The Album Review Club - Week #196 (page 1316) - Aja - Steely Dan

[threespires]

Bit of an effortlessly cool vibe about this.

Very similar thought on first listen.

 

[journolud]

On the subject of vinyl did people on here keep their vinyl collection intact over the years? I was one of those numpties who disposed of 90% of them once CD had 'triumphed' as the main format. My 15 year old is really pissed off about that given the price of vinyl these days. Only saving grace from his perspective is I did keep my Smiths, JD and NO.

I was very pleased with what I got for my vinyl collection from King Bee when the boys were young and space was at a premium. Gravitated from CDs to digital and most of my listening is through my Sonos system but I did return to vinyl a couple of years ago. I have less than 100 albums and they are mostly divided between the classics or those I had an emotional connection to from my younger days and independent releases where I think it’s only fair to give the artists a bit more back than they get from streaming services.

I enjoy the ritual a few times a week of putting an album on. It’s connected to the Sonos so for purists might defeat the option but is a nice compromise for me.

 

[BimboBob]

I was very pleased with what I got for my vinyl collection from King Bee when the boys were young and space was at a premium. Gravitated from CDs to digital and most of my listening is through my Sonos system but I did return to vinyl a couple of years ago. I have less than 100 albums and they are mostly divided between the classics or those I had an emotional connection to from my younger days and independent releases where I think it’s only fair to give the artists a bit more back than they get from streaming services.

I enjoy the ritual a few times a week of putting an album on. It’s connected to the Sonos so for purists might defeat the option but is a nice compromise for me.

Downstairs is full of sonos so I did buy the amp connector that connects to it. Quite a lot of money for something that has a wee delay but occasionally, when I'm home alone, the whole house reverberates to something loud.

 

[RobMCFC]

On the subject of vinyl did people on here keep their vinyl collection intact over the years? I was one of those numpties who disposed of 90% of them once CD had 'triumphed' as the main format. My 15 year old is really pissed off about that given the price of vinyl these days. Only saving grace from his perspective is I did keep my Smiths, JD and NO.

No. Didn’t have many anyway as I got a CD player soon after getting into music.

Vinyl = scratchy, jumpy, crackly.
CD = perfectly clear sound

Never understood the attraction of vinyl, albeit I accept that some will have a nostalgic attraction to it, and I do understand that, but for sound quality, CDs are a no brainer.

 

[OB1]

On the subject of vinyl did people on here keep their vinyl collection intact over the years? I was one of those numpties who disposed of 90% of them once CD had 'triumphed' as the main format. My 15 year old is really pissed off about that given the price of vinyl these days. Only saving grace from his perspective is I did keep my Smiths, JD and NO.

Kept all my vinyl, about 600 albums. Don’t play them but they sit alongside the cd collection, where most are duplicated.

 

[OB1]

Those were actually better clues than the first ones! Even if hidden.

So what was the Welsh and overground part of the clue then?


Great pick btw (much better than the clues), used to listen to quite a lot of JJ, and it has been a while. Great guitar, fitting voice, and going to be a good mood for this week needing a bit of laying back.

John Cale was a member of The Velvet Underground and Welsh

 

[OB1]

How strange...last night my autoplay played a JJ Cale track for the first time ever to my recollection.

For my first listen I've just made a chilli in time to the album, very very promising. Both lads came into the kitchen to investigate and listen too.

Be interesting to see out how laid back people find this. One of my shortlist for my next pick makes this sound like it was made on amphetamines :-)

When I was listening it to prepare for the review, my wife and one of my daughters both asked who I’d been playing and said they liked it.

 

[denislawsbackheel]

No. Didn’t have many anyway as I got a CD player soon after getting into music.

Vinyl = scratchy, jumpy, crackly.
CD = perfectly clear sound

Never understood the attraction of vinyl, albeit I accept that some will have a nostalgic attraction to it, and I do understand that, but for sound quality, CDs are a no brainer.

Scratchy, jumpy, crackly?
Not my collection.

 

[denislawsbackheel]

On the subject of vinyl did people on here keep their vinyl collection intact over the years? I was one of those numpties who disposed of 90% of them once CD had 'triumphed' as the main format. My 15 year old is really pissed off about that given the price of vinyl these days. Only saving grace from his perspective is I did keep my Smiths, JD and NO.

Over 1000 albums, collected from the late 60s up to fairly recently.
Only ever sold one, for over £200.
Similar number of CDs are in the loft.

 

[BimboBob]

No. Didn’t have many anyway as I got a CD player soon after getting into music.

Vinyl = scratchy, jumpy, crackly.
CD = perfectly clear sound

Never understood the attraction of vinyl, albeit I accept that some will have a nostalgic attraction to it, and I do understand that, but for sound quality, CDs are a no brainer.

Vinyl definitely not scratchy or jumpy...well a few might be!
CD all the soul taken out of the mix to get the perfect digital recording.

Like chalk and cheese.

 

[threespires]

Over 1000 albums, collected from the late 60s up to fairly recently.
Only ever sold one, for over £200.
Similar number of CDs are in the loft.

Didn't even sell my vinyl, either gave it away or I think I might even have skipped some :-(

Got approx 3k CDs in the garage from the era when I had no kids and a bit of a habit.

 

[RobMCFC]

Vinyl definitely not scratchy or jumpy...well a few might be!
CD all the soul taken out of the mix to get the perfect digital recording.

Like chalk and cheese.

We all hear things differently, but I respectfully disagree that the soul is taken out by digitising a recording.

We are talking about sampling rates that are high enough to not lose anything that the human hear can hear. Technically, sampling is losing something by converting from analogue to digital, but there is no way anybody on the planet has ears good enough to spot it.

I’ve never owned a decent record player, but I did have access the some Technics decks at hospital radio. They were better than my cheap hi-fi but not better than the sound of a CD, which gives you the sound of what was recorded and none of the hiss.

I know audiophiles will disagree, but then they would having spent thousands of pounds on the equipment, and good luck to them if it makes them happy - we all have to spend our money on something that cheers us up. But I have never seen a scientific article that proves the sound of digital music is somehow less than the analogue equivalent.

 

[BimboBob]

We all hear things differently, but I respectfully disagree that the soul is taken out by digitising a recording.

We are talking about sampling rates that are high enough to not lose anything that the human hear can hear. Technically, sampling is losing something by converting from analogue to digital, but there is no way anybody on the planet has ears good enough to spot it.

I’ve never owned a decent record player, but I did have access the some Technics decks at hospital radio. They were better than my cheap hi-fi but not better than the sound of a CD, which gives you the sound of what was recorded and none of the hiss.

I know audiophiles will disagree, but then they would having spent thousands of pounds on the equipment, and good luck to them if it makes them happy - we all have to spend our money on something that cheers us up. But I have never seen a scientific article that proves the sound of digital music is somehow less than the analogue equivalent.

I'm only pulling...I stream and use cd's.

Though there is nothing finer than putting an album on, sitting back and relaxing with a wee dram.

 

[threespires]

I'm only pulling...I stream and use cd's.

Though there is nothing finer than putting an album on, sitting back and relaxing with a wee dram.

I think that's the point isn't it, all the formats have a place and offer pros and cons for different situations.

There is something special about carefully taking out a piece of vinyl from a gatefold sleeve that has a fantastic piece of art on it and setting it down on the platter. None of that you do with your ears but it's still a special part of the experience. I'm just making myself sad about my erstwhile LPs now.

 

[Mancitydoogle]

I had about 1000 albums on vinyl that moved with me on my last move 14 yrs ago and they all stayed in the garage apart from the odd one I couldn’t get on CD.
Sadly I sold them all 5 years ago.I have about 2000 CDS which I also never play as I started to rip them into MP3s and Flac.Nowadays I listen to most stuff on Spotify for ease.I do miss the days of getting an album and reading the liner notes on the cover
and the lyrics whilst the record was playing.

 

[Saddleworth2]

I think that's the point isn't it, all the formats have a place and offer pros and cons for different situations.

There is something special about carefully taking out a piece of vinyl from a gatefold sleeve that has a fantastic piece of art on it and setting it down on the platter. None of that you do with your ears but it's still a special part of the experience. I'm just making myself sad about my erstwhile LPs now.

I did what you did. Allow my LP collection to be given away/sold/skipped and replaced by CD. My CD's are now all indexed and stored and hardly ever touched. I stream everything now principally through a Linn DSM. I use Amazon Music HD as a source for everything.

I do miss the 'handling' of an LP and sleeve. There was something really glorious in listening and following the lyrics on the album sleeve. I can still do Foxtrot at Karaoke without looking at the lyric prompt (albeit without the costume changes). The Roger Dean covers were my favourite, Yes, obviously but also Uriah Heep, Greenslade and others that I forget. Our album collections used to get trooped round parties so they were not looked after properly. My copy of Lamb Lies Down had an annoying 'stick' in the middle of Carpet Crawlers and I still can't listen to that track without hearing it go 'staircase.staircase.staircase.staircase.staircase' ad infinitum until you got up and changed track.

Whatever the format, I liked music that sounds like it is being played in front of you with a nice wide soundstage. Sadly a thing of the past for me being just about deaf in my right lug :-(

 

[GornikDaze]

Loving this pick @OB1 my only complaint so far is that some of the tracks seem to fade too soon, which is not a deal breaker just a ‘wish this would keep going’

His vocal and guitar style is very easy on the ear and the odd brass sections here and there just add an extra wonderful dimension

 

[threespires]

Loving this pick @OB1 my only complaint so far is that some of the tracks seem to fade too soon, which is not a deal breaker just a ‘wish this would keep going’

His vocal and guitar style is very easy on the ear and the odd brass sections here and there just add an extra wonderful dimension

Ditto. It's not often I think 'this could do with being a minute longer' !

 

[journolud]

Loving this pick @OB1 my only complaint so far is that some of the tracks seem to fade too soon, which is not a deal breaker just a ‘wish this would keep going’

His vocal and guitar style is very easy on the ear and the odd brass sections here and there just add an extra wonderful dimension

Ditto. It's not often I think 'this could do with being a minute longer' !

Double ditto. (Tritto?)

 

[denislawsbackheel]

We all hear things differently, but I respectfully disagree that the soul is taken out by digitising a recording.

We are talking about sampling rates that are high enough to not lose anything that the human hear can hear. Technically, sampling is losing something by converting from analogue to digital, but there is no way anybody on the planet has ears good enough to spot it.

I’ve never owned a decent record player, but I did have access the some Technics decks at hospital radio. They were better than my cheap hi-fi but not better than the sound of a CD, which gives you the sound of what was recorded and none of the hiss.

I know audiophiles will disagree, but then they would having spent thousands of pounds on the equipment, and good luck to them if it makes them happy - we all have to spend our money on something that cheers us up. But I have never seen a scientific article that proves the sound of digital music is somehow less than the analogue equivalent.

So you have never heard a top turntable and cartridge playing vinyl, yet you are an expert enough to pass judgement on them…

I have a CD player that was over a grand yet all my CDs are in the loft.
My vinyl system on the other hand is in use almost daily.

And what does “none of the hiss” mean?
I only heard hiss on cassette decks.