Expecting Rain

no scratches visible here either ,.....just came today

Mine is, luckily, in great condition. So sorry to those whose record is scratched!
As I was checking, here is the thought I had after the relief of there being no scratch: I love the way the 180g vinyl feels. I have Giant Steps by Coltrane on 180g vinyl, and I love putting that on...not just playing it and hearing it, but actually putting it on. Hmmm.
For those of you who enjoy analog and vinyl, there was an interview on a very interesting podcast with comedian Marc Maron with Jack White ( http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episodes/ ... jack_white ). They discuss White's new recording studio, his analog recording set up and his acetate press. There is a quick reference to a book about analog and digital sound in their conversation -- Perfecting Sound Forever, by Milner. It has really good reviews so far as I have been able to gather.

That book has a few useful things about it, particularly in interviews with current industry folk. But too much of it (particularly his history of the earlier recording industry) is sloppily researched and factually incorrect.

Listening to Benny's needle drop right now. Hard Rain has always been a distant second to the RTR '75 Bootleg Series (and the Hold the Fort boot before that) for me. This doesn't change that, but it does elevate the whole show in my estimation. I never realized how my view of the album was clouded by its poor sound. $40 is steep for me for a record, but if it comes down a bit in price, I may have to consider it.

Thank you Bennyboy for yet another vital public service. I'm still reeling from the MSG show you gifted us with previously. Pure gold.

Yes, mine has this as well. On Shelter From the Storm. Very strange. It doesn't cause it to skip, but a couple of times it pops over the scratch. Sounds great, though otherwise.

Oh, I'm tired of wondering what all the fuss is about.

I like PMs.

How about you send me a PM, lazy-arse?

Here’s the real reason CD’s are “brickwalled”. Ipuds have an audio amp that puts out maybe .05 watts. If you turn up a DYNAMIC recording to the point it sounds “good ‘n loud” you’ll be clipping that poor little Ipud’s brains out. But you can crank the shit out of a compressed recording without clipping the Ipud.

But people listen to MP3′s on Ipuds so why brick wall the CD? Because it’s cheaper to create ONE digital release. And for those few poor peeps who still buy CDs, they can rip them to mp3 for their Ipuds and all the songs will be the same volume.

In other words, today’s music is being mastered to sound good on a cheap piece of shit.

And “artists” who release vinyl as compressed as the CD should be SHOT!

But there are more problems with today’s recordings. Every damn thing I hear by a new group has that “one guitar sounds like 20″ and “one vocal sounds like 10″ and “one drum kit sounds like 5″.

I’m sick of this crap! Sick I tell ya!

First step is recognising we have a problem. Well done.

Hey JBS...dunno if it's too late, but aiff is a lossless format too, so it should be a 1:1 conversion.

To refresh my memory a bit, I'm currently listening to my 1976 Hard Rain record. Sounds great. Oh Sister just started, and I must say side 1 is great. Stuck in Mobile is a magnificent, manic, calliope ride.

Really good to know, thanks, Hal.

Goddamit.....

He's got me ballin' during "You're a Big Girl Now".

I know. Right?