1963

Thelonious Monk – Criss-Cross

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Hot Stamper Pressings of Jazz Albums Available Now

  • This black print 360 Stereo pressing boasts solid Double Plus (A++) sound or BETTER from first note to last
  • Columbia records produced by Teo Macero in the early ’60s have consistently open, natural sound – this one recorded in ’63 is no exception
  • The piano sounds natural and dynamic, letting Monk’s passionate playing shine
  • 4 stars: “Thelonious Monk’s second album for Columbia Records features some of the finest work that Monk ever did in the studio with his ’60s trio and quartet … This is prime Monk for any degree of listener.”

I wish more Blue Note records had this kind of sound — natural, full-bodied, and sweet up top. The bass here is well-defined with real weight and lots of punch. Monk’s piano sounds correct from the highest notes all the way down to the lower register, and the sax sounds tonally right on the money. The clarity and transparency are superb throughout. (more…)

Bruch & Mozart / Violin Concertos / Heifetz

Hot Stamper Pressings with Jascha Heifetz Performing

  • Heifetz’s lively performance of these wonderful violin concertos debuts on the site with excellent Living Stereo sound  throughout this original Shaded Dog pressing
  • This is right at the top of all the recordings Heifetz made for RCA in the glory days of Living Stereo — there may be titles that are comparable, but we have yet to hear a violin concerto recording that can surpass it
  • Both of these sides are exceptionally relaxed and spacious, with the rich, textured sheen of the violin that Living Stereo made possible in the 50s and early 60s clearly evident throughout these pieces
  • It’s simply bigger, more transparent, less distorted, more three-dimensional and more real than practically all of the other copies we played
  • LSC 2652 is one of the hardest Heifetz titles to find with the original Shaded Dog label, and quite a few of the copies we paid premium prices for turned out to have marks or other problems in the vinyl
  • Skip the Red Seal pressings from the 70s — the ones we played were bright, screechy, thin and missing just about everything that makes the early pressings so amazingly good

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Bach / Suites For Solo Cello No. 2 & No. 5 / Starker

More of the music of J.S. Bach

  • An early Mercury label pressing of Starker’s legendary 1963 recording of Bach’s sublime music for solo cello with solid Double Plus (A++) grades or close to them from top to bottom
  • Suite No. 5 takes up all of this superb Double Plus side two, and we guarantee you’ve never heard it sound this good
  • True, side one earned a minimal Hot Stamper grade of 1.5+, but we are very confidant that it will beat the pants off any Heavy Vinyl reissue because every one of those that we played was opaque, muddy and thick enough to have us crying “uncle” after five minutes
  • Some Mercury pressings from the 50s have absolutely amazing sound – we should know, we’ve played them

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Marty Robbins – Hawaii’s Calling Me

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More Vintage Columbia Pressings 

  • An original copy of Marty’s 1963 release boasting rich, sweet Double Plus (A++) sound or close to it throughout – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
  • The kind of Tubey Magical, tonally correct, spacious sound on this black text stereo 360 label pressing is nothing less than an audiophile thrill (particularly on side one)
  • The only other Robbins record that can hold a candle to this one is Gunfighter Ballads & Trail Songs
  • “Robbins performs beautifully, creating a breezy mood that marks one of pop music’s better attempts at the genre.”
  • More records with exceptionally Tubey Magical sound
  • More reviews of our most Tubey Magical demo discs

The Analog sound of this pressing makes a mockery of even the most advanced digital playback systems, including the ones that haven’t been invented yet.

I’d love to play this for Neil Young so he can see what he’s up against. Good Luck, Neil, you’re going to need it.

We’ve been through dozens of Columbia albums from the 60s since we discovered how good the Marty Robbins titles on Columbia can sound. Most of the popular vocal and country albums we play have an overall distorted sound, are swimming in reverb, and come with hard, edgy, smeary vocals to boot.

To find an album with freakishly good sound such as this involves a healthy dose of pure luck. You will need to dig through an awfully big pile of vinyl to uncover a gem of this beauty. (more…)

Charles Mingus – The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady

More Charles Mingus

  • Mingus’s avant-garde Jazz Masterpiece makes it back to the site after an 18-month hiatus with INCREDIBLE Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sound or close to it on both sides
  • This copy is overflowing with the kind of rich, spacious, Tubey Magical sound that can only be found on vintage vinyl
  • One of the most acclaimed jazz records of the 20th century – a dizzying blend of jazz and classical, and also elements of African music and Spanish themes
  • 5 stars: “The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady is one of the greatest achievements in orchestration by any composer in jazz history. Charles Mingus consciously designed the six-part ballet as his magnum opus, and – implied in his famous inclusion of liner notes by his psychologist – it’s as much an examination of his own tortured psyche as it is a conceptual piece about love and struggle.”
  • This is a Must Own jazz album from 1963 that belongs in every jazz-loving audiophile’s collection

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Ravel / Dukas et al. – Works by Ravel, Honegger and Dukas / Ansermet

More Classical and Orchestral Recordings

  • An incredible London pressingof this superb release with Nearly Triple Plus (A++ to A+++) grades on both sides – just shy of our Shootout Winner
  • 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, rich, dynamic, transparent and energetic – here you will find some of the best orchestral Hot Stamper sound we offer
  • The sound of the orchestra is dramatically richer and sweeter than you will hear on practically all other pressings – what else would you expect from Decca’s engineers and the Suisse Romande?
  • 1963 was a great year for classical recordings – other Must Own Orchestral releases can be found here.

The sound is clear, with wonderful depth to the stage. As a rule, the classic ’50s and ’60s recordings of Ansermet and the Suisse Romande in Victoria Hall are as big and rich as any you may have ever heard. These recordings may just be the ideal blend of clarity and richness, with depth and spaciousness that will put to shame 98% of the classical recordings ever made.

Side One

Bolero (Ravel)

Tubey and clear, with both the snare and the flute coming from so far back in the hall. OUTSTANDING energy and dynamic power.

Turn it up and it really comes to life like LIVE MUSIC. It’s big, wide and believable. We loved it.

Side Two

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (Dukas)

ZERO compression. ZERO distortion when loud. Which means it has ZERO compressor distortion, something not five out of a hundred Golden Age recordings can claim. Nice extended top too.

There is depth and richness to beat the band, as well as clarity and tonal correctness that let you forget the recording and just enjoy the music. This piece is not quite as transparent as the Ravel, but still has earned every one of its Three Pluses.

The timbre of the brass is right on the money. As we have noted before, the brass of the Suisse Romande is some of the best to have ever been committed to analog tape.

Again, this side had OUTSTANDING energy and dynamic power the likes of which we think you may never have heard.

La Valse (Ravel)

Again, with that wondrously huge hall adding a sense of space that will allow your speakers to disappear. The performers are not too close, which is very much in keeping with live music.

In his tribute to Ravel after the composer’s death in 1937, Paul Landormy described the work as follows:

“….the most unexpected of the compositions of Ravel, revealing to us heretofore unexpected depths of Romanticism, power, vigor, and rapture in this musician whose expression is usually limited to the manifestations of an essentially classical genius.”

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Louis Armstrong – The Essential Louis Armstrong

  • The Essential Louis Armstrong is back on the site for the first time in years, here with KILLER Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sound or close to it throughout this vintage Stereo Verve pressing
  • Both of these sides have plenty of Tubey Magic – they’re fuller, more musical and more natural than practically all others we played
  • Take this one home and play it against whatever audiophile pressings you own – it’s guaranteed to smoke any and all versions you have in your collection, or your money back
  • 4 stars: “…a definitive look at the Louis Armstrong All-Stars in their later years…”

We’re always on the lookout for Louis Armstrong records with good sound. In our experience, finding them is not nearly as easy as one might think. Far too many of his recordings are poorly recorded, with sound that simply can’t be taken seriously — fine for old consoles but not so good on modern audiophile equipment.

We assume most audiophiles got turned on to his music from the records that Classic Records remastered back in the mid-90s. For those of you who were customers of ours back then, you know that I count myself among that group.

Devoting the Resources

Having long ago given up on Heavy Vinyl LPs by Classic and others of their persuasion — we refer to it as “setting a higher standard” — these days we are in a much better position to devote our resources to playing every Louis Armstrong album on every pressing we can get our hands on, trying to figure out what are the copies — from what era, on what label, with what stampers, cut by whom, stereo or mono, import or domestic — that potentially have the Hot Stamper sound, the very Raison d’être of our business.

We have to play each and every one of the records we’ve cleaned for our shootout anyway, whether we think it’s potentially the best pressing or not. There is no other way to do it. Right Stamper, Wrong Sound is an undeniable reality in the world of the vinyl LP. It’s not unheard of for the same stampers to win a shootout, do moderately well on another copy and then come in dead last on a third.

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Peter, Paul & Mary / In The Wind

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Hot Stamper Pressings of TAS List Super Disc LPs in Stock

  • An original Gold Label stereo pressing of this TAS-approved Super Disc that was doing just about everything right, with both sides earning solid Double Plus (A++) grades
  • Exceptionally quiet vintage vinyl too – Gold Label pressings are almost never this quiet in our experience
  • The sound is big, open, rich and full, with the performers front and center (as well as left and right)
  • Very few folk records offer the kind of realistic, lifelike sound you get from this pressing
  • “Their third recording was one of the group’s stronger outings… In particular, this record was essential to boosting the profile of Bob Dylan, including their huge hit cover of ‘Blowin’ in the Wind,’ their Top Ten version of ‘Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right,’ and the bluesy ‘Quit Your Lowdown Ways’…”

Warners pressings are all over the map. When you find a good one, you can be pretty sure it’s the exception, not the rule. That’s been our experience anyway. This copy gives you more life and energy than others by a long shot. The highs are extended and silky sweet and the bass is tight and punchy.

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Duke Ellington – Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins

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More Jazz Recordings of Interest

  • You’ll find solid Double Plus (A++) sound or close to it on both sides of this vintage ’70s reissue stereo pressing
  • Once again Rudy Van Gelder delivers the sound that audiophiles and jazz fans alike thrill to (particularly on side two)
  • Impulse took it upon themselves to reissue this title on Heavy Vinyl many years ago – (I admit I used to sell them, mea culpa) – and it was as mediocre as you might expect, with little of the magic we find in abundance on the vintage pressings we offer
  • 5 stars: “Although Coleman Hawkins had been an admirer of Duke Ellington’s music for at least 35 years at this point and Ellington had suggested they record together at least 20 years prior to their actual meeting in 1962, this was their first (and only) meeting on record. High points include an exuberant “The Jeep Is Jumpin’,” an interesting remake of “Mood Indigo,” and a few new Ellington pieces. This delightful music is recommended…”
  • A Jazz Classic from 1963 that should appeal to any fan of the work of Ellington or Hawkins

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John Coltrane – The Stardust Session

  • A stunning copy of this Coltrane double album – recorded in one day! – with INSANELY GOOD Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) grades on all FOUR sides – fairly quiet vinyl too
  • Spacious, open, transparent, rich and sweet, it’s a remarkable disc from the Golden Age of Jazz with the benefits brought about by lower-distortion, wider-bandwidth cutting equipment in the 70s
  • Superb sound quality courtesy of Rudy Van Gelder‘s engineering (1958/1963) and the superior mastering of David Turner (1972)
  • 4 Stars: “…Coltrane is heard near the end of his ‘sheets of sound’ period, perfecting his distinctive style and taking colorful and aggressive solos.”

These records take their material from three John Coltrane albums: “Bahia,” “Stardust” and “Standard Coltrane.” We would be surprised if the originals of any of them can beat the sound of this reissue.

Note that the complete Standard Coltrane can be found on these four sides, along with a substantial portion of the other two Coltrane albums listed above.

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