My favorite formulation was laid down by music critic John Swenson in March 2021 in a My Back Pages essay. He called them death-row discs: These are the records that, at the end of your life, you'd want—you'd…
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So, what's this all about? Most of you already know—after all, we've been doing it since 1991, and it's one of our most popular features. But if you're new to Stereophile, here it is: Originally, the light-hearted conceit was, these are the records you'd be willing to lay down your life for. (This foie gras is to die for!) But, let's be real: That ain't gonna happen, or so I hope.
John Atkinson
Procol Harum: Live: In Concert with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra
Procol Harum, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Lawrence Leonard, cond.; Da Camera Singers
Chrysalis CHR1004 (UK LP). 1972. Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab MFCD 788 (CD) 2007. Gary Brooker, orchs.; Chris Thomas, prod.; Wally Heider, Ray Thompson, Tom Scott, Ken Caillat, Biff Dawe, engs.
The end of the 1960s was a Golden Age for British "progressive" rock bands. Following the demise of Cream in 1968, those that had the biggest effect on this budding audiophile were King Crimson, The Nice,…
Brian Damkroger
Various: Bob Dylan: The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration
Music On Vinyl MOVLP1000 (4 LPs). 1993/2014. Jeff Kramer, Kevin Wall, Don DeVito, Jeff Rosen, prods.; David Hewitt, eng.
How many times have we seen the phrase "All-Star Cast" in ads for some performance? More than I can count. How many times does the live performance live up to that promise? None—until I heard this recording. The all-star cast includes Eric Clapton, Neil Young, George Harrison—and, of course, Bob Dylan. The list goes on, and everyone—as individuals and in ensemble—…
Kurt Gottschalk
John Coltrane: Expression
John Coltrane, tenor saxophone, flute; Pharoah Sanders, flute, piccolo, tambourine; Alice Coltrane, piano; Jimmy Garrison, bass; Rashied Ali, drums
Impulse! MVCI-23023, AS-9120 (CD). 1967/1991. John Coltrane, Bob Thiele, prods.; Rudy Van Gelder, eng.
In 2021, the release of a live recording of A Love Supreme cast attention once again on John Coltrane's legacy. Thumbnail histories posit that he delved into more cacophonous music from there, but his final (much over-looked) studio session tells a different story.…
Sasha Matson
The Sons Of Champlin: Loosen Up Naturally
Capitol SWBB-200 (2 LPs). 1969. Bruce Walford, David Schallock, prods.; Leo de Gar Kulka, eng.
Released as a two-LP set by Capitol in 1969, this is the cornerstone album from the Bay Area psychedelic music revolution that many listeners today are unfamiliar with. The Sons were a large band that included a jazzy horn section. Anchored by his red-hot Hammond B3 organ playing, writer Bill Champlin delivered his lyrics with a soulful voice unequaled by any white boy at the time. Utopian ideals mixed with wry…
Kalman Rubinson
Ferdinand Ries: Chamber Music: Octet Op.128, Sextet Op.142, String Trio Woo 70.2
Franz Ensemble with Jonathan Wegloop, horn; Emily Hoile, harp
MDG Scene MDG 903 2136-6 (SACD). 2019. Werner Dabringhaus, Reimund Grimm, prods.; Werner Dabringhaus, Tonmeister.
Ferdinand Ries was Beethoven's student and the pianist at the premiere of his Third piano concerto (although they later parted ways). Ries's music is skillful, and it clearly shows Beethoven's influence, even if it falls short of his genius. He does however offer a stylish charm,…
I'm excited about the return of live music to New York City. I've attended several classical concerts in the last few weeks, and in a week or so, I'll take in a show at the City Winery: Suzanne Vega. I haven't yet made it back to New York's amazing jazz clubs—the Vanguard, the Blue Note, Smalls—but I look forward to doing so soon, especially to dropping in on my jazz local, Smoke, when it reopens in a few weeks in new, larger digs.
What I'm most excited about, though, is the resurgence of recorded music.
It has been almost a quarter-century since the Internet almost took down the…
When I learned that I was to review the new seventh generation of Monitor Audio's Silver 500 loudspeaker ($3200/pair), descendants of the original Silver-series products launched in 1999, I thought back on what I knew about the company and then refreshed my memory. Monitor Audio was founded, in 1972, in Teversham, England, a town bordered by farmland located some three miles from the epicenter of its more famous neighbor, Cambridge. The founder was businessman/sound engineer Mo Iqbal; Iqbal was assisted by Martin Colloms (before that venerable critic turned to writing about hi-fi) and…
"What a great-sounding recording," I thought, which is also what I thought five minutes later when I listened to the 24 Karat Gold CD, which is said on the cover to be mastered "from the original master tapes" of the Bill Evans Quintet's Interplay (CD, DCC GZS-1102). Compared to "Utopic Cities," the Evans recording was airier and more resonant. Note outlines appeared starker in space.
I was never a big fan of the sound of this Gold CD, finding it a bit dry and sterile. But now its tonal balance seemed to have inched into more verdant territory. It wasn't warm per se—in comparison, the…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Three-way, four-driver, bass reflex floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive-units: one 1" (25mm) tweeter with waveguide; one 3" (76.2mm) midrange driver, two 8" (203.2mm) bass drivers. All driver membranes are ceramic-coated aluminum/magnesium alloy. Crossover frequencies: 800Hz, 2.7kHz. Frequency response: 27Hz–35kHz –6dB. Sensitivity: 90.5dB/2.83V/m. Impedance: 8 ohms nominal, 4.1 ohms minimum (at 150Hz). Power handling: 250W RMS. Recommended amplification: 80–250W.
Dimensions: 43.1" (1095mm) H × 12.6" (319mm) W × 15.3" (389mm) D. Weight: 49lb (22.…