntable was the most important component in a system rather than the amplifier and speakers. The theory was 'garbage in, garbage out'. I think the importance of the front end remains relevant to this day but in this day and age, we seem to have a different kind of garbage, namely current recording technology. Modern recordings and often, remasterings, have the life and soul of the music sucked out of them by the use of...

I have been listening to the Stravinsky violin concerto lately. Readings by Hahn and Kopatchinskaja. I prefer the Kopatchinskaja because it is more "Russian" and the London Philharmonic under Jurowski sound like they are from Moscow or St Pete. Do any of you have a favourite recording of this concerto? BB

With Mobile Fidelity releasing The Nightfly next week with a price tag to put many into a cold sweat (£146), I wonder if there's a point when the asking price becomes too absurd. A rare, collectible album may warrant a steep price due to its cachet, but new remastered releases? I am a sucker for these types of new products, so will be grabbing my hand away from the order button when it's on sale next week. But I bet at some point I'll find a good reason to justify splashing out on the new...

You must all notice this. Compare: Electronic Music (e.g. Radiohead/Dance Mixes/Mike Oldfield) Orchestras (e.g. Swan Lake) Rock (e.g. Nickelback) The electronic is always higher fidelity and I have a theory why. The synthesiser plugs STRAIGHT into the mixing desk, compared to a microphone and cables next to the instrument. Agreed?

I get most of my ECM albums from Qobuz. For ages they have been about £11 for standard res, and £16 for high res. I've just had a look on the website and standard albums have jumped up to £13.99 and over £19 for high res. It's a big jump, and a lot more than the movement in the £/€ exchange rate. Oh well, I'll just have to buy fewer albums.

What a fantastic album. Is it my imagination that as you upgrade your system Jaz just gets better and better. The timing, the drumming the drum sound,,the bass oh so good. Before I started down the upgrade path, I didn't really get jaz. Now I think I'm in love. Cheers.

....another tragic death...

considering getting the reissue for the new material - already have first pressing. Not sure why they felt a need to remaster other than possibly justify reissuing and sweeten the pot so to speak with the previously unreleased material. Has anyone any insight on the remaster quality? Hopefully they haven't turned the dynamics to complete shite to appease the iPod generation.

Yep, it's 300 years to the day today (July 17th) that Mr Handel's splendid suite had its debut on a barge in the Thames, in front of King George I. I would like to wish it very many happy returns, and I hope other forumites will join in. Two of my favourite interpretations are by Jordi Savall; and by Pinnock and the English Consort. Here's the marvellous Mr Savall:

Looking for a recommendation for a Rock album in DSD format to really show off the benefits of the format. Where to download it from would be good as well Thanks

Listen only to 'Dazzling Blue' to know this is special. Wonderful recording.

I will in the coming days publish my impressions of the North Sea Jazz Festival. Under this post. As I don't have anymore a functioning Photobucket I can't show you Festival photo's or videos - so i will try to compensate with other visual material which is available. North Sea Jazz Festival is for me always a key event in the year....

An overseas friend of mine asked me to buy him a vinyl copy of The Stone's 'Blue & Lonesome' for when I go out next week. My first call was the big river, Wa' !!!! what is going on, £60 !!! they cannot be serious, then £40 for the CD, what madness is this. Looking around the different mediums & vendors the price spread is all over the place. Vinyl: Amazon £60.08 HMV £26.99 CD: Amazon £40.75 for SHM-CD version & £5.00 for 'regular' CD HMV £5.99 24-bit/88.2kHz: HDTracks £26.00...

I saw Alejandro Escovedo last night and he was excellent - highly recommended. I would have posted this in the "Last concert I saw thread" but I have been thinking that maybe a more useful thread would be one which alerts other forum members to upcoming events and thus gives them the chance to go and hear for themselves. I kind of tried this recently by starting a Bill Kirchen tour thread which led several forum members to catch his shows. It seems to me there must be scope for more of this,...

Sony are to open a new pressing plant in Japan... https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/jun/29/sony-to-open-vinyl-pressing-factory-in-japan-records

8-CD box set just arrived today so I've had a very fun evening playing them all. SQ is fabulous - whack the dB up and it feels like a live concert. Many reviews have lamented the lack of audience noise, but I'm very happy without it. Since the versions presented are, in some cases, so different from the originals, it's like I've bought modern reworkings of the original albums. Packaging and presentation is very slick too, rather like 2009's The Catalogue. Only gripe is that they've shortened...

The Cactus Blossoms. Your Dreaming via Spotify

Heard/saw these on the closing credits from episode three of Twin Peaks "the return" The Cactus Blossoms. Your Dreaming

The best concert I ever went to was The Smiths in November 1983, at Leicester Poly. I went with my friends Keith and Hat Top, and Keith's two brothers. The older brother was a miner (the UK had mines back then) and I recall him wearing his miner's helmet, complete with torch. The band we just superb, and played three encores. They didn't have many songs written, so had to play a couple twice! It was just the most wonderful evening. The other best, and I can't really divide then, was Joy...

Hmm...I know so little about music, but I'm learning. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tk-5RVMerfI SITG

Great programme on BBC TV this eve, digging into the making of Sgt Pepper. If you didn't see it, it is something worth looking up on BBC iPlayer: Called "Sgt Pepper's Musical Revolution with Howard Goodall" it was on BBC2 at 9pm Sat 3rd June

Quite surprised there's been no sign of a thread about Glasto. Royal Blood, ............. 'nuff said ............... erm, extremely LOUD! ............. brilliant!!!!