Pink Floyd - The Endless River Review

In the words of Jeff Lebowski, "Far fucking out man."  This album is pretty awesome even if you are not a Pink Floyd fan, I think you would have to appreciate this.  Recorded in 1993 and released on 10/11/2014.  Contains 3 members of the group (no Roger Waters).  Double album and it comes with a full size 16 page glossy containing pics of the original 1993 sessions.  It also comes with a digital download coupon.   The album is all instrumental sans the last song which has a few verses.  The whole flow of the album is quintessential Pink Floyd as you would expect.  It sounds a lot like Momentary Lapse of Reason meets the Division Bell.  It's no DSOTM, it's some next, next, next, next gen PF music.  It is very listenable at anytime and I highly recommend that you pick it up and give it a listen.  Just don't expect it to be rocking out or even heavy sounding, it's very mellow Floyd.  Pick it up on Vinyl, of course! 

Depeche Mode - Ultra Review

Released in 1997.  I have the the 2007 Re-Issue Vinyl.  Hands down the best Depeche Mode album ever.  People will argue and say that 80's Depeche Mode is better but this album is awesome!  It has the perfect balance of new and old style DM.  Excellent to listen to all the way through.  Even if you are not a Depeche Mode fan, I recommend giving this one a listen.  A lot of the songs that you thought were older songs are actually on this album.  I will say that this Depeche Mode album is a lot more "electronic" sounding than any of their others.  "Sister Of Night" is my favorite cut on the album.

Journey - Escape Review

 

Released in 1981.  Everybody knows "Don't Stop Believin'" and "Open Arms".  Side one is more or less the poppy radio side of the album and side 2 is more the rockin' side.  Pretty good album overall and definitely a decent listen all the way through.  Journey at its peak for sure.  Steve Perry's vocals are amazing as always and it almost hurts the record because he kind of takes away from everything else.  A good cut to listen to on this album that many people probably never heard is "Stone In Love".  I am always looking for hidden concept albums because I am weird (and I have a theory that there are a ton of concept albums out there and people just don't realize that they are, or they were by accident), this one almost works as a concept through the first side and then sharply falls off.  I think all of Journey's albums together make a big conceptual piece though.  I am getting way to deep on Journey here.  Overall a pretty decent record.  Pick it up for Steve Perry's killer vocals and Ross Valory's excellent bass riffs. 

My Equipment

I had a few people ask me what I use to listen to vinyl on.  I think I have a pretty awesome setup and I got really lucky piecing it together because it contains some expensive components.  Here it is:

Sony STR-D511 Stereo Receiver.  55 Watts per channel RMS
Philips 212 Electronic Belt Driven Turntable with touch sensitive controls
ADC XLM MKII Cartridge and Stylus
Klipsch KG5 Speakers with built in crossovers

Here is how I acquired it:

Sony Receiver - No big deal, they are cheap.  However, as a testament to Sony products, I purchased this receiver brand new in 1993 and has many hours on it.  Works great.

Philips 212 Turntable and ADC XLM MKII cartridge and stylus - Picked up at Salvation Army Thrift Store for $25.  Yes, an awesome find considering the turntable ranges from about $100-$200 depending on condition and the cartridge and stylus about $250.  I just recently repaired the turntable because the touch sensitive control was not working.  It was a pretty easy fix, I located the schematic online, studied it and found the potentiometers that control the TS controls and turned them up.  I also recently spent $20 on a new stylus.  The turntable sounds awesome!  Another thing to note is that the ADC XLM MKII cartridge and elliptical stylus are one of three carts and styli that are considered to be reference quality.

Klipsch KG5 Speakers - Picked up at Goodwill for $15 for the pair.  Another awesome deal considering that these speakers go for about $65-130 a pair used.  They were $400 each when they came out.  They are widely used in movie theaters for surround sound.

That is my equipment.  I gues I could get a better receiver but would I really notice the difference?  I am very happy with this setup and it sounds awesome!