"Nostalgia"
A funny thing happened on the way to growing up. I started experiencing nostalgia. Not sure when it started, but it is almost always triggered by music or by a smell - hardly ever by sight or touch or taste.
There is music that still reminds me of the 78s I played as a kid - The Sword in the Stone, William Tell, The Sorcerer's Apprentice. Stuff like that.
But nostalgia is funny. It is funny strange because it reminds me of a feeling and a zeitgeist that I am sure never ever existed. I mean, I am sure I played the heck out of those records - but that I never had a feeling of buoyancy and boundless joy when I played them. I just played them to pass the time and to try to figure this 'life' thing out by doing what the people were doing.
Another 'trigger' for me, and probably for Neli, is the Girl from Ipanema. The feelings I get revolve around the hearing this song for the first time on a system setup by Alvino at Sound Hounds with Von Schweikert VR4 speakers and the Levinson 20.6 monoblocks. Sure it was big and expansive. But beyond that it set us down this path where we have ended up here, today, posting articles on our new high-end audio magazine [darn that Alvino. Watch out for that guy!].
And so the feelings of nostalgia that are generated by hearing this song, that flash back on that demo, go way beyond what actually happened at that demo.
In this way music triggers responses in us that both summarize, as well as extend, our appreciation of our past and who we are. I have a lot more to say about this subject - as I think it is one of the key gifts that music brings into our lives.
"Buying Used Music – Over The Internet"
"by Brian Boehler"
In the last article, I explored how to buy used music locally and showcased Denver as an example. The other side to buying used music is to not get in a car and find a store but to explore and purchase product over the Internet. Previously, I stated used music is everywhere. When it comes to the Internet this is both figuratively and literally true. You can explore some genres of music that will take you around the world to buy product. You can purchase from these global music shops or from dedicated individual collectors through E-Bay and other sites that allow an individual to post their wares.
I am far from being an expert in this area of buying music and could probably learn a thing or two from many of you. In spite of my lack of diverse knowledge, I'll give some examples that I have used and share my experiences.
Buying used over the Internet requires you to find the sites or situations that allow you to look for the music you are interested in buying. The easiest for me has been to use Amazon and explore their merchants who have both new and used product. I have also used E-Bay and found music that wasn't available on Amazon. For a more comprehensive approach to buying used
over the Internet, check out www.musicbuyingfr... This site will detail a number of shops and options available for you to explore.
E-Bay
You can use E-Bay and search for a particular artist or album title. I have used E-Bay with good affect over the years. I have found people have been honest and accurate about their descriptions of the used product condition. I'll use a real example to showcase my experience with E-Bay and it's supporters.
I was looking for a CD by Michael O'Martian for two of his early career solo works, White Horse (1974) & Adam Again (1975). I have both albums in vinyl but have never been able to find the CD. I have looked around for years and never had the fortune of discovering a clean used copy or maybe a hidden new copy. Both albums were put onto one CD as part of The Contemporary Christian Classics by Myrrh records, a division of Word, Inc. I knew this probably had very limited distribution that came and went in a flash. Michael's early solo work was small in numbers and his early career exposure was even smaller.
A quick note on Michael O'Martian is in order. Michael Omartian (born November 26, 1945 in Evanston, Illinois) is an Armenian-American songwriter, Grammy Award-winning keyboardist, and music producer. He has produced albums for several pop artists including Christopher Cross, Michael Bolton, Whitney Houston, the Jacksons, Rod Stewart, Trisha Yearwood, Clint Black, Donna Summer, Peter Cetera, Benny Hester, Steve Camp, The Imperials, Amy Grant, and Steely Dan. In 1985, Michael Omartian along with Quincy Jones, co-produced the # 1 hit "We Are the World" by a super group of popular musicians billed as USA for Africa. Omartian is one of the few producers in recording history to have number one records in three consecutive decades – the seventies, eighties and nineties.
In one year alone, he was nominated for ten Grammy Awards, three of which he won for his work on Christopher Cross' debut album:
1981 Grammy Award for Record of the Year - "Sailing" (with Christopher Cross)
1981 Grammy Award for Album of the Year - Christopher Cross
1981 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) – "Sailing"
As you can see, Mr. O'Martian is a talented producer and musician. I found the CD I had been looking for on E-Bay from an Ohio shop. The CD was in excellent shape and I won the bid with a low bid of $10.00. At one time, I found the CD for $90.00 and didn't win the bid. The good thing vs the bad thing about E-Bay and their bidding system is that you may or may not win the product. It is a great way to find rare music but it does not guarantee you will get the product in your hands. I'm sure there is a method that produces better results but I just rely on sometimes getting lucky and sometimes not.
Amazon, Etc.
I won't spend a lot of time here other than to say that Amazon showcases a number of used dealers and provides a way for you to see a person's comments about their reliability over a period of time, usually a year, as well as their lifetime rating doing business through Amazon. They clearly state the price of the CD as well as any shipping charges and what they will be. I have bought many used CDs through Amazon and never had a problem. Vendors such as Caiman and Second Spin sell through Amazon and have proven to be reliable and true to their word on product condition description and on following through quickly. This is a quick and convenient way to explore many used products. It follows the proven Amazon format and does a reasonable job of providing diversity of genres and products.
"[Amazon now offers free shipping on used music for vendors who use Amazon warehousing and buyers who have signed up for Amazon Prime - Ed]"
Overall, buying used music over the Internet is relatively easy and painless. My experiences have been positive and worthwhile. While this approach has proven useful, such as with the Michael O'Martian CD, it really isn't the same as talking to a real person with a real personality and developing a relationship to explore new or used music. Maybe you have found an Internet based buying experience that has bridged this gap. I encourage you to share your experiences, both positive and negative, with the rest of the community so we can all learn and profit from your Internet buying experiences.
Good Exploring & Listening!
Brian
"To Tweak or Not to Tweak"
"that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous non-perfection,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them and
achieve the ultimate musicgasm?"
Well, to take arms in our case does not mean harikari but reading lots of forum posts by people of questionable pedigree, sending lots of money to people you just know have a tinfoil hat nearby just in case [not that there is anything wrong with that], and trying the tweaks out late at night when you know you won't get seen 'doing it'.
The deep dark secret is that most tweaks do do something. In fact, most conservative technology probably starts out in life as a tweak. You really think that Roosevelt didn't at least once or twice, before White Sands, think Einstein probably kept some extra tinfoil around the house?
The problem is, Is it a good tweak? And although most tweaks will not nuke your system, one has to consider the short and long-term harmful side-effects.
Every technology has harmful side-effects. Most technologies in use are used because the benefits were at least at one time seen to outweigh the side-effects. Sometimes we later discover that the side-effects are just too onerous. To avoid having to endure these side-effects, often for years, one has to pay attention upfront, to seek out and discover the harmful side-effects before a commitment is made.
This means paying attention to harmonics and tone, to compression and micro-dynamics, to naturalness and emotion. This means experiencing disappointment after disappointment, and shrinking bank accounts. But after all that, it is still a heckuva lot of fun.
"St. Vincent; Actor"
"by Mike Mallory"
"Website"
Characterized by her operatic vocals, she’s creating a buzz with here unique blend of instrumentation.
The thing that really strikes me about St. Vincent is the use of dynamic swings in every song to keep the interest up. The album isn’t a long journey across distant lands, it’s like a collection of little journeys, swinging up and down at random. The tracklisting reads like episodes of Seinfeld; The Neighbors, The Bed, The party, The Sequel, etc.
The soundscape has a similar makeup in every song. Imagine the dreamy operatic vocals center-stage, flutes and vocals providing a landscape, and quiet, fast paced cymbals keeping the movement going. The only sound that seems to stand out as digital is the heavily distorted guitar that forcefully makes its way into a number of the songs.
The whole album keeps a kind of whimsical tone throughout, Annie’s soft voice guiding the way, with occasional blips from clarinets and random instruments……Just make sure you don’t start drifting into la-la –land just too soon, because there’s a noisy guitar lurking around a few corners ready to shock you back to reality.
Like being in a dream, running through the meadow in the warm sun, gently caressing the wheat stalks, then getting woken up with a bucket of ice water……..Well, OK, it’s definitely not that extreme, and it only applies to a few songs anyway.
The whole album is delightful and enjoyable for it’s creativity and fresh perspective.
Find it on LP and CD.
St. Vincent, Live at the Bluebird Theater
I showed up to this one fully expecting everything I’d seen in a few poo-tube videos I caught the week earlier. My mental picture; Annie Clark, alone, trying to multitask instruments and hold a show like a street busker, while everyone in the crowd’s shifting anxiously with crossed arms.
Not at all!
She showed up with a whole backup crew that was exactly the same lineup as Dave Matthews and Jimmy Buffett, as she embarrassingly admitted to the crowd.
The live show is strong…..Annie switches up the vocals with two mics. One for her standard vocals, and another right next to it with a little reverb set in for that “omnipresent-god-... that seems to come from everywhere. She switched between them constantly……….. Nice touch I thought.
The energy is picked up a lot from the mostly dreamy album, adding in saxophone, and a lot of violin to change up the pace. Besides that, Annie’s guitar comes in a lot stronger live…..And of course, louder. I would say that the low end of everything was entirely bloated and out of control, something I’ve come to expect out of this particular venue, but despite all that, the airy centerstage vocals came out great and brought out a lot of the subtle shifts in Annie’s voice.
"Buying Used Music - Locally"
"Pre-played Media"
"Previously Owned Music"
"2nd-hand Discs"
"Recycled Tunes"
"by Brian Boehler"
Buying used locally requires you to find stores who do a good job of buying and displaying the used product. Many of the independent stores listed from the previous article also carry used media and have it reasonably to high priced. Their model usually includes used music as a secondary product and they only tend to buy the obvious big acts based on total sales volume across the world. Stores that specialize in used media and offer some new as their secondary product line tend to do a better job of buying a mix of music, tend to have lower prices, and will often look for specific music that you request and let you know when they get it in.
New Music Stores That Carry Used
Since I live in the Denver area, I'll use some local stores as examples. Barnes & Noble, Borders, Virgin, Target, Circuit City, and Best Buy don't carry any used product. They specialize in new product and sometimes at great prices. It is the independent music store that often supports both new and used product where some treasures may be buried in the bins for you to find.
If we look at the local independent music stores we find they have a reasonably deep mix of music and musical styles to chose from. If a store carries approximately 50% new then I refer to them as a new store. Examples include Twist & Shout and Independent Records. My perception is that they carry more new than used although both have a pretty excellent selection of used product. These stores can have a fun and exciting vibe due to the eclectic mix of music, new/used product, diverse staff, and musical paraphernalia. Ironically, these two stores are only a mile apart and provide the most bang for the buck from a shopping experience.
With the recent re-master of Dead Can Dance albums on SACD, I decided to make a run around town to see if I had any luck. I had found the 8 SACD set on line but prefer to support my local dealers if possible. I have to admit that I wasn't confident I could find these SACDs locally or at a price that was reasonable. How wrong I was! Independent Records on Colfax had all 8 of the SACDs and at a very competitive price. I was thrilled that I could buy locally and still get a good price. I also took the opportunity to dig through many of their used bins and found a couple of world CDs and a few soundtracks my son had been looking for. I ended up spending about $250 dollars that day but the high from the experience left me to really enjoy the remastered music.
Used Music Stores That Specialize in Used
We seem to have a broader mix of used stores that really specialize in used CDs/DVDs. Three of my favorites are Second Spin (not just Denver), Angelo's, and Cheapo Discs. All have a very large selection of used product at generally good prices. None specialize in a particular music genre but really cover the gambit. I have shopped at these stores for years and found some special gems.
We also have some used stores that focus their mix of products to more specific genres. They may carry a handful of classical or blues but the vast majority of their product mix is centered around rock, heavy metal, or dance/electronic as an example. These stores include Wax Trax, Black & Read, Jerry's Record Exchange, and Album on the Hill in Boulder.
A good example of this specialized approach would be The Anime Store. They carry mostly DVDs but have about a thousand anime CDs/soundtracks. This is a very specialized music genre of mostly Japanese origin. Some of this music is very lovely and ethereal with unique theme development that doesn't follow the Western approach to composing music. Maybe it is this unfamiliar approach to the musical structure and the unusual vocals which entice some people. This store draws in a unique crowd of passionate music and movie lovers. The vibe in this store is one of excitement and love of this genre. You might want to check it out for something really different and new. Who knows, you might gain an interest and discover some new and exciting people to learn from.
Each of these used stores offer good, if sometimes eclectic mix of product and is well worth checking out. Used stores are a different buying experience from new. They cause you to dig deeper into a genre and explore the middle or bottom of it. This approach can turn up some astounding finds of new artists and sub-genre styles. The people give each store a certain ethos that can be fun and entertaining to explore. The buying experience is a mix of many variables that ultimately culminates in a piece of music in your hand to explore. I have found over the years the used store buying experience is more fun, energetic, and positive than buying new product. Just my experience, your mileage may vary.
Good Exploring & Listening!
Brian
"Got Music?"
Often people ask: "What is the most important component?" And the answers typically range from 'The Speaker' to 'The Source' to more fashionable answers like 'The Room' or more probable but off topic answers like 'The Wine', 'The Company', 'The Music'.
The question really can't be answered because it is a bad, nonsensical question. What is the most important pebble on your favorite beach? [I know, the one that appears in the salad, or the one that gets wedged into...].
The real question is "How do I spend my money to get the best sound for the buck?" and the ancillary question "What is the methodology to use to design the best system at a given price point?"
Many people have methodologies that they use albeit unconsciously [one hopes]. These include:
Buy whatever components are on sale / the deepest discounts [high discount system].
Buy the cheapest component that people rave the most about on my favorite forums [high raves per dollar system]
Buy whatever my local dealer sells that appears in the Sterophile 'Class A' recommended components [randomly paired decent components system].
Buy a new component every so often that sounds best with the current components in the system. [with demoing lots of components or getting great advice this is a fractal system (finds a local maxima), otherwise this is a random walk system]
We will try and present a few other methodologies in the course of rest of this issue.
