Davey
03-27-2011, 05:16 PM
We all probably have some of those artists or albums that live with us, and have stayed with us over the years. I have a few that I came of age with, and now grow old with... what are some of yours?
Right now it's Closer from the Joy Division Japan Boxset from 1991, and it is sounding really good. I think this is by far the best CD version, but I've also been listening to some 24-96 vinyl rips of the original Factory vinyl, and that sounds pretty nice too.
I've finally got a pretty decent computer front end setup, with my HP Pavilion dv6 I got right before Christmas, running Win 7 Home Premium 64-bit and feeding music via foobar and WASAPI to a Musical Fidelity V-Link asynchronous USB to SPDIF convertor out to my DAC, which can handle both 16-44 and 24-96 digital.
Anyway, back to the topic, lately I've been on kind of a Bowie/Eno/Talking Heads path, three artists that helped define my coming of age listening habits, and that still play a major role. I was listening earlier today to some great live Bowie from that well know and loved Nassau Coliseum 3-23-76 soundboard bootleg. What a great band! He had both Carlos Alomar and Stacey Haydon on guitar, and it cooks from the start. Opens with a 12+ minute Station to Station, so you know there was some guitar workouts going on there :)
Was also listening to a vinyl rip of the MFSL Ziggy Stardust, though to honest it has always been too bass heavy for me. I actually prefer my 1980 RCA International UK vinyl, or the original RCA Japan CD. None of the later remasters sound right, way too modernized.
Any 801 fans? Like I said, I've been on a heavy Brian Eno kick lately, and have always loved that 801 Live record he and Phil Manzanera and friends recorded in the mid 70s at Queen Elizabeth Hall. Really sounds almost too good for a live record, especially Eno, but who cares. Love it. I actually just downloaded a 24-96 copy of it recently, since my old EG USA vinyl is kind of whack. I have the original EG CD and also the 1999 remaster with the 2 extra tracks. Anyone heard the recent Japan expanded 2-CD version? Think I will need to track that one down at some point. One of my favorite live records ever, though I usually stick to the short and sweet 10-song original.
And right now I've got some "Uh Oh Love Comes to Town" playing from the Talking Heads Outtakes, Demos & Alternates, which is a studio bootleg with some pretty cool alternate versions, including the totally Fripped out "Life During Wartime". But as usual, the better versions made it to record.
Also been spending a lot of time with Hope Sandoval lately, since just before my lovestruck posting of that Jools Holland video a couple weeks ago. Man, those three Mazzy Star records in the early-mid 90s were pretty special. That was a pretty cool sound. I've been listening some to her two Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions records and they are very good too, but not really that same warm psychedelic style.
Also been listening a bunch to the Devo debut from the Japan box that I shamelessly downloaded it from. I generally don't care much for recent remasters because of the jacked up sound, but some of the new Japan remasters actually sound pretty good. I'd never buy a modern remaster without listening first, especially when they are premium priced, cause most of them just sound awful, but I've been Mongoloid rocking today and it sounds pretty nice (sample in sig), though still quite a bit too loud, and maybe too modern sounding, but loads of fun. Let me know if you need a link, but most of the Japan remasters are easy to find....
And he wore a hat
And he had a job
And he brought home the bacon
So that no one knew
He was a mongoloid, mongoloid
Happier than you and me
Mongoloid, he was a mongoloid
And it determined what he could see
Right now it's Closer from the Joy Division Japan Boxset from 1991, and it is sounding really good. I think this is by far the best CD version, but I've also been listening to some 24-96 vinyl rips of the original Factory vinyl, and that sounds pretty nice too.
I've finally got a pretty decent computer front end setup, with my HP Pavilion dv6 I got right before Christmas, running Win 7 Home Premium 64-bit and feeding music via foobar and WASAPI to a Musical Fidelity V-Link asynchronous USB to SPDIF convertor out to my DAC, which can handle both 16-44 and 24-96 digital.
Anyway, back to the topic, lately I've been on kind of a Bowie/Eno/Talking Heads path, three artists that helped define my coming of age listening habits, and that still play a major role. I was listening earlier today to some great live Bowie from that well know and loved Nassau Coliseum 3-23-76 soundboard bootleg. What a great band! He had both Carlos Alomar and Stacey Haydon on guitar, and it cooks from the start. Opens with a 12+ minute Station to Station, so you know there was some guitar workouts going on there :)
Was also listening to a vinyl rip of the MFSL Ziggy Stardust, though to honest it has always been too bass heavy for me. I actually prefer my 1980 RCA International UK vinyl, or the original RCA Japan CD. None of the later remasters sound right, way too modernized.
Any 801 fans? Like I said, I've been on a heavy Brian Eno kick lately, and have always loved that 801 Live record he and Phil Manzanera and friends recorded in the mid 70s at Queen Elizabeth Hall. Really sounds almost too good for a live record, especially Eno, but who cares. Love it. I actually just downloaded a 24-96 copy of it recently, since my old EG USA vinyl is kind of whack. I have the original EG CD and also the 1999 remaster with the 2 extra tracks. Anyone heard the recent Japan expanded 2-CD version? Think I will need to track that one down at some point. One of my favorite live records ever, though I usually stick to the short and sweet 10-song original.
And right now I've got some "Uh Oh Love Comes to Town" playing from the Talking Heads Outtakes, Demos & Alternates, which is a studio bootleg with some pretty cool alternate versions, including the totally Fripped out "Life During Wartime". But as usual, the better versions made it to record.
Also been spending a lot of time with Hope Sandoval lately, since just before my lovestruck posting of that Jools Holland video a couple weeks ago. Man, those three Mazzy Star records in the early-mid 90s were pretty special. That was a pretty cool sound. I've been listening some to her two Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions records and they are very good too, but not really that same warm psychedelic style.
Also been listening a bunch to the Devo debut from the Japan box that I shamelessly downloaded it from. I generally don't care much for recent remasters because of the jacked up sound, but some of the new Japan remasters actually sound pretty good. I'd never buy a modern remaster without listening first, especially when they are premium priced, cause most of them just sound awful, but I've been Mongoloid rocking today and it sounds pretty nice (sample in sig), though still quite a bit too loud, and maybe too modern sounding, but loads of fun. Let me know if you need a link, but most of the Japan remasters are easy to find....
And he wore a hat
And he had a job
And he brought home the bacon
So that no one knew
He was a mongoloid, mongoloid
Happier than you and me
Mongoloid, he was a mongoloid
And it determined what he could see