Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin Review

Their first album released in 1969 remains one of their best.  Not a bad cut on this album.  Every song is great.  They definitely had a unique sound for the time and were a well gelled band for sure.  Robert Plant has that unmistakable voice and Jimmy Page is awesome on the guitar of course.  John Paul Jones is superb on bass and the organ, and John Bonham plays a nice clean sounding drums.  This album is a must have for anybody's collection because you will listen to it over and over again.  It never gets stale and is always kick ass sounding.  It is hard to pick a favorite cut on this record because they all all great.  I am going to go with Dazed And Confused for my favorite.  The last song on side one.  Check it out!    

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!

Lawrence Welk - Calcutta Review

Great album!  I believe it came out in 1960.  Featuring Frank Scott on the harpsichord.  Solid album all the way through and very listenable.  The quality of the recording is superb for its time and definitely a great instrumental album.  The harpsichord is strong throughout the album and it adds character and strangeness to the record.  The female background singers harmonies and "vocals" adds an eerie but good sound to the entire album.  Beautifully arranged and well written.  Albums like this are a lost art and I am happy to have it in my collection.  I recommend this album to anyone, even if you don't typically like instrumental music.  It has that tropical island, no cares in the world kind of feel to it.  I am looking forward to breaking this one out this summer and sitting outside in the shade with the portable record player and a cold drink.   

Rush - Hold Your Fire Review

I am a huge Rush fan so I will try and write an unbiased review.  Released in 1987 and not a very popular Rush album.  This album is definitely only going to be appreciated by a "Rush Head".  It is more of a soft rock album and not hard rock.  I happen to like the style of Rush on this LP while most would probably wonder why they went this direction.  As Rush is always a constant musically evolving band over the last 40 years, this album proves that theory.  I always joke that this is a shopping album meaning that you could easily hear any song on this album on the overhead speakers at the grocery store and not realize it was Rush.  Rush is way too cool for that though, right?  I like every cut on the record except the last 2 songs, "Tai Shan" and "High Water".  I have never been able to get into them even after 25 years of being a "Rush Head".  The LP overall is great though and I recommend it for anyone's collection as it is truly a Rush stepping stone LP.  Side 1 is the stronger side for sure.