Beck and his black boxes.

ThomasOK · Post by **ThomasOK** » 2021-11-24 17:23

beck wrote: ↑2021-11-24 11:21 Good old Rickie Lee Jones:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/sidttu4fh9j0j ... 0.mov?dl=0

Very nice. But if you want a real challenge let's see if you can make a song off "Pirates" sound good.

Tendaberry · Post by **Tendaberry** » 2021-11-24 18:27

That's a great challenge! Or "Under The Boardwalk" from "Girl At Her Volcano".

beck · Post by **beck** » 2021-11-25 09:51

Guys, it might come out that way but I am actually not here to compete but to show what I can do with my setup, in this instance using a cd player and cd’s.

I am very happy with my cd setup now. It brings me plessure I could only dream of years ago.

I do not have the music you write about but I will play you a piece of symphonic music I love. Watch this space. :-)

beck · Post by **beck** » 2021-11-25 10:09

Sibelius, Symphony no. 2, San Francisco Symphony, Herbert Blomstedt on Decca Digital from 1992:

Link removed

David Neel · Post by **David Neel** » 2021-11-25 10:28

Thank you! That recording will be added to my collection...

Scooter62 · Post by **Scooter62** » 2021-11-25 14:24

beck wrote: ↑2021-11-25 10:09 Sibelius, Symphony no. 2, San Francisco Symphony, Herbert Blomstedt on Decca Digital from 1992:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ptmtvc7hro8e2 ... 1.mov?dl=0

Blomstedt had the SFSO playing at a high level back then, and his Sibelius interpretations are consistently great - both of which come through very well on your system beck. Kudos on some fine cd replay!

Incidentally, the complete Sibelius symphonies with the same folks involved is available in a budget box set (DECCA 475 7677). Blomstedt's Nielsen symphonies with SFSO (DECCA 460 9852) is also highly recommended, and again cheap as chips.

beck · Post by **beck** » 2021-11-25 15:04

Thank you Scooter62 for the “heads up”! I will seek them out. :-)

tokenbrit · Post by **tokenbrit** » 2021-11-25 17:21

Thanks for some enjoyable classical, beck. Good to get some recommendations too - cheers Scooter62

ThomasOK · Post by **ThomasOK** » 2021-11-26 18:35

beck wrote: ↑2021-11-25 09:51 Guys, it might come out that way but I am actually not here to compete but to show what I can do with my setup, in this instance using a cd player and cd’s.

I am very happy with my cd setup now. It brings me plessure I could only dream of years ago.

I do not have the music you write about but I will play you a piece of symphonic music I love. Watch this space. :-)

This challenge is not about competition but about resolving a conflict. The conflict is that I love the track We Belong Together but have yet to find a copy I can listen to as the sound just sucks. So if you could make it listenable, or even better enjoyable, that would be impressive.

I suppose I should try it off Spotify through the Källa before I throw down this challenge.

That said the Sibelius is quite nice.

beck · Post by **beck** » 2021-11-26 22:47

Thank you for explaning Thomas. Rickie Lee Jones “We Belong Together” was not known to me before now!

I do not have it in my collection and if the recording is bad I doubt my system will solve the problem. I will however find it and try to listen to it as soon as I can.

ThomasOK · Post by **ThomasOK** » 2021-11-27 18:26

beck wrote: ↑2021-11-26 22:47 Thank you for explaning Thomas. Rickie Lee Jones “We Belong Together” was not known to me before now!

I do not have it in my collection and if the recording is bad I doubt my system will solve the problem. I will however find it and try to listen to it as soon as I can.

Story warning: lengthy prose may follow!
"Pirates" was Rickie Lee Jones second album. After how amazing the first album was (it was constantly used as a demo at the Hi-Fi store I worked at when it came out) buying the second one was a no brainer. But then I played it. While the songwriting was excellent and the musicians were all of a very high caliber, just as on the first album, it sounded horrible. Steve Gadd sounded like he was beating on cardboard boxes and Rickie Lee could perforate your eardrums with high notes! What went wrong? While "Rickie Lee Jones" was an analog production "Pirates" was an early digital recording and it was nasty. I took it back to the record store and got my money back. But a couple of months later I was still haunted by "We Belong Together" and went and bought it again. After trying to listen to it for a week I took it back again for a refund. (The record store had one of our systems on permanent loan with free styli when they broke one, in return we got to borrow 30 new recored each month - which kept our demo records always fresh and varied. We also got records cheap and lenient return privileges.)

Some 20+ years later I mentioned this to the store owner here who agreed about the sonics of the album but said he had one that, while not excellent, was the best pressing he had heard. I think it was a German pressing. He let me borrow it but I found I still couldn't listen to it even if it wasn't quite as bad as the others I had heard.

I couldn't bear to put a link to the youtube post of the track from the album but here is a live version that is much more listenable. From the sound of it I doubt it had the great Steve Gadd on drums, so still not a complete replacement for the original piece.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUjq57rSQEM

beck · Post by **beck** » 2021-12-08 08:36

Your stories are always worth reading Thomas. :-) Thank you.

Tendaberry · Post by **Tendaberry** » 2021-12-08 11:30

Strange, I've had "Pirates" since it came out and never noticed, that it sounds bad. Am I deaf or do I have the elusive "good-sounding" pressing? According to Discogs I have the US original Allied pressing. I must have a listen tonight to check it out.
https://www.discogs.com/release/6450468 ... es-Pirates

Tendaberry · Post by **Tendaberry** » 2021-12-08 20:48

I‘ve listened now; Tom, you’re at least partially right. Steve Gadd’s drums on We Belong Together DO sound like he’s playing cardboard boxes. Strangely, on Pirates they don’t and Art Rodriguez’ drums don’t either. Interestingly, Steve Gadd is actually credited as playing boxes on Woody And Dutch, a tune that even the digital recording couldn’t prevent from sounding infectious 😃
The piano on We Belong… does sound synthetic, whereas on Skeletons it doesn’t. So it’s a mixed bag. So far Rickie’s voice hasn’t been piercing once, but that may be due to my recent Klimax Radikal 2 upgrade…
Sorry Beck for kidnapping your thread.

beck · Post by **beck** » 2021-12-09 07:10

Tendaberry wrote: ↑2021-12-08 20:48 I‘ve listened now; Tom, you’re at least partially right. Steve Gadd’s drums on We Belong Together DO sound like he’s playing cardboard boxes. Strangely, on Pirates they don’t and Art Rodriguez’ drums don’t either. Interestingly, Steve Gadd is actually credited as playing boxes on Woody And Dutch, a tune that even the digital recording couldn’t prevent from sounding infectious 😃
The piano on We Belong… does sound synthetic, whereas on Skeletons it doesn’t. So it’s a mixed bag. So far Rickie’s voice hasn’t been piercing once, but that may be due to my recent Klimax Radikal 2 upgrade…
Sorry Beck for kidnapping your thread.

No problem! :-)

Here is a teenage favorite getting cranked up:

Links removed

I have reached a lovely place with my cd based system. When buying cd’s I do not speculate about anything other than the music on the cd. It does not matter how it has been recorded or even remastered. It all comes out as music to me.

beck · Post by **beck** » 2022-01-24 09:52

Cd’s are cheap and this past weekend I bought some. The seller arranges gatherings where vinyl collectors sell and buy vinyl like at the well know “Record Day”.

Among other things I found this :-)

Link removed

Charlie1 · Post by **Charlie1** » 2022-01-24 15:43

That's the way (uh-huh, uh-huh) I like it (uh-huh, uh-huh)

beck · Post by **beck** » 2022-01-24 18:37

Charlie1 wrote: ↑2022-01-24 15:43 That's the way (uh-huh, uh-huh) I like it (uh-huh, uh-huh)

NO, NO, NO………..it is: That’s the way (a-ha, a-ha) I like it (a-ha, a-ha)

Just listen:

https://youtu.be/O0_H3F84Yjk

:-)

Charlie1 · Post by **Charlie1** » 2022-01-25 00:01

Thank you beck for the correction :)

ThomasOK · Post by **ThomasOK** » 2022-01-25 18:15

"Fredrik, you don't have to put on the blue light."

Thinking of Källa.

Sounds good by the way, beck!

beck · Post by **beck** » 2022-01-29 08:39

ThomasOK wrote: ↑2022-01-25 18:15 "Fredrik, you don't have to put on the blue light."

Thinking of Källa.

Sounds good by the way, beck!

Thank you Thomas. :-)

I have always loved Supertramp and just two days ago I listened to their album “Crises? What Crises?” for the first time! It was like getting a late loved Christmas gift!

Here from “Even In The Quietest Moments..” :

Link removed

ThomasOK · Post by **ThomasOK** » 2022-01-29 22:26

Nice track. Even in the Quietest Moments... is one of my favorites. The title track is great and track 5 is also a favorite with a personal connection. A very fine album.

tokenbrit · Post by **tokenbrit** » 2022-01-30 00:00

beck wrote: ↑2022-01-29 08:39
Here from “Even In The Quietest Moments..” :

https://www.dropbox.com/s/w2zb877xzgbi0 ... 4.mov?dl=0

Has this been asked: does the LP12 form part of the CD player tuning - increased case damping - such that removing the 'fruit box' negatively affects the silver coaster spinner?

beck · Post by **beck** » 2022-01-30 06:59

The weight of the Sondek is very important in my setup. Without the Sondek on top the cd player sounds confused!
It’s effect has to do with the way my shelf beneath the cd player reacts to the weight and how this changes the vibrations of the whole setup.

tokenbrit · Post by **tokenbrit** » 2022-01-30 14:23

beck wrote: ↑2022-01-30 06:59 The weight of the Sondek is very important in my setup. Without the Sondek on top the cd player sounds confused!
It’s effect has to do with the way my shelf beneath the cd player reacts to the weight and how this changes the vibrations of the whole setup.

I wouldn't expect otherwise ;) Glad your LP12 is still adding it's musical weight to your system even if it's not as a source :)

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