Burgers is back on the site for only the second time in five years, here with incredible Nearly Triple Plus (A++ to A+++) grades on both sides of this vintage Grunt pressing – just shy of our Shootout Winner
The sound here is exceptionally rich, full-bodied and lively, with present, breathy vocals, as well as excellent clarity all around
4 stars: “Burgers, Hot Tuna’s third album, marked a crucial transition for the group… Burgers, originally released as the fourth Grunt album, sounded more like a full-fledged work than a satellite effort.”
New Jersey debuts on the site with INCREDIBLE Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sound or close to it throughout this original Mercury pressing – fairly quiet vinyl too
HUGE Rock Sound – the guitars and drums are positively jumping out of the speakers with dynamic energy, presented on a stage that’s exceptionally wide and tall
Which means the two monster hits – “Lay Your Hands On Me” and “Bad Medicine” – both rock like crazy on this Triple Plus side one, with more bottom and top end extension than on any of the other copies we played
4 1/2 stars: “Bon Jovi had perfected a formula for hard pop/rock by the time of New Jersey, concentrating on singalong choruses sung over and over again, frequently by a rough, extensively overdubbed chorus, producing an effect not unlike what these songs sounded like in the arenas and stadiums where they were most often heard.”
Left & Right appears on the site for only the second time ever, here with an INCREDIBLE Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) side one mated to a solid Double Plus (A++) side two – fairly quiet vinyl too
Rich, solid bass; you-are-there immediacy; energy and drive; instruments that are positively jumping out of the speakers – add it all up and you can see that this copy had the sound we were looking for
4 1/2 stars: “…extremely brilliant and thoroughly accessible.”
Music of Leroy Anderson, Vol. 2 (SR-90043) debuts on the site with solid Double Plus (A++) sound on both sides of this original Plum Label Mercury stereo pressing
It’s also fairly quiet at Mint Minus Minus, a grade that even our most well-cared-for vintage classical titles have trouble playing at
This spectacular recording is big, clear, rich, dynamic, transparent and energetic – here is the Mercury sound we love
Mercury recordings often struggled in the area of string reproduction, but here the rich, textured sheen sounds glorious – tonally correct and, above all, natural
Milstein’s virtuoso performance of Mozart’s violin concertos, here with an INCREDIBLE Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) side one mated to a solid Double Plus (A++) side two on this vintage Blue Angel Stereo pressing
This pressing has all the qualities that make analog so involving and pleasurable – the warmth, the richness, the naturalness, and above all the realism
The sound here has the power to transport you completely, with solid imaging and a real sense of space, qualities that allow us to forget we are sitting comfortably in our listening rooms and not in the concert hall
Milstein’s violin is immediate, real and lively here – you are in the presence of greatness with this recording
Uncle Meat appears on the site for only the second time ever, here with roughly Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sound or close to it on all FOUR sides of this original copy – fairly quiet vinyl too
Rich, warm and full-bodied, yet still highly resolving, spacious and dynamic – and the energy level is off the charts
Most pressings of this double album are just awful, if you can even find one that’s clean enough to bother playing
Much like Just Another Band From L.A, we suspect this album will hold more appeal for Zappa fans rather than audiophiles in general
4 1/2 stars: “Though some might miss the gleeful satire of Zappa’s previous work with the Mothers, Uncle Meat’s continued abundance of musical ideas places it among his most intriguing works.”
Like A Seed appears on the site for only the second time ever, here with an INCREDIBLE Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) side one mated to a solid Double Plus (A++) side two
There’s real Tubey Magic on this album, along with breathy vocals and in-your-listening-room midrange presence
These sides are bigger, more natural, warmer and more solid than those of any other copy you’ve heard or your money back
There are some bad marks (as is sometimes the nature of the beast with these vintage LPs) on “You Are My Woman,” but once you hear just how killer sounding this copy is, you might be inclined, as we were, to stop counting ticks and just be swept away by the music
4 1/2 stars: “Songs like the title cut and ‘Stringman’ spotlight Rankin’s continued growth as a songwriter.”
The Hot Stamper debut of Agharta, here with solid Double Plus (A++) sound or BETTER on all FOUR sides of these vintage Columbia pressings – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
Remarkably spacious and three-dimensional, as well as relaxed and full-bodied – this pressing was a noticeable step up over most other copies we played
Rich, solid bass; you-are-there immediacy; energy and drive; instruments that are positively jumping out of the speakers – add it all up and you can see that this copy had the sound we were looking for
Our Shootout Winner was too noisy to sell, which makes this the best pressing to come out of the shootout
“The music here is almost totally devoid of melody and harmony, and is steeped into a steamy amalgam of riffs shot through and through with crossing polyrhythms, creating a deep voodoo funk groove for the soloists to inhabit for long periods of time as they solo and interact with one another”
4 1/2 stars: “This is the greatest electric funk-rock jazz record ever made – period.”
Here is an original London pressing (CS 6023) of Ansermet and the Suisse Romande’s lively performance of these wonderful works with a spacious, textured and Tubey Magical Shootout Winning Triple (A+++) side two mated to a solid Double Plus (A++) side one
It’s also fairly quiet at Mint Minus Minus, a grade that even our most well-cared-for vintage classical titles have trouble playing at
This spectacular Demo Disc recording is big, clear, dynamic, transparent and energetic – here you will find some of the best orchestral Hot Stamper sound we offer
The sonics here have the power to transport you completely, with solid imaging and a real sense of space, qualities that allow us to forget we are in our listening rooms and not in the concert hall
There are some bad marks (as is sometimes the nature of the beast with these early pressings) on the first movement of Debussy’s Nocturnes – “Nuages,” but once you hear just how incredible sounding this copy is, you might be inclined, as we were, to stop counting ticks and just be swept away by the music
Exploring the Scene makes its Hot Stamper debut on this early Black Label Contemporary pressing with KILLER Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sound from first note to last
Tubier, more transparent, and more dynamic than all the other copies we played, with plenty of that “jumpin’ out of the speakers” quality that only The Real Thing ever has
As a matter of fact, no other copy in our shootout earned a 3+ grade on either side
The right reissues can be very good sounding, but they don’t stand a chance in a shootout with the best early pressings
Roy DuNann always seems to get phenomenally good sound in the sessions he records – amazingly realistic drums in a big room; Tubey Magical guitar tone; deep, note-like string bass, and on and on
4 stars: “The trio performs creative versions of such songs as ‘Little Susie,’ ‘So What,’ ‘Doodlin’,’ ‘This Here,’ and Ornette Coleman’s ‘The Blessing.'”
