I ordered four albums from Acoustic Sounds to get my vinyl fix for the week:
The 45 RPM ORG reissue of Mingus Ah Um is a winner!
First up was the 45 RPM ORG reissue of Charles Mingus' Mingus Ah Um that my buddy Leo brought over for me to listen to. After hearing it, I knew it was a must have for my jazz collection.
45 RPM ORG reissue of Mingus Ah Um photo bombed by Woody SPU tonearm and Ortofon SPU Classic GM MkII - a wonderful combination!
The combination of the Woody SPU tonearm and Ortofon SPU Classic GM MkII phono cartridge provided a rich, smooth, transparent, dynamic, timbrally realistic, colorful, and eminently musically engaging performance from the 45 RPM ORG reissue of Mingus Ah Um.
The Woody SPU tonearm has been a delight, and I'm really loving it's rich, smooth, and musical way with the music.
I'm really enjoying having the Woody SPU tonearm on my turntable. Combined with my Ortofon SPU Classic GM MkII, the Woody SPU gives a rich, smooth, natural, dynamic, and powerful presentation of the music that really makes a performance come alive. If you're considering getting into the SPU scene (and I encourage you to check it out, it is a lot of fun) you definitely ought to give the Woody SPU a listen.
I think Pete Riggle's Woody SPU tonearm is his finest tonearm to date, it positively oozes musicality, allows you the flexibility of using an SPU or conventional phono cartridge depending on your musical whim, and is completely adjustable in ways that most SPU tonearms are not. Check out the Woody SPU when you get a chance.
Consider an SPU compatible tonearm for your listening pleasure. I think many of you would love the way an SPU phono cartridge & SPU tonearm plays music.
Even if you're not quite ready to jump on the SPU phono cartridge bandwagon, if you're considering a new tonearm, be sure to get one that is SPU compatible so you can leave the SPU cartridge option open. You can always use a headshell (I like the Thomas Schick graphite headshell the best) with a conventional cartridge on an SPU compatible arm, but if you get a conventional tonearm you can forget about using an SPU phone cartridge on it, as they're not compatible.
Anyways, the ORG 45 RPM reissue of Mingus Ah Um is a must have, so be sure to add it to your wish list for your jazz collection.
Michael Hedges' Aerial Boundaries from Audio Fidelity.
Next up was the limited edition offering of Michael Hedges' Aerial Boundaries from Audio Fidelity (originally released on the Windham Hill label in 1984), that was remastered by Kevin Gray, and pressed at Quality Record Pressings, which is a pretty good pedigree, and as such, there's been a fair amount of hoopla around this album, so I was interested to hear it given my love for acoustic guitar music.
Michael Hedges' Aerial Boundaries limited edition release from Audio Fidelity.
Aerial Boundaries appears to be cut from digital master tapes, but there's nary a place on the album that you would ever make you suspect that sonically, as Kevin Gray did a first rate job remastering it. Aerial Boundaries offers full, rich, detailed, and dynamic sound. These days, Windham Hill is owned by Sony, but back in the day, it was an eclectic private label for exploratory acoustic music, that most referred to as 'new age' music. Aerial Boundaries is not folk, or rock, or jazz, but it is a creative take on acoustic guitar playing, and when it was first issued it really stirred up the guitar world. If you're wanting to add something a little different to your collection of acoustic guitar recordings, this excellent sounding recording is worth considering.
Abkco 45 RPM 12-inch single reissue of the Rolling Stones' I Can't Get No Satisfaction.
I also picked up the 12-inch 45 RPM single Abkco reissue of The Rolling Stones' I Can't Get No Satisfaction (A side above) ...
B side.
... and The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man & The Spider and the Fly on the B side.
This is what fun looks like!
The Rollings Stones' music is all about fun for me, and this 12-inch 45 RPM single is a blast to listen to, and once the stylus found the groove, I jumped & strutted around in front of the stereo, pretending I was Mick Jagger, and having a ball. I haven't heard I Can't Get No Satisfaction sound as good as it does on this release, which sounds noticeably better to me than it does on Hot Rocks 1964-1971 (which was pretty good in its own right). A fun, frivolous, record. Recommended just for the sheer joy of it.
Simon & Garfunkel's The Concert In Central Park is my favorite S&G album.
The Concert In Central Park from 1982 is by far my favorite album of Simon & Garfunkel music. This 2-record album was originally released on the Warners Brothers label in 1982, and when I saw that the Columbia reissue I bought it immediately.
This live S&G concert recording sounds better than it has any right to, I think you'll love it.
The Concert in Central Park is another fun album, and as soon as the stylus hit the groove, I danced my way back to the listening seat and settled in for some extended joy. This is a no-brainer, guys, if you don't have a copy of this be sure to buy one before they're all gone. It sounds pretty good too.
Thanks for stopping by. More later.
Update: I wanted to give you a heads up that Yves at Vintage Vacuum Audio has available 1 pair of vintage McIntosh MC30s, 1 pair of vintage MC75s, and a vintage MC225, all restored with TLC. They won't last long, so if you think you'd like to add a vintage Mac to your collection, get in touch with Yves ASAP.
