Top Artists

Various Artists – The Concert for Bangla Desh

More George Harrison

More Beatles

    • The Concert for Bangla Desh debuts on the site with STUNNING Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) grades or close to them on all SIX sides of these early British Apple pressings – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
    • Big and rich, with great space and energy, this copy has exactly the right sound for this epic live album from 1971
    • Our notes for our Shootout Winner again and again mention the Tubey Magic, wieght, body, spaciousness, the silky and breathy vocals, the lack of hardness, the solid kick drum – all the stuff we look for in a great sounding album seem to be here
    • “The…band was loaded with rock luminaries — including Beatles alumnus Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Badfinger, and two who became stars as a result of their electric performances here, Leon Russell (“Jumpin’ Jack Flash”/”Youngblood”) and Billy Preston (“That’s the Way God Planned It”).” – All Music
    • “The high point of the concert is the surprise appearance of Bob Dylan — at this reclusive time in his life, every Dylan sighting made headlines — and he read the tea leaves perfectly by performing five of his most powerful, meaningful songs from the 60s.”
    • 4 1/2 stars: “Hands down, this epochal concert at New York’s Madison Square Garden…was the crowning event of George Harrison’s public life, a gesture of great goodwill that captured the moment in history and, not incidentally, produced some rousing music as a permanent legacy.”

(more…)

Stevie Ray Vaughan – Texas Flood

More Stevie Ray Vaughan

More Electric Blues

  • With solid Double Plus (A++) grades from first note to last, you’ll have a hard time finding a copy that sounds remotely as good as this vintage Epic pressing
  • Both of these sides here are remarkably big, full and natural sounding with an abundance of energy and presence
  • 5 stars: “It’s hard to overestimate the impact Stevie Ray Vaughan’s debut, Texas Flood, had upon its release in 1983… Vaughan became a genuine star and, in doing so, sparked a revitalization of the blues…”

This copy gets Stevie’s room-filling guitar to sound about as rich and powerful as a recording of it can. When playing this record, first make sure the volume is up good and high. Now close your eyes and picture yourself in a blues club, with the volume ten times louder than your stereo will play. Electric blues played at loud levels in a small club would sound pretty much like this album does, a bit messy but also real.

If you’re one of those audiophiles who insists on proper soundstaging with layered depth and pinpoint imaging, forget it. That’s not in the cards. The producers and engineers were going for the “live in the studio” sound with this one (and most of his other albums it seems), which means it’s a jumble image-wise.

But that’s the way you would hear it performed live, so where’s the harm?

(more…)

Jimmy Smith – Hobo Flats

More Jazz Recordings of Interest

More Large Group Jazz Recordings

  • Hobo Flats is back on the site for only the second time in close to three years, here with solid Double Plus (A++) sound throughout this original Stereo Verve pressing – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
  • Both sides are wonderfully big, rich and lively, with boatloads of Tubey Magic and the kind of three-dimensional space that’s a hallmark of Bob Simpson‘s engineering
  • “Smith bubbles and bounces through all of it at the B-3 while Nelson proceeds to fill every available corner with huge, sweeping orchestral washes and crescendos. The clear highlight, though, is the lead and title track, ‘Hobo Flats,’ which moves at a languid but wonderfully funky pace and establishes a groove as wide as the Mississippi River.”

Both sides of this very special early stereo pressing are huge, rich, tubey and clear. As soon as the band got going we knew that this was absolutely the right sound for this music.

In the past we’ve complained about “echo-drenched brass” on some of these Oliver Nelson / Jimmy Smith collaborations, but on a killer copy such as this there is nothing to complain about. If you have a top quality front end (and the kind of system that goes with it), this recording will be amazingly spacious, three-dimensional, transparent, dynamic, and open.

(more…)

Brahms / Handel – Variations And Fugue On A Theme By Handel / Mayorga

More Direct to Disc Recordings

More Classical and Orchestral Recordings

  • Lincoln Mayorga‘s wonderful performance of these classical works for solo piano returns to the site for only the second time in years, here with STUNNING Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sound or close to it throughout this original Sheffield Direct to Disc import pressing
  • As we discovered many years ago, all pressings of this recording are out of polarity – you must reverse the polarity of your system to hear this record properly
  • Out of polarity, it sounds shockingly small, practically mono – with the polarity corrected, it is as big and real as if you were listening to the recital live from the front row
  • Both of these sides are amazingly rich, spacious, and transparent, with an exceptionally clear, solid and present piano and virtually no trace of smear
  • This copy fulfills the promise of the audiophile-oriented recording in a way that few – shockingly few, to be honest – pressings of its kind ever have

This Sheffield Direct-to-Disc LP is one of the best records ever put out by Sheffield.

Lincoln Mayorga is an accomplished classical pianist: this is arguably his best work. (I had a chance to see him perform at a recital of Chopin’s works early in 2010 and he played superbly — for close to two hours without the aid of sheet music I might add.)

(more…)

Frank Zappa / Hot Rats

More of the Music of Frank Zappa

More Jazz Fusion


  • Hot Rats returns to the site for only the second time in years on this original Bizarre pressing with two killer Nearly Triple Plus (A++ to A+++) sides – just shy of our Shootout Winner
  • The overall sound here is musical, natural and balanced with an abundance of Tubey Magical that only these better early pressings can offer
  • If you know the album well, and I know it very well, having played it literally hundreds of times, the Classic is positively unlistenable and will never come close to the big, rich analog sonics of the real deal we’re offering here
  • 4 1/2 stars: “Hot Rats still sizzles; few albums originating on the rock side of jazz-rock fusion flowed so freely between both sides of the equation, or achieved such unwavering excitement and energy.”
  • This is a Must Own album from 1969, one that should have a place in any audiophile’s collection

It takes us years to find copies that sound like this one. Bernie’s version for Classic beats a lot of copies out there, but it can’t hold a candle to this one.

I’ve been listening to Hot Rats since I was in high school. It’s still remarkably fresh and original, even now. This is not music for the faint of heart. Audiophiles who prefer a steady diet of Patricia Barber and her like will find little of interest here. But for those of you who want to explore something completely original and a bit “out there,” this should be right up your alley — and be sure to check out Waka Jawaka, too.

Reading in the liner notes today, I see that one of the engineers on this album is Jack Hunt, the famous half-speed mastering engineer who cut records for Mobile Fidelity and Direct Disc Labs. Oh how the mighty have fallen.

(more…)

Kraftwerk – Autobahn

More Art Rock

More Records We Only Sell on Import Vinyl

  • Seriously good sound on this fun, TAS-approved album with solid Double Plus (A++) grades or BETTER from start to finish
  • The title track takes up all of this Nearly Triple Plus (A++ to A+++) side one and is practically as good as we have ever heard, right up there with our Shootout Winner
  • The right early import pressings (a happy discovery from a few years back) have richness, transparency, space and presence not found anywhere else, I tell you!
  • Forget the dubby domestic pressings – they’re disappointing in the extreme
  • These imports are tough to find with the right stampers, the right sound and audiophile quality playing surfaces, which explains why our last big shootout was way back in 2022
  • 5 stars: “The 22-minute title track became an international hit single and remains the peak of the band’s achievements – it encapsulates the band and why they are important within one track – but the rest of the album provides soundscapes equally as intriguing.”

This vintage British Vertigo pressing has the kind of Tubey Magical Midrange that modern records can barely BEGIN to reproduce. Folks, that sound is gone and it sure isn’t showing signs of coming back. If you love hearing INTO a recording, actually being able to “see” the performers, and feeling as if you are sitting in the studio with the band, this is the record for you. It’s what vintage all analog recordings are known for — this sound. (more…)

10cc – How Dare You!

More 10cc

Reviews and Commentaries for the Music of 10cc

 

  • You’ll find INCREDIBLE Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sound or close to it on both sides of this early UK pressing of 10cc’s fourth (and most wacky) album, How Dare You! – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
  • This wonderful LP will show you that 10cc’s commitment to Audiophile Recording Quality was as strong as any of the major artists of their day
  • Forget the dubby domestic stuff and the no-doubt-awful Heavy Vinyl
  • This early British pressing is huge, spacious and rich, with prodigious amounts of bass, guaranteed to sound better than any other copy you’ve heard
  • 4 stars: “…a well-crafted album that shows off 10cc’s eccentric humor and pop smarts in equal measure… it remains a solid album of witty pop songs that will satisfy anyone with a yen for 10cc.”
  • If like us you’re a fan of Arty Rock from the ’70s, this is a killer album from 1976 that belongs in your collection.

With this superb British pressing, some of you who might consider yourselves more devoted fans of the band will finally be able to hear what a good recording this is. The typical domestic copy is a disaster as are some of the British originals and reissues; we should know, we cleaned them, played them and heard them for ourselves.

If you know anything about this band, you know their recordings are often amazing Demo Discs. We’ve done shootouts for all their most important titles and the sound on the best copies is OUT OF THIS WORLD.

If you’re looking for something off the beaten path, this is definitely one to check out. I don’t know of any other album like it.

Best sound on side one: “Lazy Ways.”

Best track on the album: “Rock ‘N Roll Lullaby.”

A Fan Favorite

How Dare You! has always been one of my favorite 10cc albums; I actually have the CD in my car so I can listen to it as often as I like.

That said, I would note that although most of the album is made up of melodic pop of the highest quality, it does contain some offbeat material that will find its strongest appeal among real 10cc fans.

Sheet Music (1974) and The Original Soundtrack (1975) are more accessible for those of you who are looking to hear the best music the original lineup of the band has to offer. After that, I would point you to the reformed band doing Deceptive Bends from 1977, which is pretty much the last good album the band made.

All three are Must Owns in my book.

(more…)

George Harrison – All Things Must Pass

More George Harrison

More of The Beatles

  • With superb sound on all six sides, this early British box set of All Things Must Pass will be very hard to beat
  • If you’ve struggled with domestic pressings and later imports or Heavy Vinyl reissues, your troubles are over – here is the sound you were looking for
  • This is a tough record to play, but if you devoted plenty of time and money into your system, and you have big dynamic speakers and the power to drive them to fairly loud levels, you are really in for a treat with this set
  • 5 stars: “Without a doubt, Harrison’s first solo recording is his best. Drawing on his backlog of unused compositions from the late Beatles era, Harrison crafted material that managed the rare feat of conveying spiritual mysticism without sacrificing his gifts for melody and grand, sweeping arrangements.”
  • This is clearly George Harrison’s best sounding album. Roughly 150 other listings for the best sounding album by an artist can be found here.
  • This is a Must Own title from 1970, an exceptionally good year for rock and pop music
  • Ken Scott used a great deal of tube compression in the mixing and mastering of the album, which of course makes the sound exceptionally Tubey Magical. No modern reissue we’ve ever played has been able to capture that sound
  • The flip side is that it is also one of the most difficult to reproduce, requiring the highest quality, most transparent, least distorted, most highly-tweaked equipment in order to cut through the layers and layers of sound

(more…)

Miles Davis – In Person: Saturday Night At The Blackhawk, Volume II

More Miles Davis

More Live Recordings of Interest

  • This superb 6-Eye Stereo pressing boasts relaxed, full bodied, three-dimensional Double Plus (A++) sound or BETTER from start to finish
  • Both of these sides are huge, spacious, lively, transparent and above all real – you won’t believe how good the live sonics captured on this album is (until you play it anyway)
  • 4 1/2 stars: “Davis himself has never played with more intensity and muscularity on record than he does here. Miles fans will need both [sets] to fully appreciate how special this engagement with this particular band was.”

(more…)

Could This Be the Sound Audiophiles Complain About with RVG’s Mastering?

More of the Music of John Coltrane

Reviews and Commentaries for the Music of John Coltrane

A rare and expensive early mono pressing that we put into our most recent shootout was dreadful sounding.

Our main listening guy owns the record and made the note you see below, saying that his personal copy is every bit as bad.

The sound of the original was painfully midrangy and crude. It was not the worst of all the pressings we played, but it was nevertheless pretty bad, sounding nothing like our shootout winners.

We had a pressing on an early Prestige label in stereo, also mastered by Rudy Van Gelder, that was reasonably good sounding, earning grades of 1.5+ to 2+. It was sweet and relaxed, but relatively small and lacked the weight of the best.

We had another early label Prestige mono pressing that was not good at all. It was the worst of the batch: crude, smeary and thick. (I can’t say that most modern remastered records are crude, although some of them are, but a great many we’ve played are smeary, and almost all of them are thick — that is, lacking in transparency — to some degree. That last quality — a lack of transparency — may be the most irritating of all, a subject we discuss here.)

For this music, we’ve found the best sound on the better Two-Fer pressings and the right OJC.

That Two-Fer budget reissue pressing, remastered by David Turner in 1972, can do very well in a shootout, but it can also fall far short of the mark on some sides, as you can see from the grades for these three other copies.

If you have the Two-Fer, how does yours sound compared to the four we auditioned (a shootout we were doing for the third or fourth time I might add), and how could you possibly know such a thing without a great many more copies at hand to clean and play?

Poor Rudy

Rudy Van Gelder comes in for a lot of criticism from the audiophile community, especially from audiophiles who prefer the remastered Heavy Vinyl pressings made from his recordings. Much of the criticism comes from some of the very same engineers responsible for mastering those records. Those who produce the reissues are notable critics as well.

Perhaps we will quote some of the opinions of these mastering experts and label owners at a later date. We take issue with a great deal of what they’ve said, especially Joe Harley’s defense of his rather lackluster Tone Poets records. (Reviews coming as well.) We will be writing more about this subject soon I expect.

Having recently played some of Rudy’s absolutely amazing recordings — here’s one that blew our minds — it seems that there must be folks out there who know how to make records from his tapes that put to shame anything being made today.

How they do it is a mystery to me, but when you have the physical record in hand capable of making the case by dint of its irrefutebly superior sound, how can there be an argument at all?

Proof Positive

I can prove that Rudy Van Gelder made great recordings, and I can prove that he mastered amazing sounding pressings, because I have the proof in the form of Hot Stamper pressings of his albums.

If you want to buy some, and prove to yourself how mistaken some members of the audiophile community are about RVG’s recordings, we can guarantee that you won’t lose money either way.

If you don’t see things the way we do, you get your money back. If you do see things the way we do, you will have learned a great deal about the value of these so-called expert’s opinions regarding vinyl pressings and their sound quality.

(more…)