Whats on your turntable tonight?

Ravel, Rapsodie Espagnole-Paray/Detroit Symphony (Speakers Corner 45 rpm) After several months I finally opened to listen tonight. WOW WEE! The Habanera & Feria movements will knock your socks off! The reason it took so long to open this record is that I've owned the CD version when it first came out years ago and it always bored me. I could never listen through the entire piece. Now I know it was the CD recording, not the music. Highly recommended in Vinyl format especially the 45 rpm version.

Grieg: "Peer Gynt" Oivin Fjeldstad/London Sym. Decca (Speakers Corner Reissue)

Sonny Rollins: "Our Man In Jazz"-Classic Records Reissue. Listened to side one, Oleo,25 minutes long. Vivid live Jazz recording. Great improvisation.

It is so gratifying when good music & sound come together to put a warm satisfying smile on your face.

I recommend opening new records that you intend to keep for personal listening soon after purchase for inspection. I recently ordered the Great Jazz Reunion with Armstrong & Ellington. I rarely open records to play when I first receive them because of time constraints. Fortunately in this case I did. The record looked like it had been stepped on with golf shoes. I cannot imagine how this record could have ever been put into a sleeve and shipped. I did return it to Acoustic Sounds for a replacement. However what would have happened if I kept it unopened as long as the Mercury record listed above? What if it had gone out of print in the meantime? Buyer beware!

Good recommendation and reminder, Montepilot:

I recommend opening new records that you intend to keep for personal listening soon after purchase for inspection.

I'm unfortunately in that uncomfortable position of having many new records that I've opened for a visual inspection but have not been able to listen to due to our move. I'm keeping fingers crossed as I start going through them: cleaning and then listening.

I just looked online for the 45 rpm Ravel, "Rapsodie Espagnole" you mentioned above. I have the 33 rpm, but not the 45 rpm, and the only place I can find the 45 rpm is now asking $75 for it. Guess I should have gotten it a few years ago... If this is anything like the other 45 rpm Mercuries that Classic Records reissued (e.g., Prokofiev "Scythian Suite" and Stravinsky "Firebird"), I'm sure it's everything you describe. In each case, these 45s have been far superior to the rather disappointing 33 rpm versions.

Cheers,

Note that I'm referring above to the Classic Records 33 rpm Mercury reissues, only. The Speakers Corner 33 rpm Mercury reissues and been outstanding, and I highly recommend those.
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Rushton, My turntable is no where near the status of your Walker however the 45 rpm Ravel, "Rapsodie Espagnole" in my system is every bit as dynamic and detailed as the Prokofiev,Scythian Suite 45 rpm of which I have. I would not be surprised if you found it the equal of Stravinsky/Firebird 45 rpm. Unfortunately I dallied too long in purchasing the 45rpm version of Firebird. If it shows up somewhere the price will no doubt be out of my reach. However I do have the 200g version and am happy to at least have this format.

I have just finish paying dearly for a couple of records that nearly doubled in price because there were only a few copies left in stock.

Today I just heeded some earlier advice to obtain Starker's Cello Suites/Mercury Speakers Corner before it goes out of print. Acoutic Sounds has it back ordered and some of the other outlets are out of stock. Fortunately Music Direct had it at list price so I did not delay any longer and purchased it today.

In a few years I think we will not regret the financial sacrifice of obtaining these remarkable reissues. I remember years ago when Sid Marks of the Absolute sound did his column on Mercury Living Presence and RCA Shaded Dogs how difficult it was to find clean first issue copies. And if you did find them the prices at least for me was prohibitive. To have them reissed with original cover art and superior vinyl is an analog lovers dream.

Follow up to Ravel:"Rapsodie Espanol" 45 rpm. This set does not include Ibert's: "Escales" aka "Ports of Call" which is on the 33 rpm version.