Whats on your turntable tonight?

R.Strauss, Also Sprach Zarathustra, Reiner/CSO (Classic Records 45rpm reissue - unfortunately not an improvement over the 33rpm reissue in terms of string tone: it shreds my ears and no amount of VTA adjusting can cure it. But other aspects of the sonic picture have great impact and power. However, the strings are hard and steely, reflecting the worst of the early Classic Records remastering efforts.)

Handel, Sonatas for Oboe, cello and continuo, L'Ecole D'Orphee, CRD 1077/8 (another outstanding performance by L'Ecole D'Orphee, and another marvelous engineering job from Bob Auger)

Herold-Lanchberry, La Fille Mal Gardee (excerpts), Lanchberry/ORylOpera, Decca, SXL 2313 (45rpm Speakers Corner reissue - an absolutely superb performance, recording and reissue. The 45rpm version vastly outclasses the earlier 33rpm reissue from Speakers Corner.)

Elton John, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, MCA 2-10003 (an early US pressing, with unfortunately hard, edgy, bright sonics. Is the Speakers Corner reissue materially better?)

Cat Stevens, Teaser and the Firecat (Mobile Fidelity reissue - quite good sonically, with natural timbre and detail. Tom Port claims this is the "worst sounding version of all time." I'm listening to #0898 and if Tom's listening to the same series pressings, he and I clearly don't agree on the sound of this reissue.)
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Rushton,Is the Analogue Production "Mulligan meets Monk" a good sounding pressing?Tonight i played a 1 dollar thrift store ,Red Seal "Heifetz ,Three Great Violin Concertos"Two record set,near mint,,man what a great find!!!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!Ray

Ray, sides 2-4 are definitely good. I'm still trying to figure out Side 1 ('Round Midnight). I think what I'm hearing is a constant accompaniment of brushes from the drummer -- sounds really strange in the left channel across Monk's piano and made me think the pressing was defective at first. I'm becoming convinced that it's just the sound that's on the tape and that this more highly resolving mastering is no longer masking it, but I don't have any other copy to compare it to. I need to listen to this side again. Other than this, all the virtues of Analogue Productions' 45rpm mastering are in place.
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Rushton, On the subject of the Cat Stevens, Teaser and the Firecat MoFi reissue (mine #0559) sounds splendid. I also have a first press of it on A&M SP4313 that sounds quite good yet isn't as quiet (surface wise) or timbre correct as the MoFi IMHO. So who is Tom Port and what is his issue with this beautiful record? Doesn't he like the MoFi?
Cheers!

Raytheprinter, Pardon me for interjecting. "The Mulligan meets Monk" performance is an unusual but cool east meets west (coast) juxtaposition. Thelonious is one bad cat as I'm sure you are aware.
Analogue Productions has not made one single dog or for that matter even a single So-so 45RPM pressing in this entire series including the Mulligan meets Monk title. I am receiving all of them as a member in the first 50 something numbered pressings from Chad and I can't say enough about how outstanding each and every one of these records is. They are some of the best pressings ever made IMHO.
Happy listening!