I am going to play all my RCA Living Stereo LPs...

[vinyl1]

Now here's a truly forgettable one!

This can only be described as the world;s best-recorded elevator music. It is total fluff from the first track to the run-out groove on side two. Evidently, they liked this sort of stuff in the 50s and early 60s.

Thread note: I have taken out, photographed, edited, and uploaded through LSC-2249 in an attempt to step up the pace a little. I still have to listen to them, though.

 

[vinyl1]

OK, let's get back to real classical music

This one is not widely appreciated, but it is really quite excellent.

This is another surprisingly good performance of the standard repertoire by Munch and the Boston. He takes the slow and majestic route, with only moderate tempi even in the finale, but with huge dynamics and soundstage. There is great horn playing and very solidly recorded bass drum in the final movement, although as usual you can hear a rolloff starting at about 40 Hz.

This record is highly recommended, and should be reissued by someone.

 

[guiller]

This one is not widely appreciated, but it is really quite excellent.

Agreed!

 

[escobaria]

I just read this entire thread. Excellent! Thanks so much for the photos and insightful reviews. I have many of these shaded dogs and I love them.

 

[vinyl1]

I just read this entire thread. Excellent! Thanks so much for the photos and insightful reviews. I have many of these shaded dogs and I love them.

The earlier pics were shot with a Sony Mavica FD92 from around 2001, which is now a virtual antique. I was waiting for it to break, but it never did; however, you can see the deterioration in picture quality over the years.

I had trouble with reflections shooting the Nikon Coolpix L820 with the LP on the turntable, but now I have come up with a good technique for just the covers. They are propped on a 2 x 4 against a white wall opposite the windows, and I just crop them down to the cover itself. They're just a little hard to get absolutely level without a tripod.

Of course, one of these days I'll want to show the label.....

 

[John Hukill]

....the next great one:

This is a Decca recording, probably engineered by Ken Wilkinson. It features the Arnold Tam O'Shanter Overture, the Gnomus movement from Pictures, Night on Bald Mountain, the Saint-Saens Danse Macabre, the Witches' Ride from Hansel and Gretel, and the Liszt Mephisto Waltz.

The sound is a step up. The Decca microphones and tape machines capture deep bass, vivid tone color and huge dynamics. The bass is clearly attenuated below 40 Hz, but it is there. The cutters they had in 1960 couldn't cut a bass signal flat down to 20 Hz. If you listen to the Hobson-era Classic reissue, you will hear the bass all the way to the bottom - but, unfortunately, without the microdynamics and tonal purity you can hear in the original. I'll have to admit that the Bernie Grundmann treatment does not hurt this type music as much as some of the other reissues, and it is a fun listen. There is also a Decca reissue from the mid-70s that I haven't heard, that might be a good compromise.


I hope you guys like the new style of picture, I got tired of having to put the belt back on my turntable - it tends to slip under the platter while I am attempting to get it in place.

wow...http://www.ebay.com/itm/ALEXANDER-G...0397826?pt=Music_on_Vinyl&hash=item3389830782

 

[krisjay]

I always keep my eye open for a decent copy of Witches Brew, I have yet to see one in the wild though.

 

[vinyl1]

I have found two copies of Witches Brew, one in the wild for 50 cents, and the other at the WFMU record show for $15. That just shows you that many record dealers know something, like that Living Stereo shaded dogs may be of some significant value, but do not know everything. This is why all the dealers madly flip through each others' $3 and $5 boxes before the show opens. There are so many records out there, nearly everyone can make a mistake.

 

[Raynie]

Regarding that ebay listing. I steer clear of sellers who crop the edges off their photo albums. I see that and I am done.

 

[escobaria]

I've found two copies of "Witches Brew" out in the wild. One mono, the other stereo. Each was under $1.00. I'd love to say my stereo copy is near mint but it's not.

 

[vinyl1]

I find this one quite nice.....

....at least on the Saint-Saens side:

Unfortunately, I could never quite figure out Franck.

This is know as one of the better Living Stereos, but I had not played my copy for many years - that's why I'm doing this thread. It does have the usual flaw of the later Rubinsteins: a huge piano in front of a smallish and rather distant orchestra. But it is OK for what it is, and not even that expensive any more.

 

[vinyl1]

Now for one that is minor-league in content....

.....but very good in performance and sound:

Even in these brief excerpts, you can hear what a fine conductor Fiedler was and how well he handled the orchestra. The single movement from Beethoven's Third shows how much more dynamically and aggressively he would have treated the whole symphony, compared to Munch's solemn performance with the same orchestra. If RCA had turned him loose in the major repertoire, he might have produced some gems. As it is, the only major complete work is the Dvorak Ninth, recorded after the shaded-dog era was over and gone.

 

[vinyl1]

Two missing ones....

....in a row, a first:

LSC-2237, Rachmaninoff, Piano Concerto #3, Janis/Munch
LSC-2238, Bennett, It's Classic But Good

The Bennett is not a big deal, but the Rachmaninoff is an important LP, and I've been trying to get one for years.

 

[George O.]

....in a row, a first:

LSC-2237, Rachmaninoff, Piano Concerto #3, Janis/Munch
LSC-2238, Bennett, It's Classic But Good

The Bennett is not a big deal, but the Rachmaninoff is an important LP, and I've been trying to get one for years.

Just so the basic photo is in the thread, here is my mono copy:

and a reissue of the Victrola reissue of the stereo:

Either of these can be had for peanuts since they aren't very collectible. (But it is the same performance.)

 

[vinyl1]

Yeah, that's what it looks like. There are two copies of LSC-2237 on eBay right now, one for $250 and one for $200, so anyone who really, really needs this LP can just buy one.

 

[vinyl1]

One complaint about golden-age classical recods....

...has always been that the performances are not that great. "Sure, the sound is wonderful, but the 1942 Furtwangler with the Berlin shows how the music should be played."

Well, here is a record in great sound that doesn't have that problem:

Monteux was about 85 when he recorded this masterpiece. You could not ask for a better performance, as he produces a driving, rhythmical rendition using the full abilities of the BSO. The sound is huge, dynamic, and has wonderful tone color. You cannot go wrong if you can find a copy in decent condition, and this is not an expensive record. I doubt if my review will jack up the price, either.

Naturally, there are alternative renditions. The Mravinsky and the Markovitch are also very fine performances - not surprising, since Markovitch took private lessons in the 1930s with Pierre Monteux!

 

[theblackknight]

vinyl1:

This thread was a fantastic read. You have an incredible ear for classical music and a wonderful exposure to the art. If you had a blog about music recording reviews, I would read it regularly. Can you recommend the best recording you have heard of Beethoven's Pathetique Op. 13? I'm currently learning to play it and I have a couple copies--one with Firkusny on Capitol and one with Richter, but the Richter has very poor sound quality. I'm ready to foot up to $50 or so for an excellent recording and performance because I find it helpful when I'm learning to play it. LP or CD.

Thanks,
Henry

 

[theblackknight]

....in a row, a first:

LSC-2237, Rachmaninoff, Piano Concerto #3, Janis/Munch
LSC-2238, Bennett, It's Classic But Good

The Bennett is not a big deal, but the Rachmaninoff is an important LP, and I've been trying to get one for years.

Is the Rachmaninoff a copy of Janis' recording with Mercury Living Presence? RCA didn't resign Janis when Van Cliburn came around if I recall correctly--so he took up a contract with Mercury. His recording of Rach 1 with Kondrashin is fantastic--I got a copy and mailed it to Janis' address on Park Avenue last year and he signed it for me!

-Henry

 

[vinyl1]

@Henry - two answers in one post!

The Beethoven sonatas I like are Schnabel, but they recorded in the 30s on mono 78s. If you want something more modern, I would definitely try the second Backhaus cycle on London/Decca, although his earlier mono versions had better playing. There is also a Moravec on Connoisseur I like, and that one has fine sound.

The RCA Janis Rachmaninoff 3rd was recorded before the Mercury, I believe. I'm sure the performances are probably pretty similar, but Kondrashin had a better handle on this type of music than Munch.

 

[vinyl1]

While the music on this one is pretty much fluff...

...the sound and playing are quite grand:

It's all either stolen or adapted from Sousa, and makes for a lively ballet. This is the kind of music Fiedler could bring alive, and the record has plenty of punch and a huge soundstage. It must not have been easy for the brass players, there are a lot of tough solos.

Thread note: I have only two more pictures online after this one, so I just pulled the following 8 LPs and photographed them. That should hold us for a bit.