Copper


Lou Reed’s Spirit Remains in New York, On Recor...

Issue 178From the Sweet Spot

Lou Reed passed away on Oct. 27, 2013 but interest in him remains high, as evidenced this past June by the opening of an exhibit at the New York Public...

Back to My Reel-to-Reel Roots: The Cassette Str...

Issue 178Natural Born Kessler

As noted in previous installments, including my report on the recent AudioJumble in the UK (Issue 164) and a later column (Issue 175) about the emergence of a new generation...

How I Learned to Stop Kvetching and Make Nice W...

Issue 178From the Sweet Spot

Christmas is approaching with all the subtlety of a runaway tanker train. Pop-up ads, doorbuster sales, inflatable plastic figures on people’s lawns, and the Christmas music machine, starring saints, snowmen,...

Eric Gales: A Blues Guitar Force of Nature

Issue 178Disciples of Sound

The only people who don’t think being nominated for a Grammy is still a big deal are those not being nominated for a Grammy. This is particularly true when you...

Pilgrimage to Sturgis: Epilogue

Issue 178New Vistas

The next morning, I rolled over, kissed Melody on the cheek, and told her that I felt the need to hit the road. “I know,” she said, “you’re a rolling...

Some Holiday Music Favorites

Issue 178Featured

I might be a bit of an outlier. I typically don’t play Christmas music all that often during the holidays, since we are bombarded with it daily from November 1...

Stuffy Shmitt: Portrait of an Artist

Issue 178Featured

In the 1990s I worked at the North Star Pub in Manhattan’s South Street Seaport, a stone’s throw from the East River and in view of the old Fulton Fish...

Buy The Audio Gear Your Room Needs: Some Thoughts

Issue 178Speaker Stories

Have you ever eaten in a restaurant and noticed something along the lines of: “Chef’s Special – Deconstructed Steak Pie,” or perhaps, “Exploded Fish Pie?” OK, I admit, I made...

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Is Not Rock and Roll

Issue 178Featured

The full telecast of the November 5, 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (RRHoF) induction ceremony is now available on HBO – all four hours of it. Although I...

Even More Rock Album Mini-Reviews

Issue 178Frankly Speaking

In Issue 150 I listed my 150 desert island favorite rock albums, and followed up with a selection of reviews from that list in Issue 151 and Issue 166. I...

Jack Daley: Rockin’ the Bass for Lenny Kravitz ...

Issue 178Idle Chatter

Bass players are often the forgotten men and women on the rock and roll totem pole. If you think about it, the notion is unfounded given their importance in laying...

Can’t You Hear Me Knockin’?

Issue 178Twisted Systems

Well, eh…no, according to my wife. A joke goes like this: My wife says to me, “You either have hearing loss or Alzheimer’s; you’re deaf and you don’t pay attention...

Pietro Locatelli: Rediscovering a Master of Vio...

Issue 178Something Old / Something New

Pietro Locatelli (1695 – 1764) is one of those gifted Baroque composers who somehow didn’t remain a well-known name through the centuries. He may not be a hidden Bach or...

Barbara Lynn: Electrifying R&B Pioneer

Issue 178Off the Charts

There was never anything ordinary about Barbara Lynn. A Black woman playing electric guitar professionally in 1960s Texas was extraordinary enough. And her technique was surprising: she plucked the melody...

Ascension

Issue 178Parting Shot

Staircase, New York City, overlooking Madison Square Garden. John Flory is an industrial designer who works for an architectural fabrication firm specializing in high-end staircases. He is an artist, designer,...

London’s Klooks Kleek: A Sixties Music Breeding...

Issue 177Featured

1960s British music aficionados are likely familiar with many of the era’s historic music venues, including London’s Marquee Club and Saville Theater. Devout Beatles’ fans are likely to include in...

A Look At Ravel’s Works for Orchestra

Issue 177Featured

One of the popular mantras in audiophilia is “garbage in, garbage out.” This is meant to say a piece of equipment is only as good as what comes before it....

A Most Dedicated Record Collector

Issue 177Featured

If someone offered you $30,000 for just one out of the 20,000-plus records in your collection, would you sell it? Not Joe Bussard. If you aren’t familiar with the name,...

The Revolver Remix Project: Producer Giles Mart...

Issue 177Twisted Systems

Jay Jay’s review of the Revolver remixes appeared in Issue 175. Producer/engineer Giles Martin, the son of original Beatles producer George Martin, speaks with Jay Jay here.  Jay Jay French:...

Small-Room Acoustics, Part Three

Issue 177Speaker Stories

There are many reasons why recording studios exist – aside from the obvious, not least of all because they are purpose-built spaces with excellent sound reproduction quality in mind. Typically,...

The Grand Opening of the Long Island Music and ...

Issue 177Frankly Speaking

Long Island has always been a fertile musical breeding ground, and after almost 20 years of seeking a home, the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHoF) has...

A Safe Bet

Issue 177Audio Anthropology

A Dynaco SCA-35 vacuum tube integrated amplifier, a budget audiophile classic. It was introduced in 1963 and was rated at 35 watts per channel. It even had a "Spare" input...

John Lodge: Days of Future Passed and Present

Issue 177Disciples of Sound

When the Moody Blues released their follow-up to their 1965 debut album, the cover song-centric The Magnificent Moodies (released in the US as Go Now – The Moody Blues #1),...

Around the World In 80 Lathes, Part 27

Issue 177Revolutions Per Minute

Following one of the usual routes taken on several of my road trips, back when I was younger and the world made a bit more sense, our visit to France,...

Never Say Never: Rocker Dean Ortega of Neverlan...

Issue 177Idle Chatter

The glam metal era is loaded with memorable personalities from heroic acts including Poison, Mötley Crüe, Ratt, and more. But peel back the onion, and layers of incredible music teeming...

AES Fall 2022 New York – The Live Event Returns...

Issue 177Show Report

After two years of only streaming of their biannual New York show online due to the pandemic, the Audio Engineering Society (AES) returned to their live event presentation format at...

Water Works

Issue 177Parting Shot

Street scene from Silver City, New Mexico. It borders the Gila Wilderness, the largest pristine wilderness area in the Continental United States.

The Great River Road Lemons Rally

Issue 177New Vistas

The Great River Road Lemons Rally was one that I couldn’t decide on. In typical Lemons Rally fashion, the route would take us to historic and unusual landmarks along the...

Back to My Reel-to-Reel Roots: Noodge and Ye Sh...

Issue 177Natural Born Kessler

If you recall my installment in Issue 171, I recounted how my incessant pestering of Kevin Root of RX Reels drove him to silence me by producing a 7-inch version...

You Made Listening Fun

Issue 177Opening Salvo

We’ve lost another one of the greats with the passing of Christine McVie at 79. As singer, keyboardist and songwriter for the monumentally popular Fleetwood Mac, her voice has been...

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Pilgrimage to Sturgis, Part 35

Issue 177New Vistas

A group of seven boisterous young cowboys all wearing Western hats and boots walked into the bar as I conversed with Lonnie Many Bears. They were covered in sweat and...

Diana Krall: Finding the Perfect Song

Issue 177Trading Eights

Everybody sings the standards. That’s why they’re called standards. But it takes a special touch to give well-worn songs a unique sparkle. No doubt about it, singer and pianist Diana...

The Earth's Heartbeat: Native American Music, R...

Issue 177Sucategory_Featured

All plants are our brothers and sisters, they talk to us and if we listen, we can hear them. If we wonder often, the gift of knowledge will come. –...

Opera for Operaphiles

Issue 177From the Sweet Spot

Opera is definitely not everyone’s cup of tea. My own children and at least one of my brothers detest it. I understand. At first, it can seem very artificial, almost...

Pet Shop Boys: The Pulse of Electronic Pop

Issue 177Off the Charts

Together, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe have a distinct, even quirky approach to music. As just one example, every one of the 14 albums by their synth-pop duo, the Pet...

The A&M Records Story, Part Nine: CTI Records

Issue 176Featured

This is a special installment in our A&M 60th Anniversary series. While it is out of chronological order with the rest, its unique circumstances allow us to hand off the...

A Visit to The University of Rhode Island Guita...

Issue 176Featured

I first heard about the University of Rhode Island Guitar Festival during our annual fall trip to Narragansett in 2021. My wife and I like to make one final visit...

Around the World In 80 Lathes, Part 26

Issue 176Revolutions Per Minute

Our next destination on our lathe journey remains along the Mediterranean coast. France is highly renowned for its wine, gourmet cheese (Brie, Camembert, Comté, and countless other varieties of dairy...

Pilgrimage to Sturgis, Part 34

Issue 176New Vistas

Just as the seniors were waddling out to fish at the trout pond, Melody’s dad rushed into the bar/dining room. “Hey Montana, glad to see you’re still here. Are you...

AES Fall 2022 New York – The Live Event Returns...

Issue 176Show Report

Since the pandemic erupted, many live trade shows and expos had their events suspended, or were forced to create a live streaming alternative. The Audio Engineering Society (AES) was no...

Revolver Returns: Remixed and Reloaded, Part One

Issue 176Twisted Systems

Is Revolver the greatest of all Beatles albums? Every time I am asked to write about new Beatles remixes, I’m confronted with the enormous task of listening to the entire...

Michael Jackson’s Thriller: Mobile Fidelity’s 4...

Issue 176Natural Born Kessler

As one who has been reviewing reissues on vinyl and CD for nearly 40 years – yes, I’ve been around the hi-fi press for that long – two or three...

Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet Sprocket: There I...

Issue 176Disciples of Sound

When Toad The Wet Sprocket released their 1994 masterpiece, Dulcinea, the band’s front man and songwriter Glen Phillips was considered to be one of those voices that would carry rock...

Talking With Elliot Goldman of Bending Wave USA...

Issue 176Frankly Speaking

Elliot Goldman is a partner in Bending Wave USA, distributor of Göbel loudspeakers, Wadax digital electronics, CH Precision electronics and other ultra-high-end products. He’s been in audio retailing and distribution for decades....

Press Events and Junkets: Some Work, Some Play

Issue 176True-Life Rock Tales

How does a manufacturer get their new product noticed? What kind of event would draw the most attention, and what is the most effective way to make a new product...

Bob Dylan: The Philosophy of Modern Song

Issue 176Wayne's Words

When Bob Dylan won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2016, about half who of those who cared said, “well-deserved. Overdue.” The other half said, “Bob Dylan? Isn’t he a...