Kate Rogers covers Smiths and Pixies

I'm going off topic here, since Kate Rogers has a CD-only, distinctly un-audiophile recording. But after seeing Gouge, the Pixies documentary, and Radiohead commenting that "nobody could cover the Pixies", it was fun to hear Rogers give it a try.

The results are pleasant enough. Certainly a kick to hear such vitriolic music in so soothing an arrangement.

Thank you Vaughn Monroe

I started listening to the latest $1 bin haul, from my first visit to the recently relocated grouch at Rockit Scientist on St. Marks Place. First, Russ Tolman's Totem Poles and Glory Holes (Restless 1986). The attraction was the Byron Coley blurb on the LP cover describing it as a "real cooter". Had top find out what a cooter would sound like. AllMusic gives it four stars and makes it the AllMusic pick for Tolman. Shame. The LP sonics so bright as to be unbearable.

So, I switch to The Best of Vaughn Monroe (MCA Collectibles 1983). Mastered by Kevin Gray and reissue produced by Steve Hoffman. This duo handled much of the MCA Collectibles series. From what I can tell, based on hearing a handful, they're all outstanding. Monroe is not an artist I'd have pursued without the audiophile pedigree of this particular collection. Musically, I'm not wowed, but its pleasant singer / big band material, and such a relief after the screechy Tolman LP. I've gotten picky enough that I simply cannot listen to sub par mastering. Conversely my appreciation of good mastering with "the breath of life" has me enjoying and seeking out music that is more MOR, mainstream, and resolutely unhip. In fact, since I've become a regular on Hoffman's forum I've been pursuing the most uncool $1 bin artists imaginable.

My $1 bin strategy results in an odd hauls of on one hand Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Judy Collins, Simon & Garfunkel, RCA and Mercury classical, Pablo jazz, and on the other hand Congolese guitar, Algerian Rai, indie rock, experimental, etc. I'm glad that the forum has opened my ears to the obvious. I'm even enjoying Elton John. The way in has been that these mainstream recordings are, in certain pressings, audiophile experiences. I enjoy them first sonically, and often the music that I might have considered schmaltzy, grows on me. The whole idea of cool/uncool music is out the window, and I'm a musical omnivore, enjoying stuff purely on merit. In fact, the prior uncool factor has its own appeal, when my hipster brother raises an eyebrow at my listening to Jethro Tull. Certainly not Pitchfork Media-approved.

Peggy Lee at Basin Street East

Despite a scratchy surface, my $1 copy of "Basin Street East Proudly Present Miss Peggy Lee, Recorded at the fabulous New York club" (Capitol rainbow mono) is a delight.

A listen to side one compelled me to write something. A vibrant version of her trademark "Fever", a snappy "I Got A Man", phew. Despite being actually recorded in a studio, this has the live pizzazz.

WFMU Record Fair 2005

With my son being only one month old, my wife is a gem to support my afternoon at the WFMU record fair. She took our kids to a farm with her parents, and I got to attend my favorite record fair. Sunday afternoon is the tail end of the three day event. Most of the treasures are long gone, but dealers are restless and open to haggling.

Highlights of the haul:

• Nat King Cole - Love is the Thing (DCC LP)
• Elvis Presley - Elvis Presley (RCA mono, 4th version. A later stamper, but shiny vinyl with a book value of $200)
• Nat King Cole - The Nat King Cole Story (Capitol rainbow mono)
• Frank Sinatra - Close to You (Capitol grey label mono)
• Frank Sinatra - A Swingin' Affair (Capitol grey label mono)
• Frank Sinatra - Only The Lonely (Capitol grey label mono)
• Fiedler - Gaite Parisienne (RCA LM 2267 Mono A 3S H) Rare to see a "H" Hollywood pressing. Supposedly not up to the high standards of the Indianapolis plant, and of course, this was RCA's first big stereo release, and that is typically considered the version to hear. On top of that, the cover art from this 1959 release is not of the original 1954 LSC 1817 version:

That art is much more striking. For this release, the options are daunting: Classic 180g or 200g, 33RPM or 45RPM, SACD US, Hong Kong, Japanese XRCD, US CD, stereo, mono versions, the variations are endless. Well, with my $1 investment, I'm seeing how I like the material. I can hear the audiophile appeal in the realistic percussion, and punchy brass. This is a great "show-off" disc. Perhaps I'm not in the mood for can-can.

• Chet Atkins - Chet Atkins in Hollywood (LSP 1993, a Rockaway pressing, later stamper and worse for wear. But lovely material, soothing).
• Five Don Shirley LPs (classically trained jazz pianist)
• Ian & Sylvia - Four Strong Winds (Vanguard Stereolab black and silver original NM.. Now I can compare with the Cisco reissue, although my sense is the reissue will win out)

I'm delighted to have the energy and time to post again after a month-long silence. Thus far, I've only heard the Gaite Parisienne, and Nat King Cole - The Nat King Cole Story (Capitol rainbow mono). I'd been posting on Steve Hoffman's forum about preferred Cole masterings and material, and I'm finding this collection fairs surprisingly well against the much vaunted DCC gold hits version, where there's overlap. I had expected the difference to be more pronounced.

I'm practicing delayed gratification by not listening to the Nat King Cole - Love is the Thing (DCC LP). I have high hopes as I tend to prefer Cole's albums over the compilations, and the mastering on this is supposedly outstanding. Of course, there's the collector kudos to being able to hear it at all, which is also appealing.

I keep expecting my son to wake up wailing, so I'm off to see how he's doing.