Copper


Guitar Influences, Part Five: Mick Ronson

Issue 199Twisted Systems

So now you are saying…“so how do you go from all these blues masters as influences to glam hero Mick Ronson?” Fair enough. As much as the Beatles were the...

Back To My Reel-To-Reel Roots, Part Four: Makin...

Issue 199Natural Born Kessler

By now it has been established that my renewed interest in reel-to-reel is unnaturally narrow, in that I am not a recordist in any manner. I may be the only...

Nothing Comes Close

Issue 199Audio Anthropology

  You know, they might have been right. From Audio, November 1958.     Then again, maybe not! From Audio, February 1965.       Now that’s what we call home entertainment! From Electronics Made...

A Little Knight Music

Issue 199The Mindful Melophile

The Middle Ages lasted from the fall of Rome (c. 500) to the start of the Renaissance (c. 1400 – 1500). It’s a span also referred to as the medieval...

Johnny Hodges: Sax Player for Duke Ellington an...

Issue 199Trading Eights

When you think of classic recordings by Duke Ellington’s big band, an important part of that sound in your head is Johnny Hodges on lead alto sax. Hodges joined Ellington...

Free Electron

Issue 199Parting Shot

Encountered in France: a strange attractor and a sign of a free electron.

Guitarist Ana Vidović Performs a Spellbinding S...

Issue 198Octave Pitch

Octave Records is honored to present internationally-acclaimed classical guitarist Ana Vidović on its latest release, Ana Vidović Live at Hampden Hall. Recorded with impeccable clarity using Octave’s Pure DSD 256...

The Next Voice You Hear

Issue 198Featured

So you had better do as you are told/you better listen to the radio.” (Elvis Costello, “Radio Radio”) Sanyo catalogued the MR2810 2-Band Radio Cassette Recorder in 1982. I received...

A Visit to Piega Loudspeakers

Issue 198Featured

  Copper has an exchange program with FIDELITY magazine (and others), where we share articles, including this one, between publications. Every reason to be in a good mood: The two managing directors, Manuel...

Invasion of the Steely Dan Stans

Issue 198Wayne's Words

"When I was twelve years old, my father, a jazz musician, tried to interest me in the music of Steely Dan," Prof. Michael Borshuk of Texas Tech University in Lubbock...

Wedding Belle Blues

Issue 198Audio Static

  This cartoon originally appeared in Issue 126.

Guitar Influences, Part Four: Albert King

Issue 198Twisted Systems

I woke up a couple of weeks ago and realized that I dreamed that Albert King called me to tell me he was coming over to jam. As Albert died on...

The Healing Power of Music

Issue 198The Run-Out Groove

    This cartoon first appeared in Issue 115.

Portable Audio, 1960s-Style

Issue 198Audio Anthropology

An AR-XA turntable, circa 1960s. As Ivan Berger noted in his article in Issue 105, hundreds of thousands were sold.   Elegant simplicity: the AR-XA pivot and counterweight.   This example...

Table of Contents – Issue 198

Issue 198Opening Salvo

“Wo-oh, what I want to know, where does the time go?” Issue 198 is the 100th issue of Copper I’ve edited. Whoa! I want to thank all the wonderful people...

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Henry Purcell’s King Arthur

Issue 198Too Much Tchaikovsky

Merlin waves his Wand; the Scene changes, and discovers the British Ocean in a Storm, AEolus in a Cloud above: Four Winds hanging, &c. . . . AEolus ascends, and the four Winds fly off....

June Millington of Pioneering Rock Band Fanny, ...

Issue 198The Copper Interview

Before the Runaways, before the Go-Go’s, before the Bangles – there was Fanny. David Bowie was quoted in a 1999 Rolling Stone interview about Fanny: “They’re as important as anyone who’s ever...

Down the Rabbit Hole of SACD Ripping and DSD Ex...

Issue 198To Be Determined

I’m a firm believer in fair use when it comes to audio media — if you bought it, you own it, and you’re free to do with it as you...

Back to My Reel-to-Reel Roots, Part Three

Issue 198Natural Born Kessler

Just so there are no misunderstandings, I have to explain to you how focused is my interest in reel-to-reel tape. I absolutely don’t want to be challenged or trolled by...

Two Hands Clapping

Issue 198Featured

It was a lot of money, even with the student discount. He had never been to the symphony, let alone invested in an eighth row center orchestra seat. He wasn’t...

It Started With a 45

Issue 198Eureka Moments

I got my first transistor radio in 1961. It was cheap, made in Japan, and the brand was Lloyd’s — anybody remember that one? I couldn’t wait to listen to...

The Elegant Jazz Piano of Marian McPartland

Issue 198Trading Eights

Britain still had a few more months of World War I to endure when Margaret Marian Turner was born in Slough, England in 1918. By the time World War II...

How Records Are Made, Part One: Disk Mastering

Issue 198Revolutions Per Minute

As mentioned in a previous column (Issue 197), the record manufacturing process actually begins with the composition, arrangement, performance and recording, since these will greatly influence the sound of the final product....

Don't Fence Me In

Issue 198Parting Shot

Eye-catching imperfection, taken in Grant County, New Mexico.

Guitar Influences, Part Three: Eric Clapton

Issue 197Twisted Systems

As common as it is to read statements from rock and roll musicians that “when I saw The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show, I knew I wanted to be...

More Scenes From the Los Angeles and Orange Cou...

Issue 197Featured

In Issue 196, Harris Fogel attended meetings of the Los Angeles and Orange County Audio Society (LAOCAS), which included visits to AudioQuest in Irvine, California, and area dealers The Source...

My First Stereo

Issue 197Audio Anthropology

   Here's a Panasonic full line catalog circa late 1960s or early 1970s. No big deal, except...   The RE-7670 system, "The Barrington," was my first stereo. My father bought...

A Shaky Start

Issue 197

  This cartoon was first published in Issue 125.

Table of Contents – Issue 197

Issue 197Opening Salvo

Feet on the ground Head in the sky It's OK, I know nothing's wrong... nothing – Talking Heads, “This Must Be the Place (Naïve Melody)” In this issue: I write...

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Some Old Jazz Guy: Exploring Michael Franks, Pa...

Issue 197Featured

Part One of our Michael Franks series (Issue 191) covered his first four albums. With this installment, we’ll continue with the next batch of albums. Released in 1979, Tiger in...

A Tract About Cataracts: Staving Off Retirement...

Issue 197Frankly Speaking

I’m no stranger to the optometrist. I’ve been nearsighted since I was in elementary school. My father thought I was a lousy athlete – well, I am – because I...

The Sound of Recorded Music

Issue 197Revolutions Per Minute

Different time periods in history are associated with particular architectural trends, building techniques and construction materials, different stages of technological development, as well as different styles and forms of musical...

I Bought It for the A-Side

Issue 197The Mindful Melophile

In the days before streaming; in the days before CDs, cassettes and LPs; back in the days of dance parties and portable phonographs there were 45s – little black records...

Back To My Reel-to-Reel Roots, Part Two

Issue 197Natural Born Kessler

Ken Kessler recounts the hardware phase of his re-entry into the world of open-reel tape, as a cautionary tale and a guide-of-sorts to help you maintain your sanity.   As...

Passed Down Through Generations

Issue 197The Run-Out Groove

  This cartoon was first published in Issue 112.

Gatecrashing

Issue 197Music'al Notes

“Would you like to see the car?” Leland and I looked at each other in bewilderment. “Sure,” we said. Parties at hi fi shows are fun. They are a way...

How to Improve Your Sound System With Your Mind...

Issue 197Featured

Copper has an exchange program with selected magazines, where we share articles, including this one, between publications. This one's from PMA Magazine: the Power of Music and Audio.   In Part One (Issue 196), I mentioned the phenomenon...

In Praise of Domestic Venues

Issue 197Featured

Some of the lads looked disappointed, others seemed disgusted. You’d think I had just recommended Jack Daniels over Woodford Reserve. The ambience in the room went flat like Sunday morning champagne. Maybe...

A 1960s Thanksgiving at the Fillmore East

Issue 197True-Life Rock Tales

Halloween had just passed and now it was turning cold. I went to a second-hand antique clothing store and bought a West Point cadet’s winter coat for $15. It was...

Standing Room Only

Issue 197Speaker Stories

Wouldn’t you hate it if you went to the theatre and had purchased your higher-tier seats with guaranteed optimal views of everyone on stage, the sets and even a glimpse...

Pura Fé: Her Ever-Evolving Artistry

Issue 197And Indie for All

No artist springs fully formed into the world. Being creative is a kinetic state, shifting constantly, and not always in linear development. Few singer-songwriters reveal this inner prism more clearly...

Subwoofer Artistry

Issue 197Parting Shot

Thilo Stompler made some of the best subwoofer drivers I’ve ever bought, at his factory in San Diego, California.The San Diego Music and Audio Guild toured his plant in April...

The Los Angeles and Orange County Audio Society...

Issue 196Featured

The Los Angeles and Orange County Audio Society (LAOCAS) is one of the largest audio clubs in the country. Its membership spans the greater Los Angeles and Orange County areas,...

Table of Contents – Issue 196

Issue 196Opening Salvo

I could feel at the time There was no way of knowing Fallen leaves in the night Who can say where they're blowing? – Roxy Music, “More Than This” In...

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Guitar Influences, Part Two: Keith Richards, Ch...

Issue 196Twisted Systems

Keith Richards, Chuck Berry and…Mike Kagan? Yeah…I know. I can hear it now. Who is Mike Kagan? A legendary American (or British) wizard, unknown to most of the world except...

Élisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre: Virtuoso Harpsi...

Issue 196Something Old / Something New

There was never a more promising time than the late 17th century to be a musician in France. King Louis XIV, after all, loved music and dance as much as he...

Sub Missive

Issue 196

Optimizing the bass response of an audio system is well worth the effort, as most audiophiles will attest to. It requires an initial investment of a little time and effort,...

Sow, How's It Sound?

Issue 196Audio Static

  This cartoon was first published in Issue 146.

The Look of Love

Issue 196The Run-Out Groove

    This cartoon was first published in Issue 110.

Now Hear This!

Issue 196Audio Anthropology

  Just don't touch any of my records, thinks dad! From Audio magazine, March 1955.   When the Admiral speaks, they listen!   They went all out on props for this photo shoot. From Audio magazine,...