Features

Arguably the greatest lost record of the 60s, Sacramento psychedelic garage rock band Public Nuisance’s Gotta Survive is unfortunately rarely discussed. The band recorded about two albums’ worth of material before breaking up, with Gotta Survive serving as their only properly assembled LP. While it was produced by Eirik Wangberg, it was under the supervision of Terry Melcher, who shelved all of his projects (including Public Nuisance’s album) following the Manson Family murders at his property occupied by Roman Polanski. Public Nuisance’s less polished, heavier sound is just as good as anything else coming from 1960s California, and had it been released at the time it would currently be hailed as a classic. This Third Man pressing is cut directly from the original two-track stereo master tape by Capitol Mastering’s Ron McMaster (Public Nuisance’s drummer), and sounds as good as it can given the less than stellar recording quality. Overall, this is an excellent pressing at an affordable price ($16) for an album that sadly will never get its critical due. - Malachi Lui

la Spagna XV-XVI-XVII Centuries

This is a double LP reissue of a legendary 1980 BIS original recording of the Atrium Musicae De Madrid produced at the Chapel of the Imperial College from the 17th Century, Madrid. The engineer Robert von Bahr used a pair of Sennheiser MKH 105 microphones feeding a Revox A-77 at 15 IPS. This reissue used the original tape, cut by the late Stan Ricker, with lacquers processed by RTI. Pallas pressed in Germany and the sound is spectacular. Of course, if Spanish baroque isn’t your thing, well you haven’t listened. The original was a Harry Pearson The Absolute Sound “Super Disc” selection and is quite collectible as is this 2015 reissue.Michael Fremer

The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Live At Monterey

First officially released in complete form by Reprise in 1986, Experience Hendrix/Sony finally released, in 2014, a proper all-analog vinyl edition of the Jimi Hendrix Experience’s fiery (literally) 1967 Monterey Pop Festival performance. Not only is this reissue significant for its historic musical content, but this vinyl edition is also done as all LPs should (when possible); all-analog mastering by Bernie Grundman, 200g QRP pressing, an insert featuring Experience drummer Mitch Mitchell’s 2007 essay about the show, and a $25 retail price. Many live albums are unfortunately cut from digital transfers of the tapes, but not in this case; it shows in the transportive (albeit rough) sound quality. The multitude of recently reissued Hendrix live recordings can easily leave a casual listener confused, but if there’s one live Hendrix LP to have, it’s Live At Monterey.- Malachi Lui

West Side Story

This double LP Analog Spark set of the original Broadway cast cut by Ryan K. Smith AAA using the original 3 track master tape packs a musical and sonic wallop. “It’s like you are there”, say visiting guests when I play it for them, so vivid and three dimensional is the sound, recorded at Columbia’s 30th street studios and mixed to put you in the front row. Orchestrations by Bernstein, Sid Ramin and Irwin Kostal are thrilling as is the playing by Broadway’s best. The cast including Larry Kert, Carol Lawrence and Chita Rivera sizzle. I can’t imagine the new “West Side Story” could possibly compare, nor did the movie soundtrack album. This is the one.Michael Fremer.

Son House - Father Of Folk Blues (Analogue Productions 45rpm)

After slowly gaining stature among younger white audiences, Delta blues legend Son House’s first recordings in two decades landed on the 1965 Columbia LP release Father Of Folk Blues, which in the purest form showcases House’s immense talents. Perhaps best known for its opener, the vivid “Death Letter Blues,” House performs the bulk of Father Of Folk Blues unaccompanied - it’s just his uniquely strummed guitar and expressive vocal powers, unfiltered. During this time period, Columbia’s recordings typically sounded amazing, and this album is no exception. On Analogue Productions’ spectacular 2017 45rpm reissue cut all-analog by Sterling Sound’s Ryan Smith, House is almost literally in the room with you, playing for anybody who’ll take the time to listen. - Malachi Lui

The Kinks—The Mono Collection

Another minor miracle of the resurgent analog age. The original mono Pye Records tapes traveled to Kevin Gray’s Cohearant Audio where he cut directly to lacquer the eight Pye LPs. To assemble the double LP “hits” compilation” Gray used the original tapes and digitized at 96/24. The result is the best sounding Kinks albums ever: better than Pye and Reprise mono originals and that includes the double LP black jacket compilation. Includes a lavish 48 page booklet all for $199.98. God save The Kinks!Michael Fremer

Art Ensemble Of Chicago - The Spiritual

In the mid-late ‘60s boom of experimental jazz groups, the Art Ensemble Of Chicago (AEC) was (and still is) perhaps the most avant-garde of them all. In fact, it’s hard to classify them as jazz; sure, they use instruments traditionally used throughout the genre, but their loosely structured music relies more on unusual percussion, atmospheric quiet, and minimalism than it does traditional compositional ideas. Out of print for decades and still unavailable on streaming services, The Spiritual perfectly demonstrates everything the AEC excels at. ORG Music’s reissue, limited to 1500 copies for Record Store Day 2019 that are shockingly still available under retail, comes digitally remastered by Infrasonic Mastering’s Dave Gardner, cut at SST, pressed at Pallas on dead-silent red vinyl (my copy has not a single surface artifact on side one, and barely any on side two), and is complete with new (and in my opinion superior) artwork. If you can’t get the initial red vinyl press (of which there are still many), ORG Music recently announced a standard black vinyl run which hopefully will be just as good. - Malachi Lui

Masterpieces by Ellington

Until the release of this long-playing record in 1951 Duke Ellington’s recorded output was limited to three minute dance singles. In concert he was performing expanded, sophisticated arrangements of his most enduring “tunes” like “Mood Indigo” and “Sophisticated Lady”, two of the four suites presented here. His orchestra at the time featured his finest musicians including Billy Strayhorn, Johnny Hodges, Paul Gonzalves, and drummer Sonny Greer. Unfortunately, at the time few people owned long playing phonographs and the recording disappeared until the 1990s when jazz historian Michael Cuscuna discovered in the Columbia Records vault “Masterpieces by Ellington”, thinking it to be a compilation of 78s strung together for the new LP format. Fortunately, he played the tape! It was then issued on CD but for some reason it didn’t have the impact this vinyl reissue has had, probably because the CD sound can’t begin to compete with the timbrally rich, spacious sound of this AAA record, available in both 33 1/3 and 45rpm editions, cut by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound and pressed at QRP. Masterpieces by Ellington has gone on to become Acoustic Sounds’ most unlikely best-selling vinyl reissue both for the music and the sound, despite its having been recorded in mono almost seventy years ago! This one gets well-deserved applause every public play around the world. -Michael Fremer

Prince - 1999: Super Deluxe Edition

Now that Prince’s estate is sorted, Warner Records recently dropped a super deluxe (5CD/DVD, 10LP/DVD, or, of audio content, digital 44.1 and 88.2/24) box set of his 1982 breakthrough double album 1999 with Bernie Grundman’s new album remaster, a disc of single edits, extended mixes, and b-sides, two live shows, and most impressive of all, two double albums’ worth of previously unreleased vault material, mostly newly unearthed compositions. During his most productive period from 1982-1987, Prince proved himself as a master of blending countless genres into artistic pop hits, as well as one who shelved hundreds of finished songs, of which many are among his best. Even though we got a preview of the unreleased 1999-era music in the form of “Moonbeam Levels” on the 2017 posthumous cash-in compilation 4EVER, this box set is comprised of tastefully curated previously-unheard songs, insightful alternate takes, and released songs’ full length versions. Overall, this material is mind-blowing for anybody who owns more than a Prince compilation CD. While the vault discs’ quality is mostly front-packed, they can easily be narrowed down into a shorter, airtight highlights playlist. (My 46-minute playlist is: “Purple Music”/“Vagina”/“Money Don’t Grow On Trees”/“Yah, You Know”/“Moonbeam Levels”/“How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore? [Take 2]”/“Delirious” [Full-Length]”/“International Lover [Take 1].”) Further, the sound, as you’d expect from Bernie Grundman, has smooth top-end extension, dynamics, presence, and excellent tonal balance. Overall, this box set is a win all around (save for the 10LP set’s egregious price, which is why I’d rather buy the far cheaper CD box), providing a fascinating look into Prince’s workaholic creative peak. - Malachi Lui

Gene Clark-White Light

The most talented and unique Byrds songwriter and ultimately a tragic figure, Gene Clark careened from one ill-fated musical project to another including this one, where inexplicably, the usually well-oiled A&M Records team screwed up big-time, failing to put the album title “White Light” anywhere on the jacket. So, the album became known to some as “Gene Clark”, which caused confusion. Whatever the cause, the album was a musical success but a commercial failure. If you’re unfamiliar, read the review. As I wrote in that review, this Intervention Records reissue cut from tape “….kills the original in every possible way.” -Michael Fremer

Bob Dylan - Bootleg Series 14: More Blood, More Tracks and Blood On The Tracks: Test Pressing Edition

In the midst of a crumbling marriage, Bob Dylan entered New York’s A&R Studios in late 1974 to record his next album, the achingly bare, mostly acoustic Blood On The Tracks. Packed with vivid, emotional lyrics about his ongoing issues, Blood On The Tracks is often hailed as among Dylan’s best, although the 1975 release is only the conclusion of the album’s story. Following the A&R sessions, mostly accompanied only by bassist Tony Brown, Dylan and producer Phil Ramone mixed the album, of which test pressings soon arrived. After his brother found the album too monotonous, Dylan entered Minneapolis’ Sound 80, rerecorded half of the album with a full band, and instead released that. However, the NY sessions are far superior to the Minneapolis takes. Columbia/Legacy’s 2018 6CD box set (and condensed 2LP or CD) More Blood, More Tracks features every surviving Blood On The Tracks take, including the complete New York sessions sans mix effects. The oft-bootlegged test pressing version, complete with added mix compression and pitch variation, finally saw commercial release on Record Store Day 2019 - it sounds amazing. As great as the More Blood 2LP set is, the test pressing version is the definitive Blood On The Tracks. Surprisingly, the RSD edition is cut from a digital transfer of an original test pressing, even though it sounds as if cut from a digitized tape. Good luck finding the test pressing edition for retail price, but it’s so musically brilliant that really any price is reasonable. If you can’t fathom spending $50+ on one single LP sourced from another record, that’s your loss (although your wallet’s gain) but More Blood, still a revelatory listen, is a solid second place winner. - Malachi Lui

Forest Flower Charles Lloyd at Monterey

Charles Lloyd’s magical appearance at the 1966 Monterey Jazz Festival either captured the zeitgeist of the time, or it helped created it. While the title tune was not at the time new, it felt as if it was written for the coming flower power era that another Monterey festival would soon embody. The quartet of Lloyd, Keith Jarrett, Cecil McBee and Jack DeJohnette (Lloyd sure knew how to pick ‘em!) had been on a world tour and by the time they played Monterey the group had achieved a musical buoyancy that Wally Heider well-captured in the recording. Everything worked here, including the album’s graphic layout and Jim Marshall’s cover photography. It was my, and my college roomates’ “go-to” weekend album: we’d assemble Friday afternoon, unbury from the garage our illegal stash, roll and smoke one and then to chill out, listen to Forest Flower. This Speakers Corner reissue cut from the original tape by Kevin Gray sounds better than my treasured original pressing.-Michael Fremer

Prince - 1999: Super Deluxe Edition

I concur with everything written by Mr. Lui though I think the LP box set packaging, pressing and sound are well worth the money, especially if you are a mega-Prince fan. This box defines excellence in reissue sourcing, assembling, mastering, pressing, annotation and packaging. What Prince managed is truly “mind-blowing” and though I didn’t expect to, I listened to the entire set in one sitting and came away more impressed by his work and more depressed by his death.-Michael Fremer

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