Whats on your turntable tonight?

Natalie Merchant's beguiling "TigerLily". It is so well written and performed that it keeps finding a way into my transport. An enchanting mixture of songwriting, performance and wry humor.

It's been a while since I've contributed to this thread, but vinyl is spinning in our listening room once again so it's time to share what we're listening to, hopefully with a comment or two as the mood dictates. Listening tonight has been an eclectic ramble...

Roy Orbison - "All Time Greatest Hits of Roy Orbison" on S&P Records (S&P 507), a marvelous artist well-served in a great remastering job by Steve Hoffman.

Harry James - "The King James Version" on Sheffield Labs (LAB 3). IMO, the best recording ever released by Sheffield Labs both musically and sonically. Sure it's direct to disc, but the real magic of this LP is the single point stereo miking used in making the recording. None of the multi-miked hash, this LP has the great immediacy and impact that comes only from that purist miking approach. Add Harry James to the mix, and this LP is pure magic on a system that can reproduce it.

Boys of the Lough - "Farewell and Remember Me" on Shanachie (79067). What a superb group of traditional Celtic musicians! Their diverse backgrounds providing a great mix of differing Celtic influences: Ireland, Scotland, Shetland and Northumberland. Doesn't any better in my book.

"Antiphone Blues" on Proprius (PROP 7744) -- How many years have most of us listened to this 1975 recording? At least 25 years for me, but I still enjoy it and I haven't had it out for a listen in several years. For those who haven't encountered this LP, it was really innovative when released: Arne Domnerus' saxaphone with organ in a huge reverberant acoustic.

Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five - "The Louis Armstrong Story - Vol. 1" on Columbia CL 851 - What a great series of recordings collected on LP: this first volume covering some of the recordings made by Armstrong and his group between 1925 and 1927.
.

Tonight's listening shifted to classical...

To get the system warmed up, a little organ music first: Marie Claire Alain playing Bach on Erato (ERA 50527). Alain's always enjoyable Bach performances are consistently well recorded on Erato.

With the cartridge nicely excercized with 40 minutes of organ, time to move on to some orchestral with Dimitri Shostakovich:

Shostakovich, Symphony No. 6, Berglund/BournemouthSO, EMI (SLS 5177, 2LPs)

Shostakovich, Age of Gold Ballet Suite, Martinon/LSO, RCA (LSC 2322-45 Classic Records 45 rpm reissue) - excellent LP in this 45 rpm incarnation. I always enjoy the Polka from this piece; Shostakovich's droll humor at his finest. You can also find this movement played delightfully by wind ensemble on the Opus 3 "Bofors Musikkar" (7903) or Opus 3 Test Record ("Timbre," I believe).

Shostakovich, Symphony No. 11, Berglund/BournemouthSO, EMI (SLS 5177, 2LPs) - a truly monumental work encompassing three sides of this 2LP set, wonderful!

This music and these recordings are hugely demanding of any playback system. When they comes across with the complex interplay of rhythms, textures and instrumentation cleanly delineated, you know your system is pretty well tuned. If any of it sounds the least congested or lacking in resolution, you have work to do.
.

Just Friends - Zoot Sims and Sweets Edison on Pablo. Better than average recording even by Pablo's standards.

.
A great Sunday afternoon of listening:
.
Harry James - Comin’ From a Good Place - Sheffield Lab # LAB-6 – A large, large warm grin . Rushton, give this one a try as well .
.
Diana Krall - “The Very Best of Diana Krall” - Verve - 2 LP set - What a Sunday Afternoon is all about.
.
Malcolm Arnold - English –Scottish & Cornish Dances - Lyrita - Stereo – SRCS.109 - If you don't have socks on after listening to this one, it is not because you did not have any on when you started.
.
Mozart - “Mass in C Minor” DG reissue by Speakers Corner - If you do not believe that there is something beyond this existence, listening to this record might make you start to think ..
.
Happy Holidays to you all.
.
Rgds,
Larry
.