The Vinyl Beat is a new column that will dig up notable vinyl nuggets, past and present. It will be mostly new arrivals that I buy throughout my travels – some will be reissues within the last couple of years, and others are new releases, and it will often include a used record of the month.
The Horace Silver Quintet: Silver’s Serenade
Blue Note (Tone Poet series)
Around 2019, I finally took a deep dive into Horace Silver’s extensive catalog and discovered quite a few albums that have turned into favorites. One of those was Silver’s Serenade, the last full album with his classic quintet featuring Junior Cook (sax), Blue Mitchell (trumpet), Roy Brooks (drums) and Gene Taylor (bass). One thing that drew me to Silver’s music was his use of exotic and unusual chords and keys that were uncommon among his contemporaries, and Silver’s Serenade is no exception. The highlights of the five tracks are “Let’s Get to the Nitty Gritty” with its disarming start/stop opening bars that eventually give way to a chugging rhythm section (thanks to Brooks), and “Sweet Sweetie Dee” which turns a little to the funky side. The album closer, “Nineteen Bars,” winds through numerous key changes at a blistering pace, which the Quintet has no problem keeping up with. This Blue Note Tone Poet series record was remastered by Kevin Gray and released in a gatefold tip-on jacket.
War: Greatest Hits
Analogue Productions 45 RPM
This album was released a few years ago with mastering by Kevin Gray on his all-tube mastering chain, which was a fluke as he has been saving that for his own releases on the Cohearent Records label. 2024 marks another reissue of the album, this time on two 45 RPM records from Analogue Productions, mastered by Ryan K. Smith.
I was only slightly familiar with War – I had a 12-inch single from the late ’70s (“Good, Good Feelin’” b/w “Galaxy”), and a few scattered tracks elsewhere in the collection. And of course, who hasn’t heard “Low Rider” at some point in life? Sonically this record isn’t a hyper-detailed audiophile title but on the other hand, it really doesn’t need to be. What it does offer is a cleanliness and punch to these classic funk tracks, with the 45 RPM cutting offering detail that is lost on any tired used record store copy out there. In other words, this is one to put on and enjoy the music, and how good it sounds. How can you not sing along to something like “Cisco Kid” or “Gypsy Man,” or not daydream about warm summer days hearing “All Day Music” or “Summer?”
Dr. John: In the Right Place
Analogue Productions, Atlantic 75 series, 45 RPM
Here is another title from Analogue Productions, this one part of the Atlantic 75 series (celebrating the 75th anniversary of Atlantic Records). Like the title above, it was mastered by Ryan K. Smith and is released here in a tri-fold jacket. And also, like above, this release won’t send a person to audio nirvana but it’s just a fun listen, and the cleanest you’ll ever hear this album! Any radio listener familiar with Billboard Top 10 records will recognize the album’s title cut: “Right Place, Wrong Time,” and no doubt many are already familiar with Mac Rebbenack’s gravelly N’Awlins-inflected voice. This one is another I’ve been unable to stop playing since I got it – the songs are a blast to listen to, especially with the small doses of humor peppered throughout, and a swampy sound that transports you straight to the bayou. I’m awaiting Dr. John’s Gumbo, one of the future releases in the Atlantic 75 series.
Sponge: Rotting Piñata
Music on Vinyl
Many of the records released by Music on Vinyl are allegedly digitally sourced. But what about an album that was probably recorded digitally to begin with? This popped up in my Music on Vinyl e-mail a few months ago and it was finally released just recently. Rotting Piñata was Sponge’s debut album (and in my case, a local band that made it big) which resulted in the alternative rock hits “Plowed” and “Molly,” the latter a dedication to actress Molly Ringwald, both in heavy rotation on local radio back in the day. This 30th anniversary pressing has slight noise at the beginning of side one (which is unusual as one thing Music on Vinyl offers are dead-quiet, on-center pressings), but this is a colored vinyl release and I have had varying luck with those over the years. How does it sound? I always found the CD to have a digital glare to it, and that is pretty much gone on the vinyl release. It actually tames the sound and makes it a more inviting album to sit through.
New Release Feature
The Mavericks: Moon & Stars
Like any band that navigated through COVID, The Mavericks have had their ups and downs. After a couple of frontman Raul Malo side projects, Moon & Stars is the first new Mavericks album in four years. The copy I purchased was direct from the band’s website and was a limited edition of 200 copies on aurora pink vinyl, autographed by the band’s four main members. The album lives up to the standards of their past albums with their trademark mix of pop, Latino, rock, and country music with a few guest appearances and more interesting songwriting. The album opens with a track reminiscent of Johnny Cash, “The Years Will Not Be Kind,” with lyrics by Bernie Taupin and Wally Wilson. Nicole Atkins guests on the sly cheating epic “Live Close By (Visit Often),” and Maggie Rose guests on the upbeat “Look Around You.” The Latin influence comes through on the title track and “A Guitar and a Bottle of Wine.” This is another fine entry in their catalog.
Vinyl Curiosity
While playing the Analogue Productions UHQR release of Steely Dan’s Pretzel Logic for the first time the other night, I noted a glaring error in this remastering. “Parker’s Band” is presented here at a speed that is almost a semitone higher than it should be! It made me jump out of my seat and check the turntable speed – it was locked to 33-1/3 RPM. I am hyper-sensitive to pitch but still, this shift moves the song from the key of C to nearly C sharp, which all but the completely tone-deaf listener should notice. (And this was further verified when I adjusted the turntable speed to about 3 percent lower to correct it, as well as a track timing that is obviously shorter than all other versions of the song.) I checked a couple of digital high-res versions on Qobuz and they have the same issue. All previous masterings, vinyl or digital, have been at the correct speed. The remaining tracks on Pretzel Logic are at the proper speed.
For a set that costs what the UHQR does, this is inexcusable. I only hope that Analogue Productions considers doing the right thing and replaces disc two for us, like they did with disc one of Countdown to Ecstasy which had a “whistling” on side one and needed to be recut.
I’ll be back next month with some more recent vinyl releases to feature. And hopefully, no more speed issues!
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