Clear as crystal . . .

[CJSF]

Wednesday, been in the garden most of the afternoon, catching up on what I could not do for the wet this winter. I cant do much these days, bad feet and right knee . . . but I was not going to let my 12x12ft veggiepatch beat me. We found a bag of tatties that Hazel had pugged away and forgotten about . . . Doh :doh: ??? They have chitted, all 12kgs . . . Have you been watching the price of potatoes!!!! . . . so I'm going to plant them, dont get anything, no loss, anything comes up, its a bonus, I think I have enough to cover my whole main patch, the bigger ones can be cut in half.. As I say, I have overdone it to day, so I gave up at 4 o'clock, showered, a cuppa and bun, been catching up with the Archers and the 1950's 'Journey into Space', I remember it 1st time round, 7.30 on a Wednesday night This coupled with watching Chebbies thread re his unhappy experiences with Spotify? I have enjoyed and am enjoying at this moment listening to Spotify. Listening to Niamh Parsons & Graham Dunne, 'Live at Fylde'. This type of laid back Folk music is not every ones cup of tea, I enjoy it, one is into all kinds of folk and country music. The thread title gives the clue, the recording is so crystal clear, made me sit up on the first few bars . . . give it a try, do you agree with the quality as I hear it? CJSF

 

[MajorFubar]

Sounds good here CJ, listening to it now from my iMac feeding a pair of Sennheiser RS180s. Great to hear such simple live arrangements that aren't ridiculously over-produced and overdubbed ten million times back in the studio. 'Live at Fylde'...wonder where it was recorded exactly.

 

[DocG]

Listening now, with a cup of green tea...

My wife just asked me: "Where do you actually find all that beautiful music?"

So a 'thank you' on behalf of her too, CJ!

Just bookmarked the album; definitely coming back! Keep'em coming!

:cheers:

EDIT: good luck with the tatties!

 

[CJSF]

I'm pleased you like Niamh Parsons, I some times think its me dreaming when I come across a particularly nice piece of music . . .

With Chebby's thread still in mind . . . its Horlicks hour, clean mains, silence all around, I turn the ST40 on in Ultraliear mode, saves some strain on the valves, the valves bias is checked, 'zero volume, in UL mode' . . . so I often listen to the first 30 minutes to get things to operating temperature before I check bias. Tonight, I noticed that Niamh Parsons was not sounding as smooth and clear as she had at tea-time? I checked the bias, #2 valve needed a tiny adjustment, more me being picky, I require the needle not to move as I switch through the 4 valves, #2 moved half a needles thickness, as I say I'm fussy, not enough to affect sound quality.

So, everything doing its thing, I switched back to my prefered 'triod mode', everything went back to sounding sweet and crystal clear. This simple music can be so revealing, especially when one listens 'close field' seated at my desk.

Raises the question, how affected is Spotify by the equipment used and the way it presents . . . ? In Triode mode my ST40 produces only 20w of power, UL mode is 40w. The speakers are not efficient at 87db, and are at the end of 8m of basic Linn K20 speaker cable. The speakers are PMC LB1 studio monitors.

So many variables . . . in my humble opinion they are so well highlighted by this simple, superbly recorded type of music? Raises a much wider question in my mind about the hifi systems we listen to, how we evaluate them and what we consider as 'good'?

CJSF

 

[stevebrock]

My ST40 has been in Triode mode since the day i switched it on!

drives my RS3;s beautifully - I am in awe over this amp!

time for some very early Japan

 

[stevebrock]

How about the Imagined Village - Bending the Dark LP Cliff?

 

[CJSF]

How about the Imagined Village - Bending the Dark LP Cliff?

Hi Steve, found it on Spotify, going out shortly, so on playlist for tonight.

I find the ST40 one of those amps that does not get in the way of what is on the recording, one feels it presents what is there, nothing more,nothing less, even when I change the character by valve rolling the essence of neutrality is still evident. This is great from my point of view, I can hear any changes I make in the TT, Spotify satisfyingly does its thing, even CDs can sound OK when I put in a good one?

All the main amps I have ever dealt with in my hifi life have had this transparent neutral quality; EAR 509 mono blocks, Croft Hybrid and now the Icon, they just dont get in the way of the 'music', which of course give one half a chance to set the rest of the system up right? . . .

I started serious hifi in 79/80 . . . thats not many 'amp box changes' in those years? Seem to remember I started with a Marantce receiver and then a NAD 3020 before the EAR's? The change from NAD to EAR must have been a bit of a culture shock, though I dont remember?

Hope you dont try to bias the ST40 valves in 'triode mode'?

CJSF

 

[Freddy58]

How about the Imagined Village - Bending the Dark LP Cliff?

Blimey, 'Imagined Village', I'd forgotten about them! Only heard the first one (Imagined Village). Very good it is too Can't say I've heard a lot of Japan, but I really like this from David Silvian and Sakamoto

 

[Benedict_Arnold]

Back to the subject of potatoes, did you hear David Moyes is having Old Trafford ploughed up and planted with spuds?

Apparently he thinks its the only way he'll get to lift anything at the end of this season....

 

[james_LR90]

I as a general rule don't listen to folk music but wow this sounds good. I'm glad I gave this a listen... Thanks for this CJSF!!

 

[Macspur]

Hi CJ,

Another couple for your Horlicks hour playlist

June Tabor – At the Wood's Heart

Bella Hardy – Battleplan

Mac

www.macsmusic.blogbubble.net

 

[EvPa]

CJSF, thank you very much for making me discover "Live at Fylde", I will check Niamh Parsons and Graham Dunne's other albums over the next few days.

 

[CJSF]

Imagined Village - Bending the Dark
June Tabor - At the woods Heart
Bella Hardy - Battleplaces

Thanks guys, did not have a Horlicks hour last night, not to well, so dipping into them this morning before we go to the hospital . . . my type of music, all on playlist for listening to, probably over the weekend now. I'm in the first hour of cold start, but can hear the clarity and quality of the recording coming through, good old Spotify . . .

In my dipping, I noticed all artists have variety in their presentation . . . I find so often, performers cannot ring the changes, one track is the same as the next with different lyrics . . . perhaps I'm being hard and cynical, but it gets boring very quickly. Maybe its why I listen to a lot of instrumentals?

I like the 'subtle' use of the base line on the Imagined Village album. Looking forward to a session with them all . . . amp is now just beginning to perform at full temp . . . and I have to go!!!! :doh:
CJSF

 

[Martinblueboy]

Hi CJ,

Another couple for your Horlicks hour playlist

June Tabor – At the Wood's Heart

Bella Hardy – Battleplan

Mac

www.macsmusic.blogbubble.net

I listened to the June Tabor album before work this morning Macspur; you're absolutely spot on. The album is beautiful and the production is very, very good indeed. Thanks for the recommendation.

 

[Freddy58]

Imagined Village

Do listen to their first album, self-titled

 

[Macspur]

Hi CJ,

Another couple for your Horlicks hour playlist

June Tabor – At the Wood's Heart

Bella Hardy – Battleplan

Mac

www.macsmusic.blogbubble.net

I listened to the June Tabor album before work this morning Macspur; you're absolutely spot on. The album is beautiful and the production is very, very good indeed. Thanks for the recommendation.

My pleasure, glad you enjoyed it so much... I particularly like her version of "Heart Like a Wheel" and "The Cloud Factory"

Another is my personal favourite, Martha Tilston – Lucy and the Wolves

Mac

www.macsmusic.blogbubble.net

 

[CJSF]

Hi CJ,

Another couple for your Horlicks hour playlist

June Tabor – At the Wood's Heart

Bella Hardy – Battleplan

Mac

www.macsmusic.blogbubble.net

I listened to the June Tabor album before work this morning Macspur; you're absolutely spot on. The album is beautiful and the production is very, very good indeed. Thanks for the recommendation.

My pleasure, glad you enjoyed it so much... I particularly like her version of "Heart Like a Wheel" and "The Cloud Factory"

Another is my personal favourite, Martha Tilston – Lucy and the Wolves

Mac

www.macsmusic.blogbubble.net

Sitting here feeling a bit less than my best . . . your post came up for Martha Tilston . . . excelent, I'm listening as I type

Thank you Mac, CJSF

 

[Macspur]

Sorry to hear you're feeling under the weather CJ, get better soon... I've had a day of listening to Martha today

Martha Tilston – Of Milkmaids & Architects

Martha Tilston – Bimbling

Martha Tilston – Machines of Love and Grace

and of course "Lucy and the Wolves"

They're a tonic in themselves.

Mac

www.macsmusic.blogbubble.net

 

[CJSF]

Not a nice day today, rain and a bit colder, so I'm sitting at the computer, reflecting on a few things past in the last week or so.

So I have background 'close field' music, listening to a few tracks recently recommended. Then I started to dig a bit deeper into Niamh Parsons, not a prolific catalog but some excellent music there-in, finally I taped on her 1997 LP 'Loosen Up' . . . Track one OK'ish, but as is my want I started dip-sampling . . . These is some good stuff here?

Went back to track 2 and let it play, tracks 2, 4 and 7, track seven is particularly notable. Track 11 the last track saving the best for last knockout!!!! . . . sung in an unaccompanied lament style . . . its playing now as I type, what a voice!!!

CJSF

 

[Sorreltiger]

You might like the Webb Sisters 'When will you come home?' EP (also on Spotify). I saw them last week in Nottingham (fantastic) and the EP was recorded as live while they were on tour with Leonard Cohen. I think that the sound quality is stunning and it is as you hear them in concert, rather than with a band, such as on the otherwise excellent album 'Savages'.

 

[Macspur]

CJ,

Hope you're feeling OK today.

You might like this lady

Aoife O'Donovan – Fossils

She's worked with Niamh Parsons too.

 

[CJSF]

The Marmite factor . . . ???

Whilst looking and listening to Aoife O'Donovan – Fossils, I came across 'The Goat Rodeo Sessions', it was one of her 'appears on' links.

Certainly made me sit up and take notice, as I say Marmite by the spade load! . . . you love it or you hate it! A strange mixture of, Irish, Jazz and Chamber music styles . . . ???? :?

Personally I got drawn into an intimacy with the instrument textures. As I might have mentioned before, I like instrumentals especially small groups that become 'individual'. Tracks 7,8 and 10 in particular I like, track 11 the title track 'Goat Rodeo' has that wow factor for me . . . I think?

Yes, an album I will return to, certainly needs undivided attention in the listening, probably in small doses?

Thumbs up for Spotify quality, IMHO

CJSF

 

[Macspur]

The Marmite factor . . . ??? Whilst looking and listening to Aoife O'Donovan – Fossils, I came across 'The Goat Rodeo Sessions', it was one of her 'appears on' links. Certainly made me sit up and take notice, as I say Marmite by the spade load! . . . you love it or you hate it! A strange mixture of, Irish, Jazz and Chamber music styles . . . ???? :? Personally I got drawn into an intimacy with the instrument textures. As I might have mentioned before, I like instrumentals especially small groups that become 'individual'. Tracks 7,8 and 10 in particular I like, track 11 the title track 'Goat Rodeo' has that wow factor for me . . . I think? Yes, an album I will return to, certainly needs undivided attention in the listening, probably in small doses? Thumbs up for Spotify quality, IMHO CJSF

I wondered if you might be attracted by that one CJ... another band she is associated with is Crooked Still – Friends of Fall

Mac

www.macsmusic.blogbubble.net

 

[CJSF]

The Marmite factor . . . ??? Whilst looking and listening to Aoife O'Donovan – Fossils, I came across 'The Goat Rodeo Sessions', it was one of her 'appears on' links. Certainly made me sit up and take notice, as I say Marmite by the spade load! . . . you love it or you hate it! A strange mixture of, Irish, Jazz and Chamber music styles . . . ???? :? Personally I got drawn into an intimacy with the instrument textures. As I might have mentioned before, I like instrumentals especially small groups that become 'individual'. Tracks 7,8 and 10 in particular I like, track 11 the title track 'Goat Rodeo' has that wow factor for me . . . I think? Yes, an album I will return to, certainly needs undivided attention in the listening, probably in small doses? Thumbs up for Spotify quality, IMHO CJSF

I wondered if you might be attracted by that one CJ... another band she is associated with is Crooked Still – Friends of Fall

Mac

www.macsmusic.blogbubble.net

Thanks for that Mac, had a little dip-sample of a few or their tracks, the album that is on my play list; Crooked Still - 'Shaken by a Low Sound', bit short on time to do it justice right now but it will get my undivided attention in due course

A passion of mine on vinyl is Pipe Organ music, I have a number or audiophile recordings. Spent the first part of the day in the garden, going to the dump and generally building brownie points. I get tired easily these days so, totally 'kared, I have spent the afternoon from 2 o'clock, investigating Spotify 'Pipe Organ library', surprisingly good, enjoyed the session . . . but afraid it dont quite match my vinyl recording. Seems Organists get very 'grand' with the ability of a good organ to 'mix' the sound . . . to grand sometimes IMHO . . . could almost be described as an early form of 'compression'? My audiophile vinyl has 'grand' but the on site engineering is so good nothing sounds overpowered, I can actually follow the pipe positions in the loft. So no recommendations from the Spotify Organ library . . . yet, I suspect I'll find some?

'Shaken by a Low Sound' playing as I type, great music, thank you.

Looking forward to the rest of the week, weather shaping up for some flying from tomorrow through to Sunday, hence brownie points

CJSF

 

[Freddy58]

CJ, did you check out the self-titled 'Imagined Village?