Welcome to Copper #46!
For music lovers, it is the best of times and the worst of times. I'd wager that we have greater access to a larger library of recorded music than at any time since---well, since recorded music became available. The bad part? A lot of the current output is unlistenable, both musically and sonically.
In the spirit of the Thanksgiving holiday as observed and celebrated in in the US, I'll focus on the "best of times" part. I'm thankful for the good stuff; thankful for the growth of Copper and of our faithful readership; thankful for the opportunities I have to work with talented and interesting people.
And I'm thankful that one of those talented people is about to return to our pages. Professor Larry Schenbeck's Too Much Tchaikovsky column will return, beginning next issue.
Dan Schwartz leads off #46 with the story of how the megahit song, "All I Wanna Do" was created by the Tuesday Night Music Club; Richard Murison has fallen in love a little bit with Jenna Mammina, as many of us have---and thanks to Cookie Marenco, Copper readers have a special deal on Jenna's latest album and other titles from Blue Coast Records; Jay Jay French reviews the first batch of albums, as the '67 Psychedelic Shootout continues; Duncan Taylor looks at the special problems of recording drums; Roy Hall tells an incredible tale of Botticelli, Nazis, and heartbreak; Anne E. Johnson has a twofer this issue, with a look at indie artists Hurray for the Riff Raff, and a survey of the recorded catalog of the beautiful music of 16th-century composer Heinrich Isaac; Woody Woodward looks at the beginnings of The Band in The Hawks; and I obsess yet again over the rights of musicians and what sampling means, and wonder if, when it comes to audio gear, is older always better?
John Seetoo concludes his in-depth interview with recording engineer/producer Kavi Alexander; A.J. Hernandez continues his survey of southern Italian wines; and new contributor Aaron Berger examines which is better for active listening---singles? Or LPs?
Copper #46 concludes with another classic audio cartoon from Charles Rodrigues, and a Parting Shot from Albuquerque.
To all who celebrate Thanksgiving, we wish you a happy holiday; and to those who do not---thanksgiving as a practice isn't a bad idea.
Until next issue---enjoy!
Cheers, Leebs.