Copper
Table of Contents – Issue 223
“Art is the highest form of hope.” – Unknown To the person who sent me the very nice e-mail about my Korean soundtracks article – an e-mail problem caused me to...
Judging Albums by Their Covers
We’ve all heard that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but what about albums? In the 1970s and early 1980s, I had pretty good luck picking a record...
Recent Arrivals and 12-inch Royalty
New Grooves A few new records arrived on my doorstep over the past two months. Here are a handful of them, all of them reissues that may fly under the...
Summer of Creem, Part Two
Note: "Summer of Creem, Part One" can be read on Critical Conditions, Wayne Robins' Substack. Part Two deals with the ins and outs of putting out a magazine, which is...
World Fusion Meets Flamenco in Gratitude from S...
Gratitude by master guitarist Steve Mullins and his band Rim of the Well is the latest release from Octave Records and its blend of flamenco, Balkan, African, Latin and musical...
Recording Engineer Barry Diament of Soundkeeper...
Barry Diament is a veteran recording and mastering engineer, the head of Barry Diament Audio, and founder of Soundkeeper Recordings, whose philosophy is to create recordings that are natural-sounding and...
Tea on the Terrace
Rather than meet at a bar with all the noise, bustle, and distractions, a few of us retired guys prefer to meet on the terrace every week. I call it...
How Good Can Car Audio Get?
Dateline: 1964, Poughkeepsie, New York – inside my family's 1961 Plymouth station wagon. On the AM radio crooning their hearts out were Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons; the song...
The Advantages of a Dedicated Listening Room
Let’s face reality. Unless you’re living solo, transforming your living room into an acoustic temple isn’t likely to win many supporters in your household. The living room, after all, is...
1! 2! 3! 4! Surrounded by the Ramones in Dolby ...
WOW! It’s the Ramones like you've never heard them before, unless you were lucky enough to see them live. (I played on a bill with the Ramones on New Year’s...
PMC’s prophecy1 Loudspeaker Holds the Line
Recently, The Listening Chair’s Adam Goldfarb reviewed The Professional Monitor Company Ltd.’s prophecy9 floorstanding transmission line bass loading loudspeaker ($12,999 per pair/all prices USD). For most, that company is simply...
Quick Takes: Eddie Daniels, The Secret Trio, An...
Header image: Zack Lober and NOFILL3R: Jasper Blom, Zack Lober, Suzan Veneman, Sun-Mi Hong. Courtesy of Govert Driessen. I have been lucky to have been turned onto a number...
Back to My Reel-to-Reel Roots, Part 22: Reel-to...
To noodge is Yiddish for “to pester,” but with a vengeance. It isn’t just whining and nagging. It’s full-blown, incessant, won’t-take-no-for-an-answer annoyance. That’s how I managed to drive RX Reels’...
Grant-Lee Phillips: A Troubadour for Today Rele...
The best troubadours find a way to seamlessly marry bright, upbeat melodies with lyrics that tackle some of life’s toughest topics. When done right, the listener is first drawn in...
How to Play in a Rock Band, 16: Rehearsing for ...
If you’re going to play in a band, you need to get your act together. Literally – and that means rehearsing. Sure, there are pros who can just get together...
The People Who Make Audio Happen: Making Music ...
The annual NAMM Show is a wondrous event. If it involves music, you’ll see it there. Classes, concerts, technology, music, engineering, producing, music law, publishing, amazing musical instruments, sound reinforcement,...
The Art of Listening
Copper has an exchange program with selected magazines, where we share articles between publications. This one's from Canada's PMA Magazine. Music is mainly the organization of silence… To listen…...
PS Audio in the News
Audiophilia had effusive praise for the PMG Signature Preamplifier, which earned a Star Component Award. Reviewer Karl Sigman noted, “I gambled and took a risk: I bought one. Now that...
Joy to the World
Here's a legendary pair: a 1970s Quad 405 amplifier and Quad FM-4 FM tuner (introduced in the 1980s), both courtesy of Vintage Chief.com. Even today the 405 is prized for...
Now You See Her, Now You Don't
This striking artwork can be found on the Pacific Coast Highway in Del Mar, California in front of a plastic surgery office.
How to Post Comments on Copper
We get queries on how to post comments at the end of Copper articles. Here's how to get set up to leave comments: To comment at the end of an article, you...
Table of Contents – Issue 222
Music is the Healing Force of the Universe – A 1970 album by Albert Ayler. Isn't it the truth. Three deuces. Issue 222. We’d play that hand! In this issue:...
Take a Musical Trip Back in Time With Jazz Clas...
Octave Records and pianist Tom Amend and his band take listeners on a jazz journey to a hallowed musical era with Jazz Classics: 1940s, the label’s latest release. The album...
The Legend of the King's Shipwright
Once upon a time many years ago in a land far away, there lived a king in a large castle which had a great hall. Every month, the king would...
We’re Audiophiles, and Deserve Some Respect!
October 2, 2025 is the 10th annual World Audiophile Day, and it makes me think about the whole audiophile “thing.” Mostly because, as anyone who participates in any kind of...
FIDELITY Magazine Visits Revox: 77 Years of Tra...
Copper has an exchange program with selected magazines, where we share articles between publications. This one's from Germany's FIDELITY Magazine. FIDELITY had the opportunity to visit the Revox factory in Villingen,...
How to Play in a Rock Band, 15: Getting Gigs
Playing gigs is what being in a band is all about. Well, some bands might want to just play in someone’s home or studio for fun, or strictly to record...
Talking With Musician, Composer and Record Labe...
In Part One of our interview (Issue 221), David and I talked about the beginning of Chesky Records and his career in the audio industry, and his thoughts about recording...
How to Play in a Rock Band, 14: Show Me the Money!
Bands and artists play to express their music, for fun, to entertain their audiences, to get the girls or guys…and, oh yeah – to get paid. Especially if you’re trying...
The Vinyl Beat: Out Through the In Door?
Exiting Grooves It’s been an interesting couple of months. For that matter, the entire year has been unusual. I cut my vinyl budget way back, given the economy, and have...
The People Who Make Audio Happen: More Images f...
This year's West Coast T.H.E. Show SoCal 2025 took place in June in Costa Mesa, California. Issue 220 has B. Jan Montana's show report, and we continue our coverage here with a look...
The People Who Make Audio Happen: More From Roc...
As noted in Issue 221 and Issue 220, NAMM is the world's biggest music industry trade show, filled with instruments, artists, concerts, parties, and people. It’s a major event, ranging...
First Chair, Billy Joel Desk
A Matter of Trust Was Essential This morning I got an email from The New Yorker magazine, to which I subscribe. The subject for the daily update was: "Why hearts...
Guitarist/Songwriter Jamie James Returns With S...
Jamie James might not be a household name, but in musicians’ circles he’s long been known as one bad cat. A singer-songwriter, guitarist, harmonica ace, and storyteller, James is perhaps...
Ozzy, Wildman Survivor
Copper has an exchange program with selected magazines, where we share articles between publications, including this one from PMA Magazine. “My first job there (at the abattoir in Birmingham) was...
PS Audio in the News
Future Audiophile had good things to say about Paul McGowan’s The Audiophile’s Guide 10-volume set of reference books. Jerry Del Colliano noted, “They cover every element of the hobby from...
From The Audiophile’s Guide: Working With the Room
Wherever you choose to place your high-performance home audio system, it’s going to sound very different there than in any other room. Even with a perfect setup, each room’s sonic...
Back to My Reel-to-Reel Roots, Part 21: The Bes...
With the myriad changes which have inevitably affected audio pursuits over the years – the return of vinyl, the decline in the numbers of print magazines and hi-fi shops –...
Vive la Différence
Vintage gear aficionados will know what this is at a glance: the fabled Marantz Model 7 preamplifier, one of the most iconic audio components of all time. Revered for its...
Sonic Coloration
This photo, taken at a recording studio with a secret location, captured the red and yellow lighting in a striking way. That's Kyan Wnuck, drummer for the Tom Ciurczak...
Deviated Septum
The editor will tell you his schnozz is his most prominent feature, so this is a landslide of epic proportions. Even his hair got blown back. All in good fun...
How to Post Comments on Copper
We get queries on how to post comments at the end of Copper articles. Here's how to get set up to leave comments: To comment at the end of an article, you...
Table of Contents – Issue 221
“I have seen the midnight sun shining.” – The Strawbs, “Midnight Sun” Too many music greats have passed on in the past few months. Yet their music lives on, and...
Talking With Musician, Composer and Record Labe...
David Chesky needs little introduction to audio people. In 1984 he and his brother Norman started Chesky Records, one of the first audiophile labels to make a serious effort at...
Jazz Goes off on a Modern Pop Tangent: Octave R...
Jazz musicians have always adapted the songs of the day to a jazz style and feel. With Octave Records’ latest, Tangent, pianist Charles Blenzig and his trio have taken songs...
Musings About AI, Audio, and Music
Being a music and audio person, I have some thoughts about how AI will relate to our listening consumption in an increasingly AI-laden era. Unlike much of the AI slop...
EveAnna Manley Passes the Torch With the Sale o...
On July 10, the announcement was made that the maker of pro and consumer audio gear, Manley Labs, was being sold by founder EveAnna Manley to its new owner, Dirk...
No Man Is Free Who Is Not Master of Himself
A friend confided to me recently that his mind is so active, he can’t get to sleep at night without first wallowing and flopping in bed for hours. When he...
Freedy Johnston’s Can You Fly: a “Perfect” Albu...
Freedy Johnston’s debut record, 1990’s Trouble Tree was a bit of a disjointed affair. But within the album’s 13 tracks was something that critics and fans alike felt was worthy...