Amazon Vinyl of the Month Club

[MakeMineVinyl]

Why Abba and not Franklin ?

Franklin is a real singer.

 

[Robin L]

Franklin is a real singer.

And she overloads microphones like nobody's business. The only Atlantic album where her vocal isn't compressed to death is "Amazing Grace". Real singer, too much singer for standard operating procedure in the studio. Also, not audiophile, though with singers, more than any instrumentalist, something comes through in a recording. And people get accustomed to distorted vocals, like Adele's or those for ABBA.

ABBA's got real musicians, making real music, but there's no accounting for taste, is there? I am fortunate in having very little taste in music.

I think Schubert was the primary inspiration for this one:

 

[BDWoody]

ABBA's got real musicians, making real music, but there's no accounting for taste, is there? I am fortunate in having very little taste in music.

Come on now...who doesn't love Snowmen?

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

And she overloads microphones like nobody's business.

Wrong choice of microphone.

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

Come on now...who doesn't love Snowmen?

I bet you like Barry Manilow too. Come on, admit it.

Myself, I absolutely dig Mantovani.

 

[Robin L]

Wrong choice of microphone.

I think she had too much voice for the room. Reminds me of the time the Radio-Television Woman's Chorus of Bulgaria [aka: Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares] sang their version of "Happy Birthday" at the opera club in Berkeley. They encircled me [lucky I suppose] and it sounded like they overloaded the room, though it could have been that they overloaded my ears. My ears were ringing for a while afterwards.

 

[Robin L]

I bet you like Barry Manilow too. Come on, admit it.

Myself, I absolutely dig Mantovani.

I recently found a Japanese CD of the Philadelphia Orchestra led by Ormandy in the sort of repertoire Mantovani would cover. The musical equivalent of valium and necessary from time to time. The sort of creamy, rich string sound that never obtains in real life, found mostly in late 1950s/early 1960s classical music and pop. Lovely sound, but not "real".

 

[MCH]

Even if A. Franklin would be using a broken microphone she would have all my attention, and i am sure she would deal with it. What is out there is what it is and sadly we cannot go back in time to fix it. By now those records are history of 20th century culture.

On the other hand even if ABBA had the best musicians in the world....

 

[muslhead]

Come on now...who doesn't love Snowmen?

Enough or i am going to report your posts to admin

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

On the other hand even if ABBA had the best musicians in the world....

Well so did the Monkees (the Wrecking Crew).

 

[MCH]

Muscle Shoals weren't bad either

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

I recently found a Japanese CD of the Philadelphia Orchestra led by Ormandy in the sort of repertoire Mantovani would cover. The musical equivalent of valium and necessary from time to time. The sort of creamy, rich string sound that never obtains in real life, found mostly in late 1950s/early 1960s classical music and pop. Lovely sound, but not "real".

I was actually being serious about the Mantovani thing. I listen to an incredibly eclectic mix of music, and Mantovani, Ray Conniff, David Rose, Enoch Light, Roger Williams and many more in the 'easy listening' ilk are part of that mix. Then I'm just as likely to play a Stockhausen piece after that. Deranged, I know.

 

[Robin L]

Well so did the Monkees (the Wrecking Crew).

Another mis-understimated band. This is my favorite Monkees track, Hal Blain is nowhere to be seen as this was all the band's own work:

 

[Robin L]

I was actually being serious about the Mantovani thing. I listen to an incredibly eclectic mix of music, and Mantovani, Ray Conniff, David Rose, Enoch Light, Roger Williams and many more in the 'easy listening' ilk are part of that mix. Then I'm just as likely to play a Stockhausen piece after that. Deranged, I know.

Nah, we are not so far apart. Went on a Johnny Mathis bender a few years ago:

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

Nah, we are not so far apart. Went on a Johnny Mathis bender a few years ago:

I'll see you Johnny Mathis and raise you Lawrence Welk.

 

[Robin L]

I'll see you Johnny Mathis and raise you Lawrence Welk.

View attachment 218286

"Now here's an attractive couple . . . [coughs] . . ."

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

"Now here's an attractive couple . . . [coughs] . . ."

I don't know why I immediately recognized and knew the MC as Myron Floren (who was apparently coming down with COVID-19) - and yet I have trouble remembering truly useful stuff.

 

[Robin L]

Going back to the original premise, I was in a lot of mail-order record & CD clubs. The record clubs included the International Preview Society, if I recall the name of the club properly. It offered sets of music from DGG/Philips/London [Decca] on imported vinyl, good sleeves, notes. 3 or 4 LPs in each box. The initial box of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and DGGs first recordings in Boston were pressed by DGG in Germany, but the following pressings were mostly Italian and not as good. I also bought LPs through the Musical Heritage Society. They would get titles from European labels not represented in the states, like Erato. Erato happened to have the best-selling version of Pachelbel's Canon in large part because if cost $1 to join MHS and get Pachelbel. Nice disc, though the imported Erato disc had a much better pressing and mastering. The flip side of Fasch trumpet concertos featuring Maurice André was what kept pulling me back to this disc. The MHS discs were pressed by a Columbia plant on the east coast and vinyl quality was comparatively high: few warps, off-center records or examples of noisy vinyl.

As regards Amazon's Record Club, I'd look into such considerations as "who is going to manufacture this?" before going any further.

 

[Dial]

I love Abba, Aretha too, she's just a bit boring because she constantly yells, lacks nuance. I covered Take A Chance On Me and SOM Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight). So what ? Draw ? All styles served here by capitali$m.