Hot Sounds

Recently I started archiving again, and transfered Paul Simon's "Still Crazy After All These Years". Even after a digital transfer, there is something about the way music sounds coming through a record player.

I really noticed the reverb on the drums on "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover". The vocals seem to break up every once in a while, but it sounds great, I like it that way. My personal favorite is the way that the bass sounds. I guess it's probably a combination of a few things: bass hitting the tape (2" 16 track?), through a kick ass board that had been smoked over, hitting the needle, zooming through my ears and blowing my mind. Sweet lord the Rhodes that opens the album sounds amazing.

And it seems like all the crackles and pops just make it sound better...

I hate to be one of those guys preaching about analog sound, but I can't help what I like. Maybe it's because I remember still buying records, and I feel some nostalgia towards them. I really think that if I did the blindfold test on 100 people, 90 of them would say they liked the way the vinyl sounded over the remastered CD. Especially on headphones...

Even the new prints on vinyl sound good. A Tribe Called Quest's "Check the Rhime" just sounds..... right. The way the reverb on the cross-stick deacys into the needle noise sounds right. It all sounds right. And if you need 'em I got crazy prophylactics, indeed.

A few years ago I picked up Pearl Jam's "Ten"at Grimey's when they were still on Bransford, and it blew my mind. I had heard it a million times on cassette and CD, but something about having it blaring out of my speakers hit me hard. It was special.

That was the moment that I really fell in love with vinyl. I realized that an album that hadn't before, sounded utterly amazing on the turntable.

George Winston's "December" next. Yes

P.S. If you are someone who enjoys things that kick ass, you should go listen to the guitar solo on Wanda Jackson's "I Gotta Know" right now.

Mr. George

I got into Inara George's album All Rise about a couple of years ago, and whilst I was checking around to see who this magical voice was, I learned that she is the daughter of the late Lowell George. I had heard the name when people brought up Little Feat, but had never listened to his solo stuff. He put out only one album before he died in 1979 called Thanks, I'll Eat It Here. On that album there is a song called Cheek to Cheek which kicks ass hither and fro and all over the rest of it, too. It starts out like a pretty straight ahead Mexicali song, but when that chorus hits, it turns into some crazy gypsy rumba. I can't tell what the hell the solo instrument is, some high tuned guitar or harp or something, but needless to say it is the shit. Check it.