From: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org (fegmaniax-digest) To: fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Subject: fegmaniax-digest V15 #239 Reply-To: fegmaniax@smoe.org Sender: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk fegmaniax-digest Tuesday, October 10 2006 Volume 15 : Number 239 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: 663 to Cricklewood Broadway ["Gene Hopstetter, Jr." ] Re: 663 to Cricklewood Broadway [2fs ] Re: Ole Tarantula on vinyl [Eb ] belltown ramble ["ken ostrander" ] RE: deja vu thoth ["ken ostrander" ] Re: ahhh...october ["ken ostrander" ] RE: belltown ramble ["Jason Brown" ] Re: deja vu thoth [Eb ] re: Re: 663 to Cricklewood Broadway ["Marc Holden" ] Re: Ole Tarantula on vinyl [Capuchin ] Re: Ole Tarantula on vinyl [Capuchin ] Re: Scene one: in which Andy gets his oats [hssmrg@bath.ac.uk] RE: Ole Tarantula on vinyl ["Bachman, Michael" ] Re: Ole Tarantula on vinyl [2fs ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 9 Oct 2006 20:04:46 -0500 From: "Gene Hopstetter, Jr." Subject: Re: 663 to Cricklewood Broadway > From: Jeff Dwarf > Subject: Re: 663 to Cricklewood Broadway > > Nah, because Scott's not really a bassist; he's a guitarist that's > slumming it for Robyn. :) Hasn't Robyn played the four-stringed motherfucker on his own records? ISTR his playing bass on "Black Snake Diamond Roll," for "The Lizard," right? ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 9 Oct 2006 22:35:33 -0500 From: 2fs Subject: Re: Ole Tarantula on vinyl On 10/9/06, Capuchin wrote: > > > There are only a handful of artists that I'll bother buying at all (as > most folks aren't worth the effort or patronage, so I feed them into my > rss filter and let my torrent client download 'em whenever they come up). > Lately, I've been buying vinyl when it's available and ripping the CD from > someone or downloading it. > > I really wish this offer had been announced two weeks ago. > > I think we can expect it from Yep Roc in the future (because they're doing > it and it's clearly the right thing to do), so we won't make the same > mistake twice. > > I'm thinking of hauling away (almost) my entire CD collection this week. Okay, I'm confused. Essentially (in this case) you're buying vinyl (cuz it looks cool) to gain access to MP3s. So you're buying one outmoded, noise-prone format to gain access to a newer, lower-fidelity format. Why not buy the CD? (Which also gives you access to the downloads, by the way - at least I think it does.) If you really need a twelve-by-twelve piece of cardboard with the artwork, scan the CD cover at 1200dpi and print it at 450dpi or so. I totally don't understand people's attachment to vinyl. Especially when they'll also have no problem with mp3s (because if they also hated those, and claimed vinyl sounded better, I would defer to the notion that they're hearing distinctions I simply can't). But even there: you need a very expensive turntable and cartridge to get the best sound out of vinyl (how much more do you have to spend to get equivalent sound quality from an LP to a CD, considering the extremely low cost of CD players?), and then after a handful of listens the LP's gotten worn or scratched anyway. As I said, I don't get it. Or maybe it's just that I'd have a recording that sounds "really good" pretty much forever than a recording that sounds "super good" three times and "full of noise and scratches" after that. And that's not even mentioning singles - which are utter crap, almost always pressed off-center so that if you're sensitive to pitch they're like being drunk without the pleasure. (Welcome to 1989!) - -- ...Jeff Norman, who bought 1,000 LPs but switched to CDs and never looked back The Architectural Dance Society http://spanghew.blogspot.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 9 Oct 2006 22:37:31 -0500 From: 2fs Subject: Re: 663 to Cricklewood Broadway On 10/9/06, Gene Hopstetter, Jr. wrote: > > > From: Jeff Dwarf > > Subject: Re: 663 to Cricklewood Broadway > > > > Nah, because Scott's not really a bassist; he's a guitarist that's > > slumming it for Robyn. :) > > Hasn't Robyn played the four-stringed motherfucker on his own > records? ISTR his playing bass on "Black Snake Diamond Roll," for > "The Lizard," right? Now if only he could Don Van Vliet to guest on the plastic-horned devil... - -- ...Jeff Norman The Architectural Dance Society http://spanghew.blogspot.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 9 Oct 2006 21:08:48 -0700 From: Eb Subject: Re: Ole Tarantula on vinyl > ...Jeff Norman, who bought 1,000 LPs but switched to CDs and never > looked > back What, you just re-bought all those albums on CD? I still have something like 800 vinyl albums and maybe another 75 or so twelve-inches. That tally has been practically flat-lined for at least the past 10 years, because I unload/upgrade vinyl at about the same rate I buy more. (Buying eight LPs at Amoeba last week is the most vinyl I've bought at once in a LONG time.) But no small number of those LPs would be a major endeavor to upgrade to CD, if it's possible at all. And trashy, casually enjoyed albums which are "fun" to own on 50-cent vinyl lose all their charm when upgraded to pristine CD. I just don't WANT to own Whipped Cream & Other Delights on anything other than scratchy vinyl. Not to mention "Teach Your Bird to Talk." Actually, I'm more geared toward upgrading my cassettes. I could even list 50 or so top-quality albums which I still have on *homemade* tapes. Eek. Trivial, obsolete groups such as, oh, the Clash, King Crimson, David Bowie, R.E.M., Talking Heads, X, the Doors, the Pixies and Captain Beefheart. Yeah, losers like that. Speaking of which, I hear Astralwerks is reissuing Doc at the Radar Station (and Ice Cream for Crow, which I do have on CD) very soon. I dropped by a local Tower Records for the first time in awhile tonight, and discovered it MOVED about four months ago. Oh dear. It's a few blocks around the corner now, incorporated into a larger indoor shopping mall. A much nicer, more spacious location than before -- too bad it's closing down. The "clearance sale" is nothing worth seeking out as yet, however. 10% off recent releases costing $17-$19 is hardly cause for celebration. Though a salesgirl told me the powers-that-be are waiting to see how much stock is unloaded at 10% off, and then may cut the prices even more. Hope so. It did seem like there were a few more oddball imports around, as the store strained to get rid of EVERYTHING. And I was really tempted by a hard-to-find Cluster reissue for $20 minus 10%. Amazon wants $33.49 for the same disc. May go back for that, especially if the discount gets increased. Eb ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Oct 2006 00:59:56 -0400 From: "ken ostrander" Subject: belltown ramble and you wanna know what isand also what is notdon't you girl?it's an independant life and you want to see your eyesreflected in the worldso you go down forth to blanchard and turn right on rock blue ruepast the crocodilethen you slide down forth againwhere the clairmont used to besay hello ariel (r.e.l.) ontthen you find the uzbek warlordyou collide with tamerlainehis teeth are brownoh he doesn't speak he prods youthen he says burning trainsback in your hometownthen you roll down denny waypast the pink rotating elephant e.x.p.and you say well come what maynow i'm in my elementi'm where i ought to bebut tamerlaine is hothe's mounted on the elephantthe coffee's on the boiland he says what have you got?you say i don't have anythinghe says you must have oilso you wanna know what is and also what is notdon't you girl?it's an independant life and you want to see your eyesreflected in the worldlook out babyseven men are on their wayseven sets of appetites have got to be appeased todayigornance comes first then comes opportunismgreed is thirdfundamental faith rides in backwards with his eyes shutlistening for the wordin bowls number fivehe needs a bit of elbow roomhis name is hastehe fires off a slew of emailsand says put your hands together boysfor six eight k a waistthe boys all look aroundthey look to number sevenreclining in his chairhe's got his headphones onhis head is full of paradisehe isn't thereand you wanna know what is and also what is notdon't you girl?it's an independant life and you want to see your eyesreflected in the worldtamerline and i went to the two bellsback on forthken orders some wineand we say how's it going ken he said it's going northto canadait's going to canadayou can walk a squareyou can walk an oblongeven just walk straightyou'll still be standing therethough you think you did the job wrongyou did it great ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Oct 2006 01:11:10 -0400 From: "ken ostrander" Subject: RE: deja vu thoth [2fs ] > and (b) came accompanied by some notion of why you're posting > those artists. [Eb ] <<<<>>>>>>>> hey, what's with the quotes? actually, my irritation came from your attitude about rex's loose standards for comparison with _sister lovers_ and the long list of albums that resulted when you have seen fit to list scores of albums with no connection between them except that they were suggested to you by amazon. i don't mind that you posted ("barfed") them; it was the double standard you demonstrated after the fact. i was also bugged by the fact that the few albums i felt i could comment on were already mentioned by the time i got to the digest, which is not your fault of course. i hate posting "me too's"; but i love's me some lists. other music for uplifting gormandizers. ken " i'm stepping out of my disease " the kenster ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Oct 2006 01:15:11 -0400 From: "ken ostrander" Subject: Re: ahhh...october [moi] >the a&m albums. there seems to > > be some problem with the label continuing to manufacture them. all of > > them are listed on amazon, though. perspex' for as low as $.94! > [2fs ] >Yeah, but that only means someone somewhere has a used copy for sale and is >using Amazon via its third-party sellers program (whatever name they give >it). It doesn't mean it's still in print. (Don't know if you thought or were >implying that - but I thought I'd clarify.) > >"Spotted Eagle Ray" >I think that the A&M records and Rhino reissues are officially out of >print, as are the Ryko Soft Boys reissues, although the expanded version of >"Underwater Moonlight" is probably still available. It's possible the >WB records have drifted out of print, too. Oddly the pre-Rhino original >Midnight Music versions of at least some of the pre-A&M solo records >can still be had at the Museum, last time I looked. it says "available new and used" at amazon; but i'm pretty sure they're all used. i suppose that you might even be able to get something still shrink-wrapped like a time capsule; but i figured they were out of print. i wonder how long 'til the next tidal wave of re-issues? the _mossy liquor_ album came with a sticker that read "limited edition pressing"; but that could apply to the actual albums as well. when are we going to see the release of a spiffy feg ipod with *everything* uncle bobby has done including videos, artwork jpegs, and readings of his stories? ken "basking on the shores of time" the kenster ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 9 Oct 2006 22:47:33 -0700 From: "Jason Brown" Subject: RE: belltown ramble Here are some Seattle centric clarifications. I hadn't realized how weird these some of these lyrics seem if you aren't familiar with Seattle > and also what is not > don't you girl? > it's an independant life > and you want to see your eyes > reflected in the world > so you go down forth to blanchard That's "Fourth to Blanchard" As in Fourht Avenue in Seattle in the Belltown neighborhood. BTW this a much mouch cooler Seattle song than the rather embarassing Viva Sea Tac. > and turn right on rock blue rue That's Roq la Rue (http://www.roqlarue.com/)a pop art gallery on Second Ave a block up from as... > past the crocodile ...the Crocodile Cafe http://www.thecrocodile.com/ > then you slide down forth againwhere the clairmont used to be Again that's Fourth ave The Claremont used to be a hotel. Now its apartments or a retirement home or something. > say hello ariel (r.e.l.) ont C-L-A-R-E-M-O-N-T > then you find the uzbek warlord > you collide with tamerlane > his teeth are brown > oh he doesn't speak he prods you > then he says burning trains > back in your hometown > then you roll down denny way This is Denny Way which forht avenue runs into. > past the pink rotating elephant this is the sign for the Elephant Car Wash http://www.elephantcarwash.com/ >e.x.p. this either refers to the offices of KEXP (http://www.kexp.org) or the Experince Music Project Building both of which are close by http://www.emplive.org/ > and you say well come what may > now i'm in my element > i'm where i ought to be > but tamerlaine is hot > he's mounted on the elephant > the coffee's on the boil > and he says what have you got? > you say i don't have anything > he says you must have oil > so you wanna know what is > and also what is not > don't you girl? > it's an independant life > and you want to see your eyes > reflected in the world > look out baby > seven men are on their way > seven sets of appetites > have got to be appeased today > igornance comes first > then comes opportunism > greed is third > fundamental faith rides in > backwards with his eyes shut > listening for the word > in bowls number five > he needs a bit of elbow room > his name is haste > he fires off a slew of emails > and says put your hands together boys > for six eight k a waist For six 8k a waste? For six ok a waste? > the boys all look around > they look to number seven > reclining in his chair > he's got his headphones on > his head is full of paradise > he isn't there > and also what is not > don't you girl? > it's an independant life > and you want to see your eyes > reflected in the world > tamerline and i went to > the two bells The Two Bells Tavern a nice divey place Robyn often plays ecret shows at. > back on forth Fouth Ave again. > ken orders some wine > and we say how's it going > ken he said it's going north > to canada > it's going to canada > you can walk a square > you can walk an oblong > even just walk straight > you'll still be standing there > though you think you did the job wrong > you did it great ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 9 Oct 2006 22:57:59 -0700 From: Eb Subject: Re: deja vu thoth ken ostrander wrote: > hey, what's with the quotes? Because Kwazy Eddie likes to sign posts under your name, and I still don't know what the fruck is up with that. > actually, my irritation came from your attitude about rex's loose > standards for comparison with _sister lovers_ and the long list of > albums that resulted when you have seen fit to list scores of > albums with > no connection between them except that they were suggested to you by > amazon. i don't mind that you posted ("barfed") them; it was the > double > standard you demonstrated after the fact. WTF? One has nothing to do with the other. Oh well, at least you didn't perceive those listed albums as a threat against your children. > i love's me some lists. See recent comment! Eb np: "Studio 60" (noooo...ease off on the time devoted to backstage romantic conflicts, please) ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 9 Oct 2006 23:48:52 -0700 From: "Marc Holden" Subject: re: Re: 663 to Cricklewood Broadway hssmrg@bath.ac.uk wrote: >> * Are you sure? Morris turns up regularly at the >> Fleece in B'tol whether he is billed or not, but my >> understanding was that Robyn hadn't spoken to Andy >> since 'Respect' came out. And he hasn't spoken to >> Matthew Seligman since MS formed that Snail combo. >Jeff Dwarf I thought Snail was already formed at the time of the >reunion, though it was a falling out between Robyn and >Matthew that brought the reunion to an end. And I was >under the impression that while it was problems >between Robyn and Andy that ended the Egyptians, they >were now somewhat cordial, though not necessarily >friendly. I bought my first Snail CDs at the Soft Boys show at Slim's in San Francisco, well before Matthew had said enough was enough. The basic problem with the Soft Boys reunion boiled down to it turning into a Robyn Hitchcock project rather than a full band project with active input encouraged from all participants. Matthew felt Robyn would do well regardless of who he used for a backing band (more precise quotes are in the archives, but I'm about ready for bed now). Also, Andy showed up and played at Robyn's Largo show on Nov. 14th, '97, well after the final Egyptians show (9th of March, '94) and even a bit later than the show at the 12 Bar where Andy showed up (23rd of July, '97). Any idea what he is up to recently? Marc If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason. Jack Handey ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Oct 2006 01:57:00 -0700 (PDT) From: Capuchin Subject: Re: Ole Tarantula on vinyl On Mon, 9 Oct 2006, 2fs wrote: > Okay, I'm confused. Essentially (in this case) you're buying vinyl (cuz > it looks cool) to gain access to MP3s. So you're buying one outmoded, > noise-prone format to gain access to a newer, lower-fidelity format. I play the vinyl and it sounds really great and has a big, pretty cover. The MP3s aren't particularly low-fi. I don't think I have delicate enough ears to tell the difference between a 190kbps MP3 and a CD. However, I can almost always tell vinyl from CD. I wish I had the language and training to explain the difference. If it's not dynamic range, what is it? What accounts for that warmth which is lost in the CD transfer? > Why not buy the CD? (Which also gives you access to the downloads, by > the way - at least I think it does.) I did buy the CD. And no, it didn't give me the downloads (except Embryo Twirl), but that hardly matters since I ripped the CD almost immediately after openning the package. > If you really need a twelve-by-twelve piece of cardboard with the > artwork, scan the CD cover at 1200dpi and print it at 450dpi or so. I don't have a printer. And, again, I do play my vinyl quite a bit... even things that I have digitally. But I never, ever play my CDs. Between the iPod, the Audiotron, and the PC, there's just no need for the things. > I totally don't understand people's attachment to vinyl. Especially when > they'll also have no problem with mp3s (because if they also hated > those, and claimed vinyl sounded better, I would defer to the notion > that they're hearing distinctions I simply can't). But even there: you > need a very expensive turntable and cartridge to get the best sound out > of vinyl (how much more do you have to spend to get equivalent sound > quality from an LP to a CD, considering the extremely low cost of CD > players?), and then after a handful of listens the LP's gotten worn or > scratched anyway. I am pretty certain I can hear the difference with vinyl. I don't think I'm imagining it because, on several occasions, I've commented on the sound of a recording that I otherwise knew well only to find it was just a decent piece of vinyl. Granted, my friend Brad's super fancy audiofile hi-fi set makes every platter sound amazing (even the old ones he buys from the bins and cleans up)... but Paul's old clunker stereo that does nothing but blare hardcore punk all day long was whence I first heard the Ramones reissues on vinyl unknowingly and was floored by the separation and clarity. So I don't think it takes a particularly fancy system or particularly pristine LPs to get "the vinyl sound", but CDs just don't have it. And I admittedly can't hear any difference between relatively high bitrate MP3s and CDs. > Or maybe it's just that I'd have a recording that sounds "really good" > pretty much forever than a recording that sounds "super good" three > times and "full of noise and scratches" after that. Well, the MP3 sounds "really good" way longer than the CD will. I don't need a permanently pressed piece of plastic for every record I'd like to hear. > And that's not even mentioning singles - which are utter crap, almost > always pressed off-center so that if you're sensitive to pitch they're > like being drunk without the pleasure. I don't think being drunk sound very pleasurable at all. The idea of being poured down a gullet gives me the wiggins. > (Welcome to 1989!) Again, I'm just saying that I'll take the vinyl over the CD because the MP3s are as good as the CDs and the vinyl, for the handful of times I bother to really sit back and listen, is going to give me a better sound. When I was switching disks every time I wanted to hear a different record, CDs were the shit. Now, I got no use for them. J. - -- _______________________________________________ Capuchin capuchin@bitmine.net Jeme A Brelin _______________________________________________ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Oct 2006 02:01:38 -0700 (PDT) From: Capuchin Subject: Re: Ole Tarantula on vinyl On Mon, 9 Oct 2006, Eb wrote: > Actually, I'm more geared toward upgrading my cassettes. As I wrote earlier, I dumped all of my cassettes a month or so ago. The only difficult part was the sentimental attachment to the objects themselves as I had carried them around for so many years and had them on my person or nearby during so many formative events. But losing the thing doesn't mean losing the memory, so they're gone. > I could even list 50 or so top-quality albums which I still have on > *homemade* tapes. Eek. Trivial, obsolete groups such as, oh, the Clash, > King Crimson, David Bowie, R.E.M., Talking Heads, X, the Doors, the > Pixies and Captain Beefheart. Yeah, losers like that. bittorrent is your friend. You could download all of those records in an afternoon and ditch the tape. J. - -- _______________________________________________ Capuchin capuchin@bitmine.net Jeme A Brelin _______________________________________________ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Oct 2006 12:21:03 +0100 From: hssmrg@bath.ac.uk Subject: Re: Scene one: in which Andy gets his oats > Date: Mon, 9 Oct 2006 08:12:06 -0700 (PDT) > From: Jeff Dwarf > Subject: Re: 663 to Cricklewood Broadway > I thought Snail was already formed at the time of the > reunion, though it was a falling out between Robyn and > Matthew that brought the reunion to an end. And I was > under the impression that while it was problems > between Robyn and Andy that ended the Egyptians, they > were now somewhat cordial, though not necessarily > friendly. * To my mind, the Egyptians' gig at the Western Star Domino Club in B'tol was the best Hitchcock gig I ever saw. Is it on the giglist, completists? The reason was that the trio played as one ferocious, albeit playful animal: maybe a giant meerkat? And Andy is just plain better than any of the other bassists Robyn has worked with, even John Paul Jones, who I believe is secretly a keyboard player. >> And since they were both bass guitarists, I suspect >> it's only a question of time till he >> falls out with McCaughey. > > Nah, because Scott's not really a bassist; he's a > guitarist that's slumming it for Robyn. :) * [Laughs] > > Date: Mon, 9 Oct 2006 10:46:20 -0500 > From: 2fs > Subject: Re: ahhh...october >> >> Andy's been on the outs for a while. >> > > > Errr well ahh...the whole thing would have made much more sense if I'd said > what I meant to say, which was about Morris and *Kimberley Rew* (who was > not, of course, in the Egyptians...but wasn't there some tension there, > something about his playing too loud?) - at least in recent years. * Yes, that's the official reason (or one of the reasons) that the Soft Boys split up. > Dammit - there goes my chances at that Fox News fact-checking job. > > (PS: I misread that as "Andy's been on the oats for a while" - which I > suppose would mean he's a horse now.) * Whinny- hyuuu hyuuu hyuuuu > > I love that song, but in my mind, "Victorian Squid" is the ultimate in > squirmy erotic songwriting. > - --Q * Yes > > My thoughts, too... "Hmmm... how can I have bass guitar get played on this > record and tour, and yet not need to be around a bass player?" See previous > comments about Arthur Kane: the only good bassist is apparently a dead > bassist. On the way, tribute songs to Entwistle, Pastorus, etc. > Kidding. * Is Bruce Thomas working nowadays? > Date: Mon, 9 Oct 2006 09:05:43 -0700 > From: Tom Clark > Subject: Re: 663 to Cricklewood Broadway > > On Oct 9, 2006, at 6:11 AM, hssmrg@bath.ac.uk wrote: > >> PS Someone once claimed that the Blue Oyster Cult got their name >> while looking for an anagram of 'Trolleybus Cue', but that assumes >> that they didn't know how to spell 'queue'... personally I take itt >> with a smidgeon of dehydrated saline solution. > Well, considering they started as a bunch of stoners from Long > Island, I doubt they even knew what a trolleybus is (much less an > anagram). > - -tc, who also started as a stoner from Long Island... > p.s. More Cowbell!! * Like it, Tom. But this was from an interview with Sandy Pearlman in Circus magazine - the one headlined 'Lanier fears death after being bitten by an angry rabbit', 'Cully Stout Beer' was another suggestion. My guess is that they were sitting round in a caff in Newcastle after playing 'We gotta get out of this place' and coming up with anagrams. But any fule can see that if your name is Sandy Pearl Man and you want to form a group in your own image, the oyster theme would come into it immediately. - - Mike Godwin PS If you want to see some nostalgic photos, try: . I rode on the London trams on their last week in 1952 but Robyn didn't because he was still in the void... apparently the red trolleybuses survived till 1960 or thereabouts. n.p. Night of the Lepus ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Oct 2006 08:38:10 -0400 From: "Bachman, Michael" Subject: RE: Ole Tarantula on vinyl >> ...Jeff Norman, who bought 1,000 LPs but switched to CDs and never >> looked >> back Same with me, only about 600 LPs which I got from 1965 to 1985. Eb came back with: >What, you just re-bought all those albums on CD? >Actually, I'm more geared toward upgrading my cassettes. I could even >list 50 or so top-quality albums which I still have on *homemade* >tapes. Eek. Trivial, obsolete groups such as, oh, the Clash, King >Crimson, David Bowie, R.E.M., Talking Heads, X, the Doors, the Pixies >and Captain Beefheart. Yeah, losers like that. Most of my homemade cassettes are taped radio shows from 1988-1991, which I'll never part with since the radio show I was taping introduced me to the Go-Betweens, Pixies, Throwing Muses, etc. >Speaking of which, I hear Astralwerks is reissuing Doc at the Radar >Station (and Ice Cream for Crow, which I do have on CD) very soon. Hmmmm Baby! Count me in on those reissues! What about Lick My Decals? Michael B. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Oct 2006 08:33:23 -0500 From: "Michael Wells" Subject: RE: belltown ramble >> and says put your hands together boys > for six eight k a waist > For six 8k a waste? For six ok a waste? This refers to the next appetite: "For six, a.k.a. 'Waste'" Michael Ps. many interesting thoughts on OT, Ken. Been so busy as not to be able to reply at length, but hopefully soon! Pps. doesn't look I can make Toronto now, so I've one extra ticket if anyone needs. Ppps. Secret Machines totally fucking ROCK! But you probably already knew that. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Oct 2006 10:04:41 -0500 From: 2fs Subject: Re: Ole Tarantula on vinyl On 10/10/06, Capuchin wrote: > > On Mon, 9 Oct 2006, 2fs wrote: > > The MP3s aren't particularly low-fi. I don't think I have delicate enough > ears to tell the difference between a 190kbps MP3 and a CD. However, I > can almost always tell vinyl from CD. > > I wish I had the language and training to explain the difference. If it's > not dynamic range, what is it? What accounts for that warmth which is > lost in the CD transfer? "Warmth" (and "separation," which you mentioned later) are the qualities always attributed to LPs...but I've never been able to hear those qualities as standing out particularly on LPs vs. CDs. (Except for very, very early CDs, which were poorly mastered not taking into account the rolloff of high frequencies expected on vinyl: so the master tapes typically were harshly bright because they knew those high frequencies would be damped in the transfer to vinyl.) The "separation" thing I don't understand at all: on vinyl, you've got two walls millimeters apart, and one needle; on CD, you've got two entirely separate set of digital signals. As for "warmth" - I've long suspected people are transferring the "warmth" of the admittedly more sensual large black vinyl disc and cardboard sleeves to the music itself. (But then someone will insist they can distinguish vinyl and CD blind - probably so: it's the crackling and popping of surface noise! Maybe that connotes "warmth" to people...certainly, it seems to to some hip-hop DJs.) > > > And that's not even mentioning singles - which are utter crap, almost > > always pressed off-center so that if you're sensitive to pitch they're > > like being drunk without the pleasure. > > I don't think being drunk sound very pleasurable at all. The idea of > being poured down a gullet gives me the wiggins. Well yes - but what if it was a very sexy gullet? > (Welcome to 1989!) Oops: what I actually meant by this was not "you're a relic" but "isn't this the sort of debate everyone had in 1989?" PS: also, LPs take up reams of space! I'd have to build a separate shed for LPs if my music collection were all on vinyl... - -- ...Jeff Norman The Architectural Dance Society http://spanghew.blogspot.com ------------------------------ End of fegmaniax-digest V15 #239 ********************************