Last night my mate told me is brother is coming down for Christmas with he vinyl collection for us to pick what we wont for a pound each. He is moving onto a canal boat with his wife and he has recorded most of what he wonts to hard drive and the records have to go for space reasons. With over 1000 records there is bound to be something I wont. My mate said his brother said make sure you tell your mate Jon.

IT'S GOOD to have good mates. This will be the 2nd time this has happened I think I'm must be lucky. 

schumanesq wrote: The other is a mid-50's classic, "In the Wee Small Hours" - again, a great album (even on CD) that I think captures Sinatra at his best.  He hadn't yet gotten into the swinging early 60's Sinatra style, and his voice seems to me to be at a midpoint of sorts - still sounding quite a bit like the 40's Sinatra but with more mature phrasing and a deeper baritone.

This is an album I think almost anyone could appreciate if they gave it a chance. The album does have a bit of weird history as you may know, with various mixes being released over the years. The one to get is the "dry" version in mono without the reverb that was added a few years later. I couldn't believe how much different it sounded when I finally got my hands on it.

Unfortunately, IIRC I'm not sure the last LP reissue that used the correct mixes from a few years ago is still in print. There's not any in print CD of it either AFAIK, but it was available as a lossless download for a time.

Here's a fan site with tons of detail about it:

http://www.11fifty.com/Site_108/1955_-_In_the_Wee_Small_Hours.html - http://www.11fifty.com/Site_108/1955_-_In_the_Wee_Small_Hours.html

schumanesq wrote: Hey, thanks for the link to that article.  I tryly had no idea of the history on this album.  The version that I have (but have not listened to as yet) is the 2014 LP from Europe, mastered by Ron McMaster.  According to the article, that one used the dry tapes for all 16 tracks, so I am expecting good things!

Yep, that's the one I have, and the matching FLAC download. Occasionally I will look in the used bins for the '55 mono LP or the 10''s but I've never seen one in a condition worth buying. Most copies I've seen in the used bins are actually re-releases from the 60s or 70s that use the wrong tapes or have horrible fake stereo processing.

Hard copies are nice and you can read the sleeve notes on an LP. I must admit I'm doing that with Roon now and I think streaming has taken over from buying downloads.

lfc jon wrote: I have had to scratch one album off the list of new music I wont (Gabriella Cohen) as it looks like it's not being released on vinyl or CD, there seems to be a lot of reasons for this floating about on the internet but nothing coming from the label. I don't buy new music as a digital download I prefer to have a hard copy preferably on vinyl. This is disappointing as I have heard it on the labels website and it sounds really good. I just hope if it's only going to be as a download that it's not going to be a growing trend.

Unless I'm missing something, there are vinyl copies available here:

https://gabriellacohenmusic.bandcamp.com/album/blue-no-more - https://gabriellacohenmusic.bandcamp.com/album/blue-no-more

I definitely feel more comfortable with a physical copy over a download, but I gave into lossless downloads a few years back. Tried streaming many times but eventually gave up on it a few years ago as I wasn't using it enough and ended up spending too much time checking out music that I was curious about but didn't really enjoy.

I have been on this website as it was Bandcamp that sent me an email telling me about this album, I am going to look into it more and see if I can order it from them but it's going to be down to cost as it will probably be imported from the USA and I may get stung for import duty.

lfc jon wrote: I have had a look on Bandcamp website and I can get it on vinyl but bloody hell, The album is £18.53 plus shipping to the UK another £18.47 I may even have to pay import duty, I think I'll give it a miss.

Yeah, unfortunately shipping fees are a killer there. I rarely buy import vinyl off Bandcamp for that reason. There's also the chance of damage in transit, particularly if the seller doesn't use a very well reinforced mailer.

The only records I buy overseas anymore are from Japan. I can usually get 5-6 LPs shipped for $22 total and have them in a matter of 4-5 business days at most. That's faster than many domestic sellers and the fees aren't that much different from domestic fees. Luckily I am never charged customs fees.

When my friend had his record made in Canada and imported to the U.S., he did have to pay customs fees on that. So the quantity makes a difference here.

Rules are different in every country of course.

Times change.

Personally I have no issue with Bandcamp downloads, and I've bought a number of albums that way.

I've even had artists thank me for NOT going down the Amazon route - Amazon looks after Amazon first and foremost, and they charge the artists a lot to distribute their wares.

Get the download, and if you must have a CD burn the files to CDR and play them via that method.

 

It's all down to the quality of download, what do they give you? I would not pay for an mp3 that's not good enough it as to be a minimum of CD quality.

WAVs are uncompressed PCM, which is effectively what you have on yer CD.

ALAC is an acronym for Apple Lossless Audio Codec, so again the clue is the word lossless.

AIFF is Apple's version of uncompressed PCM.

All four file types are CD quality.

The files I have downloaded from Bandcamp have all been FLAC, so all CD quality as a minimum.

Some of the files have been higher bit depth and higher sample rate (ie Hi Res, for want of a better term).

If your artist doesn't have a least CD standard download drop them an email and bend their ear - be nice about it, and they'll listen and hopefully comply with your request.

FLAC is OK with me. I am going to burn it to CD-R and hopefully it will play in my car, I think it will play in the home CD player (almost certain) It's the only way I'm going to own a copy of it as I not going to pay over £40 for the record to came from the USA.

I did get their 2nd album played it I think about three times and then took to the charity shop (that was about £13 wasted) after that I didn't buy any more of their music.

Wish there was a like button on this forum. Oasis post Definitely Maybe we’re utter sh*te. I don’t know who mixed it but the sound is the aural equivalent of having your feet caned.

To be fair the second Oasis album is good and was more commercially successful than DM which I prefer.

lfc jon wrote: I've playing David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust to death lately so I've just ordered Hunky Dory, I went for this album as it is his early music and I find that most artists early stuff is usually their best. I quote  - Oasis "Definitely Maybe" their best album the rest of their albums were rubbish this is "IMO" Bigger than the The Beatles what a load of crap.

Bowie had a lot of ups and downs throughout his career. Of the early albums, Hunky Dory is my favorite possibly followed by Aladdin Sane. I like Ziggy but the album is overplayed to me. Still a great one though.

My favorite period of his though starts with Station to Station and continues through Lodger and Scary Monsters. After that he goes through a dip again (depending on your tastes) but he had a strong late career with albums like Next Day and Black Star, again, IMHO.

Oasis's first album was definitely the best of their main albums, but a lot of their best songs were on b-sides for the first 2-3 albums. Masterplan gives you a bunch of those, but not all of them. The later albums have their moments but are definitely uneven IMHO.

I am the Moon, Volumes I, II, III, IV

4lp bundle released Sept 9

My favorite new release so far this year.

Editors - EBM

both pre-orders

Years ago I could spend a Saturday afternoon looking around the record shops in town and enjoy it, now I go in and I can't wait to get out. Ordering online is not the same as going into a record shop and browsing, There was one record shop I use to love going into, because of the staff being vary knowledgeable and helpfull, If you couldn't find what you were looking for they would bend over backwards for you to see if they could order it in for you or at less recommend something.

Agree, but is it?

I use to enjoy going into record shops but now I'm more likely to order online, the one record shop in town that I can go to stocks mainstream music mostly so I take the attitude, why bother going into town when I can order online. The shop in Totnes is a bit different, you can get stuff from the smaller labels in there, I have some album on pre-order from them "order & collect" which is good as they do what they call "early bird discount" I try not to order too early as sometime I forget what I've ordered and then buy albums and then have to take it back because I've already ordered and paid for it.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who does that! I hope you enjoy the new music Jon.

I already have the 20th anniversary (CD) of it, but I've been told it's not the best copy. I suppose I'm asking is, is it an upgrade on what I have already. Not play it but today I got on vinyl Japan's first album. 

There are numerous comparisons on YouTube.

I own the 30th, so I won't be getting this 

Hope this helps. 

https://youtu.be/HJpAz1EiBTQ?si=BRzIOrkWlmSemPJl - https://youtu.be/HJpAz1EiBTQ?si=BRzIOrkWlmSemPJl

Thanks.

I've decided agaist buying it. I already have three copies two on CD and one on vinyl. I think spending money on one more copy is just a waste of money. Between the two CDs I don't hear much difference.

Soft Cell, Non-Stoperotic Cabaret

Tears for Fears, The Hurting

Boygenius, The Rest

Also have on my "wish list" 6 other albums, these are out later this year with one out next year.  The three on order (wish list too) are from The Drift Record Shop in Totnes, I don't think this is bad going, from confirmation of order email to ready to pick up email took 10 mins.

I won't be buying it either. I like the album, but I've heard it a million times and I'm good with the versions I already have. For bargain hunters, I would recommend checking the used CD bins for Doug Sax's version released in the early 90s.

Both classics IMHO.

Ordered the LP and the Blu-ray. 

Muse. Absolution (XX Anniversary)

Dire Straits. Live Albums 1978-1992. 8 CD box set, would have liked it on vinyl but just too expensive.

Both live albums are official releases.

Portishead "Roseland NYC Live.

Bananarama. The Ultimate Collection.

Nina Simone. Nina's Back.

This is just a few. I have 6 others on order 4 of which are pre-orders so not sure when they will come, they do give you a date of release but it can be a bit hit or miss.

As you can see my orders have gone up since my last post.