Ivan Fischer with Budapest Festival Orchestra - Mahler Symphony No. 1

Ivan Fischer with Budapest Festival Orchestra - Mahler Symphony No. 1

  Ivan Fischer is one of the bright spots today in classical music and has been making a lot of noise with his interpretation of Gustav Mahler's symphonies.
   Mahler music can really only be appreciated if you spend some active time listening to it, but then it will hit you.    His symphonies are simply magical.......
  Symphony #1 is the second symphony i discovered after falling totally for his masterpiece the resurrection.  Fischer teams up with the Budapest Festival Orchestra to deliver a beautifully powerful symphony that will change your life.   This was all carefully edited and mastered by Jared Sacks and Hein Dekker at Channel Classics.  The sound is simply stunning and fans of huge symphonic orchestra will love to get into this beauty.

Sonny Rollins - Way Out West SACD (1957)

Sonny Rollins - Way Out West SACD

I will admit that I was shocked to see that there are THREE version of "Way Out West" on SACD.....Analogue Productions, Japan SHM and this one on Fantasy (Hong Kong). Gee there are about 5 million albums I'd love on SACD and yet there are 3 separate versions of this one alone.......kinda crazy....
Anywho.......let me just say that I am big fan of Sonny Rollins and think that "Way Out West" is one of his great albums! I was a bit unsure if I should really own another version of this but with all the great reviews I decided to give it a try...and I am soooooo glad I did.

I can not compare this version to the Japan or APO SACD releases but can say that I think this one is very good. The quality of the mix is actually quite amazing with great instrument separation and superb clear sound. This recording is warmer and smoother than the RBCD Remaster on Impulse I own and some of Rollins' sax feels like he is right in your living room playing beside you!

On "come, gone" at the end there is some wild sax stereo panning going on (the 2 channel mix) and right at the end it is almost like Sonny turns and faces you as the listener.....it was almost like he had his back turned and then at the end shifted around......never heard anything quite like that before and dont recall that on the RBCD.

I love the distinct drumming with such clarity in the left speaker while Rollings cherps away on the far right...while the bass is mid-left channel. This is really a fun recording and the great depth and stereo effects makes this SACD a real winner.

The recording engineer was Roy DuNann who I think did a great job on the SACD mastering.

Billy Joel - The Nylon Curtain (1982) MOFI SACD

Billy Joel - The Nylon Curtain MOFI SACD

  ....well we're living here in Allentown!  The Nylon Curtain was released in 1982 and was another wonderful pop album from an artist that was on quite a roll.
 On this album Joel fused Beatles influences like the songs "Laura" , "a room of our own" and "Scandanavian Skies" while maintaining standard art pop songs like Pressure"
  The song "pressure" was a tune that I couldn't stop playing when this album first came out.
  But perhaps the high point really on the album is "goodnight Saigon" which still holds up as just one of Billy Joel's finest and most emotive moments!
  The SACD was carefully mastered by Rob LoVerde at Mobile Fidelity Sound Inc and I must say this is just sonic perfection!!!!!!

Billy Joel - Glass Houses (1980) MOFI SACD

Billy Joel - Glass Houses MOFI SACD

In 1980 I bought "Glass Houses" on cassette..........yup cassette! And played it over and over again until the chromium dioxide wore off the reels. It wasn't until recently that I repurchased this album on SACD thanks to the folks at MOFI. This was Joel's 7th album and was part of the soundtrack to my life!
"Glass Houses" was remastered by Rob LoVerde at Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs who IMHO did an excellent job in representing this pop-treasure in 2012 with great warmth and clarity. Mr. LoVerde also was responsible for so many of the great MOFI releases.....including the great first Foreigner album (sorry but this album is my fav rock album and he did a great job on that one too)

The song "all for Leyna" is worth the price for this album alone! IMHO the best Joel track ever!

I can not compare this SACD to earlier rebook or other Billy Joel SACD releases ......sorry but I can only share my opinion that this one sure sounds nice and clear and rich at higher volumes.

Brendan Perry - Ark (2011)

Brendan Perry - Ark  (2011)

  Brendan Perry is of course the male voice from Dead Can Dance who along with Lisa Gerrard have released some of the most interesting and creative soundscapes of the past 20 years.   Ark is the second solo album released by Perry and this album continues his quest into sound while exploring slightly more accessible forms.   
   I think Brendan has one of the richest and best voice EVER and this album just reminds me again just so amazing it is.   
 

Glenn Gould - Goldberg Variations (J.S. Bach)

Glenn Gould - Goldberg Variations (J.S. Bach)

  Well I grew up in a household that adored classical music and the piano was often the entertainment of many family gatherings.  My uncle was a concert pianist and would play Bach, Chopin, Mahler...you name it.....
   Because of this I got to know and appreciate the work of Canadian Glenn Gould and understand his interpretations.  As far as I know Gould recorded Bach's Goldberg variations twice in his lifetime with this recording representing the second. Sony music and Gould himself were involved int he recording and mastering and the Goldberg Variations are re-presented here some 20 years later in 20 bit format for you to enjoy.

  This is music you MUST hear and a series of vignettes that you will never forget by the master himself !

Bob Thompson - On The Rocks! (1959)

Bob Thompson - On The Rocks!

   Why not pour yourself a space age cocktail, pull out the 8TRACK and lay back on the shag carpet and dream away to the ultimate bachelor pad album !

  This may be my personal favourite of all Space Age Pop albums ever !  Wow......huge spacious sound, with clever instrumentation not unlike the Enoch Light Persuasive Percussion albums, with great vocal harmonies and a very dated 50's and 60's sound.  This album sounds very dated !   and that is part of the magic for me !
Another very cool part of this album (and the other early Victor albums) is that Bob Thompson blended well known songs along with his own songs on these recordings.