Marte Röling’s record-covers artworks 🥇

 

These discs are a well-kept secret, indeed… a young Paul Bley trio is awesome, John Tchicai recorded by Rudy van Gelder is just a gift…

Recently reissued and now quite cheap vs. the pricey Japanese Fontana pressings, they are worth every penny thanking the music and fantastic artworks by the gifted Dutch artist, Marte Röling.

Try to get a copy of the shown waxes, folks… you won’t regret 😊

The unsung Aussie Beatle

 

On June 12, 1964, The Beatles landed in Adelaide, Australia. Well 3 of The Beatles anyway. Ringo had been in the hospital and a friend of theirs, Jimmie Nicol had taken his place playing drums. (Many people spell his name Jimmy)

Over 250,000 people were on the road the band took from the airport to their hotel. It was a 10 mile trip and it was the biggest "welcome" The Beatles ever received.

For Jimmie Nicol, it had to be the trip of a lifetime. But it didn't last. When Ringo returned on June 14th, The Beatles threw a party that lasted till 4 am. Jimmie was not invited.

On the morning of June 15th, Beatles manager, Brian Epstein drove Jimmie to the airport and gave the drummer 500 pounds and a gold watch. He didn't say goodbye to The Beatles as they were all sleeping when he left.

This is a picture of Jimmie at the airport.

Do you think Jimmy was disrespected or do you think he knew what was coming?

Really, we would think it was a dream come true, while it lasted, 57 years ago.

Analogtechnik DST15 - first impressions

 

I’ve been impressed many times during my almost 50 years-long music-audio journey, but only an handful of time I was scared to death: Studer C37, Quad ESL, 300B amp, Garrard 301, The Peak arm and DST cartridge(s).

Scared by the incredibly huge improvement a single gear may be able to introduce in my system.

Maybe a bit scared about the impressive 6-6,5 grams VTF, but as you know, with a deep-groove conical diamond, isn’t that heavy for vinyl… and, hey!, we all own so many discs we simply cannot be over-worried 😄 to worn-out a disc, most of all if the orgasmic enjoyment reaches highest peaks!

… scared or blessed?

Maybe the latter, as the feeling is a satori-like enjoyment, something so sought-after…

A few days ago I got a parcel from Germany contaning two hand-made cartridges of the noblest breed: Analogtechnik DST15 and DMT25 - i.e. Neumann DST replicas.

These cartridges are handmade to such an impressive quality standard to put to shame the elusive made in Japan DST replicas, quite often suffering of bad quality sampler-to-sampler consistency (thinking about the infamous Lumiere DST).

After tuning the impressive 6,35 grams VTF on my new digital scale and overhang and null-points on The Peak arm, I was ready to hear the first notes played on freshly made (not 50+ years old like my vintage NOS Neumann DST!😱) cartridge… 

The first disc I choose - Pierre Dørge/John Tchicai live in Stockholm - was a shock!

I listened to this disc on Steeplechase label yesterday with Lumiere DST and today, with Analogtechnik’s DST15, the Gibson 335 and alto sax lively recording sounded even more fabulous and lively, so naturally better than my previous listening session!

How is it possible 😄?

Well, words aren’t able to say it all… the feeling is you simply don’t need to explain anything to anybody, as quality is so impressively apparent.

Even more impressive considering it’s a few hours old cartridge, still breaking-in and opening: for example, first grooves sounded with noisy background, like the cartridge was extracting too much informations from the grooves… this lasted just one side, then only music poured from Gotorama.

Maybe the cantilever stiffness diminished within half  an hour or the diamond self-polished while playing first disc… dunno.

After the Steeplechase disc, I enjoyed a Gustav Leonhardt’s disc, Bach’s The Art of Fugue recorded by Tomas Gallia on BASF/Harmonia Mundi and a Rucker’s 16th Century harpsichord was in my Studietto!

The DST cartridge excels in impressively differentiating the parallel musical lines and Analogtechnik’s isn’t second to none, but at this level of resolution and enjoyment, you doubt about your senses.

You feel like a virgin, a newbie and I admit it’s so pleasant 😄!

Imagine if this would be possible with other human activities… a time machine!

While listening to Bach, I was holding the old, premium quality paper booklet and the subtle pleasure of handling this booklet, appreciating the paper crispness and corrugations wasn’t so different from re-re-rediscovering a beloved masterpiece like you listened to it for the first time!

Isn’t this any audiophile wet-dream - i.e. enjoying the music you like as it was the first time?

A gift, rare as it can be.

I look forward to the further improving of the brand new cartridge, also if it already sounds… yes 😇, scaring good!

My sincere compliments and kudos to Maestro Daniel Kim for his achievement in analog art and cartridge making!

🥇🎶🥇🎶🥇🎶🥇🎶🥇

P.S. - a couple of suggestions: be careful to properly handle the larger than life DST15’s headshell body as it will sometimes hit an 80mm clamp at end of most discs… and like other DSTs’ carts, please tune the arm VTA for sweetest spot (thanks to Fidelity Research B60) which will apparently look “wrong” - i.e. a bit “seated”, almost touching the vinyl surface with cartridge belly 😄 but the headshell front will be perfectly parallel to disc.

… and reel-to-reel tapes, too 🥳

 

Flea-market gems 🎶🎶🎶🥇🎶🎶🎶

 

Early-bird, omnivore chaser… here is the result…

Emilio Vedova - La Musica (oil on canvas, 1942)

 

Emilio Vedova (1919 - 2006)

"La musica", 1942

Olio su tela, cm 39,6x49,5

Collezione privata

Too bad it rained…

 

… otherwise, a nice job.🥳

I live here

 

Garrard 301 “Piattone” (larger platter)

 

A Garrard 301, Schedule 1, serial number 12XX, with heavy-duty bearing, 320 mm diameter 4200 grams platter and Shindo leaded-fabric 800 grams

When you like or wish or need something which is not available or simply unobtanium, brand new or second hand, your only chance is to have it bespoke-made (lathed and painted) by skilled and talented artisans. 

The above is valid for audio, car and motorbike restoration… but even cooking: you love a recipe, a dish you tasted at a restaurant 10,000 km from home and you may try to enjoy it again at home. You DO “only” need a couple of important features: passion and motivation. 😊 

Mastering the above can be tricky. 😇

Stephan Mucus’ new disk out soon on ECM

Since 1977 Stephan Micus has been an ECM mainstay who constantly evolved and developed his musical language. Micus's working methods, are connected with the immediate present. He plays each instrument and sings every voice himself. The 'score' is ultimately an accumulation of successively recorded tracks assembled in his studio.

'I don't write down my music in score notation but work with recording equipment from the very start. I improvise on an instrument as long as it takes to find a phrase that seems interesting. Then I develop and elaborate these seeds. Thanks to the recording equipment, I have a mirror for my work whenever I want, even after a long break. Letting things lie and listening to them later is a very important part of the process. Another is trying out the many possibilities of combining my instruments. It takes time, for the music has to grow organically.'

 

His new album ‘Winter’s End’ will be released next Friday. Pre-order and listen to the first two pieces here: https://ECM.lnk.to/WintersEndFP.

#ecm #ecmrecords #stephanmicus #wintersend

Bill Evans/Jim Hall - Undercurrent

 

… why, oh why this awesome album got so many cover iterations?

Should I say “Undercurrents”?

Mysterious music industry: maybe everyone involved in reissues wished to “improve” the beautiful drowning lady?

BTW: I own three of the above discs, just for collecting-sake 😊

Analogtechnik DST15 stereo and DMT25

 

Will be evaluating these beauties, soon…

Cannot stand in my shoes.

Tersadia Ribbon microphones

 

Hand-made in Trelli, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy by Claudio and Cristiano Banelli... one-by-one.

A well kept secret: more details (contact info, price) to come about these nice sounding mikes.

Crosby, Stills & Nash - the unseen picture

 

Thanking Henry Diltz...

... after the photographic-session which gave us the CSN’s first record cover, the wooden barn was demolished.

His Bobness’ destiny

 

🕰⏳⌛️⏰⏱⌚️

 

Orville Gibson in 1894

 

... yes, folks! 

The man who - with Leo Fender and C.F. Martin - changed the music...

He was such a dandy, isn’t he?!?

🥳