whats your music

[contrahead]

Back in 1977 I walked into a music store, shopping for stereo equipment. The salesman who was also the store owner's son, led me back into this insulated listening room full of speakers and stood me in front of a humongous pair that probably cost over a $1,000 each. He then put a record on the turntable and commenced to turn the volume up so loud that it might have blown my britches off, had they not been held on by a tight belt.

Of course the salesman was displaying some of the best equipment that money could buy. A quality turntable, using the best phonograph needle on the market and a powerful amplifier that must have been pumping upwards of 150 watts of power to each channel (enough power to melt ordinary speakers). Had that same volume been applied in a large room featuring glass windows, assuredly some of those windows would have shattered from vibration.

The point is – that the music sounded good. Real good. The louder it got, the better the music sounded, which is uncommon. You can't do that with ordinary recordings because when you put average recordings to the same test, then background noise and harmonic distortion will rise to the forefront and then decidedly spoil your listening experience. Even digital recording equipment (CD's appeared for the first time in 1982) can't compensate for lackluster sound engineering in the recording studio.

The LP that the salesman played on that day in 1977 was from a neoclassical new-age-rock music group named Mannheim Steamroller. Since the group could not find backing or support from any of the established record labels, they had to build their own recording studio. They named their label “American Gramaphone”, which still exist after these 47 years – in Omaha, Nebraska. Without the traditional channels of radio promotion and distribution that established recording companies would normaly have employed, members of the group manually delivered individual pressings to music stores, here and there around the country.

What follows are two cuts from Fresh Aire albums. I thought the music was good 40 years ago. Of course I was listening through my own modest sound system that I put together one piece at a time. But transistorized electronics begin to fail after 10-15 years; capacitors are often the most common failing components. Today I can only listen to any of these songs over a ghetto-blaster or the little surround sound system on my PC. Frankly, considering its low cost and small size, my computer's speaker system (consisting of a sub-woofer and 4 small satellites), does a commendable job of sound reproduction. But it won't shake the floor or rattle the windows. The main deficiency of the setups we all are using online though, are in the shortcomings of the lossy compression, MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3) format. (ACC and similar .m4a formats preform a tad bit better).

I do tend to prattle on sometimes. Here is the music, but it sounds best when it's turned up properly; loud enough to feel.

[Prole]

I love and miss John Prine

[utube][/utube]

[Durhommer]

[thecroweater]

[TDick]

For you noobs just getting started,

and everyone else...

[Durhommer]

[Zeotropic]

I was listening to Don Williams Tulsa Time. Cranked that music up to 33 in my truck going down the highway singing at the top of my lungs.

[Zeotropic]

Ronnie milsap prisoner of the highway! Yeah! I like my old country loud.[emoji16]

Another great one is John conlee common Man.

[acfixer69]

I was listening to Don Williams Tulsa Time. Cranked that music up to 33 in my truck going down the highway singing at the top of my lungs.

He was a special performer. All he did was sing to you. First time I saw him live was on my 1st year anniversary at a picnic outdoor catered show. 1982

[Zeotropic]

I was listening to Don Williams Tulsa Time. Cranked that music up to 33 in my truck going down the highway singing at the top of my lungs.

[emoji106] He was a special performer. All he did was sing to you.

So many "musicians" these days seem to forget the music part. I love the old stuff with real instruments and good singing.

[River Rat]

A local guy that made it pretty big. John Prine helping him out on this one. They also did a great version of Mexican Home shortly before Prine passed.

[River Rat]

Hard to beat some CDB too...

[EM Jellinek]

Maestro, I little distilling music if you please....

[VLAGAVULVIN]

[thecroweater]

[The Baker]

Good stuff, Crow.

Geoff

[Zeotropic]

I'm listening to Meet Me In Montana by Dan Seals and Marie Osmond while waiting for a jacuzzi tub to fill so that I can test the pump. It's a slow cold day at work today.

[The Baker]

Tonight, Mozart horn concertos on youtube.
And Janis Joplin,
and Peter Paul and Mary.

Geoff

[Zeotropic]

Dumas Walker by The Kentucky Headhunters. I am driving through town with the sound cranked. [emoji16]

[VLAGAVULVIN]

[wpkluck]

Tonight, Mozart horn concertos on youtube.
And Janis Joplin,
and Peter Paul and Mary.

Geoff

JJ and PPM! Great taste!

[Durhommer]

[wpkluck]

Ah, I remember band camp...

[v-child]

For you noobs just getting started,

and everyone else...

Nothing even close to the American blues classics. Thanks for that Sonny Boy clip, he's one of my favorites.

[wpkluck]

For you noobs just getting started,

and everyone else...

Nothing even close to the American blues classics. Thanks for that Sonny Boy clip, he's one of my favorites.

[ezlle71]

[utube][/utube]
I feel this song to the absolute core, especially when my 10 year old son passed away last june.
And the guy was a one man band. Pretty amazing to me.

[contrahead]

[thecroweater]

[The Baker]

Love those old German military tunes.

Geoff

[Durhommer]