Whats on your turntable tonight?

Witches' Brew - Gibson/NewSOLondon, RCA LSC 2225 -45 (45rpm reissue from Classic Records)...

Great impact and tonal color, and a far superior mastering to the earlier 33rpm reissue from Classic Records. While this is a Kenneth Wilkinson engineered recording from 1958, it clearly is an early experiment in multi-miking. And with that multi-miking comes great instrumental impact. Probably why is has been so famous over the years.

Yet, unlike the amazing orchestral sound staging found the the "The Power of the Orchestra" RCA VICS 2659 also engineered by Kenneth Wilkinson for RCA, Witches' Brew has little to no sound stage depth and instruments pull forward to the front edge of the orchestra as the miking knobs are diddled. If you value a natural perspective on the orchestra, by all means get the remarkable "The Power of the Orchestra" in a superb 45rpm reissue from Analog Productions. And value Witches' Brew for the instrumental color and slam it provides with some wonderful pieces of music very nicely performed by Gibson and the New Symphony Orchestra of London.
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Emorrisiv-

I am constantly amazed at how our listening preferences seem to dovetail each others! I have the two Harmonia Mundi recordings you mention above, and "Danses Du Moyen-age" spends a lot of time on my turntable.

I will keep my eye out for a copy of "English Sacred Music of the 16th Century"

As my good friend Rushton just posted, I concur whole heartedly with his assesment of "Witches Brew" and "Power of the Orchestra". Two other reisuues that are seeing of lot of play right now at our house.

Ella Fitzgerald - Sings Cole Porter Songbook

New Order - Substance

Blondie - Best of Blondie

Elton John - Capt Fantastic

The Police - Outlandos D'Amour

Tom Petty - Damn the Torpedos

Led Zeppeline - Physical Graffiti

Ike & Tina Turner - "River Deep, Mountain High" [A&M '69, rec. '66]
The Everly Brothers - S/T [Rhino reissue '85, orig. '58]
Gene Clark - "Gene Clark With The Gosdin Brothers" [Sundazed reissue '00, orig. '67] The debut from the ex-lead singer/songwriter of the original Byrds is one the 60's greatest 'forgotten' albums IMHO, a must for any fan of the group and period folk-rock in general. This reissue of the rare LP improves on the original (as well as a prior inferior-sounding Columbia CD reissue) by adding a couple of previously-unreleased gems recorded a half year after the late-'66 album sessions plus a solo acoustic demo.
Peter & Gordon - "Hot Cold & Custard" [Capitol '68]
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band - "Live Peace In Toronto 1969" [Apple '70]
The Hollies - "Moving Finger" [Epic '70]
Neil Young - "Time Fades Away" [Reprise '73]
Jacque Brel - S/T [Reprise '62]
Albert Collins - "Trash Talkin'" [Imperial '69]
Roy Meriwether Trio - "Soup & Onions" [Columbia '66]
Charlie Byrd - "Once More! Bossa Nova" [Riverside '63]
Duke Ellington's Spacemen - "The Cosmic Scene" [Columbia '59]
Ahmad Jamal - "Macanudo" [Argo '66, rec. '62] An atypical Jamal album in that his trio and usual pianistic introspection upon standards make way for exotique tunes and large-band Latin-orchestral arrangements by composer/conductor/bassist Richard Evans. The tiki cover is as groovy as the music (not to mention the sound).
John Eaton - "Electro Vibrations" [Decca '69?]

John Cale - Paris 1919
Miles Davis - KOB (I really don't ever get tired of this one)
Mel Brown - Chicken Fat

On deck:

Led Zeppelin II